Seems to be a warmish topic on the radio at the moment. It is a pity that there is so much mis-information presented on both sides of the discussion. Radio NZ had some professor from Dunedin saying how no-one needed automatic rifles in NZ. Yes, he continually used the word automatic, some expert. The weapon of choice for the terrorist and the casual mass murderer at the moment seems to be the motor vehicle and the bomb, both of these can kill as many people as with a semi-automatic rifle or pistol.
Although Trump is a certified moron, his comment that the mass killings in the US are a mental health problem not a firearm one does resonate a little with me. In some ways our firearm laws are a little more relaxed than in the US but we don't have the same sort of problem, despite being the second highest firearm owners in the world. In NZ, for example, a criminal conviction does not mean you can't own a firearm licence, as long as the conviction isn't violence related and you don't have a restraining order against you. In the US a federal offence means no firearm. There are loop-holes in this however, the gun show for example.
Anyway, it seems to me that the US has a real problem with their people that we in general don't, that is a mental health problem and their gun culture. They use phrases like "pulling the trigger" for the simple act of buying something, a sure sign that something is wrong with the whole mentality of the population. Of course they're not all like that, probably not that many are archetypal republican gun nuts, but they have a significant influence on the culture.
As for the pro side putting Mr Tipple on as spokesman doesn't do the pro side any favours.
Cheers
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