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People and Politics by Patrick Roberts

After Colorado: The speech on guns neither Obama nor Romney will ever give - Not facing down the gun lobby is the real cowardice for politicians

Posted on Saturday, July 21, 2012 at 08:17 AM

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President Obama and Mitt Romney

The speech on guns neither Obama nor Romney will ever give - Not facing down the gun lobby is the real cowardice for politicians

My fellow Americans. Something has gone badly wrong in our country. We are seeing more and more senseless killings, more mass murders happening when deeply unstable people open fire on innocent Americans.

Colorado is just the latest example of this madness where a deeply disturbed man had access to major weapons and used them to fire on innocent people, men women and children. He killed 12, injured 58 more including a 4 month old girl. Enough is enough.

I’ve had enough of the Gabbi Giffords, of the dead children, of the grieving parents. It is time to call a halt to this madness.

The reality is that guns are far too freely available in our society. In Europe and other places where guns are not so freely available no such violence occurs.

Guns in our country killed 8,875 people in 2010, latest year I have figures for, with weapons.

The number of homicides in Britain in the same year was 600.

The difference is clearly that the British public does not have the unfettered access to weapons that we have here.

I will dispense with the weasel words and the lack of real action on the issue. We need far stricter gun laws to ensure that innocent people are kept safe.

I have nothing against those who wish to hunt or carry a weapon for personal protection but everyone must undergo strict background checks, have no more than one weapon and let us ban these ridiculous semi-automatic rifles that can kill dozens in seconds like what happened in Colorado.

This clearly mentally ill man bought 6,000 rounds of ammunition on the Internet--legally. How insane is that?

The gun lobby has a responsibility not just to the gun manufacturers but to the citizenry too to ensure that all sane and reasonable precautions be taken to ensure that lunatics don’t have guns.

My fellow Americans, let this Colorado gun massacre of innocents be the last time we will come together and grieve in such a fashion.

By direct and immediate action we can look into our children’s eyes and tell them that we are doing all we can to keep them safe.

As New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg stated “Maybe it’s time that the two people who want to be president of the United States stand up and tell us what they are going to do about it,” “because this is obviously a problem across the country.”

Indeed it is and I accept that. Be safe my fellow Americans, that will be a major priority of my term as president.

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seanomelb | Jul 25, 2012, 07:19 PM EDT

McNamara it's not a political issue,it's a human life issue. I suggest you never wear a hoody.

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palmeiras | Jul 25, 2012, 02:52 PM EDT

This is a shame for america; the rest of the world is having a good sneer. Your society is sick and even when a multiple shooting happens rarely in other countries(As it did in Norway) it is still influenced by the good old u.s.a thru the hollywood ultra violent industry. Now all you john waynes on this site, think about that; then again ya'll will probably buy another seven guns so as to double the national average. What a bunch of freaks.

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McNamara31 | Jul 24, 2012, 08:27 PM EDT

borefield "How typical of the left wing liberals to turn this tragedy into a political control issue" ....Gimme a break with the "left wing stuff" This is a tragedy pure and simple.If you want to place blame, place it on the NRA lobby where it belongs.

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seanomelb | Jul 24, 2012, 08:23 PM EDT

9000 people die in America from gunshot and the US cinema industry ban dress-ups and masks.Thank God!! I will not be shot by a mask but by the gun-totin gentleman in the three piece suit beside me packing a Glock

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EphraimKibbey | Jul 24, 2012, 12:20 AM EDT

Gun violence is multi-causal and like so many of our current problems is not going to be solved with the gun control bandaids that I have seen offered. The new book out on the Columbine tragedy points to severe depression as the underlying cause there. The ineffective "War on Drugs" and the organised crime that takes advantage of it is the root of many of the Nation's shootings including those of innocent bystanders as well as gang members. When prohibition was repealed, much of the gang violence evaporated in our previous attempt to legislate morals. Then there are the individual murders for personal gain and accidental shootings. America is vast and diversely populated and the reasons for its extraordinary level of violence deep-rooted. If the patient is bleeding internally, a bandaid will only cover up the outward sign of the injury and give a false sense of having healed the wound. Better to operate and sew together the internal layers allowing true healing from the inside out.

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Curitiba | Jul 23, 2012, 05:40 PM EDT

I'm not sure that bringing loaded guns into a cinema as a matter of routine is a good idea. What happens if the person in front of you won't turn off their mobile phone, or makes loud noises eating their popcorn and you both fall out? Would a simple punch-up turn into a shootout? The silliest argument for guns was when that student shot 30-odd people in Virginia and some gun dealer suggested that the problem was not that the shooter had access to ridiculous amounts of weaponry, it was that the students weren't armed in the classroom. I give up, was my first thought to that.

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eiriamach | Jul 23, 2012, 03:55 PM EDT

This discussion reminds me of a scene in "Fort Apache the Bronx." Seeing a partner heavily armed, Murphy says, "What is this, the gunfight at the O.K. Corral?" Finley replies, "As long as there's cop killers around, pal, I'm gonna be ready." Murphy: "It don't make no difference how many guns you got. You only got two hands."

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tundish45 | Jul 23, 2012, 03:26 PM EDT

Well, malpaso2001, since we are guessing about the theater crowd here's an equally valid story line to yours :"If even a few people in that theater had a gun we wouldnt be mourning 12 now. My story line is there were several with guns. All legal, all trained and all with varying amounts of luck and discipline. A guy a few rows back and across accurately sees what's happening and takes a clear shot, but is jostled and his bullet hits an innocent. A guy a bunch of rows back from him in the dark and smoke sees hero #1 shooting what seems like his second shot and takes a shot at him. Hits another innocent. A guy in the balcony sees hero #2 firing what he thinks is his third shot and fires down into the crowd. He puts down hero #3, who has a friend who now shoots up into the balcony. The guy in body armor continues to fire, untroubled by this other shooting. Yes, we would have been mouring a number different than 12.

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malpaso2001 | Jul 23, 2012, 12:48 PM EDT

The problem is a "LACK" of guns, not the opposite. If even a few people in that theater had a gun we wouldnt be mourning 12 now. He might have gotten off a few rounds but then end of story for him. Statistics from the F.B.I. prove that in states where its legal to carry a weapon the crime rate is lower and not just by a bit, but by a serious margin. Go figure! And by the way, every year 720,000 Americans die from prescription drugs in hospital and another 200,00 plus at home. Thats almost a million innocent people dead from taking the correct amount of the drug as prescribed by a physician. Anyone crying about that stat? Thats a long way from 8875 from guns. Citizens have to stop been so easily led by those in the 99% that want us totally subservant to them. Interesting that ol' Bloomy wants all guns off the streets, yet he's surrounded by guns 24/7. I guess its a matter of "Im all right jack", the rest of you are on your own if anything happens.Some among us would have it that only the criminals and law enforcement are armed....which could be argued amounts to the same thing.!!

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Curitiba | Jul 23, 2012, 11:04 AM EDT

Armies always have weaponry, so I'm not sure I understand your point, sunspotter5. I don't think having guns in your house is going to be much good against the tanks and rockets of an invading army. Unless you're suggesting every household should own a tank, a fighter jet and various armoured rockets in case of such an eventuality.

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tundish45 | Jul 23, 2012, 10:29 AM EDT

Well, there you have it from sunspotter5. The only thing standing between the End Of Civilization As We Know It is a hand gun in every hand. The collateral damage and death to thousands of innocent lives is nothing compared to that big picture. The final crusher proof and end of discussion.

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sunspotter5 | Jul 23, 2012, 09:15 AM EDT

How did not having guns to use against England work out for Ireland? How did having guns to use against England work out for the United States? Also, Hitler showed himself (and rest assured the next Hitler is in utero or in grade school) to be rather open to friendly negotiation and harmonious living? Right?

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tundish45 | Jul 22, 2012, 07:41 PM EDT

Scroll down through this thread and note the tone of many of the pro gun postings. They tend towards an intent to use. Which is to be expected recalling the universal truth "To a kid with a hammer, everything looks like a nail."

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seanomelb | Jul 22, 2012, 07:17 PM EDT

I agree with Belphagor carrying guns = a society in stress. Americans have a siege mentality brought about by successive governments and the NRA promoting fear and loathing of others and sadly it is now ingrained in millions of Americans.

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Curitiba | Jul 22, 2012, 04:22 PM EDT

I can never understand this American obsession with guns. I read a story in the Daily Mail today about a guy in Florida who answered the door in the middle of the night to a stranger, pointing a gun at him (presumably as a precaution). The stranger turned out to be a copper who shot him dead. Had he not had a gun, he would presumably be still alive. Even the muggers here in the UK don't have guns. So if you have a gun, the mugger is going to have one as well, and it turns a situation where you just hand over your money into one where someone gets shot. I can't see the point of all this.

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