zlacker

I work under the assumption that there aren't any "bad guys," there are just people who wake up one day and snap. If somebody snaps, I would rather they not have a gun, even if they originally bought it for self-defense.

But yes, I agree that guns are only a tool, and that the underlying cause is psychological and/or cultural. No matter what we do with guns, it won't prevent future incidences; I just don't see how people can view a situation like this and think "oh, if the teachers had guns, everything would be all right."

>>dradtk+(OP)
If wishes were horses... Why stop at merely hoping that someone not have a gun when they snap? Why not hope that they are in a jail cell when they snap?

As far as arming teachers, it's not a perfect solution, nor is it going to "make everything alright". When you have people like this who end up being so bent on destruction and violence things are not going to be alright, it's a matter of degrees. However, there have been several incidents of teachers and civilians putting a stop to mass shootings, likely saving many lives. These often don't get as much news coverage precisely because the body count is lower and thus the events are less newsworthy. For example: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_High_School_shooting

>>Inclin+T4
Honestly, I don't even care about gun control laws, I just don't want packing heat to be a cultural norm. We Americans, on the whole, have a huge obsession with guns. They're iconic, from the wild west to world war II. We romanticize righteous killing sprees (in war it's called "honor"), and all it takes is one person to think their cause is "righteous" to get shit like this happening. Giving everyone else guns is like putting a band-aid over an infection. Sure, it may help prevent it from spreading, but does nothing to target the cause.

>>dradtk+97
Personally I think quite the opposite. I'd like to see a society where it was more the norm for individuals to be responsible enough to where they would carry guns. Not to be heroes, not to indulge in power fantasies, but simply to be responsible citizens who look after their own safety and the safety of those around them. To me that sort of behavior goes hand in hand with learning CPR, keeping jumper cables in my trunk, having an emergency supplies kit at home, and so forth. We've spent the last several decades destroying the idea that personal responsiblity and seriousness is important, largely as a response to the overly oppressive culture of the 1950s, but some of it has gone too far. I think people should be free to decide how they want to live as adults, and if that includes partying every week, playing videogames all night, or having a ball pit in their home that's fine by me. But if it means that everyone is going to act like children when it comes to matters of self-defense, emergency preperation, etc. then I think that is vastly dangerous to society. And I think the idea that guns are too dangerous for peaceful individuals to own is part and parcel of that abrogation of responsibility.