Most people wouldn't think of America as dangerous of place as Iraq, and why not? There aren't suicide bombers blowing themselves up on a daily basis. There aren't soldiers patrolling the streets in armored humvees. Police officers aren't going around in body armor when they patrol. But if one were to look at the number of deaths that Americans cause to themselves, then maybe, just maybe, there would be a realization that the USA isn't as peaceful as it seems.
I'm not against gun ownership. Even as someone who leans very left politically, I have no qualms about anyone who wants to own a gun. You live in the city and want a handgun? Fine by me. You live in a rural area and hunt for food? No issues there. But there has to be some point where we draw the line and say "You know, maybe guns shouldn't be so easy to get, since their purpose is to kill."
Just look at the string of violence done with people using guns:
Gunman shoots 9 in south Alabama, then himself
A gunman went on a bloody shooting spree in southern Alabama, mowing down 10 people including his mother and grandmother before killing himself in one of the deadliest rampages in US history, officials said Wednesday.
Armed with two assault rifles, a shotgun and a handgun, Michael McLendon, 28, left a trail of dead and six wounded across three towns during Tuesday's shooting spree before turning the gun on himself after being cornered by police in a factory where he had worked.
http://www.theage.com.au/...
Carnage in Carthage: Gunman Kills 8 in Nursing Home
http://abcnews.go.com/...
Gunman in Binghamton Fired at Least 98 Shots
The man who shot and killed 13 people in Binghamton last week fired at least 98 times in a swift but calculated rampage that lasted barely a minute, Binghamton officials said on Wednesday.
The man, Jiverly Wong, burst into the American Civic Association center on Friday morning carrying a .45-caliber handgun and a 9-millimeter Beretta. In rapid succession, Mr. Wong gunned down 17 people — 13 of whom died almost instantly and four of whom survived — before killing himself.
http://www.nytimes.com/...
Gunman Kills Three Pittsburgh Police Officers
http://kdka.com/...
And these are all within the last month!
All said, there have been more victims due to mass shootings in America that solider deaths in Iraq last month.
http://www.antiwar.com/...
And the things that connects these events together besides the killings? Nearly all gunmen legally bought their firearms:
They had more in common than unleashing carnage — nearly every gunman in this monthlong series of mass killings was legally entitled to fire his weapons.
And what has been the government response to this? Make guns even more readily available:
Despite eight rampages that have claimed 57 lives since March 10, "it hasn't sparked any national goal to deal with this epidemic. In fact, it's going the other way," said Scott Vogel of the Freedom States Alliance, a gun control activist group.
Even President Barack Obama has felt that sway. Last month, 65 House Democrats said they would block any attempt to resurrect an expired federal ban against assault weapons.
The pro-gun Democrats, led by Rep. Mike Ross of Arkansas, wrote Attorney General Eric Holder saying they opposed not only a ban on military-style guns, but also efforts "to pass any similar law."
http://www.google.com/...
Again, I don't have anything against people who want to own/already own a gun. However, you don't need an assault rifle to hunt. No one should ever be in a situation (outside the military) where that kind of fire-power is necessary for your protection. White I'm getting at is that maybe, just maybe, we should reconsider how readily available these weapons are.