I wish I had a gun, then I'd be in control.  Look, I understand what you're saying... but the fact of the matter remains, if you outlaw guns, only the outlaws have guns.  Good guys will turn in their guns *Maybe they would, it's protected in the second amendment, and with good reason!!  The British didn't want us to have them, but they could... could you imagine the massacre?*  bad guys will always be bad guys, and will not willingly hand over their guns to abide by the law. We also cannot reasonably search every nook and cranny of every home looking for a gun, it is unreasonable. 

Truthfully guns should come with common sense - a lock, and a locking safe.  Your kids don't need access to your guns... but if ever this country were invaded *Heaven forbid* I want that amendment in place, and I guarantee no one will take my home. 

Do I worry about a gun falling into the wrong hands and ending up in a school with my child?  Absolutely, it's a horrifying thought, and I couldn't handle losing one of my babies.  I don't think prohibiting guns is the answer though.  Perhaps tight school security would help?  I don't know.  I think though that a few minutes going through a metal detector is worth it if it finds a gun early. 

Then of course I've heard stories about teachers being permitted to carry on premises... I don't know how I feel about that.  Part of me thinks okay they could take out a gunman, but the other part says what if the gunman is a student/child?  Under what conditions is a gun on school grounds safe?  Would it have to be locked?  Kept in a small safe beneath the teacher's desk?  If so, would it still be timely to go for it anyways?  What about the psychological requirements?  I don't trust just any teacher to carry a gun.  Why?  Look at the teacher/student sexual cases going up like mad. 

@filtered_sunlight - Wel said.. where I grew up that was the case. Guns needed special license and it was difficult to obtain, barking dogs kept intruders at bay!

@MistressAislin@xanga - I understand your point.. however it is so easy to obtain a gun in America, and that scares me! Owning a gun needs to be a privilege not a right, and there needs to be a lot more scrutiny and checks in place! Otherwise it will keep getting into wrong hands, and hands of our little children!!

@beepeing@xanga - well said!

It is a factor in why we homeschool but not in the top 5 reasons.  A couple of years ago a teacher found a loaded gun in the backpack of special needs Kindergarten student.  The dumb ass father had a concealed carry permit and had taken the gun to his son's soccer game in that backpack over the weekend.  (Why he would need a gun at a child's soccer game I have NO idea!)  The dad forgot it was in there and sent his son off to school with it.  Thank God an adult found it and not a child.

When I was teaching we went into lockdown once because there was someone wandering around campus with a gun in his pants.  It wasn't a student and we are pretty sure the guy was some drunk who wandered onto campus from the neighborhood but still. 

@DirtyAndShaken@xanga - I agree with you.  We are also gun owners and strong supporters of the 2nd ammendment.  Unfortunately you cannot legislate stupidity and irresponsibility out of people. 

@DirtyAndShaken@xanga - It's interesting because in my experience I've found that the people who are the most fearful of guns are the ones who know the least about them.  When we lived in AZ it was not all uncommon to see people open carrying pretty much everywhere but bars, banks and the airport (oh and the DMV for obvious reasons  ).  People were really comfortable with it and criminals knew that if you held up a restaurant your hiney was likely to get shot.  Here on the east coast if you open carry people become completely unhinged.  The fact is like it or not our country is flooded with guns.  If you really want to protect yourself and your family learn about guns, learn about gun safety and learn how to shoot one even if you NEVER intend to own one.  And for heaven's sake teach, teach, teach your children what to do if they ever find a gun.

guns don't kill people, people kill people.  If you take guns away they will simply find another tool to do the job. 

@HSmomto4@xanga - Very well said!!

@tsh44@xanga - I saw that statistic too.. isnt that really sad?

@ All - I uderstand all your sentiments about the 2nd ammendment. But I will say again that carrying a gun is a privilege, and there should be stricter laws to obtain a gun license. I am not saying ban guns, however I am saying dont hand ti anyone or everyone who comes knocking!

@FredTownWard@xanga - Security in schools is the answer. Unfortunately, whether the principals and teachers carry guns or not, rampages are bound to happen! And I would rather not start a gun warfare if there was a way to prevent it!

@CheekyTales - Exactly. When I left my first husband, I was in a position where I owned a gun...with a license and a concealed permit because I took it with me to and from work; it was a rather serious situation. I'd never suggest banning them either.

But in my present situation, I don't see the point in owning one. It would need to be so secured that there'd be virtually no hope of me getting to it in time unless the potential intruder sent me a memo on when he planned on entering my home and could I please put the dog out? I don't need a Glock in the grocery store or while shoe shopping...and I fail to see who does. I'd rather not be caught in the crossfire of some well-intentioned person with adrenaline-fueled-bad-aim. *Trained police officers* can stand 5 feet away from a perp and miss because of the "excitement".

@tsh44@xanga - True enough, though as had been said before; it's not a main reason. I wonder what goes in some homes though that that is the case. Are you speaking in general or only where firearms are concerned?

@CheekyTales wrote "But I will say again that carrying a gun is a privilege, and there should be stricter laws to obtain a gun license. I am not saying ban guns, however I am saying dont hand ti anyone or everyone who comes knocking!"

Thus proving how poorly informed on the subject CheekyTales is because this is the basic premise of ALL concealed carry legislation passed or proposed.  Background checks, evidence of training, and of course waiting periods are required BY DEFINITION.  Thus, this objection has already been met.

@CheekyTales wrote "Security in schools is the answer. Unfortunately, whether the principals and teachers carry guns or not, rampages are bound to happen! And I would rather not start a gun warfare if there was a way to prevent it!"

Riiiight, and how would the security guards who would provide said security actually provide it?  By flashing their badges?  Noooo, by pointing and if necessary firing their guns.

The dirty little secret is that we can never afford enough armed guards or police to protect everything and everyone, and people wth evil intent will simply choose to attack some place left unguarded.  However, concealed carry by its very existence destroys this sort of calculation (unless concealed carry is trumped by PUBLICLY ANNOUNCED "no gun" policies, as at many schools and large corporations) because, unlike the case with police or uniformed security guards, there is no way for the bad guy to "case the joint" and thus be certain he will be the only one armed that day.

Ironic, isn't it?  Only by allowing the POSSIBILITY that teachers or principles MIGHT be armed can we cause the would-be mass killer to pause and reconsider because having an unexpected gun pulled on him as he is just getting started would ruin his whole day!

@tsh44@xanga - 'All' injuries gets into a gray area...they're much more likely to jump on a trampoline at home, play "batman" off the back of the sofa, etc. at home than at school. They're also home more than anywhere else, no matter whether or not they attend public school.

@filtered_sunlight - That is my point exactly. We get so terrified of the crazy gunmen that we sometimes forget every other danger. A child who dies because they break their neck on a trampoline, or drown in their parents pool or find daddys gun and play with it is just as dead as the one who gets shot at school by some lunatic. Also since a good deal of their time at home is spent sleeping I would say that kids in public school probably spend more actual waking hours there, in church or in extra curriculars then they do at home. Even if you eliminate all accidents and only concentrate on shootings you will most likely discover that they are more likely to get shot anywhere but at school. Even if you eliminate accidental shootings and only use stats for deliberate shootings I think you will still find that more children die from shootings outside of school than in school.

@filtered_sunlight - Are you serious?  Allowing NON-killers to carry guns does not guarantee no shootings; it merely guarantess that any attempted shootings will come to an end sooner rather than later, as was the case on the military base, where a wounded female officer drew her weapon and brought the killer down with 4 quick shots.  The problem THERE was political correctness: how a moslem fanatic with known connections to other moslem fanatics, including the 9-11 attackers, was allowed to continue to carry a gun is beyond me!

And you are (deliberately?) missing the point about these mass killings.  Yes, the killers usually have SOME connection with the place they attack, but again, they attack with the knowledge that they are going into a "gun free zone".  If they couldn't count on that, they probably wouldn't do it.

How many disgruntled donut shop employees have you seen trying to shoot up what are often police hangouts, HMMM?

@FredTownWard@xanga - If they were going to be deterred, period, I think the fact that it's *illegal* and practically gauranteed to end in the loss of their life one way or the other would be enough to stop them.

How many police do you see in donut shops?? How many Wal-Mart employees do you hear of shooting up the place? (And for their wages, it'd be justified!) Or Disney? Disney has a no-firearms policy for their employees, flat-out...they're not even allowed to keep them in their vehicles. You know what Disney has though? Security and metal dectors! Mind boogling...