Weinberger and Sanders.
Really? Are you sure there are no better choices out there? Anyone? Please?
Thad:
I think you basically answered your own question: it's all about mental health, not the tool used. People commit suicide in many different ways and gun-related suicide is way at the bottom here in Vermont. People here take their own life in many different ways, including jumping off bridges. You need to fix the root cause (the mental state of mind) and the symptom (the methodology) will naturally take care of itself.
And, no, changing laws just for the sake of changing laws is just stupid. Don't try to fix something that ain't broke. In Vermont we have an over 200-year track record of being either the safest or second safest state in the country as it relates to firearm related deaths. And that is as per the FBI website which offers UNBIASED stats on these kind of things. Please check them out.
All of the politicians mentioned in the article above want to change the Vermont laws to be similar to Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington DC or New Jersey. All of those places have some of the most strictest gun laws in the country yet are the most dangerous places to be. They all use biased sources to back up their claims (usually from some Michael Bloomberg owned media property).
Tell me, Thad, crime-wise, where would you rather live, Vermont or New Jersey?
I bet you answered Vermont, right? So please tell those idiots in that article up there to stop trying to 'Jersey Vermont with gun laws. Stop screwing with the great system we already have here. What they're doing is trying to add laws that will make things far more dangerous here. And please tell them all to stop taking out-of-state money and influence regarding gun control. It's disgusting.
Freedom to Think:
Well said (the first thumbs up in your latest post is from me, BTW). Let me add one more that is even more plain and simple. It's called Article 16 of the VERMONT Constitution. It goes like this:
"Article 16. [Right to bear arms; standing armies; military power subordinate to civil]
That the people have a right to bear arms for the defence of themselves and the State--and as standing armies in time of peace are dangerous to liberty, they ought not to be kept up; and that the military should be kept under strict subordination to and governed by the civil power."
http://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/co…
Tiki Archambeau:
"...Meanwhile, the rest of the world has evolved. Technology has changed. And so should our gun laws...."
Interesting point, Tiki. Let me ask you something, though. What do you think about the First Amendment? It's over two hundred years old itself.
Back when it was ratified, technology regarding the free speech portion of that amendment was limited to quill pens and the Franklin printing press. Was freedom of communication dangerous back then? Well, many a person in power was certainly afraid of an informed population. A skilled propagandist could, in fact, topple governments.
Since then, technology has evolved to a level our founding fathers could never have imagined. In fact, technology has given us, what in the wrong hands, is certainly the deadliest weapon ever unleashed on humanity: the internet.
You could give a psychotic terrorist a fully loaded full-auto rifle, put him in a room filled with world leaders and he would STILL NOT BE as dangerous as a capable terrorist in a basement somewhere with a computer and internet connection.
How many attempts at cyber-crime did you experience in your email inbox this morning? That's just the beginning. In the wrong hands, an evil person can hack into your bank account or bring down any corporation from anywhere in the world. A disturbed person can cyber-bully a teenager into committing suicide. And a nationally-sponsored individual can, from a simple internet connection in some dark basement, bring down a country’s power grid, killing millions.
So, knowing how dangerous a simple 1st Amendment-backed internet connection can be, let me ask you this, Tiki:
Are you in support of banning, or at least severely legislating, public use of the internet? Do we need background checks before we are allowed to touch a keyboard?
Marty Schneider:
" I agree with you that the Terror Watch list is a very flawed system. I don't agree it should be used for background checks, and it seems, as a whole, pretty bad. It my view, though, it's a whole separate entity and discussion. "
Unfortunately it's more than just flawed, Marty. It's downright dangerous. And each and every one of the politicians mentioned in that article above is going to blindly support it. Either they don't think...are willing to govern through knee jerk reactions...or are just pandering to the party line, who knows. In any case, I would stay away from each and every one of them, even if you are a Democrat.
Vermont has already tried each and every one of their style of thinking and has suffered for it. Our economy, job situation, drug problem and taxation begs for a complete change. We do have other choices and believe me, I'm not talking from some kind of Republican party line. I don't have any party affiliation at all but the current super-majority has been a disaster and the folks above promise even more extreme versions of the same. I have really and honestly looked at the platforms of Minter, Dunne and Galbraith and have come away scared to death. I promise you, each of them will economically destroy Vermont. Baruth has always been a bit whakadoodle and I'm sure he's going to be history this time around anyway.
At the very least, whether right or left, please research these people OBJECTIVELY. You may feel just as scared as I do.
Thank you for the discussion, Marty. I enjoyed it. I just wish Seven Days would redo this comments section to support a better thread-based discussion system.
Marty Schneider:
You also write that getting off a terror watch list is easy and rapid. Uhm...no. It is an EXTREMELY difficult process. You don't simply fill out some form to fix the problem. This isn't just a bad credit glitch...the list is about people who are being suspected of being terrorists. And that's if you can even find out that you're on it to begin with. And, yes, children have been found on it, as have common people, including famous politicians. Never mind that it completely foregoes any kind of due process or anything.
I get such a kick out of gun control advocates who think they've come up with such a hot idea regarding attaching the terror watch list to background checks. Do you realize just how dangerous a thing that is?
There is a reason terror watch lists are secret: the feds don't want to alert the bad guys to the fact they are being investigated. So, with this bright idea, any would-be terrorist can simply walk into any gun shop (even if its just Walmart) and by simply going through the process of purchasing a firearm (or just a box of ammo in some states), and seeing if they clear the background check, they can find out whether they are currently being investigated by the feds. With that information, they now know enough to alert their network that they've been made, go underground, adjust their plans accordingly and/or move up their plans for an attack.
But, yeah... you gun control folks have all the answers.
Re: “Carina Driscoll, Bernie Sanders' Stepdaughter, Announces Run for Burlington Mayor”
Great. Vermont's own political dynasty family. Federal investigation and everything.