What element in American society is responsible for VT and Columbine?

If we look at the US and Canada together they are both quite similar in their culture - heritage(mainly European), language, sports etc. But yet the rate of gun related murders in the US is more than 50 times that of Canada.


http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_mu...


I appreciate there are probably more guns per capita in the US, and I understand that Canada has stricter gun laws.........but the people are essentially the same.


It would be interesting to hear from Canadians as well as Americans.

What element in American society is responsible for VT and Columbine?
Im english and personally i cant believe guns are legal in america you should trust the police in protecting you your always running the risk of gun crime, murder etc.
Reply:There is no "element".. It was one crazy individual. Nothing more.
Reply:Anti-gun laws are responsible for the VT tragedy
Reply:The 'element' is a homegrown group of young people with 'terrorist' mindsets.
Reply:bullying, ostracizing





gun culture





violent tv, movies, video games





mental problems





copycat crimes, criminal becomes a celebrity
Reply:Gun control laws don't work. They just embolden the criminal element. When a city in Georgia made owning guns mandatory crime dropped by more than 80%.
Reply:There are similarities between Americans %26amp; Canadians but they are not the same. Their societies are governed differntly for one and there is less pressure on the Canadian populace due to a drastic difference in population density. There is a huge underclass that exists in the USA that isn't an issue in Canada. Gun control is just that CONTROL. You hear Americans spouting about thier constitutional rights, what a load of rubbish. The second ammendment was to protect the newly independant colonists of the late 18th century from their recently ousted oppressors. Nothing to do with carrying conceled saturday night specials or semi-automatic sub machine guns.
Reply:there are more guns in Canada per head of population than the USA and less deaths, why because you let anyone have them, you don't look after them and let anyone steal them, and your living in the past clinging on to anything that you think may erode your rights, you campaingn to stop iraqs killing americans yet dont bother that more americans are killed in the usa by americans. in other words your an outdated backward society, and far from being jealous of you i for one am glad i dont live there or with any of you backward ignorant anacronistic ( you might have to look that one up ) people
Reply:Dude Its plain and simple: LACK OF GUN CONTROL.


There are psychos in every society- they just dont have such easy access to guns anywhere else.... Face it- a nutter all alone is just that- a nut. Put a gun in his hands- you got a mass murderer.
Reply:Hmm it has happened here - Motreal out west it has happened





It is very disturbing -





I think the way to look at it is a cultural phenomona - Yes it is harder for me to get a gun here - but It is not impossible to do it





Blame TV ? Well some of it maybe - but isn't it more that the parents are so busy making a living that the TV is now the acceptable baby sitter and there is no balance provided to it through social interaction ? Kids have been watching cowboy movies and such for a long time - No gun fights at high noon were reported to the best of my knowledge .





The other thing is that we have to accept that a % of our population is and will always be nut bars .





Does the US shootings compared to the Canadian shootings accurately represent the 1/2 % of lunitics per capita ? I've never heard one way or the other





Way back when that 1/2 % had a 6 shooter or a knife so the # of dead was lower . Now it's a machine gun.





Gone are the days when it was a black eye and a thick lip





What has changed and is of great note is the urge to kill strangers - It leaves police baffled - all their life they have been taught motive motive motive.





If I am going to take the time to kill someone - it is assumed I have a reason





Killing strangers that I should have nothing against - that is new-





I think in large part gun control curbs crimes of passion - accidents and so forth





It does stop the soft criminal as well and these things are a big % of gun killings -





It will not stop the hardcore lunitic or criminal





So again lets look at the stats between our countires with that in mind - I think it would be interesting
Reply:First off, how do the population numbers of each country compare? I don't believe there is any element in any society to explain why there are people who want to kill!
Reply:Glamorisation of gun violence in films, seeps into the nutters brain. making him think it is 'cool' to go round killing people. I have seen the pictures of that plonka who caused the V.T. Tragedy I one thing is plain, The twerp thinks he's cool because he has a gun.


I don't think there is a single element to blame, Insanity and Hollywood play a big part though.

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