• brygphilomena@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    My opinion is that these shootings are a greater failure in this country than simply gun control. There is a LOT we need to work on to decrease mass shootings. While I admit, I am more on the personal responsibility side of the gun control debate, I am not against well thought through legislation. I don’t think that most of the proposals for gun control are rational, detailed, and written with an even cursory understanding of firearms.

    To start to address mass shootings, I believe that we need to expand our healthcare in this country. Both physical and mental healthcare. If people are physically well, and can get treatment that doesn’t threaten to bankrupt them, then they will have more opportunities to develop better coping mechanisms. They will be able to seek healthcare options and not feel like they are left to fend for themselves. The isolation from a society that doesn’t care or help them is detrimental, and while I have no studies to back it up, I would think that a society with a healthcare system thats prerogative is the patient instead of profit would help.

    I think the aspect of mental healthcare speaks for itself. So people don’t lash out and can seek other means of dealing with issues. I also believe that the stigma of seeking mental healthcare and it’s ability to impact people’s rights and job prospects is a hindrance. We should not make it so that if someone seems help, that they are punished for it.

    I believe we have a big culture shift that needs to occur. Too much do we use rhetoric that reinforces that firearms and gun violence is the ultimate solution to a disagreement. “Fuck around and find out” when used in the context of firearms is terrible. Firearms should be considered the last resort to protect life. Not property and not your feelings.

    Firearms are not conflict resolution! We need to work to give people better ways of solving and deescalating conflicts.

    We need to work on our wealth disparity. We should be elevating our poorest so that they don’t have to resort to violence or crime. As most firearm crimes are not mass shootings, we need to address the other parts of firearm use.

    We need to work on our community involvement. Bring people together, break down the walls between us, and get past the cliques.

    There is a lot we need to do, but gun control is only a small piece of solving gun violence.

    • jpreston2005@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      universal healthcare and basic income, paid with increase in the top 1%'s marginal tax rate, would solve a LOT of Americans problems.

      • Sludgeyy@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        Fear of losing basic income is a great crime deterrent.

        Are you going to steal from that gas station if you could lose your basic monthly check for 20+ years?

        You think kids would drive drunk if you told them that if they were caught, they would lose their basic income for life? Most think it’s a slap on the wrist, maybe some community service, IF they get caught.

          • Clent@lemmy.world
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            3 months ago

            Losing it for life is too drastic and isn’t what any behavior specialist would suggest.

            There needs to be a path to earn it back. For example, hours of community service based on the offense and that increase with each offense.

            It would also want to incentivize future legislatures excluding people by targeting groups. The drug war and its imbalance towards treatment of minorities as an example.

            • Waraugh@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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              3 months ago

              If I murder someone and lose basic income for say five years does it go up to ten years if I murder another person or could it be served concurrently?

              • Clent@lemmy.world
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                3 months ago

                I would expect you’d be in prison for at least five years so are you suggesting you’ve killed someone while in prison or that basic income is the only punishment?

                In any case, I am not suggesting anything concrete here, just going forward with the thought experiment. Basic income first, then we can work on how to use it as a deterrence.

          • NιƙƙιDιɱҽʂ@lemmy.world
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            3 months ago

            Y’all realize what you’re describing is just a poor tax, right? Anyone with significantly higher income over base income would…just break the law anyway.

            If we’re talking using money to deter crimes, it needs to be a sliding scale. You’re a millionaire and got a speeding ticket? That’ll be $50,000.

      • Doxatek@mander.xyz
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        3 months ago

        That’s along the lines of what I was thinking. Making care more available is good but still having to get financially destroyed for it potentially isn’t a great incentive to use services

    • wieson@feddit.org
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      3 months ago

      Addition:

      Stop the 24 hour news cycle and please please please stop naming criminals by name and showing their faces. Delete the “claim to fame” angle that comes with horrible crimes.

      For community involvement, what comes to mind for me is: walkable neighbourhoods, libraries even in small towns and local sports clubs.

      But there must be a minimum of gun laws: Buying, owning, operating only under license, storage at home in a safe and ammunition in a separate safe. That’s really the bare minimum.

      • brygphilomena@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        Regarding the news cycle. Yes! Stop the 24 hour, constant fear being fed to the populace.

        You are remarkably safe in your own home. Get rid of the fear mongering!

        Stop making national news of local issues. The constant national attention to some random horrible things that doesn’t affect 99.99% of the viewership doesn’t need to be highlighted.

        I’m not against gun laws, but I’m going to disagree with your minimums. Anything regarding storage is essentially unenforceable until after a tragedy has occurred. It can’t be used to preempt a shooting but only to punish the owners afterwards. Those sort of things need to be community driven. The gun community should be talking about storage more and shaming those that don’t follow it.

        It also implies that everyone’s situation at home allows them 1) to purchase two safes and 2) to have room for two safes and 3) limits their ownership of either guns or ammo to the size of that safe. It also doesn’t make much sense to have two safes if the person doing the shooting is the one that is buying the ammo and guns in the first place. It also places undue burdens on those that do not have children and do not have children that come into their home.

        As much as it is laughed at in California, but when you buy a gun you either need to bring a lock or buy a lock with it. They are the cheapest things, but it’s at least a minimum safety that isn’t onerous. Even if no one uses them once they get the gun home.

        As for operating under a license, what would that do beyond the existing restrictions for procuring firearms? Do they expire and what would happen then?

        We need comprehensive laws grounded in addressing specific issues, not something to create an idealistic and narrow view of what gun ownership is or should be.

        I think we should have federal programs on gun information and educational programs. We can teach people and build a culture on gun safety and storage. Maybe programs to subsidize the purchasing of safes and reimburse or reward owners that make safe choices.

        • wieson@feddit.org
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          3 months ago

          Anything regarding storage is essentially unenforceable until after a tragedy has occurred.

          One could require a receipt or proof of purchase for a safe or a lock when buying a gun.

          It also implies that everyone’s situation at home allows them 1) to purchase two safes and 2) to have room for two safes and 3) limits their ownership of either guns or ammo to the size of that safe.

          That’s intentional.

          It also doesn’t make much sense to have two safes if the person doing the shooting is the one that is buying the ammo and guns in the first place.

          We need comprehensive laws grounded in addressing specific issues

          I was specifically addressing teenagers access to their parents guns, specifically to prevent school shootings.

          As for operating under a license, what would that do beyond the existing restrictions for procuring firearms? Do they expire and what would happen then?

          Like a car license. You may not be checked all the time, but every once in a while and it’s a crime to not have it if you’re driving.

        • AWildMimicAppears@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          3 months ago

          Other countries have random gun inspections for licenced gun holders, to make sure they are stored safely. like you said, a cultural shift is needed; that would be part of it.

    • Rekorse@sh.itjust.works
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      3 months ago

      So we just need to solve all depressive disorders, schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, etc., across the entire country. Only then can we solve gun violence.

      In the vast majority of instances, having a gun in the home is more dangerous for those living in the house than for any potential threat. Its irresponsible at best and at worst it will cause the deaths of those closest to you.

      And before you say it, I do believe some people need guns, but you should be required to have a valid reason to own one, and it should be appropriate amount of firepower for that reason.

    • Phoenixz@lemmy.ca
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      3 months ago

      Can you imagine nukes being considered a conflict resolution?

      Technically, they are.