[slaphead1982]

There was a good programme on last night about Patrick Moore.

[Nicola_Red]

Musician, teacher and friend of the Beatles (and father of Norah Jones) Ravi Shankar has died, aged 92. RIP

ETA: just spotted that Yuds already mentioned this at the bottom of her post. Missed it as I'm viewing on my phone!

[Yudster]

I thought Cat Stevens was the father of Norah Jones? I have NO idea why I thought that.

[Boboff]

I thought it was That Pakistan Batsman, who is now in opposition party for politics? Khan?

*QUEUE, Old School!

[Nicola_Red]

Treasure Hunt legend Kenneth Kendal has died. RIP.

[The Deadly]

Was he the fella who retrieved the reference books?

[The Deadly]

This school shooting actually makes me feel sick. I cannot believe things like this happen. Part of me hopes the Mayans are right about the apocalypse because this is a * shit world to live in.

[neilt0]

This school shooting actually makes me feel sick. I cannot believe things like this happen. Part of me hopes the Mayans are right about the apocalypse because this is a * shit world to live in.

NSFW language: http://twitter.com/jimjefferies/status/ ... 7587123201

[hdsport82]

What's worse is the media coverage of these mass shootings it always reminds me of this bit from Charlie Brooker,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PezlFNTG ... e=youtu.be

I have to turn it off I can't abide it when events like this are almost turned into some sort of voyeuristic entertainment.

[The Deadly]

I'm interested to see if our American members comment about it. It's a lot closer to home for them and I'd like to hear their view.

[neilt0]

I'm interested to see if our American members comment about it. It's a lot closer to home for them and I'd like to hear their view.

I always get in to arguments with my American friends about these things. Lots of "it will make no difference if guns are banned". Bullshit.

[The Deadly]

I'm interested to see if our American members comment about it. It's a lot closer to home for them and I'd like to hear their view.

I always get in to arguments with my American friends about these things. Lots of "it will make no difference if guns are banned". Bullshit.

The thing is someone in a psychotic state will kill regardless of guns or not. You can go to your local hardware store and spend £30 for all the ingredients for a bomb and then go on the Internet to learn how to put it together. Banning guns would drive the sales of them underground which is more dangerous. I agree they need to be a lot harder to get hold of but an outright ban is not the answer.

[hdsport82]

The thing is someone in a psychotic state will kill regardless of guns or not. You can go to your local hardware store and spend £30 for all the ingredients for a bomb and then go on the Internet to learn how to put it together. Banning guns would drive the sales of them underground which is more dangerous. I agree they need to be a lot harder to get hold of but an outright ban is not the answer.

Of course you kill anyone with almost anything difference is with a gun it's a lot easier as shown on the other side of the world today...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/de ... ary-school

Although for me the reason for gun control is not these mass attacks but the sheer level of 'day to day' (for want of a better phrase) shootings that here would be treated as major news are almost routine over there.

[neilt0]

The thing is someone in a psychotic state will kill regardless of guns or not. You can go to your local hardware store and spend £30 for all the ingredients for a bomb and then go on the Internet to learn how to put it together. Banning guns would drive the sales of them underground which is more dangerous. I agree they need to be a lot harder to get hold of but an outright ban is not the answer.

The Columbine killers had guns and bombs (lots of bombs). Their bombs killed and injured 0 kids. The guns killed and injured 37.

[a-moron]

No deadly, you are so wrong on that point on so many levels.
I try to avoid arguing with you big guy. A) cause I like you and B) it's like arguing with my arse. No matter how well I construct my point of view, shits just gonna come back at me.

Yes you can go and buy the ingredients of a bomb for say £30. You could also go into a hardware store a buy a big * off sledgehammer. Just as deadly in the wrong persons hands.

Ban the *, give it a try at least. If it makes * all difference you then know to try a different angle on controlling gun crime.

It works here to an extent. At least the majority of the population ain't sleeping with a deadly weapon under their pillow.

As the great Eddie izzard once said - guns don't kill people. People kill people. As would monkey's. If they had a gun.

[The Deadly]

No deadly, you are so wrong on that point on so many levels.
I try to avoid arguing with you big guy. A) cause I like you and B) it's like arguing with my arse. No matter how well I construct my point of view, shits just gonna come back at me.

Yes you can go and buy the ingredients of a bomb for say £30. You could also go into a hardware store a buy a big * off sledgehammer. Just as deadly in the wrong persons hands.

Ban the *, give it a try at least. If it makes * all difference you then know to try a different angle on controlling gun crime.

It works here to an extent. At least the majority of the population ain't sleeping with a deadly weapon under their pillow.

As the great Eddie izzard once said - guns don't kill people. People kill people. As do monkey's. If they habe guns.

I am entirely correct when I say that someone intent on killing on a large scale will do so regardless of guns being legal or not. If somebody wants a gun that badly they will get one, they are still out there on the black market. If the individual intent on killing cannot get a gun then there are many other methods to carry out their crime a homemade bomb being just one example.

I made it clear earlier that I am for tighter gun control so I'm not sure how anything I've said is wrong. I just don't think an outright ban would a) work or b) stop mass killings. Sure you might get less killings with the use of guns but the sad fact is there are lots of bad people out there or untreated mentally ill who will kill regardless.


Edit: I've already resolved this debate with Badger via PM's. I don't want this horrible thing to turn into a debate about gun control so I won't carry this on. I'm pretty sure the one thing we can all agree on is that we hope the shooter rots in hell.

[Boboff]

Indeed we can agree on that Deadly.

Also how the * do you post so well so late at night, do you not drink man!

[The Deadly]

Indeed we can agree on that Deadly.

Also how the * do you post so well so late at night, do you not drink man!

Ah well I was having a little drink last night actually after work and then came in and drank about 4 cups of coffee. I regret it now and would turn back time if I could.

[Bonanzoid]

Fair play to this teacher, given the circumstances of what was going on outside her classroom, she was pretty amazing for those kids.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-20741913

[Yudster]

I think its possible that the problem particularly in America is not merely that guns are freely and readily available to everyone, but that the culture of gun ownership and use is so ingrained in them that it is a very normal thing to them. People in this country who want to shoot someone will be able to find a gun and do so (although it would be a LOT more difficult to do so than in America)- but I believe that fewer people will be likely to do that because the notion of owning a gun and shooting anything with it is so alien to us.

That said, reform of the gun laws in the States clearly wouldn't stop gun crime, but it would be a cultural statement in the right direction and it wouldn't make it worse. I hope it happens in some form or other, even if they don't make any sweeping changes.

[Misfit]

it reminded me of learning about dumblane.. (i think thats how it was spelt) when I was at school. absolutely horrible stuff.

I also unfriended somone on facebook earlier for posting a picture of a call of duty loading screen, with a picture of the school as a back ground.

[R94N]

There is the issues of gun control in the US and then there is the issue of mental health and the shocking lack of support and care towards it there. Apparently a lot of people with mental illnesses end up in prisons rather than in care because many state-funded clinics and hospitals are being closed. Also the fact that the media bleat on about the guy who did it for days afterwards as if he is some sort of hero. All that does is let people who otherwise need help that if they want to go out and be famous and have every inch of their life dissected and discussed on TV around the world they can just shoot some place up and they can go down in history. You know the names of the people who committed these atrocities but most of the time not the victims'.

[Boboff]

Headline at Yahoo

"Gunman was a loner with Poor Social Skills"

No * shit Sherlock.

The issue is with Mental Health intervention not guns.

Semi Automatic Assualt rifles are NOT a requirement of the second ammendment, but the main issue I feel in the World is with marginilsation of those with mental health issues. Do we have the money to treat this 100% effectively? No, could we do better? Probably, but the nature of the loner means that they often act in issolation or are easily persuaded by extremeists.

[Yudster]

Just so we are clear - being a "loner with poor social skills" might be an indication of a neurological condition such as Aspergers or some form of autism - it does not automatically mean you have mental health issues.

Shooting up a buch of babies in their classroom however DOES indicate that you have massive mental health issues.

[Boboff]

Umm, Yuds, Aspergers/Autism is a mental health issue.

Unless you have re-written that part?

Being a loner with poor social skills might not be Aspergers related, but it is a clear indication of some underlying inability to cope. Having a Mum in some Armageden Sect isn't going to help that a bit either.