Vince Vaughn
Happy Place
Vince Vaughn wants you to exercise your right as an American to own and operate firearms. He told British GQ, "Banning guns is like banning forks in an attempt to stop making people fat. Taking away guns, taking away drugs, the booze, it won't rid the world of criminality." The star of the upcoming season of True Detective might be right. Punishing the many for the misdeeds of a few is not how to do things in America. Except taxpayers bailing out the banks after the banks robbed homeowners, but that's a different government overreach discussion.
Vaughn continues, however, extrapolating that America's reluctance to be armed and ready is what allows mass gun violence to escalate in the first place:
“Take mass shootings. They've only happened in places that don't allow guns. These people are sick in the head and are going to kill innocent people. They are looking to slaughter defenseless human beings... In all of our schools it is illegal to have guns on campus, so again and again these guys go and shoot up these ... schools because they know there are no guns there. They are monsters killing six-year-olds."Vaughn, however, seems to forget that keeping guns out of places like elementary schools is for practical safety and emotional safety. Forget the fact that having a loaded weapon in a place of learning is completely unnecessary (unless the place of learning is a gun range. Then some guns will be helpful.) Imagine the atmosphere loaded firearms create for children who are trying to learn the building blocks of life.
"shoot up these ... schools because they know there are no guns there"
If this guy had half a brain, or if he'd had the opportunity to read some of our many discussions on this subject, he would never have made such a ridiculous remark as that. Mass shooters do not go to schools BECAUSE there are no guns there. As the genius actor himself said, these are "sick in the head" people. They act, at least in most cases, out of explosions of rage and frustration and do not consider the gun status of the place.
I hate to even humor this tired and foolish argument, but if gun free zones were really to blame for mass shootings and not the incredible proliferation of guns, why is this a particularly American phenomenon? English and Australian schools are generally gun free zones too, aren't they? Where are all their mass shootings?
Do English and Australian schools have as many mass killing attempts at schools but with other less dangerous weapons because they simply can't get their hands on a gun? Or do they have fewer "sick in the head people" who would try this type of thing?
ReplyDeleteI thought the UK was famous for its violent culture. I don't think Australia is far behind. So, no, I don't think the US has a monopoly on mentally ill violent people.
DeleteThe difference is the gun availability.
Mass shootings is a very small subset of violence. Are you saying the UK and Australia have as many mass stabbings- since the only difference is "gun availability" as you say?
DeleteI don't know, TS. But it does seem to me that the gun availability in the US makes a difference. Are you saying there's enough of in increase in knife violence in those other countries to make up the difference. The overall murder rate, which you like so much, doesn't bear that out, does it?
DeleteMikeB: "Are you saying there's enough of in increase in knife violence in those other countries to make up the difference."
DeleteNo. The US has more knife murders than those countries- because we have more murderers. It's the people. That's my point.
I thought we were talking about murder RATES. All of a sudden you switched to straight numbers: "The US has more knife murders than those countries- because we have more murderers."
Delete"Actor Vince Vaughn Believes Senseless Gun Violence Can Be Solved by Righteous Gun Violence."
ReplyDeleteA true statement which is just a differently phrased version of La Pierre's good guy with a gun statement. The effectiveness of of this course of action has been proven in such places as Arapahoe High School and more recently, Garland Texas.
"Vaughn and Hollywood's privileged elite like Clint Eastwood, Ted Nugent, Chuck Norris, and Bruce Willis can continue to cram guns down our throats, but here in America—In the real world—we like to keep our guns locked up and out of schools, movie theaters, and everywhere else we don't want to be shot."
This is sort of funny, implying that the privileged elite of Hollywood is trying to cram guns down the public's throat when the exact opposite is true of the majority of the elite. I keep wondering why Tom Selleck keeps getting left out. Being a former NRA board member should earn him much more public acclaim in the support of gun rights than he gets.
This comment also makes me think that the author doesn't get out much or as you accuse Vaughn of, makes ridiculous statements such as this. The great majority of the states allow law abiding citizens the freedom to carry a firearm in public for self defense.
Gun free zones are not the root cause of mass shootings, the mentally defective do find them attractive places to commit their crimes, that is why the mental/social retard Adam Lanza was able to kill so many children, no on was armed able to oppose him, and it is why he killed himself upon hearing police sirens.
ReplyDeleteLunatics like Lanza are not attracted to gun free zones, period. These guys go where the voices in their heads command, or else they go to the places of their resentment, sometimes it's an imaginary slight, sometimes it's something real. But they are not rational enough to select places because of their gun status. I know there may have been exceptions, I'm talking generally - most mass and spree shooters.
DeletePart of the problem, as I see it regarding gun free zones and mental illness is that we are attempting to make rational explanations of bizarre irrational people and situations. While gun free zones may not in and of themselves cause anything, they do provide for opportunity. And in terms of the criminal element and mental illness there are many things that do subconsciously influence decisions. Whether or not the fact is articulated. as far as laws are concerned people fall into 3 categories. Those who don't because they no something is wrong, those who don't because something is illegal and those who do anyway. There is no need for law for the first group, the law is meant for the second group and the law must have consequences for the 3rd group. Whether in terms of a fine for a traffic violation or being shot back if you illegally shoot at people. Gun free zones and many of the restrictive carry laws remove this third option.
ReplyDelete