Mass Shootings

[Fman99]

This is the worst saddest thing about our country now and that's something.

I'm really ready to punt the Old South and let them just defect off to go be the inbred gun toting racist anti-Roe mecca of the world. Now that my mom has passed I have no family left in any red states that I'm close to.

[Edgy MD]

These last two highly publicized mass shootings took place in California.

The struggle is that we're all tied up in this whether we've chosen it or not.

[Fman99]

These last two highly publicized mass shootings took place in California.

The struggle is that we're all tied up in this whether we've chosen it or not.

California would be far more inclined to change their gun laws and enforecement of those laws if they were not in conflict with a 250 year old constitutional amendment with zero relevance to today's world. If the red states left or got the boot, the second amendment wouldn't be far behind. And I wouldn't miss it, not for one second.

[batmagadanleadoff]

California would be far more inclined to change their gun laws and enforecement of those laws if they were not in conflict with a 250 year old constitutional amendment with zero relevance to today's world.

It's even worse than irrelevant. Our radical extremist wingnut Supreme Court hijacked the amendment and gave it a new and invented meaning to support its current interpretation.

[Fman99]

California would be far more inclined to change their gun laws and enforecement of those laws if they were not in conflict with a 250 year old constitutional amendment with zero relevance to today's world.

It's even worse than irrelevant. Our radical extremist wingnut Supreme Court hijacked the amendment and gave it a new and invented meaning to support its current interpretation.

They sure the shit did

[Edgy MD]

I feel like it's been the prevailing position of the Court as long as I can remember.

The main latter-day contribution to gun proliferation from the federal courts that I can think of was to overturn DC's handgun ban. In the District, we hated this, but legally, we largely considered this more of an offense against our sovereignty than an expansion of gun rights. The federal Assault Weapons Ban, for instance, was born and died at the hands of Congress, but it survived several Court challenges.

[metirish]

The mass shooting in Texas , another awful day , this is so fucking sad

[batmagadanleadoff]

So what are all of the thoughts and prayers people actually thinking and praying for?

They never tell us.

[Edgy MD]

A surprising twist occurs as a few Republicans in the Texas legislature joined with Democrats to advance "gun-safety" legislation, to raise the age limit for buying certain weapons from 18 to 21.

The bill still faces obstacles, and would make very little practical difference by itself even if passed, but Lone Star gun opponents are rejoicing, I guess because any sign of legislators freeing themselves from the hold of the gun industry is a minor miracle.

The culture of the Texas Legislature is such that it tends to get "seized" by things. Something goes from a peripheral view to a central dogma overnight. Right now they seem to be stuck in the sway of a Christian Nationalism ideology that would have been embarrassing 10 years ago. I don't know if this is a result of the influence of the ubiquity megachurches or cable news down there, but I'm going to blame gerrymandering.

[batmagadanleadoff]

So what are all of the thoughts and prayers people actually thinking and praying for?

They never tell us.

Maybe they should get the sky-pointing baseball player with the highest OPS to point to the sky in order to solve all of these mass shootings. If his OPS is in MVP or even all-star territory, then his sky-pointing must be working.

[A Boy Named Seo]

I have an extremely low emotional threshold for watching news coverage of these shootings so I've watched very little, but how is this person still on the run?

[Edgy MD]

That's the worst part to me. That I've lost my will to bear witness.

As for "How is he still on the run?" it kind of puts the lie to the notion that more guns means more heroic good guys to check the bad guys.

As if that needed doing.

[whippoorwill]

Why was he out of the mental hospital

[metsmarathon]

because rules and laws and funding and stuff.

it's really hard to keep people in mental hospitals, especially when they are smart enough to say what needs to be said to let them out, but suffering enough from a severe mental illness that their actions are potentially dangerous to others.

even when it is clear to any dispassionate observer that a person is either a threat to themselves or others, or is unable to take care of themselves without acute care, they are still let out all the time. often to fend for themselves, or with minimal help.

we need to do a hell of a lot better in this country (and the world) with mental health. and guns. and the fact that we do a shit job with mental health makes the fact that we also do a shit job with guns all the more tragic.

[MFS62]

He is (ex?) Army. I haven't heard if the mental facility released him was a VA hospital.
They are under funded and under staffed and he may have slipped under the threshold for release because space is limited.
A shame.
But with a mental illness background he should not have been permitted to buy a weapon, much less an automatic one.
What has Susan Collins said about this?
Later

[Edgy MD]

He's an active Army reservist with the rank of sergeant first class. He's had no combat deployments.

[MFS62]

He's an active Army reservist with the rank of sergeant first class. He's had no combat deployments.

That makes me wonder even more if he was released from a military or civilian facility. I haven't seen that mentioned yet.
Later

[Edgy MD]

Card had been ordered and transported to a military facility — Keller Army Community Hospital at the U.S. Military Academy. It isn't clear if he had been confined.

[whippoorwill]

He is (ex?) Army. I haven't heard if the mental facility released him was a VA hospital.
They are under funded and under staffed and he may have slipped under the threshold for release because space is limited.
A shame.
But with a mental illness background he should not have been permitted to buy a weapon, much less an automatic one.
What has Susan Collins said about this?
Later

Have you guys never heard of gun raffles? Welcome to rural America

[Frayed Knot]

Maine shooter dead.
Apparent self-inflicted gun shot.

[metsmarathon]

motherfucker couldn't have done that first?

[MFS62]

Have you guys never heard of gun raffles? Welcome to rural America

I immediately thought of your post when the officer at the press briefing last night said he'd been getting asked if the death of the killer means hunting season will be able to start today.
(shaking head)
Later

[whippoorwill]

motherfucker couldn't have done that first?

Agreed.