Did you watch the Sunday talk shows today..Meet the Press, CBS morning news, etc.etc.

[dben002]

Some very interesting out cry's today on all the media News programs....Bloomberg and Feinstein and Bill Bennett and Tom Ridge among others calling for a comprehensive approach to violence in America to include certain immediate gun control steps. Bills being drafted now for congress to consider 1st of the year.

Stricter gun laws.
Stricter enforcement of gun laws.
Assault weapons ban.
requirements at gun shows to run background checks.
Other measures concerning mental health identification, accessibility and treatment.

The chisel is being sharpened ..... to chip away at 2A....... we will see changes.....and soon......

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Clodbert]

One problem with mental health screenings is that you have to prove they're efficacious, that they measure what they're supposed to measure and don't under- or over-diagnose. It has to be shown through at least one large-scale pilot study that this questionnaire or mental health assessment is reliable and valid, that it doesn't under- or over-diagnose whatever mental health conditions are chosen to be "red flags" for gun ownership. Because it would be a federally-mandated as opposed to a state-by-state change, this screening tool would need impeccable inter-rater reliability. I would hope that, if this scenario really does happen, the government would conduct a prospective study using this mental health screening to determine that it is appropriately sensitive, specific, and adequately predictive before implementing it. That process should take years, if not at least a decade. If these steps are taken, then the informed gun-owning public could perhaps put a little faith into these changes.

But since we're talking about our government, you can rest assured that these steps won't be taken. This is the same government that has multiple agencies advising us on what constitutes a healthy diet when the actual clinical research shows they're almost entirely wrong on the issue. Needless to say, I'm extremely skeptical.

[varob]

I think its time for me to start investing in bows and arrows.

[TX expat]

Yeah, it's coming for sure. All the anti gun rhetoric is going into high gear. The Connecticut governor is saying that the kid shot his way through a locked door and "that's what an assault weapon will do for you". Never mind that a brick or rock would do the same thing, they blame the gun because they have an anti gun agenda.

[dben002]

Clodbert....I really think that the impact of these kids tragically being gunned down will be sufficient catalyst to cause a change. The NRA spent millions to defeat Obama and it did not happen. The Washington Anti-gun folks are no longer "fearful" of the NRA and the public outcry will be loud and long demanding something be done. As I stated, weapons ban's and stricter laws can be done immediately and other things to come later. The NRA will be shut out of this debate or at least non-effective.

[RonM0710]

This was a good article: Column: Dealing with guns and mental illness

[xXxplosive]

IMO, this will all take a back seat to the middle east response to Zero Dark Thiry to be debuted on Dec 19th......Look Out.

[whoppo]

I think its time for me to start investing in bows and arrows.

We've got a couple of these...



Now I've got to find someplace to mail-order a few thousand arrows

[TX expat]

Clodbert....I really think that the impact of these kids tragically being gunned down will be sufficient catalyst to cause a change. The NRA spent millions to defeat Obama and it did not happen. The Washington Anti-gun folks are no longer "fearful" of the NRA and the public outcry will be loud and long demanding something be done. As I stated, weapons ban's and stricter laws can be done immediately and other things to come later. The NRA will be shut out of this debate or at least non-effective.

Exactly. I'm wiling to bet that even the politicians who previously supported 2A will either shy away from opposing gun control bills or just support it. Remember very few politicians actually follow conviction; most just follow whatever will keep them in office, and being pro-2A is about to become a ticket to the unemployment line.

[archer51]

Some very interesting out cry's today on all the media News programs....Bloomberg and Feinstein and Bill Bennett and Tom Ridge among others calling for a comprehensive approach to violence in America to include certain immediate gun control steps. Bills being drafted now for congress to consider 1st of the year.

Stricter gun laws.

They don't get much stricter than Chicago, they seem to really work good there

Stricter enforcement of gun laws.

This has been called for by every organization on both sides of the issue. Good luck getting the government to actually do it

Assault weapons ban.

BS name that doesn't mean squat. Just because it looks like a military weapon, doesn't mean it is or even functions the same

requirements at gun shows to run background checks.

Background checks are already ran at gun show. It doesn't apply to private sales.

Other measures concerning mental health identification, accessibility and treatment.

This could possibly have a positive effect, provided there are sufficient safe guards put in place to make sure it isn't abused. At the very least, to deny a person their rights, a panel of say 6 medical professionals. Made up equally of individuals on each side of the issue and would require a majority consensus of the diagnosis.

The chisel is being sharpened ..... to chip away at 2A....... we will see changes.....and soon......

Just another case of the government trying to re-invent the wheel.

[dben002]

Exactly. I'm wiling to bet that even the politicians who previously supported 2A will either shy away from opposing gun control bills or just support it. Remember very few politicians actually follow conviction; most just follow whatever will keep them in office, and being pro-2A is about to become a ticket to the unemployment line.

You are correct....32 pro gun Senators and Congressmen were invited to Meet the Press this morning....no one showed up.........

[dben002]

Archer51..... You stated:

"Stricter gun laws.

They don't get much stricter than Chicago, they seem to really work good there

Stricter enforcement of gun laws.

This has been called for by every organization on both sides of the issue. Good luck getting the government to actually do it."

Both are working extremely well in New York.

[Clodbert]

I didn't do a good job clarifying my point in my first post. I do believe that changes will be made, but as I said, I don't think the necessary research will be done to create an effective screening tool to identify people with certain mental disabilities and block them from buying firearms. What that means is that, if these changes happen, many people who may be mentally ill will "slip through the cracks" due to under-diagnosis or limitations of the screening and be able to purchase a firearm. So one question is: how many errors such as these "false negatives" are we willing to accept? What about "false positives"?

And what mental health conditions would be "red flags"? How do you know that, for example, bipolar disorder makes someone unfit to own a firearm? Where's your data? Do you really even know that, or is it just a guess?

Do people who have been positively identified through the screening process get an appeal? A second more-sophisticated screening, or an assessment by a psychiatrist or a panel of "experts"?

If you want a mental health screening that is going to be used on a national level in order to weed out mentally ill people from buying firearms, you have to make sure the screening works. And that can be a complicated process that involves significant time and money. I don't see our government taking the time and sparing no expense to create a mental health screening that satisfies these criteria. Hopefully I'm wrong.

[TX expat]

You are correct....32 pro gun Senators and Congressmen were invited to Meet the Press this morning....no one showed up.........

Yeah, it's open season on firearms and I'm pretty far from one to cry wolf or sound false alarms. Most of the time I realize that rhetoric only takes the liberals so far, but this is going to be different. They have political momentum and now they have a sad and tragic situation to use for their political purposes. No amount of reason or logic is going to apply to what they march forth with.

I bet that a few congress members will abstain from voting for the gun control measures that will be brought forth, but there won't be anyone that takes a strong stand against it. Honestly I think we are going to be forced to endure another AWB, only this one will probably be more restrictive and I doubt this one will have an expiration date.

[xXxplosive]

The Horse has left the barn on this one.............unfortunately events like this will probably continue untill security is beefed up in these unsecure locations.......everything else is Horsefeathers.

Hmmmm....let me see here.....gun control by an administration that placed 2,000 weapons in the hands of Mexican Criminals.....Unique.