Mass Shootings

[metsmarathon]

we can't melt our guns - we're too busy fucking them.

[Ceetar]

on that note, if you're not part of the state militia, you can't get a gun. That's the amendment.

that said, screw it. ban guns. no reason to have them. including the damn pigs.

[TransMonk]

[Willets Point]

But somehow the events before this week <points at the entirety of American history of gun violence and white supremacy> was just fine for participating in a gathering for a terrorist sponsoring organization?

[Lefty Specialist]

The Onion, as always, is on point.

https://www.theonion.com/

[kcmets]

If assault is against the law, why aren't assault weapons? It's fucking retarded,
and if you know me I'm at my limit when I start flinging the r-word.

Ted Cruz deserves his own retard thread too.

[Willets Point]

Seriously. Wounding, maiming, and killing human beings are illegal so the firearms that are only designed to wound, maim, and kill human beings should be illegal too.

Yeah, you can kill a human with a hunting rifle too, but it's a lot harder to slaughter a room full of children with one of them.

[batmagadanleadoff]

The Onion, as always, is on point.

https://www.theonion.com/

That's a running joke. The Onion runs that same headline whenever there's a mass shooting in the US. Which is like, all the time, now.

(Get it? Running joke? Runs that headline? Hoohah!)

[MFS62]

The second amendment reads," A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
Let me stress, a well regulated militia.
The GOP loves that amendment.
So, everyone should walk up to their friendly neighborhood Republican politician and ask them why they won't support it by voting for the regulations part.

Later.

[Centerfield]

I’ve been irrationally angry ever since I heard of this with no sign of this dissipating.

It strikes me that no march, no petition, no speech will ever change things. We need to stop letting special interest groups buy politicians.

The only way to save our country is campaign finance reform. This is our only lifeline.

[A Boy Named Seo]

Check out the Yankees twitter TL yesterday. Sounds like the Rays did something similar, too. Good job, NYY.

[Lefty Specialist]

If assault is against the law, why aren't assault weapons? It's fucking retarded,
and if you know me I'm at my limit when I start flinging the r-word.

Ted Cruz deserves his own retard thread too.

Assault weapons were actually against the law from 1994 until 2004 when Bush and Congress let the law lapse. So it can be done, there's just no will to do it. That goes for Democrats, too, who always get outraged but don't really do anything about it.

[Lefty Specialist]

The REALLY annoying thing here is that the cops WERE AFRAID to go in and confront this guy. They had him locked in a classroom and did nothing for an hour, while a bunch of 10-year olds bled out. Parents were beside themselves and tried to rush in because the cops were too cowardly to. The cops assaulted the parents for trying.

If this doesn't put a rest to the 'good guy with a gun' nonsense, I don't know what will. The police department got millions of dollars for training and had a SWAT team, but they did nothing but shit their pants when the real thing hit. Every cop in that police department needs to be fired.

[kcmets]

Assault weapons were actually against the law from 1994 until 2004 when Bush and Congress let the law lapse.

Right, I kinda knew that but would have had to look up dates.

So it can be done, there's just no will to do it.

Sure seems that way.

[kcmets]

And yes, the whole unfolding story of response times and football fumbling is
just icing on the tragic cake. It's sickening, I had to turn off the news before.

[A Boy Named Seo]

The REALLY annoying thing here is that the cops WERE AFRAID to go in and confront this guy. They had him locked in a classroom and did nothing for an hour, while a bunch of 10-year olds bled out. Parents were beside themselves and tried to rush in because the cops were too cowardly to. The cops assaulted the parents for trying.

If this doesn't put a rest to the 'good guy with a gun' nonsense, I don't know what will. The police department got millions of dollars for training and had a SWAT team, but they did nothing but shit their pants when the real thing hit. Every cop in that police department needs to be fired.

And that's the fucked up truth. The whole thing is absolutely terrifying, and the cops knew if they charged in, there's a pretty good chance they don't get to go home and see their kids because even the mythical good guy with a gun is still a scared human staring down imminent death. But instead of acknowledging that even "brave" cops are probably outgunned and scared shitless, we just teach our kids to hide better and play dead, and nothing changes because pols are too stubborn/proud/stupid to admit they're wrong or refuse that sweet NRA money, or god forbid, risk not getting re-elected.

[whippoorwill]

As some as you know, my daughter is a fifth grade teacher.

Several years ago, in Wilmington DE, her school was involved in a situation with a live shooter. Fortunately no body got hurt but to this day, I will never forget her description of hiding and trying to convince her students that everything would be okay. Thank you God, everything WAS okay.

But as far as the police go in this situation in TX, I would never blame anyone for being afraid of going into a place where there was someone with a gun. I think the police had a plan and as sad as it was, it might have been too late by then to save these children and their teachers.

[batmagadanleadoff]

The REALLY annoying thing here is that the cops WERE AFRAID to go in and confront this guy. They had him locked in a classroom and did nothing for an hour, while a bunch of 10-year olds bled out. Parents were beside themselves and tried to rush in because the cops were too cowardly to. The cops assaulted the parents for trying.

If this doesn't put a rest to the 'good guy with a gun' nonsense, I don't know what will. The police department got millions of dollars for training and had a SWAT team, but they did nothing but shit their pants when the real thing hit. Every cop in that police department needs to be fired.

That's what I personally believe. Although the media is playing up this "botched" rescue attempt, what I believe actually happened is that the first responders were just scared to do their jobs or the highter ups didnt wanna order those responders to probably end up as cannon fodder and so came up with pretexts for not doing the tactically correct thing to do. And you know what? If I'm right, I dont even blame anybody. This is just an awful tragedy all around and obviously, the problem isnt the police training -- it's the availability of the weapons involved.

How lethal does the weaponry have to be before the GOP draws the line? Pocket sized nuclear bombs? What?

[MFS62]

SF manager Gabe Kapler took a position on the shootings:

"My brain said drop to a knee; my body didn’t listen," Kapler wrote in the essay. "I wanted to walk back inside; instead I froze. I felt like a coward. I didn’t want to call attention to myself. I didn’t want to take away from the victims or their families. There was a baseball game, a rock band, the lights, the pageantry. I knew that thousands of people were using this game to escape the horrors of the world for just a little bit. I knew that thousands more wouldn’t understand the gesture and would take it as an offense to the military, to veterans, to themselves.
"But I am not okay with the state of this country. I wish I hadn’t let my discomfort compromise my integrity. I wish that I could have demonstrated what I learned from my dad, that when you’re dissatisfied with your country, you let it be known through protest. The home of the brave should encourage this."

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/m ... 967166002/

He said what many people feel.
Later

[metsmarathon]

If the police are too afraid of a gunman with an AR-15 to save a room full of elementary school kids, the the AR-15 cannot be allowed to be legal.

[whippoorwill]

Do you think I don’t agree with that??????

[whippoorwill]

Did you even read what I said? There is at least one person here that isn’t hiding behind their sanctimonious beliefs, and has some experience in how this horror feels.

Don’t think you’re always right. I’m sick of this.

We all want children to grow up. Don’t stand there like pompous a holes and spout out your weak venom.

There is a good reason to own guns. Killing people, especially children, and people who care about children, is not a good reason

Defending your property and your family from idiots is. If you want a change in the laws, then advocate for what is considered defense of yourself, your loved ones, and your personal property.

THAT is what whatever the constitution was talking about two billion years ago

[Lefty Specialist]

As some as you know, my daughter is a fifth grade teacher.

Several years ago, in Wilmington DE, her school was involved in a situation with a live shooter. Fortunately no body got hurt but to this day, I will never forget her description of hiding and trying to convince her students that everything would be okay. Thank you God, everything WAS okay.

But as far as the police go in this situation in TX, I would never blame anyone for being afraid of going into a place where there was someone with a gun. I think the police had a plan and as sad as it was, it might have been too late by then to save these children and their teachers.

And my heart would drop to the floor if I had a child involved in any way. But part of being a police officer is confronting dangerous people. At least one child died on the way to the hospital, so lives might have been saved if the gunman had been confronted earlier. MM is right- if the cops are scared of the gun involved and won't confront it, it's too dangerous a weapon to be allowed in the general population.

A certain segment of the American population has a gun fetish; a small piece of them own about 50% of the guns. You'll never be able to take them away, that'd be Civil War 2.0. But you can ban the ammunition. An AR-15 is just an expensive penis substitute if it can't fire anything. Yes, I know there'd be a black market and all that. But you've got to start somewhere.

[Lefty Specialist]

Oh, and I want to see bodies.

I want to see the bodies of 10-year-olds with their faces shot off. That sounds inhuman. But we sanitize these shootings. The coverage is a lot of police yellow tape and makeshift memorials with lots of candles. Always with the candles, like that's going to do anything.

People need to see what actually happens, because it would shock them. And shock is what we need to get anything done. Grisly pictures are needed, something that would make you throw up. Just once I'd like to see someone publish the crime scene pictures. They always take them, and keep them locked away forever. People need to be hit over the head with what these tragedies actually involve.

[metsmarathon]

Do you think I don’t agree with that??????

Is… is that directed at me?

I wasn’t trying to make any such claim, if so.