You cannot address the culture of violence in our country without guns being a significant part of it. You seem to think the guns have nothing to do with it. The number of guns & amount of gun violence we have is a symptom of our culture of violence, but guns & our gun culture are also a cause. You cannot address one without the other.

I'm still so disgusted. I'm sure the families of those children murdered at Sandy Hook, the families of the 100 children who have been killed by guns just this year so far - I'm sure they understand that their children were just the price of the rest of gunowners' freedom. Not *my* freedom, because this level of gun ownership doesn't make me more free, but less so.

I never asked her to give up her guns. That's her straw man, not mine.

So, you refuse to save any children at all, you accept no inconvenience to yourself whatsoever, if we can't make all the bad stuff go away. How generous of you. ETA: The more I think about this, the more this sounds like purposeful manipulation. "I'm keeping my guns until you do what *I* want." What exactly is the motivation, then? Certainly not saving lives - more like control. Pseudo-religious control. This really is tragic.

We've embraced toxic masculinity as normal and desired. Our beings have begun to forget the fullness of our humanity. We are more than animals.

- Charlotte Bacon, 2/22/06, female - would be 11 years old today. Her life is the price we paid. - Daniel Barden, 9/25/05, male - would be 12 years old today. His life is the price we paid. - Olivia Engel, 7/18/06, female - would be 11 years old today. Her life is the price we paid. - Josephine Gay, 12/11/05, female - would be 11 years old today. Her life is the price we paid. - Ana M. Marquez-Greene, 04/04/06, female - would be 11 years old today. Her life is the price we paid. - Dylan Hockley, 3/8/06, male - would be 11 years old today. His life is the price we paid. - Madeleine F. Hsu, 7/10/06, female - would be 11 years old today. Her life is the price we paid. - Catherine V. Hubbard, 6/08/06, female - would be 11 years old today. Her life is the price we paid. - Chase Kowalski, 10/31/05, male - would be 11 years old today. His life is the price we paid. - Jesse Lewis, 6/30/06, male - would be 11 years old today. His life is the price we paid. - James Mattioli , 3/22/06, male - would be 11 years old today. His life is the price we paid. - Grace McDonnell, 12/04/05, female - would be 11 years old today. Her life is the price we paid. - Emilie Parker, 5/12/06, female - would be 11 years old today. Her life is the price we paid. - Jack Pinto, 5/06/06, male - would be 11 years old today. His life is the price we paid. - Noah Pozner, 11/20/06, male - would be 10 years old today. His life is the price we paid. - Caroline Previdi, 9/07/06, female - would be 11 years old today. Her life is the price we paid. - Jessica Rekos, 5/10/06, female - would be 11 years old today. Her life is the price we paid. - Avielle Richman, 10/17/06, female - would be 10 years old today. Her life is the price we paid. - Benjamin Wheeler, 9/12/06, male - would be 11 years old today. His life is the price we paid. - Allison N. Wyatt, 7/03/06, female - would be 11 years old today. Her life is the price we paid. Just this should be too steep a price, but it's only a minuscule part of the whole price. Enjoy your unfettered day at the range, folks. We all pay dearly for it.

I agree with you that it crosses political lines. All that is required to Shut down conversation is people taking offense at non-political comments, saying they're political. Happens all the time. Feel free to get to the conversation going. I'd love to participate or at least follow along.

I *absolutely* agree with you. But it's hard to really talk about it here because people would be reporting posts left & right. I've tried before & my hand was slapped. It also gets political *real* fast. When people are so quickly and strongly persuaded by someone "who has the balls" to be an ass to not only his fellow citizens but the rest of the world, it seems pretty impossible to overcome. I think the gun issue is very do-able if people can find their inner humanity instead of grandstanding on their rights.

I don't even understand why people would be so willing to pay it. Even if this truly were the price of freedom - Good Lord, I wouldn't pay it. How freaking free are you when your likelihood of being shot is so high? Should we comfort ourselves that at least those people who like to shoot for fun are allowed to unfettered? And people can have 10 different guns for 10 different kinds of jobs because that's what you need for that rugged Midwestern living? On an average day, 93 Americans are killed by guns. On average, 7 of those are children/teens. On an average day, 50 women are shot to death by intimate partners. America's gun homicide rate is 25 times that of other developed countries. AS OF October 1, 2017, THIS YEAR: 99 KIDS KILLED 159 KIDS INJURED 11 ADULTS INJURED 4 ADULTS KILLED That ANYONE is willing to pay THAT price to have the "freedom" to own guns & shoot easier than women can get certain healthcare just because they like it, I will never understand. & worse, when it's Xian who willingly pays that price? Jesus take the wheel, please Jesus... ETA: The unbelievable part is, what most people are asking for isn't no guns at all, it's adding safety measures to allow people to do their hobbies & exercise their right while keeping the rest of the public safe. Will gun owners have to give a little? Yup - why anyone with a beating heart would be unwilling to is beyond me.

Oh my God. I'm sick. Apparently Jesus has come back to all other developed countries, but not the US. ETA: And, I'm 100% OK with people finding a new hobby so other people won't die.

I live very near where your Kringle was made. I'm not a big fan.. For some reason I think it's hysterical that this has become a TJ's sought-after item. They are all over out here. Now I've got to make a TJ's trip to see how much they've marked them up.

Making the chorus bigger is also doing something.

Yes, you can. You can educate yourself about gun violence in the US and your state. You can educate yourself about state & federal gun laws. You can support/join gun reform groups, attend meetings of your local chapter, attend gun reform events. You can contact your Representatives in Congress or local representatives - email, tweet, FB, phonecall, etc and tell them you support gun reform. You can write a letter to the editor in your local paper. You can donate to/support candidates who support gun reform. You can ask fellow parents if they have guns in the house & if they store them safely. You can VOTE.

We've already gone through this. They can be as long as as they are within federal law. We don't know exactly what kind of weapon this guy had.

Yes, so as long as the weapon fits within the federal law, it is legal in NV. We don't know the details of this particular shooter's weapon. So I'll rephrase - They CAN be legal in Nevada.

They are legal in Nevada.

I'm sad. But I can't be horrified anymore. This is what the people have chosen. Where will the next one be? Hopefully I won't be there.

How is this relevant to the discussion? You've mentioned it several times as if it changes something. Why do you think this is important? How is this relevant to the conversation? Why do you think it's important to point this out? Unfortunately, your opinion is factually wrong.

I can relate a lot. I have ADHD & DS10 does as well, he's medicated, I drink coffee. Before the meds, our lives were as you've described. Meds make it better - but no, it's not magic. Things that helped: Putting him in public school (not recommending it necessarily, just sharing our experience). And doing the opposite of what seemed logical. For example, he was so incredibly nasty & unable to empathize or apologize - just like you describe. It made me not like him or want to be around him. I did the opposite - not in a tomato-stake way, but in a let's spend quality time together way. I know you have lots of kids & this would be difficult for many reasons. But I can tell you that it was a game-changer. The problem may start out in the brain, but they are not oblivious to the fact that people don't like them. So I made absolutely no-doubt-about-it sure that my kid knew that not only did I love him but I LIKED him as well. Even when I didn't like his behavior, because those are different things. I hope that made sense. I'm sorry you're going through such a rough time with him. It really is hard.

It isn't a straw man. The only people addressing the non-semantics issue are repeatedly accused of making "personal accusations". For pointing out that it's about more than semantics, apparently. And alright then. I have explained nothing apparently. I'll remove my incoherent babbling from the conversation & just watch the understanding flow from afar. GO!

Seriously, at some point the receivers of the message have to take some responsibility in this. I am not incoherent. Neither are any of the other people here explaining these terms. If people keep insisting that all the myriad messengers explaining the same things using different words, different analogies, each coming from different backgrounds and experiences - if ALL THE MESSENGERS are so incoherent that OF COURSE people cannot understand, well then there really is no point in continuing.

Which words are you proposing? I've heard a lot of complaints about "white privilege", with some suggesting "advantage" instead. Sure - use "white advantage", but it will only apply here. I guess it would be worth it if in increased understanding. Go for it. I'm guessing the same people who deny white privilege will deny white advantage. Racism, systemic racism, sexism - what words should we use instead that would allow people to acknowledge the reality of their existence in the US? This is about so much more than semantics. I have a headache.

That's why people are defining the terms. But it gets tiring to define the words multiple times when it isn't just disagreement on what a word means but a disagreement about reality. It isn't an accusation to point out that people don't agree on the color of the sky. It's more than semantics and agreement of terms.

Can you give me an example of anti-white messages you're hearing?

Nobody is asking your sons for an apology nor should they be ashamed of who they are. Their skin tone IS beautiful. Who said it wasn't? Pointing out that white privilege exists isn't crap and nobody is dumping it on anyone.