oh boy, another expert on guns


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www.unlvrebelyell.com/article.php?ID=9015

Rap not responsible for violence
This is the second in a two-part series on rap music
By: Ryan Donohue

Violence is invading our schools and communities. You can't go a day without hearing about some homicide occurring somewhere in the United States. We are the world's only remaining superpower. Countries look to us to guide the way into an age of peace and prosperity. We should be looked at as a model for the entire world to follow. This is not the case, and this is not something we can just blame on Saddam Hussein, Osama Bin Ladin or even France. We can't simply blame President Bush and the Republicans Party or President Clinton and the Democrats, although they all did have a part to play.

The only person we can and should be blaming is ourselves. How can we lead the world in an era of peace, equality and prosperity when we don't have any of the above? We need to change. The violence needs to stop. It is not simply enough to say that we are for these things. We need to do it one step at a time. As I discussed in my last article, this requires a two-part solution.

First, you need to eliminate the need for violence. As criminologists will tell you, most crimes are committed by the poor members of our society out of necessity or frustration. By increasing the availability of social programs such as welfare and job-training initiatives, we can work to eliminate crime because the necessity will no longer be present. The frustration will also be reduced because the ability to lead a productive life will be easier through the above-mentioned steps. Of course, some people will claim, "But we can't do that. It will create a permanent welfare state." However, by offering training and assistance, we can help those who have fallen through the cracks in society and just need a helping hand. I am not saying this will stop all crime and violence because I know it won't, but it is a step in the right direction.

But this is only one part of a comprehensive solution. The other part of reducing crime is to reduce the availability of the tools needed to commit crime. This I can partly blame on the Republicans. Las Vegas Police Sgt. Henry Prendes might still be alive today if the Republican Congress, working with President Bush and the NRA, had not allowed the Assault Weapons Ban to expire. The law that made it illegal for gun manufactures to make and sell automatic weapons could have stopped Amir "Trajik" Krump from even obtaining the AK-47 that he used to shoot and kill the first officer to die in the line of duty in Las Vegas in 18 years. Before I continue, let me point out that I am not "anti-guns."As a matter of fact, I have no problems with handguns, which I have fired, nor do I have a problem with shotguns or hunting rifles. But an AK-47, MAC-10, M-16 or even an Uzi, are not hunting weapons. They are not for home safety or even personal protection. Unless you are the president, who needs personal protection around-the-clock, or someone who is such a recognizable and polarizing figure that the sight of you can put people into a homicidal rage, you have no need for these weapons whose sole purpose is to kill as many people as possible by showering a target with as many bullets as possible. There is a reason why anti-gun activists have called small arms (which includes AK-47s, MAC-10s, M-16s, Uzis, and other machine guns) "the real weapons of mass destruction."According to the Small Arms Survey of 2001, there are over 1,300 deaths per day and over 500,000 deaths per year thanks to these "personal protection" weapons. That doesn't sound like personal protection to me.

Now let's talk about the Second Amendment. You will never find a bigger supporter of the Constitution than me. The Second Amendment states, "A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." I have no problem with responsible citizens keeping and bearing handguns and hunting arms, but not bearing assault weapons. While I don't exactly know what the founders were thinking when they wrote that amendment and what they would think about the proliferation of firearms today, I highly doubt that they would approve of assault weapons being made available to the general public. The most deadly weapons during their time were muskets that fired a maximum of three rounds per minute. Although, that rate of fire assumes that the user was fast enough and disciplined enough to reload a muzzle-loading black-powder rifle while being fired on as well. Furthermore, the shot was just as likely to either fly over the other person's head or just fall to the ground rather than actually hit the target.

By reducing the availability of these weapons as well as the conditions that compel people to use them, we should be able to significantly cut crime. It is time to start focusing on the causes of these horrible crimes rather than demonizing their after-effects.

Lies. It's all rap's fault.

Quoted: Lies. It's all rap's fault.

+1

It's all so clear to me now.  Why didn't I think of that.  

Lets all hug.  

I have no problem with responsible citizens keeping and bearing handguns and hunting arms, but not bearing assault weapons

what a fuckin' idiot!

"assault" weapons? "ASSAULT"??!!!  I have an assault baseball bat made out of high strength aluminum alloy, the kind used in Military aircraft. I have an assault golf club made from the same uber tactical material used by the US Military. I even have <hands on face in shock> an assault knife made from the same type of metal used in Miliatry bayonets!

There is no such thing as an "assault" weapon as all guns are designed to do one thing and one thing only.... punch holes in objects (human, animal, or other).

So, lets talk about assault rappers that assault my ears with their assault music!

I remember reading somewhere that if you were real good with that ol' flintlock and could re-load more than 3 times in a minute they wouldn't let you fight with them cause you were just a "killin' machine".  

I guess I agree that rap isn't responsible for violence.  Nor are video games, or MTV.  And guns certainly don't cause violence.  In my humble opinion, people cause violence by assaulting other people.  I have heard rap music, and have successfully maintained the self-control necessary to prevent myself from killing a cop or my neighbors.  I likewise own firearms, and have thus far been able to stave off any urges to murder my fellow citizens.  What is wrong with blaming the psychotic individuals who commit crimes, rather than impeding the freedoms of those who have not done anything wrong?

Oh yeah, it's easier to blame an object or idea than an actual person.  

PS More welfare will deter criminals - pure bullshit.  Poverty doesn't cause crime; this is an insult to poor law-abiding people everywhere.  Lack of morality causes crime; it also makes it rather hard to hold down a job.  Therefore, criminals are often unemployed because they are frequently "unemployable".  The same personality traits which makes them likely criminals makes them unlikely employees.  

Quoted: I have no problem with responsible citizens keeping and bearing handguns and hunting arms, but not bearing assault weapons what a fuckin' idiot! "assault" weapons? "ASSAULT"??!!!  I have an assault baseball bat made out of high strength aluminum alloy, the kind used in Military aircraft. I have an assault golf club made from the same uber tactical material used by the US Military. I even have <hands on face in shock> an assault knife made from the same type of metal used in Miliatry bayonets! There is no such thing as an "assault" weapon as all guns are designed to do one thing and one thing only.... punch holes in objects (human, animal, or other). So, lets talk about assault rappers that assault my ears with their assault music!

Word, Speak it brutha'!

Erm.. +1

It's rap music, and guns... they must be outlawed... ZEIG HILE!