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10 people killed in shooting at Colorado supermarket

Trailblazer

Trailblazer

Veteran Member
Stevicus said:
I don't think it's an excuse, but he can't stand trial if he's not competent enough to understand what's going on. Why wasn't he given treatment or institutionalized before he did this?
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That is a complex question and I don't know what the solution is.
Stevicus said:
Do you think that a lack of money for mental health services is an excuse for the state not providing it? I don't.
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No, I don't think it is an excuse. Everyone should have access to mental health services just as they should have access to any other medical services.
 
Stevicus

Stevicus

Veteran Member
Staff member
Premium Member
Trailblazer said:
That is a complex question and I don't know what the solution is.

No, I don't think it is an excuse. Everyone should have access to mental health services just as they should have access to any other medical services.
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I think of previous cases, such as the Gabrielle Giffords shooter, who attempted to get help through his college, but they either blew him off or probably gave him the cold shoulder. This is pretty typical; I've been there and seen it myself. It was rather ironic that after he murdered several people in cold blood (and Giffords was also close to dying), only then did they fly in top psychiatrists from around the country to examine and treat him. After that, he was considered fit to stand trial, where he plead guilty.

A stitch in time could have saved nine, but unfortunately, the powers that be don't think in such terms.
 
Sand Dancer

Sand Dancer

Crazy Cat Lady
Trailblazer said:
Compare/contrast gun laws in Japan to the United States.

Japan has almost completely eliminated gun deaths — here's how
  • Japan is a country of more than 127 million people, but it rarely sees more than 10 gun deaths a year.
  • Culture is one reason for the low rate, but gun control is a major one, too.
  • Japan has a long list of tests that applicants must pass before gaining access to a small pool of guns.
Japan has almost completely eliminated gun deaths — here's how

The weapons law of Japan begins by stating "No one shall possess a firearm or firearms or a sword or swords", and very few exceptions are allowed. Citizens are permitted to possess firearms for hunting and sport shooting, but only after submitting to a lengthy licensing procedure.

Overview of gun laws by nation - Wikipedia

“The only guns that Japanese citizens can legally buy and use are shotguns and air rifles, and it’s not easy to do. The process is detailed in David Kopel’s landmark study on Japanese gun control, published in the 1993 Asia Pacific Law Review, still cited as current. (Kopel, no left-wing loony, is a member of the National Rifle Association and once wrote in National Review that looser gun control laws could have stopped Adolf Hitler.)

To get a gun in Japan, first, you have to attend an all-day class and pass a written test, which are held only once per month. You also must take and pass a shooting range class. Then, head over to a hospital for a mental test and drug test (Japan is unusual in that potential gun owners must affirmatively prove their mental fitness), which you’ll file with the police. Finally, pass a rigorous background check for any criminal record or association with criminal or extremist groups, and you will be the proud new owner of your shotgun or air rifle. Just don’t forget to provide police with documentation on the specific location of the gun in your home, as well as the ammo, both of which must be locked and stored separately. And remember to have the police inspect the gun once per year and to re-take the class and exam every three years.

Even the most basic framework of Japan’s approach to gun ownership is almost the polar opposite of America’s. U.S. gun law begins with the second amendment's affirmation of the “right of the people to keep and bear arms” and narrows it down from there. Japanese law, however, starts with the 1958 act stating that “No person shall possess a firearm or firearms or a sword or swords,” later adding a few exceptions. In other words, American law is designed to enshrine access to guns, while Japan starts with the premise of forbidding it.”

From: A Land Without Guns: How Japan Has Virtually Eliminated Shooting Deaths

This policy is very similar to the Laws of the Baha’i Faith:

173. It hath been forbidden you to carry arms unless essential # 159

Bahá’u’lláh confirms an injunction contained in the Bayán which makes it unlawful to carry arms, unless it is necessary to do so. With regard to circumstances under which the bearing of arms might be “essential” for an individual, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gives permission to a believer for self-protection in a dangerous environment. Shoghi Effendi in a letter written on his behalf has also indicated that, in an emergency, when there is no legal force at hand to appeal to, a Bahá’í is justified in defending his life. There are a number of other situations in which weapons are needed and can be legitimately used; for instance, in countries where people hunt for their food and clothing, and in such sports as archery, marksmanship, and fencing. The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, pp. 240-241
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They also have a strict sense of honor. We don't have that in the US either.
 
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