Here's what I think....as if it matters.... (Page 15)

Left Brain - 2012-12-24 8:30 PM GB - we can agree that we don't spend enough on mental health care....and we can agree there are not enough beds to give time to sort out who is dangerous and who isn't.  Also, your point about the money we spend on prisons vs. mental health institutions is absolutely valid.

So there you go......common ground.

From my perspective, mentally ill people with guns are the problem.  You can't take guns from good people and solve the problem.  In fact, you won't.....they just aren't committing murder, it is not arguable.

We have to figure out how to keep guns out of the hands of sick people.  I have already said I would be willing to go further on personal responsibility for guns.  As I type, I just finished reading a bulletin from my department about 3 burglaries in which 5 handguns were stolen.......I'm willing to make it a crime to leave your guns unattended and able to be stolen.  BUY A FRIGGIN FLOOR SAFE!!!! How hard is it?  If you can't keep your guns out of the hands of criminals than you can't have guns....because you're too stupid.

I also realize that even that idea is horrid to the absolute gun right.......I'm not on their side.  I'm on the side willing to find something that works.  Gun bans, magazine bans, blah,blah,blah.....they don't work....we've been down that road.  

Keeping guns out of the hands of sick people.....THAT'S the solution.  The method is not so easy, but we can get there.

powerman - 2012-12-24 10:00 PM

Even if, we have to prioritize things.... I don't remember the figure put on police officers at all the schools... what a couple billion.... how far would a couple billion go to mental health?

Gear Boy, I understand your frustrations... albeit on a layman's terms... but it is the same as gun owners... those that don't understand throwing out "great ideas" of how to limit "crazy" peoples freedoms. I remember watching movies like "One flew over the coo coo's nest" and similar stuff and thought how horrible a life like that would be. Past abuses got us where we are today. This subject isn't as "sexy" as gun control for the media... but my guess is thing might change in your field from this shooting... I only can hope it is for the better. Maybe we can stop the next tragedy, and maybe some folks that need help will get it sooner.

 

Merry Christmas guys, stay safe. I'm just some guy on the interweb yappin... you guys are on the front lines and I know your communities and the people you serve are better for it.

Left Brain - 2012-12-24 10:23 PM

I don't remember if I posted this here or not.  Lt. Col. David Grossman is a leading authority on mass killings in our country.  I have read his books and had the pleasure of hearing him lecture when my city brought him in after our own mass shooting.  One of his tenants was that if our "enemies" (he was talking about terrorists at the time) ever attacked our elementary schools and killed our children, our economy would be crippled.  

Last week I was a part of many discussions about manpower, costs, etc. to put an officer and a vehicle at all of the schools where we police......an absolute fraction of a fraction of the schools needing an officer.  I'm here to tell you, whoever came up with "a couple billion" was asleep at the wheel.

We do it cheap......and we would have to charge $58,000 per officer and $8,000 per vehicle for 9 months.  Anyone care to do the math on every public, private, and parochial school in the country........what about day care centers?.....do we leave them out?

I'm OK with the idea of police at school.......still, at what cost?

tuwood - 2012-12-24 10:33 PM

I know it's very unpopular but I think the only realistic solution would be to allow teachers and parents who have a valid CCW the option to carry in schools.  It costs nothing and now the bad guys know that there's a possibility of a school to defend itself and a teacher who chooses to not be a target has that choice as well.

Obviously this isn't a popular option by many, but based with the alternative of paying professional security/police at every school which isn't practical in any way.

Even if the gun control crowd gets everything they want and all guns banned from the US the guns won't be going away any time soon so the risk is still there and something needs to be done to protect the schools.

Left Brain - 2012-12-24 10:30 PM GB - we can agree that we don't spend enough on mental health care....and we can agree there are not enough beds to give time to sort out who is dangerous and who isn't.  Also, your point about the money we spend on prisons vs. mental health institutions is absolutely valid.

So there you go......common ground.

From my perspective, mentally ill people with guns are the problem.  You can't take guns from good people and solve the problem.  In fact, you won't.....they just aren't committing murder, it is not arguable.

We have to figure out how to keep guns out of the hands of sick people.  I have already said I would be willing to go further on personal responsibility for guns.  As I type, I just finished reading a bulletin from my department about 3 burglaries in which 5 handguns were stolen.......I'm willing to make it a crime to leave your guns unattended and able to be stolen.  BUY A FRIGGIN FLOOR SAFE!!!! How hard is it?  If you can't keep your guns out of the hands of criminals than you can't have guns....because you're too stupid.

I also realize that even that idea is horrid to the absolute gun right.......I'm not on their side.  I'm on the side willing to find something that works.  Gun bans, magazine bans, blah,blah,blah.....they don't work....we've been down that road.  

Keeping guns out of the hands of sick people.....THAT'S the solution.  The method is not so easy, but we can get there.