The KGB Oracle Forums General Public Discussion (SPECIAL ACCESS) KGB Political Debate Central Worse than guns?

No, I dismiss the article because it does not substantiate its claims. Formally - the argument is too weak to support the conclusion.

I intentionally focused on homeschooling, not only because it is obviously false connection, but because it is equally unsubstantiated.

Here is equally baseless claim for you: Male pattern baldness causes killing sprees. Most shooters are men, all men are distressed over losing hair and some just couldn't take it and go on a killing spree.

Taking this literally for a second. There is direct evidence Adam Lanza was home schooled. I'm not sure about the Dark Knight guy in Colorado. Nor the dude in Arizona, although he was bald, but I believe that was his choice. Virginia Tech had hair, not sure about his k-12 education though. Columbine guys had hair but they also obviously attended school.

I will do some research about.these other shootings and post a follow up, to see if there are more that fall into baldness and/or homeschooled categories.

Well if someone has a psychopathic episode due to hair loss than that substantiates the article even more. Someone flipping out into a homicidal rage due to mental deficiencies or illness is one and the same no matter what the catalyst that makes the person snap is.

The more you know.

No I wasn't serious. I was simply demonstrating how one could manufacture unsubstantiated claims. Male pattern baldness, medicine, home schooling, or video games - we have no reason to believe cause killing sprees. These are redirection tactics used by NRA and the likes to change conversation from gun control to something else.

Be skeptical of anyone claiming to have an explanation.

So to sum up:

1) We have no reason to believe mental illness causes homicidal rampages.
2) Guns cause homicidal rampages.

That's pretty much what you've said. Now read that and tell me with a straight face that you aren't full of shit.

Actually there are numerous reasons to think that each of those things can have an effect on someone's psyche. Your problem, Sini, is that you are looking for something, not SOMEONE to blame. The blame for these massacres lies solely at the feet of the perpetrator. Everything else is just trying to figure out what made him snap so we can better prevent situations in the future.

P1. We have no reason to believe any single cause exists that linked with homicidal rampages
P2. Without cause to address, we can only treat symptoms - guns
P3. Guns make homicidal rampages more deadly and widespread
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C. To reduce effect and occurrence of homicidal rampages we need to reduce prevalence of guns.

If you come up tomorrow and show me a clear method how to stop any and all rampages without undue societal costs, then I will drop any and all objections to guns.

Dude, the point is

You can't stop homicidal rampages

There will always be unstable individuals, and they will always have access to some sort of lethal weapon, barring the possibility of some socially acceptable miracle 'crazy detection' that puts them in the care they need. You take away guns and all you'll do is make it so they have to butcher the kids with axes and machetes instead of shooting them.

So let give everyone access to nukes. Sell them 2 for 5$ at the corner store. Nuke is the ultimate weapon, so ultimately arming everyone with one should make us all perfectly safe, right?

Appealing to extremes won't win you any arguments.