Buying a rifle for your 14 years old son isn't really a good idea

[Joelcool7]

sapphi_snake said:

Kasz216 said:

That's like saying people shouldn't eat Pretzals because one person choked on it.

Aside of which how would that work?  His DAD bought the gun.

Besides what makes you think he'd fail a psyche test?  You don't even know the motive.  Chances are he came from an abusive family.  "Politest kid you'd ever know" and other reports of him having a regressed mentality?  Also apparently the police "made insignificant visits to the house before."

It'd be interesting to hear what those were about.

Crazy people don't usually just mass kill people then turn themselves in unless driven by stress 9 times outta 10... which isn't something you are going to find on psych evaluation.

As for the stress thing, well some people are more psychologically weak than others, and are more likely to crack. I'm sure that a psychiatrist could make that out.

Here in Canada for pretty much anything more then a hunting rifle you need to pass a psychological exam. I talked to my doctor about it and he said if I wanted a gun I'd need to pass a psych exam to get one, then I'd have to regester it etc...etc...

But fact of the matter is the last two big shootings I heard of, both shooters legally had their guns and I know they also passed psych exams because it was all over the news. Psych exams aren't fool proof and no a psychiatrist does not always pick up on these things. Sure a psych exam may prevent obvious psychologically disturbed civilians from getting guns but their will always be people who slip through.

As for the whole gun range thing. Here in Canada you can't fire a fire arm within a residential area. Meaning no backyards and not within city limits. I don't know how much that is enforced because I know alot of northerners have guns. However you have to go to a firing range here. Also minors to my knowledge can obtain fire arms but they must pass all the courses and get a liscense to do so, then the gun must be regestered in their name.

But as I said its not to difficult to pass a psych exam. If those two shooters passed whats to keep others from passing? The tests just prevent obvious people from aquiring weapons. Also if somebody really wanted a gun to do something bad, thousands of guns are smuggled in from the US every year it would be very easy for someone to just go illegally buy one. Also in the states it isn't that hard to get a gun.