Donald Trump wants to arm teachers with guns

[Brian37]

Part of the problem is not just the firearms but the sort of firearms and how they are perceived. In the US they are fetishized, elsewhere they are a tool for hunting. Its very strange and has the rest of the world perplexed.

Precisely my point.  There are plenty of heavily armed countries in the world where schoolkids are not - with heartbreaking frequency - shot to pieces.  I've lately come to the realization that the problem in the US isn't so much guns as it is gun culture.  It isn't mental health or violence in entertainment media or ( ) wealth disparity or immigration or any of the dozens of other things that gun rights advocates are constantly harping about.  The core of the issue is what appears to be an ingrained belief among some in the US that any restrictions on firearms equates to 'no guns for anybody, ever'.  Until and unless this changes, nothing else will.

Kiss your kids - they could be next.

Boru

But it is precisely because of our attitude about firearms, that has lead to an ease of access problem that has created our epidemic of injury and death. 

Saying makers and shops DON'T do enough to care about where their products end up, IS NOT a call to ban every single firearm. If you sell them, just like a bar should take the responsibility to not sell booze to the under age, if you care, then you should not mind making your customers wait, and your customers should not mind waiting. And saying you don't need battle weapons or big clips, are also not a call for a 100% ban.

But I am not so pessimistic about our ability to change. I have seen a growing number of safety orgs pop up.  Newtown Action, CSGV, Mom's Demand, Sandy Hook Promise, Every Town. And I am sure a new Parkland org will result too. The key for success is to speak out every day, get involved, and think and plan long term.

I thin the NRA if it wants to survive, has to get back to being a safety org. But if it's leadership thinks the victims of these shootings who want change are going to back down, they are making a fatal mistake.