Did your views on guns change?

Use this forum to discuss the March 2018 Book of the Month, "Final Notice" by Van Fleisher.
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mnmueller
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Re: Did your views on guns change?

Post by mnmueller »

My thoughts on guns and gun control haven't changed. I have thought for some time that we need to have a new system for determining who can purchase weapons and ammunition.

What did change was my view on marketing guns and the importance of the ideas around gun ownership. In the book, the NRA uses a very predatory way of marketing to manipulate people into buying guns. The philosophy they used is one I've seen echoed in the media and places like Facebook. People usually feel like they have little to no control, especially when they have recently experienced death or are anticipating it. A lot of people seem to think having a gun gives you at least some control back. I don't believe that is true and I think it's dangerous to think that way.

I think the book helped solidify for me the idea that the culture surrounding guns and their ownership is at least as important as gun control.
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Post by Steph K »

This book didn't change my opinions on gun control at all. I already held the view that we need more regulation and increased background checks on firearms.
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Christina Rose
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Post by Christina Rose »

HouseOfAtticus wrote: 03 Mar 2018, 05:21 In fact, this helped me get a better idea of what my views about the issue are. They got strengthened.
Oftentimes, when we listen to the ideas of others, our personal views are indeed influenced in some way. I’m glad you were able to get a better idea of your own views.
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Christina Rose
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Post by Christina Rose »

kandscreeley wrote: 04 Mar 2018, 20:07 My view on guns has always been ambivalent. I don't want to deny people their right to bare arms. But I've never been comfortable having a gun in my house. And I don't. I also don't think that arming teachers is the answer to the problem. Yet I do believe that people kill people - guns don't. So I'm kind of all over the place in this one. The book has not changed that.
I agree that arming teachers is not the answer. I’ve spoken with a teacher to get her thoughts, and she also thinks it is not the answer.
I can understand your views being all over the place. It is a complex issue.
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Kayleigh Brookes
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Post by Kayleigh Brookes »

I don't think my view changed at all. I strongly believe that guns are dangerous, especially if they end up in the wrong hands, and I don't think that view of mine will ever change. If anything, it just strengthened what I already knew and helped me to be more aware
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Post by Mwanyalo »

my views about gun control have changed this way:i propose and i supportthe author of the book,although it is yet to be discussed into detail that there should be no use of guns.This is because why should an individual be allowed to keep creating a big mountain hip of murdered persons instead of building righteouness in his hands.
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Post by Tarra1 »

I also agree with AbbyGNelson, like the kid who is suing Dicks Sporting Good because they wouldn't sell him a gun because he was under age.
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Post by britt13 »

I have always been anti-gun. I think people rely too heavily on the second amendment and it needs to be changed. I hate the argument that criminals will still get guns because DUH criminals will always keep doing what they are doing. I do not think that means we need to arm more people. Even in this book, it talks about how a good person with a gun can harm others while trying to help.
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Post by britt13 »

JessNWheeler wrote: 01 Mar 2018, 13:26 My views haven’t changed. If anything, my views were further confirmed. However, I hadn’t considered the danger of armed senior citizens, especially when they realize that they are nearing the end of their lives. The most dangerous people can be the people who feel that they have nothing left to lose.
I felt the same way! My mom and I have talked about how we think seniors should have to retake a driving test at some point because of diminished capacity. I had not thought about guns in this way. Also, I am aware that everyone is different and people age differently but it is a fact that you do change as you get older, and not all those changes are good.
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Post by britt13 »

vinodsai wrote: 01 Mar 2018, 23:14 Gun Control is the most important issue right now. According to my opinion, not everyone should have guns. What happens If a mentally unstable kid or man gets a gun and kills someone? My views on gun control haven't changed.
I tend to hate when people say something is the most important when it comes to broad things like issues of a country but I tend to agree with you right now. Unfortunately, just like the book points out, our current heads of government are not the best suited to take care of it.
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Post by britt13 »

Vickie Noel wrote: 02 Mar 2018, 08:21 For me, I think about why we have guns and weapons in the first place. They are supposedly for protection against the 'bad guys," but if there are none of the one, then there'll be none of the other. But it can't happen now, because society and modernization cannot stop a person's heart from craving evil and even if we take away the guns, they'll just find something else. So it's hard to find a real workable solution, after all, even those who ought to be in charge of safety and security sometimes work hand in hand with the people wreaking havoc all around. Nevertheless, the more accessible guns are, the more potential damage can result. It may end up not being for the greater good. I certainly look forward to the time when mankind will finally "beat their swords (or guns) into plowshares...and not learn way anymore."
Do you think there can be a time that "mankind will finally beat their swords"? Based on your earlier ideas about evil I would say I do not ever think the world will be rid of violence. I too wish that it could be, obviously, but I do not think it is possible. Even in small groups of good people things like jealousy and resentment start to come out.
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Post by britt13 »

jwalker73 wrote: 03 Mar 2018, 14:59 My views have not changed. I live in Australia where we have a relatively strong gun control system in place. Yes people can still have guns but these are restricted to certain types, and owners are carefully vetted. Yes, people still shoot other people, but we have not had a mass shooting since the introduction of gun control laws.
I have been wondering how the people as a whole took the change in laws therein Australia, and places with similar laws. Was their outrage?
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britt13
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Post by britt13 »

kandscreeley wrote: 04 Mar 2018, 20:07 My view on guns has always been ambivalent. I don't want to deny people their right to bare arms. But I've never been comfortable having a gun in my house. And I don't. I also don't think that arming teachers is the answer to the problem. Yet I do believe that people kill people - guns don't. So I'm kind of all over the place in this one. The book has not changed that.
In regards to the people kill people, people need some sort of device to carry that out though. I suppose some could snap someone's neck or similar things, but for most they need something. I know that lots of devices exist, not just guns, but guns seem to have a mass shooting quality about them. What are your thoughts on that? I am always interested to talk to those who are on the fence.
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Post by kandscreeley »

britt13 wrote: 09 Mar 2018, 15:43
kandscreeley wrote: 04 Mar 2018, 20:07 My view on guns has always been ambivalent. I don't want to deny people their right to bare arms. But I've never been comfortable having a gun in my house. And I don't. I also don't think that arming teachers is the answer to the problem. Yet I do believe that people kill people - guns don't. So I'm kind of all over the place in this one. The book has not changed that.
In regards to the people kill people, people need some sort of device to carry that out though. I suppose some could snap someone's neck or similar things, but for most they need something. I know that lots of devices exist, not just guns, but guns seem to have a mass shooting quality about them. What are your thoughts on that? I am always interested to talk to those who are on the fence.
As for the mass shooting ability, I'm definitely against any type of automatic weapon being in the hands of a civilian. That I do know for sure. It's a handgun or hunting rifle that I'm unsure about. While those still can kill a number of people, it's definitely more difficult to kill multitudes....
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Post by berk_sumpter »

I have only read the sample of this book. However, in the sample, there has already been a lot of arguments and and discussion on guns. So far the discussion has not changed my opinion on guns. I think that the mention and the theme of guns in the book so far is extremely interesting and for sure a conversation starter.
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