TVTropes Now available in the app store!
Open

Follow TV Tropes

Following

The General US Politics Thread

Go To

Nov 2023 Mod notice:


There may be other, more specific, threads about some aspects of US politics, but this one tends to act as a hub for all sorts of related news and information, so it's usually one of the busiest OTC threads.

If you're new to OTC, it's worth reading the Introduction to On-Topic Conversations and the On-Topic Conversations debate guidelines before posting here.

Rumor-based, fear-mongering and/or inflammatory statements that damage the quality of the thread will be thumped. Off-topic posts will also be thumped. Repeat offenders may be suspended.

If time spent moderating this thread remains a distraction from moderation of the wiki itself, the thread will need to be locked. We want to avoid that, so please follow the forum rules when posting here.


In line with the general forum rules, 'gravedancing' is prohibited here. If you're celebrating someone's death or hoping that they die, your post will get thumped. This rule applies regardless of what the person you're discussing has said or done.

Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM

Ramidel Since: Jan, 2001
#125926: Jun 13th 2016 at 2:22:27 AM

[up]They have the knowledge base to look at gun violence from an epidemiological standpoint, which is often a useful tool. Not as insane as it seems.

LeGarcon Blowout soon fellow Stalker from Skadovsk Since: Aug, 2013 Relationship Status: Gay for Big Boss
Blowout soon fellow Stalker
#125927: Jun 13th 2016 at 2:27:11 AM

The CDC is also a one of the most powerful governmental organizations in the US. They've got a lot of people and resources they can bring into investigations, far more than any new organization we could create or even any private study group.

edited 13th Jun '16 2:28:14 AM by LeGarcon

Oh really when?
Deadbeatloser22 from Disappeared by Space Magic (Great Old One) Relationship Status: Tsundere'ing
#125928: Jun 13th 2016 at 2:27:32 AM

Which agency would you consider more appropriate?

"Yup. That tasted purple."
Medinoc from France (Before Recorded History)
#125929: Jun 13th 2016 at 2:38:29 AM

The ATF possibly?

"And as long as a sack of shit is not a good thing to be, chivalry will never die."
desdendelle Hooded Crow from Land of Milk and Honey (Sergeant) Relationship Status: Hiding
Hooded Crow
#125930: Jun 13th 2016 at 2:52:24 AM

[up][up] I don't know the makeup of alphabet agencies in the States aside from the more famous ones, but I'd assume that whoever does statistical work for the police — no, wait the American police is more fragmented than a bad hard-disk. I really don't know, then.

On empty crossroads, seek the eclipse -- for when Sol and Lua align, the lost shall find their way home.
Ramidel Since: Jan, 2001
#125931: Jun 13th 2016 at 3:09:22 AM

[up]That's about the size of it. The best-suited law enforcement branch would be the FBI (who already collect crime statistics), and even then they'd have to essentially establish a unit and call on professors from a bunch of colleges instead of doing it in-house.

PhysicalStamina i'm tired, my friend (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Coming soon to theaters
i'm tired, my friend
#125932: Jun 13th 2016 at 3:53:15 AM

Okay, since gun prohibition will never happen, can't we at least make it a lot harder and far more tedious to obtain guns? Like, triple the paperwork and amount of tests, require people to take an entire semester of night classes (complete w/ homework and exams) or something like that?

edited 13th Jun '16 3:54:26 AM by PhysicalStamina

i'm tired, my friend
Ramidel Since: Jan, 2001
#125933: Jun 13th 2016 at 3:58:04 AM

No. That would just be being petty jerks, and you know it.

Compare it to the shit that's going on because states can't ban abortions.

edited 13th Jun '16 3:59:09 AM by Ramidel

PhysicalStamina i'm tired, my friend (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Coming soon to theaters
i'm tired, my friend
#125934: Jun 13th 2016 at 4:01:26 AM

[up]I don't see how making it harder to get one thing is comparable to banning another.

Or, for that matter, what the hell is petty about it.

edited 13th Jun '16 4:04:15 AM by PhysicalStamina

i'm tired, my friend
Ramidel Since: Jan, 2001
#125935: Jun 13th 2016 at 4:08:38 AM

To your first, "making it harder" is what the states are doing with abortion. They're going out of their way to add restrictions (constitutional or not) to abortion and abortion clinics in the hope that they can make it too expensive or difficult and force a woman to go through with the pregnancy. This is what your "let's make it horribly tedious to get a gun" measures would be targeted at doing for getting a gun.

It smacks of harassing people who want to own guns, instead of actually trying to come up with reasonable regulations to ensure that people who own guns are qualified to do so. That's petty.

edited 13th Jun '16 4:09:30 AM by Ramidel

PhysicalStamina i'm tired, my friend (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Coming soon to theaters
i'm tired, my friend
#125936: Jun 13th 2016 at 4:11:34 AM

[up]So what do you propose we do then?

i'm tired, my friend
Ramidel Since: Jan, 2001
#125937: Jun 13th 2016 at 4:14:39 AM

I made my own proposal a page back. Reasonable regulations that the majority of gun owners themselves could get behind - background checks, gun licensing, mandatory training and safety courses. Not to harass gun owners or make it too tedious to get a gun, but to make sure that they can be trusted to use a firearm before they get a license to carry.

TheHandle United Earth from Stockholm Since: Jan, 2012 Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
United Earth
#125938: Jun 13th 2016 at 4:16:59 AM

I agree with Ramidel. Reasonable, responsible, balanced people who have proven their worth should be allowed to own guns.

That's what the NRA used to be about: teaching gun safety.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Eschaton Since: Jul, 2010
#125939: Jun 13th 2016 at 4:27:56 AM

Same. Making it as hard as possible to obtain a gun, for the sake of making it as hard as possible to obtain a gun, has its own issues.

Rules for gun ownership should be intended to create responsible gun owners that are not a danger to themselves and others.

edited 13th Jun '16 4:28:52 AM by Eschaton

Julep Since: Jul, 2010
#125940: Jun 13th 2016 at 4:57:21 AM

I really have a hard time calling an assault rifle a "gun". And I honestly don't think it would be that hard to just ban automatic weapons. It's not even useful for self-defense: there is no situation in real life where you die because you had a gun on you yet you would have survived had you carried an AK-47.

That's movie or video game issues.

Just ban the fuck out of all those death engines. Next time Homophobic Douche #101 decides to make history, he will have to do so with one bullet at a time. I am pretty sure it will make the death count lower.

edited 13th Jun '16 5:00:21 AM by Julep

Greenmantle V from Greater Wessex, Britannia Since: Feb, 2010 Relationship Status: Hiding
V
#125941: Jun 13th 2016 at 5:03:35 AM

[up]

Next time Homophobic Douche #101 decides to make history, he will have to do so with one bullet at a time.

That's what he did. The Orlando shooter was using a semi-automatic rifle. Automatic weapons are regulated at the Federal Level.

edited 13th Jun '16 5:04:47 AM by Greenmantle

Keep Rolling On
Julep Since: Jul, 2010
#125942: Jun 13th 2016 at 5:05:54 AM

Do handguns also have the 100-bullets magazine of an AR-15?

Greenmantle V from Greater Wessex, Britannia Since: Feb, 2010 Relationship Status: Hiding
V
#125943: Jun 13th 2016 at 5:06:58 AM

No.

Depending on the calibre, up to 20 rounds at most. California restricts all magazines to nine rounds.

Not many AR-15-type rifles have (or the owners can afford) a 100-round magazine anyhow.

edited 13th Jun '16 5:10:53 AM by Greenmantle

Keep Rolling On
LeGarcon Blowout soon fellow Stalker from Skadovsk Since: Aug, 2013 Relationship Status: Gay for Big Boss
Blowout soon fellow Stalker
#125944: Jun 13th 2016 at 5:09:44 AM

No, nobody has 100 round magazines for an AR-15. None that work at any rate, not even anyone in the military.

People don't wanna hear it but he would have passed every test and background check, the weapons he purchased were semi automatic and not even terribly excessive.

Nothing but a blanket ban on purchasing firearms could have stopped him from buying them.

edited 13th Jun '16 5:10:29 AM by LeGarcon

Oh really when?
desdendelle Hooded Crow from Land of Milk and Honey (Sergeant) Relationship Status: Hiding
LeGarcon Blowout soon fellow Stalker from Skadovsk Since: Aug, 2013 Relationship Status: Gay for Big Boss
Blowout soon fellow Stalker
#125946: Jun 13th 2016 at 5:13:14 AM

30 rounds is correct, the AR-15 takes STANAG magazine. Those are standardized across all of NATO's military forces.

Oh really when?
Julep Since: Jul, 2010
#125947: Jun 13th 2016 at 5:13:16 AM

So that's about two or three times what most guns carry. Which means the asshole has to reload twice as often, which gives twice as much windows of opportunity for bystanders to run away.

But I won't insist. I will never understand the urge some people feel to own rifles that are not used to hunt big game, and if I ever do, I really think I will have lost part of my humanity.

LeGarcon Blowout soon fellow Stalker from Skadovsk Since: Aug, 2013 Relationship Status: Gay for Big Boss
Blowout soon fellow Stalker
#125948: Jun 13th 2016 at 5:15:53 AM

30 is actually the general standard across almost all military spec weapons across all nations. NATO or not.

Modern handguns are usually around 17 if you're not stupid and using something other than 9mm

His weapons really weren't too out of the ordinary, the AR-15 is one of the most popular civilian owned weapons in the country with countless variations and derivatives. Our military uses AR-15 offshoots for almost everything.

Nothing but a blanket ban would have stopped him, the things he bought were pretty normal.

edited 13th Jun '16 5:17:57 AM by LeGarcon

Oh really when?
Julep Since: Jul, 2010
#125949: Jun 13th 2016 at 5:19:26 AM

Pretty normal in the USA.

Nowhere else is a non-hunting rifle firearm considered "pretty normal". In all Western Europe countries I know of, at the very least.

Medinoc from France (Before Recorded History)
#125950: Jun 13th 2016 at 5:21:44 AM

Restricting magazine sizes for civilians would still be a good idea, I think.

"And as long as a sack of shit is not a good thing to be, chivalry will never die."

Total posts: 417,856
Top