Mass Shootings the last six months

[swake]

There currently is no workable solution, otherwise we wouldn't still have this problem swake.  Does making inflammatory or taunting statements help bring anyone to your way of thinking?  No.  Everyone needs to do a better job of seeking to understand each other instead of assuming there are only two ways of looking at something: "My way" or "Your way".

FWIW, it wouldn't change my life one iota if large capacity semi-auto rifles were banned from private sale and ownership.  They aren't legal for hunting (though a Mini-14 which comes standard with a five round magazine but can fire a 30 round mag is) and I don't know of anyone who keeps one handy as a home defense weapon, they aren't as practical or safe for it as a shotgun or handgun.

The shooter in this instance, the Colorado theater, and many other shootings before then could have caused every bit as much carnage with a simple 1911 style civilian issue .45.  You can empty a standard 7 round mag in 10 seconds or less and reload in a matter of a couple more seconds.  You can empty a 6 round .357 revolver in roughly the same time and re-load with a speed loader in a matter of seconds.  Even if you had to manually re-load a revolver, an average shooter could empty and re-load as much as three times a minute.  It's not like there is anyone bearing down on them with any sort of defense once the shooting has started.

I really don't have a problem with an assault weapon ban.  I simply believe this doesn't change anything and talking about it in the wake of a tragedy is a knee-jerk approach.  If you went back to muskets and derringers only, don't be surprised if sick clucks like this resort to explosives.

You tried to make a point with your original post that getting rid of assault rifles would end these tragedies or limit the impact.  One other common thread through all these events is these were places that the occupants were expected to be pretty much defenseless.  That's what these people get off on.  It's not an armed struggle or the fear of someone else stopping them that they thrive on.  These are people who have felt powerless and now they hold all the power. 

The Colorado movie theater was posted for no weapons, so it was a safe assumption the shooter would face no resistance.  Same with a Sikh temple, an office, a mall, and a school.

Personally, I think the best deterrent to ending school violence is armed guards posted at any entrance or exit and I do believe conceal carry is a good deterrent in the rest of our violent world.  It sucks this is the world our children are growing up in, but this is what it has become.  The only way you can successfully and safely defend against a gunman is with a firearm.  That's a simple matter of human nature and physics, unless you are lucky enough to sneak up behind him/her with a sharp object. 

I think you need to go and reread the posts about what Australia did.

[Teatownclown]

I see the resident rightie refuses to chortle in with his fright wing radio talking points.

I too have divorced the tube tellings during this ordeal. BUT, while some of you can run you can't hide from it.

It's going to take courage to get gun control reactivated since the false leadership of 2004 failed us.

There is much more fallout than 27 lost lives here....the impact to our society is far reaching and if nothing is done watch for many gun owners start to
behave in intimidating and aggressive modes. We need to get the handle on a civilized society before it becomes uncivilized. The slope is starting to slide out from under us.

[Conan71]

Thanks for saying that. Every time I hear more about this tragedy it pulls me back to a depressed state. I need to just turn off the evening news.

I don't know why this one effects me so. I have a daughter in an elementary school and I teach chess to a bunch of kids that are aged 7 to 10 one day a week at a school. But it is more than that kids died. This one just scares me more than the other public mass shootings.

Maybe because it seems so close to home because of the mental illness portion. I employ 120 workers with disabilities at my business. I have had very few instances of violent behaior but it has happened. Maybe it is because the Mom's obsession with guns so reminds me of my brother who owns a pawnshop in New Mexico that sells guns every day and his obsession with owning very powerful guns.

Maybe it is because I believe our President when he says something will be done. I pray he does.

I am a changed person after last Friday. I need to take time to compress my feelings before I can find a path to working toward an answer. I do know this. I have to hold back my anger whenever someone says more guns are the answer and school principals should be armed. My sister is a middle school principal in Orlando. Her job shouldn't involve her taking shooting lessons. 

I honestly don't know of anyone who isn't grieving over this right now.  My younger daughter is a sophomore at OU and she told me the other night she is so relieved she's no longer in high school and doesn't have to worry about this anymore.

When you and I were growing up in Tulsa, about the only thing you had to fear was pissing the wrong person off and getting popped in the mouth after school.  Even then, chances were you'd eventually become friends with that person.  There are a lot of raw nerves right now and everyone wants to think this to death. 

We can't bring back these young lives no matter what happens in the days ahead.  Everyone is going to have to be willing to give up some dearly held personal freedoms if we are to feel more secure in a world that seems so out of control.  We may have to be more invasive in detaining people for mental health reasons and we may decide citizens don't need to possess certain types of weapons.

[Conan71]

I think you need to go and reread the posts about what Australia did.

Where have I said that's not something worthy of review?  You obviously don't read my posts. 

We also need to quit making wholesale assumptions that just because something works in another society it will be a slam dunk success here.

[DolfanBob]

A person I know very well said in the wake of all this. I need to go get a hand gun right now before Obama outlaws all guns.
I for one do not advocate that type of thinking. And I take offense to being linked into that by a political party. Not all conservatives feel that way.
As I also know not all Liberals believe that our problems began in 2000 and ended in 2008.

[Hoss]

A person I know very well said in the wake of all this. I need to go get a hand gun right now before Obama outlaws all guns.
I for one do not advocate that type of thinking. And I take offense to being linked into that by a political party. Not all conservatives feel that way.
As I also know not all Liberals believe that our problems began in 2000 and ended in 2008.

The problem is that many people think that Obama has made gun ownership more difficult and has infringed the rights of gun owners in his first term.

He hasn't.

If he's done anything, he's helped by signing the bill to allow concealed weapons in state parks.  It's not much, but it sure as hell isn't 'he's taking our guns'.

I think the same as Conan.  I own two handguns and am about to purchase a 12 gauge shotgun for home defense.  I have neither the want or desire to buy a weapon that would be classified as an 'assault weapon'.  In the future I may go deer hunting.  I won't need an AR-15 or Bushmaster to do so.  Both my handguns have magazines that hold 12 to 13 rounds in them.  My brother has one that holds 19.  Why do we need these extended magazines that hold 30 rounds in them?

I've seen where some congressmen who hold 'A' ratings with the NRA are now talking about having a sensible discussion about this.

Yesterday, the NRA temporarily shut down their Facebook page.

CNN said yesterday they reached out to 30 different congressmen who were gun rights' advocates for comment on this.  Not one of them (that I know of) responded to their request.

I'm not a father and likely never will be at my age now.  But I have nieces and nephews and know that something has to be looked at now.  But the nuts on both sides of the aisle need to be reigned in before the discussion gets toxic.

[DolfanBob]

Wal Mart and Dicks Sporting goods have pulled the Bushmaster Long range Rifle from their shelves.

[Hoss]

Wal Mart and Dicks Sporting goods have pulled the Bushmaster Long range Rifle from their shelves.

For those who know of these sites, cheaperthandirt.com has stopped selling firearms on their website for the time being, and budsgunshop.com is unavailable.  It appears to be a DDOS attack (for the geeks in here who know what that is).

[DolfanBob]

For those who know of these sites, cheaperthandirt.com has stopped selling firearms on their website for the time being, and budsgunshop.com is unavailable.  It appears to be a DDOS attack (for the geeks in here who know what that is).

What about "DONGS!!!!!"

[Hoss]

What about "DONGS!!!!!"

Figured you'd go putting that out there.   

Their website sucks.  Better off just to go down and look.

[Teatownclown]

More gun related deaths than cars in US....



Disturbing how progressive states looking for gun control while Oklahoma pushing for MORE guns in schools. Goes to show that everyone wants an opportunity to validate their own belief system.

[Conan71]

More gun related deaths than cars in US....



Disturbing how progressive states looking for gun control while Oklahoma pushing for MORE guns in schools. Goes to show that everyone wants an opportunity to validate their own belief system.

About 1/3 of gun deaths are homicides, more than 1/2 are suicides according to the CDC.  Auto death rates have been dropping for years.

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/suicide.htm

[DolfanBob]

The Medical Examiner is calling in a Geneticist to see if they can find a Biological motive as to why the "Troubled Genius" did this. Give me a break. Genius?

[Gaspar]

The Medical Examiner is calling in a Geneticist to see if they can find a Biological motive as to why the "Troubled Genius" did this. Give me a break. Genius?

Yes, the media is in awe of him.  So far, I've heard the words brilliant, genius, savant, intelligent, and advanced attached to this miserable worm.
By the time this is over, they will make him just another victim.

[Townsend]

Yes, the media is in awe of him.  So far, I've heard the words brilliant, genius, savant, intelligent, and advanced attached to this miserable worm.
By the time this is over, they will make him just another victim.

Limbaugh and Hannity are messes.