Just When You Thought USian Politics Couldn't Get Any Nuttier

[The Industrial Atheist]

Even though people like me are statistically more likely to be the victim of every type of crime, it's still highly unlikely I would need to use a firearm. Allowing the mentally ill to have firearms does far more harm than good.

[downbeatplumb]

I really hate Britain at times.

Even Brexit won't change our stupid gun laws.

You know we used to have the occasional mass shooting in the UK until our gun laws were changed don't you?

None since.
The gun laws weren't put in place to stop you having fun, they were put in place to stop people walking down the street randomly shooting people with legally owned semi automatics.

Ryan had been issued a shotgun certificate in 1978, and on 11 December 1986 he was granted a firearms certificate covering the ownership of two pistols. He later applied to have the certificate amended to cover a third pistol, as he intended to sell one of the two he had acquired since the granting of the certificate (which was a Smith & Wesson .38-caliber revolver), and to buy two more. This was approved on 30 April 1987. On 14 July, he applied for another variation, to cover two semi-automatic rifles, which was approved on 30 July. At the time of the massacre, he was in licensed possession of the following weapons:

• Zabala shotgun
  
• Browning shotgun
  
• Beretta 92FS semi-automatic 9 mm pistol
  
• CZ ORSO semi-automatic .32-caliber pistol
  
• Bernardelli .22-caliber pistol
  
• Type 56 7.62×39mm semi-automatic[4]
  
• M1 carbine .30 (7.62×33mm) semi-automatic rifle (a rare "Underwood" model)
  

Ryan used the Beretta pistol, and the Type 56 and M1 rifles, in the massacre. The CZ pistol was being repaired by a dealer at the time.[5] The Type 56 was purchased from firearms dealer Mick Ranger.[

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungerford_massacre

[account_inactive]

"MUH MASS SHOOTINGS"

Hahahahaha.

[Aristocatt]

Compare that to a country where you can buy guns easily in stores i.e. America

Obviously having guns able to be sold in stores is going to increase the amount of guns people have and the amount of people killed by guns both deliberately and accidentally.

The US has a huge "ghost gun" industry of illegal firearms pouring in from eastern asian countries and making their way to California.
Banning guns like they do in the UK would probably reduce gun deaths over time(I don't agree with the logic, more guns prevents gun deaths), but it probably wouldn't have anything close to the same impact that it had on the UK back when they did it in the 90s.


In response to the snopes article:
From what I understand the issue people have with it is two fold.
1)  It has too high a false positive rate to be deemed acceptable.  (The example used was people that were incapable of managing their finances).
2)  It might incentize people with mental health issues to not seek help in the future.

I have no idea how true/likely either scenario is...but at the very least, it seems like portraying the roll back as 
"giving guns to the severely mentally ill, people with schizophrenia, anger issues, etc" is disingenuous

I'd say based on the arguments provided in the snopes thread, rolling it back was a mistake.
1)I am not opposed to casting a broad net and then having an opt in program for those that were wrongfully put on the list under specific circumstances, and this seems like a decent example. 
 
2)I also don't, at first glance, find the notion that large numbers of people will avoid SS benefits because they are afraid they can't get a gun compelling.  It seems backwards since owning a gun is more of a luxury commodity than it is a necessity.

I think the first one is open to differing interpretations, and disagreement seems more philosophical than evidence based.
I think the second one should require some proof before asserting.

[abaris]

You know we used to have the occasional mass shooting in the UK until our gun laws were changed don't you?

Dunblane was the last. But good luck telling that to an idiot.

[Homeless Nutter]

I feel much safer living in UK, with the knowledge, that dumb people - especially those high on xenophobia - don't have easy access to guns.

[Mr Greene]

Fatal shootings in the UK; 1 per million population.

Fatal shootings in the US; 29 per million population.