Comments on: Shooting at The Standard in Grant Park

By: Kent

Kent — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 03:13:04 +0000

I just happened drive by the Standard that Wed afternoon and witnessed blatant prostitution going on. I thought to my self how ghetto the area around the MLK marta station has become. Auburn avenue has declined in its appeal as well. There is a police precinct there. I suggest Atlanta looks at that precinct and ask WTF are you doing. MLK center is a national park. The area surrounding it is a national and an Atlanta disgrace.

By: Pika

Pika — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 15:14:53 +0000

In this particular case, as I understand it, there were four armed robbers. Even if both John Henderson and his co-worker had been armed, that’s still four guns to two. Perhaps there would have been a deterrent effect. But my guess is that the ending would have still been tragic.

By: brian

brian — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 14:42:10 +0000

I’m of the same opinion, lump…If I could wave a magic wand and make every privately-held hand gun vanish, I would do it. But as long we have criminals with guns, law-abiding citizens must be allowed to protect themselves.
As for Japan, gun control is only one factor. There are huge cultural differences, and the fact that their country is racially homogeneous can’t be overlooked.

By: lumpintheroad

lumpintheroad — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 20:22:07 +0000

The thing that’s always bothered me about “If we outlaw guns, then only outlaws will have guns,” is that it’s simply not true. And we have large scale, real world examples to prove it. Look at Japan. No guns there, and their violent crime statistics are a infinitesimal fraction of those here in the good ‘ol USA.

It seems like there are a lot of people in this country who simply like guns for guns’ sake, not necessarily because they make us any safer. And the law accommodates them (why else would assault weapons still be largely available to the general public?). With guns removed from the equation, there is no debate that we would be safer as a society (until the aliens come, per The Simpsons). But until that happens, I can certainly see why some would feel safer owning one themselves and do not begrudge them that right, even if I choose not to exercise it.

By: Freekat

Freekat — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 19:41:55 +0000

How many armed vigilante MARTA attacks have there been ? How many citizens legally carrying firearms have murdered innocent people? Buy a gun, learn to use and carry it, obtain a Georgia firearm license. If you are philosophically against having a deadly weapon in your life, that is certainly your right . Carrying a firearm is a choice some of us make in this climate of increasingly random violence. I prefer to have some possible control over my life and environment… I hope it is an option I will never have to choose , but I am grateful it is a right I have the freedom choose.