>>We are finally in agreement on something. As I've been harping on, every person who wants to buy a gun should be required to go through training, evaluation (psychological) and licensing.
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>Of course. That's goes without saying!!!!! I don't believe in just handing out guns to any joe-schmo.

Believe it or not, it doesn't go without saying. There are those who feel there should be no other block to buying a gun than a previous criminal record. Forged ID, I suppose is not an issue. For my money, any evaluation must be face to face with a qualified analyst.

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>>>If there would have been way for the gun dealer to know that Cho was a mental risk, it probably would have helped.
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>>>I think if a person has a medical condition that can be harmful to himself and put other in danger, it should be available when appplying for drivers license and buying guns.
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>>>>On the assumption that everybody there had been armed, maybe there would have been 1 or maybe 2 people with the skill to use the guns properly. How do you stop the others from pulling their guns and 'blazing away'. I have to wonder how may people would die from freindly fire in such a situation.
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>>>>I'm also not sure that simply throwing up our arms and declaring that there's nothing we can do about bad guys getting guns is really a great response either. There was nothing whatever in U.S. law (afaik) that would have been able to prevent this guy from getting a gun. There should be. The U.S. (Canada too, for that matter) doesn't take this attitude toward drugs, even though we can't seem to stop people from getting drugs either. Why then guns? In fact, U.S. law seems to go out of its way to make sure the way is paved for wackos to buy guns. I see that as a problem.
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>>>>>but the point is there are good guys and bad guys. when bad guys have guns it is nice if there is a good guy with a gun and the skill to use it effectively. No one advocates 'blazing away' but guns are not mystical. The shoot where you point them, much as code does what you say. And there is a skill level involved in employing them correctly. One good guy, one firearm, one shot could have ended this tragedy much sooner. The hysterical image of all the students pulling guns and suddenly randomly blazing away doesn't really negate the arguement that the problem is not guns - it is bad guys having guns when there is not a properly trained and armed deterent.
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>>>>>>Of course, we're not talking about a cop bar. We're talking about a bunch of kids pulling guns and blazing away. I have no idea if the death toll would have been less or more.
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>>>>>>>>>>http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=3045574
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>>>>>>>>>The only thing that would make me feel more foolish that carrying a weapon and not needing it is needing a weapon and not having it.
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>>>>>>>>>How many times do you think he had to reload? And in all that time no one was proximate with lethal force and the will to use it.
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>>>>>>>>So then, I take it you feel things were much better controlled and people were much safer back in the old west when everybody carried a gun and was happy to use it? The thought of going back to that ideology sends chills up my spine. Frankly, I'd stay out of shopping malls forever if everybody started carrying a gun.