And another...

[Boomhauer]

For the record, I'm not suggesting all guns be banned. Rifles and shotguns have legitimate uses. Plus, it's pretty darned hard to kill someone with .22 or anything smaller.

***My Ex-brother-in-law killed both of his parents with a .22, choosing it over several other weapons in the house, and stated that he did so because "it is quieter"

Stockpiling guns/ammunition = not ordinary

Buying a couple of guns to keep in the house "just in case" = ordinary

True enough. That was sorta my point in putting "ordinary citizens" in quotes and saying, "average, slightly-unstable guy". If there were more strict controls on guns (civilians not being allowed to own fully automatics, controls on how many weapons you buy, etc), then maybe this tragedy could have been prevented. At some point, some government agency should have said, "Hey, this woman is turning her house into a fortress. Let's take her guns away."

Civilians aren't allowed to buy fully automatics.
Also, it doesn't matter how many guns you have. You can only use 1 or 2 at a time anyway ;-) There are such things as collectors. My father for instance, collects firearms. He has at least 50 different guns. But he isn't stockpiling for the end of the world, he's a collector. The government taking her guns away would be violating her right to bear arms. You were missing my point. I was simply bringing up an obviously odd bit of information about the mother that may speak to potential mental health issues within the family. But she was killed too.

The problem is, who knows if one of the teachers is unstable, and goes off one day and kills all the kids? What if one of the kids gets a hold of a teacher's gun (it will happen eventually, it's a big country, and some people aren't careful enough)? If you have an environment where there are weapons everywhere, people will use those weapons.

You don't know if the teachers are unstable, but they are put through quite a gauntlet of tests and checks before being employed as a teacher. By your logic, we shouldn't give cops or military guns either, cause who knows, maybe they are unstable?

The best defense is a good offense.

Again, weapons everywhere = people use those weapons. People get mad and flip out all the time. Guys get into brawls in parking lots and fight outside clubs (not frequently, but often enough). What would happen if everyone was armed? Instead of two bozos going to the hospital with broken knuckles and noses, you would have two dead guys going to the morgue.

True, but I'm not suggesting handing out guns as door prizes. Gun control is still necessary. Likely, if they are the type of people out brawling at a club, they probably didn't pass a background check to get a firearm. Though they may have one they obtained illegally. And in that case, my suggestion still has merit, because maybe the owner of the club IS a responsible citizen legally owning a firearm, and prevents the thugs from harming others.

BTW* It's much easier to obtain a firearm in Canada, where you are, than in the U.S. , and the murder rates and crime are VERY low there. That's because potential criminals who never know who's packing heat, are much less likely to attempt a crime.