Latest Breaking News
In reply to the discussion: AP: Gunman Believed To Suffer From Personality Disorder [View all]Diclotican
(5,095 posts)Yo_Mama
I do remember your kindness and your love, when it all happened in Oslo.. It was good to know, that many cared for us, on the other side of the world to.. It was horrible to watch it all - and the news was all over it.. But as you might now, I think we reacted in a way I do not suspect so many others to do, to this horrible act of devastation. I was surprised myself, by the lack of anger - it was more like sorrow, sadness - and the willingness to care for each other, in this horrible act...
I have not the answer to that - how we protect our selfs against berserker's like this (Nice tutch of words there, as Berserker's is a nordic word, who once was meant to point to a person who under the influence of some form of drugs, would go nuts against the enemy. It was often the strongest, biggest and meanest ones who could do horrible damage when they was under the influence)
Many "evil" persons is smart - maybe they also is able to slip under the radar - in most cases when people is sick on the mind, they act out in a way, got attention, and get help.. But people like our Breivik, was seen as mental capable of great things - he even was from what in Norway goes for the higher upper class - he was known as a "dandy" who played the facade of a person with income -and a lifestyle thereafter.. But he was also known as a little wired person, who act out in a way - but not enough to get attention, and he was smart - he was able to "talk the talk, and walk the walk" even if he had to live in his mothers apartment - as he was not able to found his own home.. He was a drop out, he wanted to start business for himself- and when that kind of missed it targets - and he was not able to be rich fast I suspect it somehow broke down for him... But very few who have this kind of experiences, goes on a rampage to blow up government offices, and murder more than 70 young people , who wat at a youth camp....
They did horrible damage - because they was smart enough to do it in a way they was sure to make much damage.. And I would say, if Breivik had blown up our government offices not in the middle of our holidays - but in a ordinary "business day" the damage and carnage to Oslo, would have been much worse.. The traffic is high in the area in ordinary hours - and it is a lot of business going on in the area - it would have been many ten of thousands out there doing their business, and be caught in the carnage if Breivik had blown up the buildings in say May or September.... July and August tend to be at the slow end of the summer in Oslo....
It is one big difference between Norway and the US, specially when it come to weapons. We have not at all the same gun culture in Norway - even if it exist more than 1.6 million weapons, in homes - at a population of little more than 5 million, it is a whole different culture around the use of weapons.. In Norway the weapons who is in home is strictly used to hunt animals, like our Arctic Elke, or other type of big games - whose hunt also is strictly organized, to a couple of mounts every year.. Outside of that, every responsible hunter hide their weapons as best as they can for others.. Some of my family was/is hunters - but outside of hunting seasons, you NEVER was seeing any gun in the open.. IN most cases it was locked up in a room, where no one had the business to be... And you must have specially permits to have a gun at all.. And for hunting purposes, you also need to go true "basic" training" where it comes to the use of a weapon or to hunt animal properly.. And you can not just walk in and get a weapon from the stores - you must more or less admit to a probe of your character to get a weapon in Norway.....
In the US it looks like you can buy almost what you want to buy - with less than a background check for the authorities - and it looks also like the use of weapons is far more commonplace in the US, than in many, if not most Europeans nations.. I might be an ignorant about it , but why need americans all that variety of weapons?.. In most cases no one need a military grade weapons to hunt an elk - and many of the weapons the american population have a free movement to buy IS military grade weapons, who can do as much damage as the real ones in the army, navy or air force (not to say the US marines), they might put some limits on it, like semi-automatic or other things - but in reality, the weapons is able to do as much damage as the military counterparts out there..
No one can know who the other person think, and want to do - but at least we all can, if we choose to do it, safeguard our youngest ones - by maybe, lets say control the guns properly - by having laws that restrict the use and ownership of weapons to people who are not a danger to them selfs, or to others?.. The US might have to rethink the whole idea bout your 2 amendments, even though I believe that to be a tough one... And it is maybe time for the government, both local, on state level and the federal level, to think about making it less easy to buy weapons - for everyone on a more permanent bases than before?.. I'm not sure, but to be, it sounds crazy to let everyone buy as much weapons you can possible buy - for as long as you need it, just because "some" is scared about the federal government - or in many cases doesn't even accept the authority over the level of the local Sheriff departement... And who look at the UN or the FBI as the great evil who try to steal their birth right away...
I saw some of the pictures of the young ones who was gunned down a couple of days ago - and I was just sitting down and crying - it was so sad to look at the children, who was so innocent - gunned down by a person who was absolutely nuts..
Diclotican