Men who think they're women, people who think pronouns are a thing, suicides... We're ignoring the real problem.

Yes but idiots (especially in this comment section) want you to think it's a gun problem.

Hey, only 7 people died in Chicago this past weekend.

we have both
it’s settled

What are the terms of the settlement you have declared?

"What are the terms of the settlement you have declared?"
who let grandpa on the internet 💀💀💀😭 ain't never heard someone talk like that in a long time ☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️

Not touching grass would explain why

I bet you smiled and your friends cheered when you posted that comment.

Yet, you failed to state how it has been settled that we have both a mental health issue and a gun issue. Other than just because you think it so.

Enlighten me, us, with your philosophy.

F**k it I don’t wanna argue with a republican today

Ah, you're making assumptions.

Explaining is not arguing. It is providing information.

I am sure I am not the only one unaware there had been a final determination made on these two issues.

A gun in your hand requires thought to perform as intended.

A mentally ill person can act out just being an as$h*le and not because they are so far gone they don't know their actions are unlawful. Insanity/mental defect defenses are seldom victorious.

Rounding 2021 figures -

gun murder 21,000.

1% use mental disorder defense = 210
(90% had previous diagnosis = 189)

Of the 210 using mental defect defense 26% are successful= 55

Out of 21,000 gun murders a jury found 55 were due to diminished capacity. (0.0026% of total).

That makes it a people problem not a gun problem. Not a mental health problem

You have a 50x greater chance of being vaccinated against Fauci virus but dying anyway.
Who would have imagined that?

If my figures are off I will accept any proven adjustment. Statistical math is not one of my many strengths.

As for suicide - a gun is expedient providing little to no opportunity for second thoughts.

Again, a people problem not a gun problem.

I hesitate to say not a mental health problem yet the planning and implementation indicates no diminished capacity. The individual is fully aware of the effects of their actions.

Alright fine I agree with that
Just know that you sound like a f**king nerd when you talk like that

I accept that as your opinion. Please accept mine that you sound petulant and churlish when you speak in that manner.

Parents aAAnd Childless as*holes who think that guns save people... yeah, a problem.
Try raising a child with a gun.
Or better yet try raising a gun... with a child.

Which can change?
Here's a hint:
- Not the gun.

Agreed, but what about the 46% - yeesh!!

48,830 total gun related death in US for 2021.

54% - 26,368 suicide
43% - 20,997 murder
3% - 1,465 police action, accidental, and
undetermined (combined)

2,590 of the 2021 total were children under 18

32% - 829 suicide
60% - 1554 murder
5% - 130 accident
3% - 78 other (police action, undetermined)

Source: Pew Research Center

And what about the 412% US-relatedr gun deaths outside the US?

war

True. Gun suicides are only a portion of total suicides.

One more.
Source for both: CDC

Total SUICIDES for 2021 - 48,183

it's because they made a choice in life that society found so brutally wrong that not even their own people will be able to protect them, thus resulting in what they believe is the only solution

That same argument was used about gay people and yet the suicide rate in the gay community is not even close to the suicide rate in the trans community. Mental illness is why the suicide rate is so high within that community, not bullying.

What do you think the lgbt community has?

The community doesn't matter. It's about the individual. Gay people aren't committing suicide at even close to the rate as trans people. No one is. Not even military vets with PTSD.

Again, it's a mental illness problem, not a gun problem.

Bro, there have been more MASS SHOOTINGS than DAYS this year alone. To say we don't have a gun problem is like saying Donald Duck is not a Duck.

So the mass shooters (there haven't been more mass shootings than days, but I'll indulge your ignorance) are sane? None of them have mental issues?

And what exactly does that have to do with the suicide rate?

Who said it was about the mental health issues? I was referring to your comment that we don’t have a gun issue. And yes I 100% agree we have a mental health crisis, but we also have a gun control problem as well. And by the way, The United States has faced at least 202 mass shootings so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive. There have been more mass shootings than days in 2023, so I will indulge you r lack of awareness.

We need gun restriction laws so people with criminal and mental health issues won’t hurt anyone.
Any law abiding citizen I know would (and should be) be willing to go through background checks for past crimes and/or mental illness to protect their fellow Americans.

"but we also have a gun control problem as well"

I agree, too much gun control by the federal government. That's a problem. The 2nd amendment is pretty clear on this.

"And by the way, The United States has faced at least 202 mass shootings so far this year, "

The definition they place on "mass shootings" is three or more dead in one shooting. Do you know how many gang related shootings there have been in the inner cities of Chicago and Detroit alone where three or more people died. The truth might shock you. The government love to scare people with low IQs with the false boogyman of "mass shootings." Clean up the cities, put cops back on the streets, start locking up these violent thugs and the "mass shootings" will slow to a snail pace, I promise you.

"We need gun restriction laws so people with criminal and mental health issues won’t hurt anyone."

Oh, you mean the gun control laws that are already in ace but haven't done jack shit to slow down mass shootings? Which laws should we add? Will it stop the almost every mass shooting that occurs in gun free zones? Or do we need just a few more laws to stop it?

First of all, mass shootings are where 4 or more people are killed. Second, the US has some of if not the least gun control laws in the world. Want to buy a gun from a family member? Go ahead it’s 100% legal, that person doesn’t need a license and you don’t need a background check. For all the government cares, you could be a psycho with an extensive criminal record, but what’s stopping you? And sure drug gangs in Chicago and San Francisco do kill lots of people, but that’s another problem in itself.

So all in all, something needs to be done right? Because you or anyone you know could be next, do you want to wait that long?

Why does nobody seem aware that there have been background checks REQUIRED for many many years?

There are questions about mental health issues and criminal history on the forms you are REQUIRED to complete under penalty of perjury.

So please explain to me how the Nashville school shooter got guns even though they been diagnosed with and being treated for emotional disorder. “ The assailant in the Nashville school shooting legally bought seven firearms from five local stores and used three of those weapons in Monday's attack, officials said” (CBS news)

I wouldn't have any knowledge on that.

I would assume there was some perjury involved.

I can concede that their are flaws in the mechanism.

Workable fixes have been studied but not implemented. How to distinguish an individual that sought mental health services for everyday suburban housewife types of reasons versus someone who has homicidal ideation is also a problem. Even still, how do you "red flag" them if they have never sought treatment?

I used to tell HR managers it is the people who look good on paper - outstanding references, no criminal background, great credit rating, etc , that embezzle from companies and shoot up the office for being disciplined or sacked. ( I'm not British, I just like saying sacked).

Do I have the solution, no. Despite what the workplace motivational poster says, that doesn't make me part of the problem. I do know that stripping people of their liberty is not the solution.

Many states still do not have red flag laws which allow police to remove weapons from someone who has a mental illness. And yes Gun stores are required to be licensed, but in most if not all states, you can legally obtain a firearm from a family member for no legal over site or repercussions

I understand. I addressed my thoughts on red flag laws in an earlier reply to you.

We are forgetting that laws are only reactionary.

For the legislated legal process to begin you first have to commit a crime.

If no crime has been committed no due process can be initiated.

I believe some states have addressed some of the "loophole" exploitation of the gun laws that have existed for many, many years.

Fun fact: Gov Greg Abbott cut $211 million from the state's mental health commission before the Allen shooting happened.

*looks at the rainbow people*

Fentanyl says hi...

It becomes a gun problem when we freely give guns to people with mental health problems.

Why have we never heard the reasons behind the killer in Las Vegas? Conservative minds want to know.

The real problem is the government who promotes and encourages these mental health issues. All the more reason to exercise your 2nd ammendment rights to defend yourself against a tyrannical government who wants to disarm it's citizens mentally and physically.

The government isn't promoting and encouraging mental health issues. If anything, the government is ignoring them. That's been going on since Reagan cut back on mental health issues in the name of "smaller government".

got to use my departed template again woohoo!

'Ignoring them'...best refer back to the op top of meme and ask yourself who is promoting and encouraging this behavior?

The government isn't promoting that. The unhinged Right is promoting the hatred.

No Right-leaning (nor Liberal) person I know promoted Audrey Elizabeth Hale's hatred for the children and teachers that her unhinged mind targeted. Every time some partisan loon points a finger solely at the other side, they just encourage another mentally unhealthy person to act. Stop, just stop the propaganda.

Uh huh...well if that's the case, all the more reason for you to exercise your 2nd ammendment...good luck!

Your mental health is your responsibility not the government's.

A mentally healthy society is everybody's responsibility.

You are your own responsibility not the government's, not society's.

Quit pushing your responsibility for you off on others.

That is the action of a person that wants to blame someone or something else for their failures and difficulties in life.

So don't help them. Just keep giving them guns. That's what you want, right?

I am not giving anyone a gun.
Nobody is giving them a gun.
So I have to say, incorrect.

They need to help themselves.

This is the thought by which people are killed, because I know from experience that mentally unstable people will never get help themselves. Its your responsibility as a friend, family member, or co-worker to help a person when they need help, because if you don't, then who will?

This is the thought that makes people responsible for themselves.

The rest sounds nice. If that worked, there would be no untreated mental illness.

Family member is different than society.

There is a cost for everything and the government don't do nothin' for free.

I typed a bunch o stuff about my considerable experience with the mentally ill but I'm tired of talking about liberals 😄. Just a little humor to bring a some sunshine into the gloom.

The liberals part was the joke...I actually have a fair amount of experience in mental health, and what I erased wasn't pretty.

You help anybody you want. I wish you the best in the endeavor.

The majority of homeless people are mentally ill. They can't get jobs because they're insane, but they need to eat so they're committing crimes. They're not just filthy junkies they're also self-medicating because they're not getting help. So what's the answer? We're all strapped so we can execute them like rabid dogs? Are these the Christian morals I keep hearing about from the party of family values? What ever happened to "love thy neighbor as thyself?"

Exactly how is a mentally ill person supposed to help themselves if they don't even know who they are or what day it is?

You can't stop homelessness because the vast majority of them are homeless by choice.

The woman and her two kids living in their car because mom couldn't pay the rent story is not what you're dealing with.

Whatever the causation, they are homeless by choice. And you are right, they no longer have anyone who cares because they've burned their bridges. Everybody is tired of their BS.

They ARE junkies and alcoholics that are perfectly ok with living in a tent, stealing whatever they want, using the bathroom in the streets, piling up literal trash everywhere.

They are the most served group on earth. Religious, civic, charitable, and governmental groups feed them several times a day, - every day, food stamps, food pantries, assistance checks, laundry facilities, places to shower, free clothing, tiny houses built for them and rent free, hotel rooms at no charge, free mental health services, free medical care, free dental care.....and how many take advantage of the opportunities to get off the streets? Pretty near zero but adding daily.

They can't get jobs? But they can stand on a street corner all day in the blazing sun bothering people for money so they can buy tiny bottles of liquor, or meth, or heroin, or fentanyl. Anything BUT food, clothing, and shelter.

I did not advocate using them for target practice, I stated that the only way to solve the homelessness issue is to exterminate them.

I keep forgetting I live in the "words hurt" age. So allow me to say in kinder, gentler words, the homeless problem is here to stay no matter what you do.

What party do you refer to being the party of christian and moral values? The republican party? I've seen that reference made from others. That implies that no democrats are christians and no democrats have family values. Or at the very least do not consider these two things in the formulation of creating policies.

I have not declared adherence to any political party ideologies. I am my own person with my own philosophies and my own personal religion, my own family values, my own values in general. I share opinions based on my own thinking.

Everything you think needs done to cure homelessness has been done. It does not work.

So now I ask you, leaving ALL of that out of the equation - Now what?

It might make it easier to disregard them to think they're all there by choice but people have many reasons for being out there. Sometimes the mentally ill get lost, or people get under the control of drugs and fall down the rabbit hole. Many people in pain who were made physically dependent on opiates by greedy doctors before 2010 are finding themselves battling opiate dependency or turning to street drugs because they can't get a scrip. A young man with autism wandered away from his family and was lost for 3 years on the streets until they were reunited by the police. There are more newly homeless today than ever, people displaced by rent prices and not making a living wage.

I don't think everything that needs to be done has been done. A city in Utah has done great things to help the homeless in their town by embracing them and housing them, forming a community around them and giving them hope, instead of treating them like scumbags and losers who aren't worth anyone's time.

We all live in this country together. It's the United States, although we aren't very united lately. What makes us a country if we're not willing to help each other? No man is an island. One day you're going to need to someone's help, too.

Picking a one out of a million story is not making the case against my statement that the vast majority are homeless by choice.

Quit supporting/enabling/excusing the behaviors.

Let me ask you - where are these people's families? Especially those so mentally ill that they don't know who or where they are, as you put it. Where are they?

What makes that my problem?

Also, like 57% of all suicides are people 65+. You think you can talk grampy out of doing himself in? Think what reasons the elderly might have to end their own life and you will understand their want and willingness to do so.

Speaking on the hypothetical you posed, were they born that way or did they become that way overnight? Although I was speaking about mental health as it relates to suicide, I will have to think if I ever heard of someone lacking mental capacity to the degree you described being able to plan and intentionally carry out either suicide or murder.

Help anyone you want to help. I won't stop you. I wish you the best in this endeavor.

I have a question:

Where was all this compassion when people were verbalizing that those who didn't want to get covid "vaccination" deserved to be denied medical care, their livelihood, and they hoped they died?

I didn't say it was your problem. I've had people close to me who were mentally ill and who've committed suicide. It's hard to say whether they were born that way or made. They can have lucid moments and they can be totally out of their minds, not know where they are, wtf they're doing, definitely not remember any of it later. Depression goes along with this, and yes, they can be suicidal. If they don't have support, if they're not willing to accept help that's offered, they can end up pushing a shopping cart on skid row., or in prison, or worse. I feel like the ones that end up homeless either didn't have anyone who cared or refused the help and their family gave up on them.

Hey didn't a tranny in Nashville just kill 8 Christians, 4 children?

Out of the 200 mass shootings this year, I believe one was trans, yes.

200 this year? Wow! The media has started a new fad.

I don't think anyone gives anybody free guns, indiscriminately hands out guns (unless a criminal), or without putting purchasers through the state and federally legislated background checks and waiting periods that have existed for many, many years.

What the individual does is 100% the responsibility of the individual. The individual is to blame.

If you take someone else's gun without permission, lie on your background check forms (which include questions about mental health and drug use history), or otherwise obtain a firearm you would legally be barred from possessing, you are a criminal.

Criminals commit criminal acts.

Criminal acts hurt other people financially and physically.

If you ask me, I would like to see about 85% of the population have their driver's license revoked for driving like a-holes all the time, frightening, injuring, and killing other people.

You don't need a car any more than you need a gun. You don't even need a knife or fork for that matter - ask any inmate, past or present.

If you don't think a person shouldn't own a gun, by all means, don't own one. I won't tell you that you should.

Leave me alone to make my own choices regarding gun ownership.

Wow! That was a lot of words

Please accept my apologies for not having been brief.

Which, basically, is arguably everyone who has them, as amply exhibited by afficionados who go on and on about it to what some may term fetish degrees, as they've gone beyond, say, living out in the woods and relying on them for food and protection when they can be long buried before the alerted police arrive for an emergency.

It's like the insanity plea for crimes in general. Aren't just about all who commit crimes nuts to some degree and then some? Murderous murderers who kill while murdering those they kill!

Not every pro gun person is a gun owner. Not every person that supports 2a unchanged is a gun owner. Some people just really like being free to choose for themselves, you know, like the pro choice abortion activists are always going on about and being applauded for doing so.

You surrender one freedom you start losing them all.

So, for me, it ain't so much about "I love guns" as it is "I love liberty and minimal governmental interference in my daily life".

True liberty, then, means living off grid, in some ungoverned land, hunting or growing your own food, with no internet, no phone, no 911 to call if you need help, no hospitals, making your own clothes, no building codes to adhere to, etc. Otherwise, you're just picking and choosing your liberties, and who doesn't do that? To support guns, or the type of guns that were designed to kill people versus animals or whatever, in the name of "liberty" seems antithetical to the idea of living free, considering all the peoples' lives guns put an end to.

Always polarizing things.

I clearly stated minimal government interference.

You obey the law, you have minimal governmental interference.

You pay to Caeser what is Caesar's, you have minimal governmental interference.

You don't allow your liberty to infringe on another's you, have minimal governmental interference.

Although the lifestyle you described is not the least bit daunting to me - I have lived in areas where reliance on government or another human being was completely unavailable. I have lived many years without tv, telephone, and internet. I don't share your weaknesses.

People kill people.

That is a fact that all the hypotheticals, whining, trash talking, soapboxing, feelings etc., will not change.

All guns are designed to kill living things. Your statement regarding guns made for different applications - animals vs. humans - says to me you know little about firearms and are merely parroting others.

I was born with the right to life, liberty, and happiness. No government, king, rule of law, or vote gave me those rights. Therefore, they cannot be taken away. The founders of this country wrote a document recognizing this fact and stating this new system of governance would uphold and defend these individual rights.

The armed citizens in the original colonies played a role in prevailing in their seditious and treasonous war fought against the British crown.

Many thousands of men died, killed by guns, to bring this country and it's constitution to fruition. Millions have died, killed by guns, with thoughts of preserving this country and it's constitution.

Yet you and your ilk mock their deaths with all this nonsense.

The right to be left alone to live as I wish, without the government making me an outlaw due to people who share your ideals, is what I advocate. Don't demean this the way you do the lives sacrificed to ensure these rights are preserved.

Give yours away if you wish. Leave mine be.

Well boy do I have a political party for you, ever heard of The Libertarian Party? They support minimal government interference in daily life and believe you should live your life how YOU want to. Two things that should exist but don’t.

Other parties espouse small government, liberty, and personal responsibility.

However, I'm not interested in aligning with any party. I do my own thinking and live by my own ideals and values.i

In other words, I make my own kool-aid and tin foil hats.

+100 respect