School shooting seem to be on the rise and the "In thing to do" lately .

Considering the parents are the ones responsible for said child until eighteen why are we not charging parents w/ neglect and child endangerment ? I say lock there asses up .


No one was hurt but there was another one today .

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...n/4246057.html

I think the fact that civilians have easy access to arms should be blamed.

We don't use guns for defense in my country...And we've only introduced tasers this year to our police force. You give civilians guns and you're asking for trouble.

Don't blame parents. Blame your government.

For the sake of argument, would you also lock up the parents of a teenager who drove drunk and wrecked?

I think this person is just having a laugh.

Conversely, if everyone had easier access to guns, we wouldn't have massacres in schools because the 'victims' would be on a level playing field and be able to shoot the attacking gunmen.

I agree.

please look to my how to solve school shootings thread in off-topic.

ARM the teachers and you have solved the problem

Taking guns away from citizens only emboldens the criminal. Every nation that has a disarmement idealogy has seen thier violent crime rate skyrocket. The United States has seen drops in all crimes across the boards.

Yeah no thanks, I prefer freedom to being an unarmed populace. If it means I gotta hear about shootings or be in one, so be it.

I posted this thread because every time I hear of a school shooting I think of Columbine. The fact that the parents of the assasins were clueless of the contents of their child's rooms until the FBI searched it and told them . Munitions , bomb making tools and a journal that gave a detailed description of the events.

Im implying that if we hold the parents accountable it will make others wake up and get more involved in what it is these bastards are doing. Our Govt has already proven that fear perpetuates action.

yeah, right to arms is here to stay in america. god bless. as for school shootings, i have no idea whether you should lock the parents up or not. morally, no, legally, yes. then again, if it's all said and done and the parents had no knowledge of it, why punish them? the real problem is the arbitrary choice of 18 for adulthood. i think a teenager who can procure weapons, form a plan and try to kill people all of his own free will is acting as an adult and should be treated accordingly. they know what they're doing, and acting independently of their parents. it's not the parents' fault. but i guess the laws say otherwise. hmmm... i'd have to say it depends on the case.

Anyone ever hear the term survival of the fittest? This is kinda along those lines, in collusion with the meek shall inherit the earth. Oxymoronic in nature I know, but none the less true

I absolutely disagree.

I enjoy living in a country where I have zero fear of having a gun pointed at me. The only people that own guns here are hunters or pest control (possums and rabbits). They can only own sporting rifles, shotguns, and ammunition.

I'm not saying there are no other guns smuggled into the country, but we've yet to see floating around.

Also, "firearms license approval ake 6 to 8 weeks from application. During that time Police thoroughly check the applicants background. They interview two referees - including a parent, spouse or partner - who is interviewed separately and confidentially. Police also make a home visit to check the applicants security, living, and social arrangements."

It's not hard to get a gun and licence here, but our reasons for having them are different.

I still prefer the freedom of safety as opposed to having a gun. No I don't want a gun and I don't want you to have a gun either.

I guess most people's fear is that they can't picture a world without guns. When I say "take away guns" you say "but how do I defend myself against all the people with guns?"

If tomorrow I could make every single gun in the world disappear. Poof! Gone in a cloud of glitter. Would you say "Go ahead, no gun violence ever again. Wicked" or would you say "No. I love how I have the right to bear arms. I like how my neighbours are armed, I like how criminals are armed. I like how our police are armed. I like how our children have access to arms. This is freedom."

Interesting views there.

[color=#00ff00]I remain as open minded as Fuzzywuggles is at the moment but feel that it is not the parents we should condemn. Majority of parents try to raise their children as best they can.

Maybe you should give Fuzzywuggles an account sinc you have no opinion of your own.

Anyone 16 or older may apply for a Firearms License in New Zealand. Hell here in the United States you have to be 21 or older in order to apply for a Concealed Firearms Permit. Now I do not know what you hav ebeen taught but criminals often disregard any local or international laws because they are CRIMINALS... ie. they do not follow the laws. You have a very loose handgun set of laws there in NZ which is great. Anyone who passes a background check may own a handgun and that is why you have a very low per capita crime rate as compared to England which has zero tolerance toward gun ownership. Your reasons for having the laws you have in NZ do not jibe with what you suggest. I can bet you that more people than just "hunters or pest control" as you state. You guys have your own Handgun enthusiast magazine for chrissakes. You would think that since you live there you would know this but I guess ignorance is bliss

Guess what. Bob in NZ owns a handgun, his house gets burgled and his handgun gets stolen, now a criminal has the gun but he knows that everyone else including honest citizens can have one so he is a bit nervous about using it. BUT the point is that now a criminal has one

And your IF is not a part of reality. The reality is that guns are going nowhere. They are here. You can either learn to live with them and use them for what they were designed for, or you can live in abject foolish fear of them and cringe everytime you hear the word "guns".

Just the other day 4 polynesians jumped out of a black suv and beat up and robbed two innocent guys who are working at Nightmare On 13th which is a haunted house. They were just a couple of innocent working men, now beaten and broke due to some assholes who could have been deterred from thier criminal activities were one of the innocent men armed. Instead they were both hospitalized. Animals like that regard one thing highly, violent opposition or the thought of mortal bodily harm. Elsewise they gleefully beat on whomever they choose until stopped.

It is ridiculous and illogical to think that just because you disarm a populace gun crime will end. Sev eral nations have already proven that this is not the case

Would that be called gun-powder?

"Bob" in New Zealand isn't allowed a handgun for self defense. You put 'self defence in your application (the police will read that as you are intending to use it on a human being - which is illegal in any country) for firearms and you will get denied a permit here.

I never said that guns create violence. People create violence and arming civilians causes more problems than it solves. Your Polynesian example proves what? That civilians should be armed constantly? Is that a world you want to live in? Perhaps you live in that world already. I don't know. See, I read that story and I wouldn't deduce that from it at all. I get the feeling you think that anti-gun stance is a sign of naivety. I think it's really thinking.

I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree. No amount of persuasion on here could convince me that guns are a good idea.

I used my IF guns disappeared question because I'm trying figure out if people want guns because they love guns or because they really feel like they need them. I'm still not sure of your answer...

I really didn't know that 16 is the legal age in NZ for owning a gun. I'd want to get that changed, but since we don't shoot our classmates, I guess it doesn't matter so much. For now that is. Give us a decade we might catch up to the US. A lot of our laws apply for young people. I guess when you have a small population (4.5 million) you can afford to give your youth more responsibility? You can drive at age 15 here and sex is 18. There is nothing that is over 18 - you are an adult at this point in the eyes of the law.

More research:
So that's why I've never seen a gun before. It's because I've never been to a pistol club! So yeah, if I want to see a gun waved in front of my face, I'll make sure I go there....

People aren't allowed to carry weapons here.