It's about time.

@matt1141a: Party affiliation has nothing to do with this situation. Overcrowded prisons is the problem, thanks to the way the "war on drugs" has been implemented. I'm a democrat and I am appalled at the number of criminals getting probation instead of absolute prison time for crimes committed with a weapon. No probation for those criminals is something I would applaud.

@grove600: No one is pretending that regulations are a panacea for anything. There are no panaceas, nor are there any fail-safes. It isn't a matter of "all or nothing."

Of course it is common sense to require safety classes. That is not an infringement. If instruction is denied, perhaps it would be.[quote][b]swhitney[/b] - .
We need mandatory safety classes for anyone buying a gun for both the buyer's safety, and the safety of anyone near them. You have to prove you know how to drive and that you know the rules of the road before you can get a driver's license, seems like common sense that owning a gun should require similar training. I know the knee-jerk second amendment pundits will neg me, but I'm talking common sense and safety for both the gun owner and innocent people in their households.
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Qualifying to use a weapon is not the same thing as being denied the right to have one. Even Judge Scalia pronounced that restrictions are not unconstitutional.

"...three licks...red and purple bruising...". It sounds like "...excessive force" was used. That is, unfortunately, the reason for not allowing corporal punishment.

@matt1141a: The prisons are overcrowded and the court dockets are jammed. I'm a democrat and I have no sympathy for violent offenders. Lock 'em up and offer no parole. This is the kind of offense that should carry mandatory sentences. I'm certainly not the only democrat that feels that way, but I guess every issue needs a scapegoat to avoid the real problem.

Suicide by cop or just plain crazy.

20 years, no parole. Make space in our prisons for these violent offenders.

Who gets a $600,000 refund?

There was a tornado warning for Athens? Watch?

"The driver asked me what the problem was as..." Priceless.

[quote][b]avenger[/b] - @JackStilton.: Make sure they also ban you from having multiple clips or multiple guns too! Same damage nothing you can do to stop anyone who wants to kill many people from doing it except a potential victim also carrying a gun!!
Nope. The gunman in Arizona shopping mall was stopped when he tried to change his magazine. By unarmed citizens. There were folks carrying concealed weapons but they had no chance to get the gunman. [/quote]

Exactly!

It must have been a pretty large "pill bottle" or not very much pot...pre-packaged?

@BClark: Are you suggesting that because people break the law that it is useless to have any and that it would be better to, literally, become a "lawless" country? Your logic does imply that laws are of no use at all.

[quote][b]geronimo509[/b] -
By the millions along with vast amounts of ammunition. When the crap hits the fan, remember who threw it. [/quote]

[quote][b]JackStilton.[/b] -
What is he going to run on telling you, that you can't protect yourself? The wimpiest of all guns will kill 20 unarmed people in a building they can't escape because you can reload all you want.
When our gummament goes bankrupt and the current leaches of society stop getting their checks, they will be coming to your house and you will wish you had the foresight to own a good gun!
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@melmarino: We can't assume a gun was drawn. It may have been visible, but who knows? TM may, or may not, have rushed Z from a distance. It is possible that they were having a heated conversation at a fairly close distance and Z pulled out his weapon and then, TM tried to protect himself. Anyway, we weren't there, so there is little value in imaginings. We know, for a fact, that TM did not, from any distance, pull a gun on Z.

@melmarino: It's not magic to think that it's possible that Z let TM know that he had a weapon, and since neither of us witnessed the conflict, my guess is as good as yours. There is no evidence that TM was looking for trouble, while, I believe, that Z was, simply because he was knowingly breaking the rules of the neighborhood association and did not immediately follow instructions from 911. It is plausible, not magical, to think that TM was frightened and did what he could to defend himself.

@McCarthy: So, where is a photo of the very "real" gun? Maybe you could use a "reality" check. Height and color are completely irrelevant to what happened. A grown man, with a gun, was stalking an unarmed teenager. That teenager was defending himself. That is a piece of reality that you seem to be ignoring.

[quote][b]melmarino[/b] - @THX1138: When you have a young man pounding your head into the pavement, please let me know what is life threatening. Thanks for playing.
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Is a stalker with a gun threatening enough? Zimmerman brought it on himself.

@fmrclarketchr: Unfortunately, doctors do not have to see Medicare/Medicaid patients...sort of like private schools that can reject certain students. Maybe if their grades from college and med school were open records material there'd be some pressure on them too.

@gman129: My point is that the arts and PE programs are not really extracurricular due to effect they have on student achievement...and the effect on our society as a whole. It costs us more, in the long run, to not offer them.

@gman129: Iowa is known for its dedication to the arts...it's not bad in the sports area either. These programs inspire student and parental participation in all school activities.

[quote][b]OrneryConservative[/b] -
Exactly....maybe he was targeted because he was casing the neighbors houses.
[/quote]

Maybe he was targeted because Z imagined that TM was casing his father's neighbors. Maybe Zimmerman, in his zeal, was looking for a reason to follow TM. That premise is just as valid as any other. Was TM trespassing? Was he trying to get away from Z? He may have been wondering why this person was following him...etc.. I would have. I doubt if Z knew who TM was, let alone read his facebook page. TM certainly did not know who Z was.