think about it

[LittleLebowski]

Think about it...

This one time I was sitting alone in my room, observing the appropriate practices of [insert your preferred religion here]. All of a sudden, [insert music you don't like here] came on the [modern broadcast equipment], and all I could think of was murder, and rape, and robbery. Being a person of such weak moral character, I knew I needed to escape the negative influence. I quickly turned to my trusted source of moral guidance: [insert other modern technology here]. Soon, I was inundated with more imagery of [insert vague evil entity here]. I could no longer control myself; I started dancing in provocative ways, and considering tactics to destroy the moral purity of society around me.

This is totally unlike [insert any random point in history], when everyone sang happy songs and cultural media only ever presented positive images. As any historian will tell you, humans have become more and more violent as time has gone on. If only human kind would revert to [an even earlier point in history], all would be well again.

That about cover it? Or am I missing some of the mad-lib outrage?

Win.

[TCinVA]

People find it comforting to blame an external thing for these sorts of events rather than admit to the more disturbing truth that society as we know it is a veneer. It's a gossamer fabric stretched to perilous thinness over the churning darkness of human nature, the depths of which frighten us to the point where we'd rather pretend it isn't so and in the effort seek explanations above the surface to keep from having to acknowledge the unpleasant truth that our concept of reality is as contrived as Tinkerbell. When even one of us decides to stop clapping it can get very ugly, and fast.

[BaiHu]

Tackle football in the neighborhood with mixed ages, races and religions? Check.
Lacrosse and football through high school? Check.
Martial arts? Check.
Finger shaped as a gun going bang bang at my 'friends'...or were they? Check.
Plastic AK's and Uzis after the Rambo series and Ahhnold hit the screens were used to have full out battles amongst my 'friends'? Check.
Watched kung fu theater all weekend long and reproduced fight scenes with my brother with 'throwing star' pillows? Check.
BB gun? Check.
Bow and arrow? Check.
Shotgun and Pistol access before I was 13? Check.
Eazy-E? Public Enemy? Black Sheep? GMF? Dre? Snoop? EPMD? Mic check, mic check? 1, 2, 1, 2? Yup, yup? And I was a white kid from the burbs.
Violent video games? Check.
Pen/Paper violent RPG? Check.
Paintball? Check.
Gun clubs? Yup.
NRA member? Yup.
Gun classes? Yup.
ECQC? Yup.
AFHF? This August.
Ever commit a violent crime, felony, etc? NEVER have NEVER will.
Did I mention I ever played 'racing games'? Nope.
Why is that relevant? I've gotten speeding tickets, but no one ever told me nor was I ever influenced by some media machine that encouraged me to go faster.

So, donoo, what went wrong with me and the other 100+ million gun owners on July 20th, 2012?

[orionz06]

If one were to really be so concerned over safety we would really put a limit on driving. Every day when I ride my bike there are numerous interactions where a driver asserts his "right to the road" over my bicycle by directing their 2,000 lb plus vehicle recklessly towards me and barely missing me. We hand keys to killing machines to kids who are poorly trained and give them tools to distract themselves when they are not mature enough to understand the responsibility they must assume to keep themselves and others safe. When they slip up we charge $10 a month more and fix their cars for next to nothing.

[JMS]

No, it could not be and besides it makes millions of dollars for certain people and that is what counts in the usa!

[Kyle Reese]

If one were to really be so concerned over safety we would really put a limit on driving. Every day when I ride my bike there are numerous interactions where a driver asserts his "right to the road" over my bicycle by directing their 2,000 lb plus vehicle recklessly towards me and barely missing me. We hand keys to killing machines to kids who are poorly trained and give them tools to distract themselves when they are not mature enough to understand the responsibility they must assume to keep themselves and others safe. When they slip up we charge $10 a month more and fix their cars for next to nothing.

Why stop there? We have technology available today that the Founding Fathers could never have envisioned. Surely the First Amendment wasn't meant to encompass things like blogs, radio, Twitter and other social media, etc. We also give our kids access to technology that could place them as well as the greater public in danger.

I'm not proposing an outright ban on laptops, smart phones, etc, just some sensible regulations.

You must be 21 y/o to purchase or possess a smart phone / i-pad type device. It's for the children.

A background check will be done on all persons who wish to establish a blog or other medium that is outside of the State controlled media. This is also for the greater good. We don't want people who have felony convictions or a history of slander/libel to be able to disseminate false or damaging information, do we?

It's for the children.

[Corlissimo]

People with a grudge against the world never seem to lack inspiration for acting it out regardless of what is available.

Too true. Reminds me of a line in the Dark Knight when Alfred says: "Some men just want to watch the world burn."

I've always thought that it's really difficult to predict who those people are since they typically fly below the radar. Sure, a violent past may play a role, and someone who acts out may have listened to [insert music genre that scares sheeple] or played violent video games but that's probably more coincidence than cause.

[orionz06]

Reasonable internet control is all we want.

[Corlissimo]

Why stop there? We have technology available today that the Founding Fathers could never have envisioned. Surely the First Amendment wasn't meant to encompass things like blogs, radio, Twitter and other social media, etc. We also give our kids access to technology that could place them as well as the greater public in danger.

I'm not proposing an outright ban on laptops, smart phones, etc, just some sensible regulations.

You must be 21 y/o to purchase or possess a smart phone / i-pad type device. It's for the children.

A background check will be done on all persons who wish to establish a blog or other medium that is outside of the State controlled media. This is also for the greater good. We don't want people who have felony convictions or a history of slander/libel to be able to disseminate false or damaging information, do we?

It's for the children.

AWESOME! Should be THE standard reply to Anti-2A folks.

[tremiles]

Socially Awkward...Check
Spent summers in Lk. Geneva WI in going to TSR's original offices to play D&D...Check
Played war in the forest every chance I got...Check
Computer nerd...Check
Built lego guns, stick guns, finger guns, drew guns...check
Listened to music about sex drugs violence revolution...check

Reasonably well-adjusted productive member of society...uh...that doesn't make any sense at all.

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