OPINION: We shouldn't make school shootings political issues.

Luigi7255

Things always become political issues. Even common sense things, like non-discrimination laws, become political. It's never a matter of if something will be a political issue, it's when.

anarchist100

@Luigi7255
Non-discrimination laws are not common sense, they violate the first amendment.

Cringe_Train

@Luigi7255

And that's really the issue isn't it? These things shouldn't be in politics because they don't actually offer a solution rather, they divide us more.

Luigi7255

@anarchist100

So... discrimination in every place should be legal? How does that work? If there were no non-discrimination laws, you'd still be able to put a "Whites only" sign on your business' windowsill.

@Cringe_Train

Exactly. Don't know why everything has to be a political issue.

MayCaesar

How about making it a statistical issue? Statistically, in any country in the world you today are so unlikely to die to a school shooting, that if you worry about this, you might as well start worrying about dying to a shark attack, or drowning in your bathtub, or sneezing so hard as to damage your entrails.

Also, if you do not want to make it a statistical issue, then abolish all gun control laws and privatize all schools. As long as schools are run by the government and guns are controlled by the government, by definition, school shootings will remain a political issue.

It is quite in fashion today, first to ask the government to put its claws into X, and then to say, "Why are you guys making X into a political issue?" It is like sleeping with a lady with no protection, and then wondering, "Why is she making it into a childbirth issue? We just slept over, is all!"

Swolliw

@Cringe_Train

Exactly. Don't know why everything has to be a political issue.

......Because politics is about people and what affects people's lives. School shootings have to be a political issue because it is up to politicians and advocates to push for the appropriate law reforms to be made. If you think that the issue disappears and nothing being done it is up to us as individuals to lobby our politicians and tell them our thoughts; that's what they are there for.  

John_C_87

The moment firearms had been taken from those who must ensure safety at public and private schools ballistic shields program should have been put in place. Phones, fires, and fire prevention are the legal precedent.

John_C_87

It is at this piot the largest group of people in America have had their United State Consitutional right violated.

Swolliw

@John_C_87

The moment firearms had been taken from those who must ensure safety at public and private schools ballistic shields program should have been put in place. Phones, fires, and fire prevention are the legal precedent.

It still won't stop a meth-intoxicated nit-wit from shooting up the place. Prevention is better than cure and we should be looking at obliterating the sources of the problem as complicated and difficult as it is. Mental health and firearms control are the first major steps.

John_C_87

@Swolliw
It still won't stop a meth-intoxicated nit-wit from shooting up the place. Prevention is better than cure and we should be looking at obliterating the sources of the problem as complicated and difficult as it is. Mental health and firearms control are the first major steps.

The best thing to do was not provide a shield for the kids who come under fire?

firearms control are the first major steps.
Shooting drills and ballistic shields are as simple firearm control as it gets, short of firearm training and return fire principles.

Cringe_Train

Swolliw said:

@Cringe_Train

Exactly. Don't know why everything has to be a political issue.

......Because politics is about people and what affects people's lives. School shootings have to be a political issue because it is up to politicians and advocates to push for the appropriate law reforms to be made. If you think that the issue disappears and nothing being done it is up to us as individuals to lobby our politicians and tell them our thoughts; that's what they are there for.  

Yes but the issue is we often lose sight of other issues. For example mental health is a big reason behind school shootings. But all the conversations were about gun control and that makes me mad. Not just because it's been made political, but because it ignores a bigger issue.

Swolliw

@Cringe_Train

Yes but the issue is we often lose sight of other issues. For example mental health is a big reason behind school shootings. But all the conversations were about gun control and that makes me mad. Not just because it's been made political, but because it ignores a bigger issue.

I take your point there completely...the reason as I see it in the USA is that the gun lobby carries a lot of political weight and of course, turns it into a political issue. I agree with you though that mental health is the bigger issue but there is still nothing wrong with politicizing that in the right way in order to create constructive argument and publicizing the problem.

CYDdharta

Swolliw said:

I take your point there completely...the reason as I see it in the USA is that the gun lobby carries a lot of political weight and of course, turns it into a political issue. I agree with you though that mental health is the bigger issue but there is still nothing wrong with politicizing that in the right way in order to create constructive argument and publicizing the problem.

You have it completely backwards. The only weight that the gun lobby has is in the commitment of its members.  The anti-gun lobby, turn everything political because their members aren't as committed.  They have and spend a whole lot more money on their cause, as elitists do, to lobby politicians, so they have to make it political.  The anti-gun lobby isn't as interested in solving the problem as it is in pushing an agenda.

SkepticalOne

@CYDdharta

They [anti-gun lobbyists] have and spend a whole lot more money on their cause [than gun lobbyist], as elitists do, to lobby politicians, so they have to make it political. 

Do you have numbers to back this statement? 

CYDdharta

SkepticalOne said:

Do you have numbers to back this statement? 

Yes

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/oct/10/showdown-at-the-midterm-corral/
https://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/480404-gun-control-groups-spend-big-in-2020

TreeMan

I think a better title would be a 'partisan issue' @Cringe_Train

Blastcat

Argument Topic: Feelings are not facts

Cringe_Train said:

I hear both arguments and they're both ridiculous. One side just tries pinning it on one thing and the other side fights back. It's on the news for 2 weeks and then nobody cares again. It makes me mad that people are taking something like this and warping it into something that fits their agenda. It's immoral.

Your argument is that if something makes you mad, it's wrong.
I think you will have to do bit more than that to convince me.

Blastcat

Argument Topic: makes me mad, therefore, it's bad

Cringe_Train said:

Yes but the issue is we often lose sight of other issues. For example mental health is a big reason behind school shootings. But all the conversations were about gun control and that makes me mad. Not just because it's been made political, but because it ignores a bigger issue.

Again, the argument from your personal feelings does not convince me.
You really have to do a bit better than that.

The reasoning goes like this:

I feel mad about X, therefore, X is bad

TreeMan

That's not the purpose of the post. @Blastcat

xlJ_dolphin_473

@CYDdharta
Gun control is non-controversial. If you were against gun control, you would think that anyone should be able to buy a gun, at any time. That is, a five-year-old should be able to play with the barrel of a gun, and a crime suspect should be able to buy a gun in the aftermath of a crime. We need gun control to keep us safe. 

CYDdharta

@xlJ_dolphin_473

Cringe_Train

Blastcat said:

Cringe_Train said:

Yes but the issue is we often lose sight of other issues. For example mental health is a big reason behind school shootings. But all the conversations were about gun control and that makes me mad. Not just because it's been made political, but because it ignores a bigger issue.

Again, the argument from your personal feelings does not convince me.
You really have to do a bit better than that.

The reasoning goes like this:

I feel mad about X, therefore, X is bad

My emotions had little to do with that argument. I saw that there was no change being made where change was needed and I simply pointed out how we could quickly make that change.

Cringe_Train

Blastcat said:

Cringe_Train said:

I hear both arguments and they're both ridiculous. One side just tries pinning it on one thing and the other side fights back. It's on the news for 2 weeks and then nobody cares again. It makes me mad that people are taking something like this and warping it into something that fits their agenda. It's immoral.

Your argument is that if something makes you mad, it's wrong.
I think you will have to do bit more than that to convince me.

Also jokes on you hecker i'm not trying to convince you.
Also convince you what?
There were 4 consecutive school shootings in 2018 and we talked about them for maybe about 4 weeks before we all just moved on because it became this giant gun control debate rather than this tragedy that should have brought us together rather than splitting us apart. The way we handled the issue was completely unproductive and kind of a middle finger to the kid's who lost their lives.