Posted on 12/18/2012 8:19:23 AM PST by marktwain
From 1900 to the late 1990’s, there were no mass school shootings. Lest it be thought that guns were uncommon in schools, that was not the case. Guns were commonly brought to school for shooting competitions, hunting after school, for teachers to trade or show to each other or their students, or for show and tell. Guns were even made in shop class under the supervision of the shop teacher. Guns were common in gun racks in pickup trucks in the school parking lot. Even today, many schools provide special dispensation for students to take off from school for deer hunting season.
During the height of gun control fever during the Clinton Presidency, the Congress passed the Gun Free School Zones act of 1990. It was designed to make it impossible for ordinary people to carry guns most places, because it forbid the carrying of guns within a thousand feet of a school. If you overlap the 1000 foot gun free zones that surround schools in most cities and towns, no one can go about their daily business without intersecting one of these zones at some time.
The Gun Free School Zone act was quickly challenged in the courts, and found to be unconstitutional by the Supreme Court under the interstate commerce clause, in U.S. v. Lopez, 1995. The reasoning was simple: If merely possessing a gun within a thousand feet of a school was interstate commerce, and therefore subject to federal regulation, what could possibly be construed as not interstate commerce? Virtually everything would then be controlled by the federal government. As the Constitution means something, the interstate commerce clause must mean something. If all of life can be controlled by the federal government, the clause means nothing.
President Clinton blew a gasket when the Gun Free School Zone act was found unconstitutional. He fiercely lobbied congress to pass a replica act, slightly modified. He threatened to keep congress from adjourning to go home to run for office if they did not pass the replica act. They passed the new Gun Free School Zone act in 1996. Since then, federal prosecutors have been very careful not to prosecute many cases under the act, not wanting to present the Supreme Court with another test case.
The results of the Gun Free School Zone act’s passage have been devastating. The first mass school shooting occurred in 1997. As prominent researcher John Lott has noted, mass shooters are attracted to defenseless victim zones. While zones that ban armed citizens are a tiny percentage of the nation’s area, according to Lott, only one of the “successful” (four or more victims) mass shootings in the past thirty years occurred outside of a defenseless victim zone (gun free zone).
Why do mass shooters chose defenseless victim zones? Because they want the fame that goes with the media attention that a mass killer gets, and to get the attention, they have to kill a lot of people. If they are stopped by an armed citizen, they lose their chance to make the “record books”, and there is no point in mass killing.
Armed citizens stop about one in ten of mass killings before they become “successful”, but they are rarely mentioned because of this fact. Most of these life saving actions occur outside of defenseless victim zones.
Mass Killings Stopped by Armed Citizens Link
We have a real world counterexample to the Gun Free School Zone act in Israel. Israelis were confronted with a similar problem after the Maalot massacre in the 1970s They responded by allowing teachers, responsible older students, and volunteer parents to be armed in their schools. They have not had a child shot in a school since.
Israeli Solution Article Link
Since the Gun Free School Zone act was passed for the second time in 1996, 13 mass school shootings have occurred. This unconstitutional law has been a disaster and should be repealed.
Dean Weingarten
It isn't just that.
When we got our first guns, it was as much a vote of confidence in our maturity, and the responsibility for the use of that firearm safely and wisely was a burden we embraced.
But we saw it, more responsibility as a reward for more maturity.
Kids who aren't raised to be responsible don't see it that way, instead they get a rush of power, not the feeling of that awesome mantle of responsibility and adulthood.
In northern Baltimore county there is a spring water filled rock quarry that once supplied material for the DC memorial.
In the early 1900s it filled in with spring water and the owner made it a swim club park. I found it in the 1980s with two pools, the quarry itself 80 feet deep (and the area of a small lake) it has two artificial wading areas, two play logs (tied), three wood rafts, a cliff dive/jump, a Tarzan rope and three buoys to spin and flip.
Here is Maryland in the summer it gets like Florida, hot and unbearably humid, but water 80 feet deep stays cool. This place was heaven in those days.
Well everything good must be taken away.
Back in 2001 someone from Columbia Maryland quietly slipped under the water un-noticed and died while swimming with her friends and her parents sued and won big a few mil. She was on tranquilizers but that was not allowed to be told to the jury.
Shortly afterward Baltimore County passed a law requiring a lifeguard every ~ 80 squared feet of water.
About 3/4 of it is roped off now. It is now a hangout for those who used to use the Balt city pools now moved up to the apartments nearby on section 8, they come there just to use the two pools and barbecue unlike those before them who came for the open water swim and fun.
If anyone cant swim then no one is allowed to swim. If anyone cant be trusted with a gun than no-one can (except the gubment of course)
Yes, it sucks!
That would be fun place to scuba dive in.
I recall they used to allow it to be used off season for scuba certification, for $$ I assume.
I would guess its pretty dark down there. In the summer even in the hottest drought the water is cool a foot or so below the surface.
I did mine in a small PA lake 20 years ago that had some buildings and some cars at the bottom, at least there was some light.
I know you would need a wetsuit and a dive light.
It’s a wonder they didn’t order the place closed down altogether.
Horrible.
She was having him committed but didn’t keep the guns away from him.
Well she payed with her life. It’s a shame 20 kindergarteners had to pay as well.
And it will be an even greater shame if the entire country has to pay with our liberty.
Well if you heard them plotting on The Morning Joe this morning you would have been scared.
Joe was playing his :”I am a conservative Republican but...”
act.
Mika said that the pro-gun people wont come on the show to debate.(smart)
Steve Rattner said they gotta get it passed NOW while emotions are high.
And plenty of Dems on the show using this to take away guns.
Fortunately the next election id 2 years away.
You’d have to pay me to watch that sonofab*tch.
I might need to buy a new tv every morning.
Thanks Bob. I should have read more before replying.
Thanks Bob. I should have read more before replying.
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