First off, dummy, the gun isn't the one who killed. It was the piece of garbage behind the gun. And someone intent on killing will do it whether with a car, bomb, knife, or gun. I own 8 guns. None have ever killed. Actually, I only owned 6 until last Thurs. I bought two "Assault Weapons" (wow, that sounds so much worse than "rifles") on Tues. simply as an F.U. to this administration's posturing. A country divided down the middle by "Hope and Change." We got change. Record recession, gas prices, and now.......gun sales. Yes, the failed approach to gun violence has led to.....record gun sales. Way to go Obama. I gotta look up the numbers but its no secret that the last three weeks are setting every record imaginable. Sheriff's departments unable to process concealed carry licenses, all "assault weapons" sold out and companies running manufacturing lines 24 hours. Hundreds of thousands more weapons hitting the street. Good job dividing a nation by threatening to stick it to the other 50% (give or take). Us vs. Them. You got your hope and change. Things are certainly changing. And you keep hoping.

wow Ezra, calling people dummies is really mature. I'm sick of gun owners bellyaching that their guns are being taken away. They're not. The rest of us just want the peace of mind to know there are some common sense safeguards out there to avoid these weapons getting into the hands of the wrong people. By the way, all your boasting about your gun collection leads me to believe you are compensating for something.

I am sorry you feel this way...but just so you know. The gov. is lying to you when they tell you that they are doing this for those children...they are using these tragedies to furthur their agendas. Those of us that are fighting to keep our rights are doing so for our children. Have you thought about who your taking the guns from? Do you think the criminals will just surrender them to the gov. just because of a law? Don't you see that criminals are criminals because they don't listen to the law? They attack and hurt people in places they know that no one can protect themselves. If they know that you are armed they are less likely to want to bother you. You won't be saving the children. You will be helping the criminals. Also, there will never be a peaceful world when you have people that commit crimes. When you can take away all the evil people, then you can talk about gun control. If you really look into history, there are many many examples in history of those in power taking the citizens guns then they took over the country and there was more violence then before. Anytime they prohibit guns, the violence actually goes up not down...look up the information for yourself. One more thing: According to the FBI in 2011, 1,694 people were killed with Knives, 726 people were killed with hands or feet, 496 people were killed with clubs or hammers and 323 people were killed with rifles of ANY type. So why aren't we calling for a ban on Knives??

What's wrong with you??? You think lawful gun owners are going to kill a member of your family because they "love guns"??!!!! The 2nd amendment is not about a love of guns but of freedom and rights ...I think you are the one's who are "mentally ill" with this kind of absurd thinking!

Patrick, controlling guns is only control on good people. Since all on-line arguments end up talking about Hitler let's start there. How about if back at the start of WW2 we decided to make peace between England and Germany by disarming England. How do you think it would have turned out for England?
Well that is how it will work out here. Bad guys have guns and always will. Bad guys have fist or their youth. They make deadly weapons in prison so they can make them on the outside even easier. Do you want us to try and out run them?
Control of guns only means control of us. Control of you. Because like it or not the fear of who is carrying and not carrying gives you some protection. When the good guys are disarmed the bad guys will have less fear of getting hurt in an attack.

Why don't you ask the person who pulled the trigger what's wrong? What laws that they are trying to pass today would have stopped him from doing what he did?
1) Ban Hi Cap magazines
2) Ban "Assault" Rifles ( These are NOT assault rifles they are indeed Semi Auto's )
3) Universal Background check ( already in place NICS)
4) Asking your Dr if you have a gun? What do Drs have to do with Gun control?
5) 7 or less magazines as opposed to 10+ Will 3 bullets really make a difference?
6) Creating Gun free zones creates a magnet to mass killers. They know they will not encounter any resistance.

Are you that guillible that we will live in a peaceful world? really? Civilization has been around for over 2000 years and has always been at war, why would that change now?

How dare the Dictator in cheif hide behind children to push his agenda. He should be ashamed of himself. This is the same thing Hitler, Mao, Stalin, Castro, Chavez did before disarming their citizens and then imposing dictatorship/communism.

Answer me that since your so smart?

That is what Hitler, Mao, Stalin, Chavez, Castro said before turning their country into mass killing machines. Keep your lips on your dictators sphinxter

Obama certainly knows what is best for me and my family. I think he should burn the constitution and take over as a dictator or King. And to Mike L., I know Ezra and he does have a small trouser snake. But he has big biceps, a lot of guns and tattoos, and about 10 or 15 years in the Army, and a purple heart and some type of serious medal about him being a hero. It hangs in his office on N. York Road.

Mark - That was the funniest replies I have ever read on the patch. Thanks.

Your kidding right? No one is that stupid. Or at least I didn't think so

Looks as if Obama has already appointed himself Monarch.

Open your eyes, it's not exploitation. It's seeing a problem and acting to prevent it from happening again. Should we all sit idly by while shooting after shooting happens? NO. This isn't the wild west folks. This isn't 1776. You gun lovers can have your guns. But the rest of us want peace of mind to know we are safe. And that peace of mind doesn't come in the form of a bigger, more powerful gun.

one more thing: was it exploitation when GW Bush started the war on terror after 9/11? It's called responding to a problem, not exploitation.

Mike L.
You want peace of mind to THINK you are safe. Us gun owners are the ones who want the peace of mind that comes from BEING safe.

I am sure the shooter at Sandy Hooks Mother felt the same as you Siobhra DeWar until her son shot her to death with her own guns.

Patrick, She most likely did. But mothers tend to get blinded by the dangers of their own children. A lot of gun owners get blinded by people they trust. But it is that misplaced trust that got them killed or hurt. And that can happen to you if you are armed or not. But don't you think that if she had not had any guns she would have been any safer? A lot of people get killed by all sorts of weapons when they are armed or not by people who are out to get them. If someone were to target me my gun would only give me the smallest of chance's. If any. But the random home invader or car jacker would find I am not as easy a target as he believed. The bottom line really is all the gun laws and bans will never do anything to make us and our children any safer. None at all. And letting the nation go the direction of gun laws is taking attention away from the core problems. Our so-called leaders are using the people who hate guns as a tool to keep the nation from looking at their failure to do their job. And from their desire to do their job. And you anti-gun people are helping to keep the problem going.

Siobhra DeWar, I never said I was against guns, you assumed that because I do not believe that guns equal safety that I am against guns. In truth I agree that bans will not stop the issue since it is caused by a culture that has been ingrained in us that the only way to stay free, to not feel oppressed, and to protect yourself from the world is by a gun. If someone that disconnects from reality hears this they will turn to a gun. I've felt the pull to use a gun to solve a problem, I was able to turn to other ways to solve problems. Imagine how a person that is angry at the world would feel if someone told him the only way to fight the bad guy, is a be a good guy with a gun. This has been known since Waco and due to the first amendment, the only thing the government can due then ... is control the guns.

way to regurgitate NRA talking points.

It's funny that on another Patch gun control post and thread, the author DEMANDS you bring data and has no problem posting many gun-control slanted facts. But as soon as you bring up anything that contradicts The Message here, you get accused of regurgitating NRA talking points.

It is a fact that Nukes have not killed anyone since 1945, Mike S. and The Illuminati, are you saying that they should be legal for personal ownership?

so should we just throw up our hands and give up? We have to start somewhere. The 23 executive orders are designed to educate the public on safe gun ownership and help keep OTHERS safe. SO yes, I appreciate these executive orders because I'm not a gun-wielding, paranoid lunatic. By the way, here's a full list of the executiv orders. Nothing in there says your guns are being taken away buddy. http://www.forbes.com/sites/rickungar/2013/01/16/here-are-the-23-executive-orders-on-gun-safety-signed-today-by-the-president/

Thinking that all attempts at establishing some limitations are fruitless is...just...ludicrous. What's next - chemical weapons kits for the home or office?

@ Mike L.

You take these 23 EO's at face value, were you born yesterday? Your going to tell me there is no alterior motive? I thought liberals were smart. Let me help you here

1) Will allow skewed government research to lie and spin the truth on a mass scale. ( think falsified "Global Warming" studies ) kind of like the current "Independant think tank" at fort hood portraying Conservative, Right leaning, Law abiding citizens that believe in defending themselves and in Constitutional rights as Terrorists.

This is paving the way for the UN ( ATT ) gun ban Mr Dictator is planning to sign in March. Look it up.

You need to stop watching American Idol and research what is going on in your world....That is if you care about your rights

Great posts!

If you read the exceptions to the law on the school gun free zones you will find the usual "Police Officers", those with written permission from the school, etc. The last exception on the list is "Any other legal reason". To get a carry permit you need a 'legal' reason. My carry permit legal reason is self-defense. That is what it says right on the permit. It is a loophole to the gun free zone law big enough to drive a truck thru. However I don't know anyone foolish enough to test it.
Also the law says "all weapons". As a member of a living history group doing the middle ages we have gone to schools with our swords and axes and we had to get the signed permission before hand to do the demo.
But it is a pain when I go to visit my two grandsons and have to park on a side street and leave a loaded gun under the seat because I can't even leave it in the car in a school parking lot.

Joe, I completely agree. The second amendment was not set up just to protect us from or neighbors and criminals, but to protect ourselves from the government as well. And just for this reason. A handgun is no match for the military or criminals carrying their own illegally obtained assult rifles. How are more laws going to keep criminals from getting guns that they are already getting illegally? We need armed personel in our schools. I have a 4 kids in three different schools in Bristol twp. I have seen increased patrols around the schools, and it's getting harder to pick my children up mid-day for appointments. Though this may be a tad inconvenient, I'm thankful it is the way it is. I'm fighting for front/rear armed personel in my childrens school. I'd be happy to be trained by the police department to stand gaurd there myself if it means my children and their classmates are safer. More laws isn't the answer, but stricter punishments for criminals should be in the forefront of these arguments. Go after the people who are NOT obtaining their firearms by legal means and stop trying to strip us of our rights. If you are a respnsible gun owner, there are no accidents. Guns don't get up by themselves and shoot people.

Sorry, Tom, but you've got your facts mixed up. The 2nd Amendment was intended to provide a way for the Federal Government to call up a WELL-REGULATED citizen MILITIA, without having to bear the costs of keeping a standing army for that purpose.
So, it's not that the right to bear arms enables citizens to defend themselves against the federal government, rather it gives the federal government the ability to call up a citizen militia when it deems necessary.

If you will notice Tom, what did Obama have behind him during his speech? Children - exploitation at it's finest.

Tom's right. At least that is what the founding fathers said in many of their speeches.

Obama is such a hyprocrit, he has killed more children than he pretends to protect. Think about Fast & Furious and the mexican kids killed because of the cartels. LIberals modo "Do as I say, not as I do"

Liberals should be the ones in mental institutions, that would be a start

Agreed Shalina...I am a republican and my husband is a registered democrat...we are both for the 2nd amendment rights. This whole argument goes way beyond Democrat/ Republican...it's about our freedoms. Yes I agree that a lot of the legislators from both parties are definitely for a one world agenda...let's not lump them all in to one group either...check out their voting records...do your homework and vote responsibly if you really cherish your freedoms. I think an impeachment is in order for several in gov.

Come on, everyone knows when you ban guns there is less gun crime. Just look at Chicago & D.C. or of course how there are never any shooting in the "Gun Free Zones" at our schools. You crazy NRA members need to look at the facts.

If this article was correct, it appears as though we may be better off taking our chances with properly trained and armed citizens (though I do understand officers are much more likely to be involved in an incident requiring the use of a gun):
"In the November 15, 1993 issue of Newsweek Magazine, George Will reported that police are more than 5 times more likely than a civilian to shoot an innocent person by mistake."

Here is another interesting fact for the women out their wondering if they should arm themselves:
"An unarmed woman is more than 10 times more likely to be raped than an armed woman."

Two can play the fear mongering game with "statistical information".