Aside from the fact that one has absolutely nothing to do with the other.

Indeed it is! It is a false dichotomy. The choice is not gun rights or mental health care. It is very possible to have free access to quality mental health care AND gun rights. In fact, I recommend it!!

@Normanbites Also Healthcare.

I agree 100%. I truly believe the interpretation of the 2nd Amendment that a "well regulated militia" was a means to control the ever increasing slave population of that time. In context it means something in that era, however makes no sense in the presence. So the question is, did the Emancipation Proclamation and 13th Amendment make the 2nd Amendment obsolete?

and who foots the bill for that??? You should not penalize working taxpayers for the lives/choices of others.

I will pay ONLY if it covers ONLY people who also pay... I'm not here to pay for someone else. If we foot the bill for others, what is their incentive to work and pay into the system?

@SkotlandSkye Let me guess, you are a libertarian.

As are all reasonable people

@SkotlandSkye wtf makes you think needing healthcare is a choice? We ALL do at some times until we die.

@Wattoje wtf makes you think people will work if everything is handed to them? Have you actually met any people? Have you lived on this planet for long? ??

@SkotlandSkye What makes you think that just because people minimum requirements are met that they would not work? People would still work, they would just have more control over who they would work for. People would not be forced to work for slave wages or deal with the various forms of harassment that now plague the workplace. Management would not have the upper hand in negotiations.

That crap about people not working without the fear of homelessness or starvation is not demonstrable.

So we have no rights except the ones the government gives us via the constitution?

@fathercat Nowhere in the Constitution does it say that "Guns a 'God given' right" despite your emotional diatribe. Guns are a "Constitutional Right". If you are not happy with the Constitution, you should start a movement to Amend it to your liking...but then you should actually read it before you do that.

@SkotlandSkye You are confusing the Declaration of Independence (flowery language designed to inspire the people and insult the king, but no actual bearing on rights), and the Constitution. The word "Inalienable" is NOT in the Constitution and therefore, has no bearing on the U.S. Government and its laws. You did take Government Class in high school, didn't you?

@SkotlandSkye "The right to have weapons as tools to protect ourselves is a right that is NOT given by any law...and it cannot be taken away by any law. " It is not given by any "law" it is given via the Constitution. And yes, it can be taken away (despite the 2nd Amendment), via Supreme Court interpretation/rulings and nullified by popular practice (ignoring the meaning of the Constitution)...just as the antis are attempting now with the proposed ban on AR-15's, et. al. By the way, the Constitution does not give the right to own a gun as a tool to protect one's self...it gives people the right for the purpose of maintaining a "...free state...".

I dunno have you tried craigslist

Just because you had to buy one doesn't mean everyone does. Ever hear about gifts or the concept of inheritance? People get free guns all the time.

We have a similar situation here in New Zealand. We have arrogant street gang degenerates parading around with vicious put bull terriers used to intimidate the public and to enhance their own feelings of grandeur., [ nothing to do with penises but they sure are a pack of pricks ! ]

With your way of thinking only guys over 70 will need to get a gun...LOL Please.

@DUCHESSA The Massachusetts Male Aging Study1 reported a prevalence of 52%. The study demonstrated that ED is increasingly prevalent with age. At age 40, approximately 40% of men are affected. ... The prevalence of complete ED increases from 5% to 15% as age increases from 40 to 70 years.Nov 5, 2012
www.clevelandclinicmeded.com/medicalpubs/diseasemanagement/...com/erectile-dysfunctio...

@nicknotes Is Pfizer behind such "study"?
See, even if every man on this world becomes an ED sufferer....to buy the "A gun is a penis substitute"....is the stupider statement I ever heard. Anyway, what excuse that psychologist has for the women who get guns? LOL

@DUCHESSA Very few mass murderers are women.

@DUCHESSA [medium.com]
[wsettles.wordpress.com]
Check out the links

@nicknotes Why...because they don't suffer ED? LOL
Please, your parallel between guns and penises is -to say the least- machista and the product of misinformation.
BTW, don't send me your google searches; I may be a lot more knowledgeable about this issue than you may ever find out.

@DUCHESSA I'm quoting Freud, and Fromm....do you know more than them?

Putting health care in the same category as chewing gum and condoms, just another commodity you can either afford or not, is totally immoral. A lot of people that eat right and exercise get MS, cancer, Alzheimer's, and the list goes on. Your argument is ridiculous. Gun ownership costs us money, the police, EMS, courts, and jails take tax money, and that doesn't include the loss of life and incredible grief that go with it.

That's incredible. I can't comprehend how so much judgemental incorrectness could exist in one comment. Especially on this site.

I guarantee my owning guns has not cost anyone any money other than myself. You are missing the point that people have the right to purchase health insurance or choose a career that offers health insurance. Yes, people who take care of themselves may get injured/ill, however, responsible adults have purchased and maintained health insurance FOR THAT VERY REASON. It's no different than purchasing home owner's insurance, auto insurance, life insurance...etc. You also control the costs of those....i.e. want lower auto insurance? Then drive safely and don't get tickets. Want lower homeowner's insurance? Then get a security system and maintain your home. Such simple choices. People need to stop holding out their hands and demanding freebies.

@fathercat If I ever need an attorney, I'll choose my own and pay for him/her. Quit insisting that gun owners are criminals. I don't have so much as a speeding ticket to my name. Demonizing a whole segment of law abiding citizens is why we fight against "gun control". How would you feel if I assumed you were a criminal just because you bought something LEGALLY? But, no. You want to force women into a position where they can't choose reliable means of protection. That's nothing short of a violation of my rights.

Really? Guns never cause large amounts of money to be spent for lots & lots of trigger-happy police? Or trauma centers? Or the costs of preventative (yet useless!) attempts to prevent mass slaughters? Or taxpayer support of survivors of shootings who will never be the same? REALLY?

by your argument, we need to ban cars then because those dumb cars go out and kill and maim tens of thousands of more people every year than "guns do". Time to ban pharmaceutical drugs, cigarettes, and alcohol then, too. Stop believing the hype and hysteria. I bet if you had someone breaking into your home...you would be happy that there are ARMED people to call for help....