Well, have 'gun free zone' signs ever stopped someone with intent to kill from killing?   That is the only question that needs answering.
Can we imagine someone with intent to kill seeing the sign and thinking 'Damn, I'll just have to go someplace else."    

The only thing that will assist in stopping a bad guy with a gun, is a good guy with a gun.    Or knife, or sword, or sharp stick, or club, or whatever.    Stopping them with pixie dust, or unicorn sprinkles, or good intentions, just doesn't seem to be the answer.  If it ever has, I'd like to hear about it.

Guns are not the problem, and statistics back this up:

More whites own guns than blacks, yet the murder rate for blacks is much higher.

There are more guns in rural areas than in urban areas, yet the murder rate is higher in urban areas (where there are tougher gun laws).

Hand gun ownership doubled in the 20th century, while the murder rate went down.

Regarding the argument that other countries that have banned guns have lower murder rates than the US, GB has had a lower rate for 200 years, guns or no guns.  It was easier to buy a gun in London in the mid 20th century than in NYC, yet the murder rate in NYC was higher.

1954 London: only a dozen armed robberies.  1990's:  over a hundred times more.

Switzerland, Israel, New Zealand, and Finland have higher gun ownership rates than Germany, yet Germany has a higher murder rate than all of them.

People.  Criminals and the mentally ill.  They are the problem.  Taking guns out of the hands of people who are not the problem is not solution.

see: http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/335848/gun-control-ignorance-thomas-sowell

Posted by jclarkbaker on 12/19/2012 10:10:00 AM (view original):
Guns are not the problem, and statistics back this up:

More whites own guns than blacks, yet the murder rate for blacks is much higher.

There are more guns in rural areas than in urban areas, yet the murder rate is higher in urban areas (where there are tougher gun laws).

Hand gun ownership doubled in the 20th century, while the murder rate went down.

Regarding the argument that other countries that have banned guns have lower murder rates than the US, GB has had a lower rate for 200 years, guns or no guns.  It was easier to buy a gun in London in the mid 20th century than in NYC, yet the murder rate in NYC was higher.

1954 London: only a dozen armed robberies.  1990's:  over a hundred times more.

Switzerland, Israel, New Zealand, and Finland have higher gun ownership rates than Germany, yet Germany has a higher murder rate than all of them.

People.  Criminals and the mentally ill.  They are the problem.  Taking guns out of the hands of people who are not the problem is not solution.

see: http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/335848/gun-control-ignorance-thomas-sowell

Agreed....but it's VERY easy for a "criminal" or mentally ill person to get a gun.

Guns should not be outlawed.  We should however have stricter laws on them and even more strict laws on the high powered ammo.  By no means should high caliber ammo even be sold.

We have 300 million guns in America and somewhere around 10,000 murders with firearms per year...now if we had zero guns the murder with firearms would obviously be zero...although the relationship may not be linear, I would posit that as we reduce the number of guns( approaching zero) we would also be reducing murder by firearms...so certainly I would like to see a reduction in the amount of firearms

Posted by winnetka1 on 12/19/2012 11:00:00 AM (view original):
We have 300 million guns in America and somewhere around 10,000 murders with firearms per year...now if we had zero guns the murder with firearms would obviously be zero...although the relationship may not be linear, I would posit that as we reduce the number of guns( approaching zero) we would also be reducing murder by firearms...so certainly I would like to see a reduction in the amount of firearms

Bingo!

we can create all the gun laws we like.  some of those 3 million guns will be destroyed, but I'd venture to guess that vast majority of them will still be out there.  I'd love to see a reduction in firears, but, while it may slightly reduce the violence, it is not a solution.

Posted by winnetka1 on 12/19/2012 11:00:00 AM (view original):
We have 300 million guns in America and somewhere around 10,000 murders with firearms per year...now if we had zero guns the murder with firearms would obviously be zero...although the relationship may not be linear, I would posit that as we reduce the number of guns( approaching zero) we would also be reducing murder by firearms...so certainly I would like to see a reduction in the amount of firearms

By that logic, if we eliminated all people from the US, murders would also drop to zero.

Posted by winnetka1 on 12/19/2012 11:00:00 AM (view original):
We have 300 million guns in America and somewhere around 10,000 murders with firearms per year...now if we had zero guns the murder with firearms would obviously be zero...although the relationship may not be linear, I would posit that as we reduce the number of guns( approaching zero) we would also be reducing murder by firearms...so certainly I would like to see a reduction in the amount of firearms

Not true. If you take the legal guns away, the number of murders per handgun legally registered would go way up. In case you can't do the math, the illegal guns make up most of the gun related crimes.

I've got a great idea.  Instead of banning guns we ban people who own guns!!!

Posted by swamphawk22 on 12/18/2012 2:56:00 PM (view original):
Realized that the left does not care about making a resonable law to limit some weapons.

This is their chance to ban as many guns as they can.

This isnt about safety with them, it is about power.

They have always wanted to ban all guns and now they think they can use this tragedy to get it.

Time to stand up against the anti-gun wacos and defend the millions of freedom loving Americans who own firearms!

**** you *******.  that was my ******* elementary school that got shot up.  i ******* sat in those ******* classrooms and when i turned on the tv and saw my ******* parking lot, the same ******* lot where i ******* dressed up as ******* iowa for a ******* school parade of the ******* 50 states, you think my thoughts turned to ******* POWER?

**** off.

and nobody has ******* said ban all guns.  nobody of any ******* reason or respectability has said that bullshit.  read a ******* book that wasnt recommended to you by the same ******** who write the ******* drivel you're typing.   educate your self.  ******* think your own ******* thoughts. jesus.

And I am clearly not talking about you.

And my thoughts go out to you and any anguish this incident may have caused you.

I was as saddened as anyone by the incident. Any tragedy that involves children is doubly sad.

I do not want to upset anyone with a direct or indirect relationship with the people and area of this incident.

Posted by wylie715 on 12/19/2012 3:18:00 PM (view original):
I've got a great idea.  Instead of banning guns we ban people who own guns!!!

Like Waco?

screw it...let's just continue with RL being like a video game. Nothing can be done. Next massacre let's save the faux tears and just be honest..."What'cha gonna do? 2nd Amendment, freedomz, guns don't kill people, people do, Freedom isn't free...

Tell me how you propose keeping guns out of the hands of people that should not have them?