Open fire in Finland

Finland has had its second mass shooting in a year. Last year Pekka-Eric Auvinen opened fire in a school. This year it was Matti Juhani Saari's turn. He opened fire at his school, killing 10 people then set fires around the building and shot himself in the head. He died later of the injury.

Finland has the third highest gun ownership rate, coming after the United States and Yemen. Finland allows Police discretion when issuing gun licences. Which means that a simple traffic violation could potentially impede your ability to legally own a gun. However police discretion seems to mostly mean they dictate what sort of firearm you can purchase. For instance, there are certain guns that are appropriate for first time gun owners, and others that are available to those with more experience.

Saari purchased his first gun only a month ago. Apparently a beginner's gun does not come with a remote "off" switch.

Shooting

Perhaps i should have been posting more. There has been lots of developments in relation to gun control. (and at some point i'll update everyone...but i'd do that when i'm not on holidays) There has been little on the front of actual shootings.

Today, we had a shooting in Tennessee.

Gun laws are for celebrities too

50 Cent currently has a restraining order held against him by his ex-girlfriend. This means that he has been ordered (by the court) to surrender all hand guns he owns.

His response from his legal team is that he does not own guns or have access to them.

It sounded like he was a bit offended by the apparent suggestion that he might go out and shoot his ex. But the courts are only holding up the newest federal law about gun control--No person with a restraining order against them is meant to retain access to personally owned guns.

At least 50 can take some comfort in the thought that if he ever has to file a restraining order against a crazed fan, they won't be allowed their guns either.

Not just america

As American continues to enjoy its long bout of relative serenity (at least on the mass killings front), Japan has been shaken by its own mass killing.

A 25 year old man, Tomohiro Kato, ran his car into pedestrians, then jumped out and slashed at them with his knife. 7 were killed while 10 still remain in hospital.

Acknowledging that this is a serious situation, i would like to look at it from a different angle. I would like to look at how the media and culture handle these situations. The reason for this attack is not known but many are suggesting it has to do with the way the youth of Japan are feeling isolated and do not know how to communicate with eachother.

The media reports which happened around the Virginia Tech massacre, say a similar thing. The shooter was unable to take responsibility for his own actions, instead seeing everyone else responsible. He was not able to communicate with his peers and remained isolated because of it.

While the motivations of a killer seem to be universal, the reaction to it, is not. America's individual culture leave the shooter the sole person responsible for the killing. In the Japanese media, society shares a part of the blame. (read the articles to examine the similarities and differences)

I do not know if one of these ways is better than the other. I suspect they are merely reflective of the way the society in these parts of the world work.But perhaps they could both learn a little from the other.

To protect the people, bring more guns

I learned in kindergarten that the best way to end violence was not to perpetuate it. If a kid hits you, unless you want it to continue, don't escalate the problem by hitting his head with the lego box. This simple rule has carried over into my adult life. Violence does not solve violence. Just because you carry a bigger block, doesn't mean that no one is going to hit you.

I suppose that is why it amazes me when the USA pass legislation that allows more people to legally carry guns in public places. Currently, Georgia is working on legislation to allow concealed weapons to be brought into restaurants. But don't worry, only those who don't have a criminal history will be allowed to do this.

Apparently, people don't go on shooting sprees unless they have a criminal history.

Needless to say, i am appalled.

Gun laws and the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court in the USA has rarely taken a stand on the issue of individual's rights to own a gun. This is about to be changed, however when the Supreme Court hears a case about a security guard in Washington DC who would like to own a gun at his house for "protection". Currently Washington DC has a gun ban in the area, saying that it is an urban area with no need for guns. Surprisingly, there has been no mass shootings in Washington DC, although there was a scare when a man with a shotgun and a sword walked towards the White House.

This case could set a precident for gun laws in the USA. While many states have their own gun laws that would mean that the new laws would have little or no effect, the possibility is definitely there for change.

Not too surprisingly, the Vice President who famously shot his hunting partner, supports gun ownership with very few restrictions.

Sadly, we have to give respect for the rest of the administration who has managed a semi-realistic view on gun ownership and rights. (it just always feels dirty to support Bush)

We'll keep posting as the case continues.

The march of death begins

Today is March the third (in the usa, anyway) and there has already been another shooting. This time a gun man opened fire in a Wendy's restaurant in Florida. He managed to kill two people including himself and injure another five others.