Another Shooting In America...

[ummmm]

Shocking..

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/10/01/umpqua-community-college-shooting-oregon_n_8228740.html?1443724593

[Mamyalynne]

Horrifying.

[murraymints]

when will the US see sense and go for gun reform ???

[Psybbo]

So awful

[rockyracoon]

Oh God, those poor families. How many more times does this have to happen before they wake up.

[Mampara]

It is being reported that the shooter is a female.

[Jomlett]

This is America's 45th shooting at a school in 2015.

[EDDIE51]

The real tragedy is that shootings where there are only 1 or 2 dead do not even make the newspapers, they are so common.

[DTCwordfan]

yes, awful....but the Americans are not going to modify the relevant Amendment for the right to bear arms - 65% needed in both Houses, no way, José.

My solution, go for taxation on bullets and so high that they, the buyers, have to buy them through controlled outlets, tax reduced if it is a bona-fide outlet such as a gun club, the emphasis on the bullets/cartridges being controlled by registration of who buys.

[Peter Pedant]

// The real tragedy is that shootings where there are only 1 or 2 dead do not even make the newspapers, they are so common.//

Jesus in Gtr Manchester with only 2.5m - every shooting is lovingly gone over for a week in the local papers - "local mum almost miscarries in shock when she hears of shooting ten niles up the road " - all stirring stuff

up to July 15 there were 30 shootings and three deaths

[Jomlett]

BBC say gunman in custody...CNN say shooter female and dead.

[sp1814]

Jomlett

This is America's 45th shooting at a school in 2015.

??!!???

[sp1814]

"America is the only developed country where when someone asks if you heard about that campus shooting, you have to clarify, 'Which one?' That is unacceptable. Something has to change," Colin Goddard, a survivor of the 2007 massacre at Virginia Tech, said in a statement.

[marval]

This is another dreadful news story.

[EDDIE51]

In more USA citizens have been killed by guns, just since 1968, than have died in all wars in history !!
http://www.politifact.com/punditfact/statements/2015/aug/27/nicholas-kristof/more-americans-killed-guns-1968-all-wars-says-colu/

[-Talbot-]

Averaging about one a week, sp

http://everytown.org/article/schoolshootings/?utm_content=buffer1cb87&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

[EDDIE51]

^^148 school/college shootings in 3 years!!

[-Talbot-]

A student has allegedly said that the shooter was asking people to state their religion.

[ummmm]

Oh dear!

[birdie1971]

DTCwordfan - "... My solution, go for taxation on bullets and so high that they, the buyers, have to buy them through controlled outlets..."

I understand that making bullets is not that tricky a job. With the right equipment (which is not that expensive nor complicated to operate) any reasonably competent person can fabricate ammo. There are numerous YouTube videos showing how it's done.

I don't think it's too far a stretch to liken this solution to prohibition in the USA in the 1920s. The idea was that by making booze illegal, the people would just stop drinking alcohol. As we all know, this didn't exactly go to plan. The illegal booze trade flourished, organised crime went through the roof and government revenues went down.

As a corollary, if the price of bullets in the USA sky-rockets, the number of people manufacturing their own ammunition will increase dramatically which will fuel a brand new criminal underworld - illegal ammo. Coupled with the fact that ammunition is both legal and widely available in Canada (a country with which the USA has a sparsely controlled border), the chances of significantly reducing bullet ownership in the USA is small to say the least. In addition, the people who will be really punished by an increase in ammunition cost will be the legitimate, responsible gun owners who buy theirs through legal channels. The criminals won't be affected too much as they'll buy their ammo illegally, thus avoiding any taxation.

The economics of supply and demand dictate that when there's an insufficient (reasonably priced) legitimate supply of any particular product, illegitimate supplies will cover the shortfall. This is true for all commodities.

Your idea in good in principal and is clearly well intentioned. I just don't think that it will work the way you think it will.