horrific shooting where i live

[spencer]

Gun laws can't fix crazy.
If someone wants to kill they'll do it, and if the can't find a way to get a gun then the victims will probably have an even more gruesome death in store for them. I'm not at all surprised that arms sales went up. People are scared for their safety and for their 2nd amendment rights.

Considering I'll always be a little guy and probably never have the balls to fight, if I don't have a gun to protect myself I'd be the one that ends up dead. When my dad was hanging out with the biker's back in like 70's and 80's (does this make me lose credibility?) he was always told to have a gun because he's not all big and buff and just overall not very threatening so if anyone pulled a knife on him or wanted to fight him he'd be the dead guy.

[Pix]

One of the victims who died in the shooting had survived a mall shooting in Toronto a month before...she had gotten something to eat, IIRC, and chose to eat it outside and while out there she heard the gunfire begin.

There have been some pretty horrific mass murders in China and Japan, too. Since these are usually (but not always) done with knives (which are quiet and thus can kill without alerting others more easily) the would be mass murder frequently chooses children as victims. China also has a problem with intentional mass poisonings but I haven't heard of any that did more than make people sick (though I wonder if China would admit to fatalities).

[OrphanPip]

One of the victims who died in the shooting had survived a mall shooting in Toronto a month before...she had gotten something to eat, IIRC, and chose to eat it outside and while out there she heard the gunfire begin.

Ya but pretty much everyone survived that shooting, it was a gang assassination and the only people who died were the two targeted gang members.

Imagine the damage if he had access to assault rifles instead of just a pistol?

Anyway, mass murders aren't really the relevant gauge of these things, since the US seems to have a chronic issue with gun deaths such that these mass shootings don't even really impact the statistics.

I don't blame the guns though (although I think lax gun laws promote escalation of violence), there are a whole slew of social issues at play in causing the US' high crime rate relative to other developed countries.

[Mr. Not So Lonely]

There are alot of sick minds out there look at the christian right wing in the U.S. and fanatics all over the world for that matter.

My heart goes out to all the families of the victims of this latest act of violence and to all the victims of
the past acts as well

[princealbertofb]

One of the victims who died in the shooting had survived a mall shooting in Toronto a month before...she had gotten something to eat, IIRC, and chose to eat it outside and while out there she heard the gunfire begin.

There have been some pretty horrific mass murders in China and Japan, too. Since these are usually (but not always) done with knives (which are quiet and thus can kill without alerting others more easily) the would be mass murder frequently chooses children as victims. China also has a problem with intentional mass poisonings but I haven't heard of any that did more than make people sick (though I wonder if China would admit to fatalities).

However, I don't think we can justify our wrongs by the even worse wrongs of someone else or another country... That's just a very weak ( and dare I say, childish - "He started it!!!" :redfaceargument to feel better (relatively). None of this is admissible, and none of it will bring the deceased back to life. I think harder preventative measures need to be taken... And I really don't think being armed, or arming oneself up to the gills is useful.
Why are countries now trying to get nations to disarm? There must be a higher cause or reason, philosophical (and sensible) though it may be.

[princealbertofb]

There are alot of sick minds out there look at the christian right wing in the U.S. and fanatics all over the world for that matter.

My heart goes out to all the families of the victims of this latest act of violence and to all the victims of
the past acts as well

Yes, I think you're right, Dave, they are out there... and they are probably known groups too (not exactly hiding the fact that
1) they are or can be dangerous
2) are threatening
3) will use their power (and arms) to get their point over.

So, in view of that, start by disarming them. Stop allowing death threats to continue. If they do, take them seriously and retrieve all possible weapons / make it difficult for them to find other weapons.

But, there will be great difficulties, I imagine with gangs and with drug lords and mobs.

Once those are disarmed, maybe start on the 'normal' population and persuade them that danger is no longer an issue, then maybe exchange their weapons for money... So they can buy sweets instead, or medication...

[Pix]

justify our wrongs by the even worse wrongs of someone else or another country.

Not sure why I was quoted and this said (I was just affirming what Spencer said immediately above me) but in case there's any confusion I wasn't attempting in any way to "justify" American violence.

[ceez]

I think there should be some kind of system to prevent anyone diagnosed with a mental illness from purchasing fire arms. I'm to lazy to search now but I do believe the weapons were purchased legally and the ar16 was banned in the state until 2004. however the Virginia Tech shooter who also suffered from a mental illness only used two hand guns.