Gun Crime in the USA ~ Shootings and Killings

[Your Vest Friend]

To be honest I'm kinda glad he did.

 

For years videogames have been the scapegoat for almost everything bad that happens these days. Whilst there have been some studies into if they cause violence. The more documentation you have to say it doesn't happen, the better.

 

Let them have their study because I sincerly doubt they will find a connection to it.

Ah, but you assume that whatever stats they find will be reported truthfully by the media and/or whatever bodies will be funding the studies. Sadly, that's very often not the case, which is why we're taught to look for the numbers instead. The general public isn't so stringent.

[Nepenthe]

Seriously, ever since the school shooting tragedy, there's been a number of shootings in the US

 

Seriously, I really do think the media is unintentionally encouraging these shootings through the way they report them. They end up making the shooters themselves out to be "anti-heroes" that other insane nutjobs end up trying to imitate and compare score with. It's nuts.

 

Not to downplay the media's role in mass shootings, but it's also just as possible that- as a result of Sandy Hook's heinous nature- the media have caught onto a popular subject and are now simply reporting the same shootings that would've otherwise happened anyway. Around 30,000 people get killed by firearms every year in the U.S.- 82 people a day- and most of these are deliberate, so whether or not any of these specific shootings are definitely media-influenced or just another day in the life is anyone's guess.

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

Well looks like the media has a new hook ever since the gun control debate got even more heated...

[Stacy]

Not to downplay the media's role in mass shootings, but it's also just as possible that- as a result of Sandy Hook's heinous nature- the media have caught onto a popular subject and are now simply reporting the same shootings that would've otherwise happened anyway. Around 30,000 people get killed by firearms every year in the U.S.- 82 people a day- and most of these are deliberate, so whether or not any of these specific shootings are definitely media-influenced or just another day in the life is anyone's guess.

 

Very true. Gang crime, robberies, muggings  But the media seems to latching onto the more uncommon types of Gun Crime though I agree they do seem to focusing it a lot at the moment I don't see as a bad thing apart from being slightly annoying.

 

Still think lack of education with firearms in America is a big factor into why these shootings happen more frequently than any other part of the world.

Edited January 21, 2013 by BW199148

[Tani Coyote]

I think taking aways guns isn't the solution at all; I certainly am behind stronger background checks (same with joining the police or miltary), but I think it all ultimately boils down to people.

 

Unlike most who say that though, I'm actually for trying to solve problems that could drive us into a place so dark we feel it necessary to kill other people.

 

We should be working to alleviate poverty to reduce incidents of people having to mug to get by. We should make it easier for people to adopt so there's not a whole score of children who never had a family to love them.

 

Really, I think if we just reduced the amount of stress and need the average person faces, we'd see a large decrease in all these massacres. How many times have shooters been young kids driven mad by constant bullying, for example? Sure most bullies aren't really bad people, but we can't exactly let it go unpunished either.

[SuperStingray]

I think taking aways guns isn't the solution at all; I certainly am behind stronger background checks (same with joining the police or miltary), but I think it all ultimately boils down to people.

Anytime you interview the friends and family of a shooter, nobody ever says "yeah, I totally saw that coming."  Adam Lanza didn't have a criminal record; he was an honors student, in fact.  You could have easily mistaken him for any other reserved suburban kid.  If his mom didn't have guns, someone like him still wouldn't have had much trouble acquiring his own (except for the handguns; he was a year shy of being eligible to get those.)  Not that background checks aren't important, but they still don't give any guarantees.

 

Unlike most who say that though, I'm actually for trying to solve problems that could drive us into a place so dark we feel it necessary to kill other people.

 

We should be working to alleviate poverty to reduce incidents of people having to mug to get by. We should make it easier for people to adopt so there's not a whole score of children who never had a family to love them.

 

Really, I think if we just reduced the amount of stress and need the average person faces, we'd see a large decrease in all these massacres. How many times have shooters been young kids driven mad by constant bullying, for example? Sure most bullies aren't really bad people, but we can't exactly let it go unpunished either.

Taking away a person's reason for killing is a far more effective safeguard than taking away their means for killing, but that's a very idealistic solution.  Yes, solving every other problem on earth first will definitely render gun violence a nonissue, but how many shootings do we have to wait through until that happens?

[Tani Coyote]

Really I think it establishes the need for kids to be open with their parents about their feelings. All those bottled up emotions build up until the pressure finally bursts, and it's not pretty.

 

As for the second point - how many shootings will we get if we try to confiscate them all? Currently gun enthusiasts, while they seem a bit overzealous, aren't usually dangerous at least. Trying to forcibly take their firearms might change that, however.

 

Plus I personally like the idea of at least being able to own a pistol. Sure it probably arms a few bad guys here or there, but at least I have a surprise for them if they break into my house.

[Patticus]

You can't confiscate everybody's guns, that's just not a feasible plan. Eradicate the reasons why people feel the need to kill others, while encouraging gun safety laws and some sort of mandatory firearms training comparable in its own way to driving lessons, that's a plan. It's a complex problem with no one easy solution, though, so any solution will have to address multiple issues in various fields - poverty is the big one, as is the access to, attitudes towards and funding of mental healthcare, and then you've got things like promoting education, bringing in better background checks, having training courses you have to take before being allowed to buy gun type x (because Average Joe Concealed Gun Owner is not a Navy SEAL able to react instantaneously and super-accurately in an unexpected, hectic public shooting) etc. 

 

Hopefully, with Obama and Biden donning their Balls Of Steel and actually taking on the thorny issue of guns, maybe some of the solutions to America's gun crime epidemic will be made a reality. Maybe something good will come of this. I hope it does.

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

Yeah, and here's hoping that whatever they do ends up sticking come around the time the next presidential candidate is announced.

[Shane]

And here's yet another school shooting. ]:

[SonikkuForever]

And here's yet another school shooting. ]:

 

 

This one at a college in Texas. It was relatively minor in comparison to other shootings, and it didn't seem to be premeditated. A witness said "I saw two dudes basically get into an altercation and the dude that shot, he basically got angry and started shooting the other guy," said student Brittany Mobley, as reported by CBS affiliate KHOU Houston. "A lot of people heard a lot of shots."

 

3 people (including a janitor who presumably got caught in the crossfire) were wounded, but nobody was killed. From what I know so far, it just looks like some guys got angry at each other and decided to settle things wild-west style. Texas is known for being generally supportive of concealed-carry permits, but I don't know if this particular campus allowed them or not.

[Patticus]

If there had been no guns present, the altercation might still have resulted in a fight, but the risk of death would have been dramatically lower. When firearms mix with arguments, people get hurt, and often killed, for the most trivial of reasons. Fuck these weak ass concealed carry laws. Why aren't people who take guns out in public like that made to undergo police-grade crisis training, and if it is found to be necessary, anger management therapy too? At least then they might stand a chance of not firing rounds off in an argument, with no regard for the lives of others, and they might stand a chance of reacting properly and hitting their mark if they're ever in a big shooting.

[KHCast]

There were Two shootings here in Oregon. They were briefly talking about them on the news, but I'm gonna have to look up more on it to get more info. All I know is that a guys wife In The first one was killed by someone with a military assault weapon and a 16-17 yr old shot his girlfriend In Tilamook girlfriend and then killed himself.

Edited January 23, 2013 by Vanitas

[Tani Coyote]

I know some folks say that this is common it's just now being reported more, but I wonder...

 

What's the motive for the media to report it more? Why haven't they been so persistent on the topic before?

 

My only guess is they're possibly trying to assist the President in passing more gun control legislation (by raising awareness), but I'm not sure.

[Patticus]

What's the motive for the media to report it more? Why haven't they been so persistent on the topic before?

Disasters and tragedies generate big ratings for the networks covering them. As with so many things in western society, the desire for money trumps most other considerations.

[Patticus]

Another shooting today...
 

 
Arizona police say three people have been shot at an office complex in Phoenix, but they are still searching for a suspect.
 
The victims were reportedly taken to hospital, but their conditions is unknown.

 
http://news.sky.com/story/1045275/several-people-shot-in-arizona-office-complex
 
Details later, I imagine. If it isn't a random shooting, it could potentially be a case of a mistreated or otherwise disgruntled employee living the dream of shooting up his bosses or co-workers.

[Candescence]

So the ECA have been talking to lawmakers, and they claim that they don't care about the facts, instead sticking to their prejudices against video games.

 

Big fucking surprise, that is.

[Patticus]

If that's the case, then it's really only a matter of time before an over-zealous ignorant politician (or group thereof) actually bans violent videogames.

[Linkabel]

Another shooting today...

 

 

http://news.sky.com/story/1045275/several-people-shot-in-arizona-office-complex

 

Details later, I imagine. If it isn't a random shooting, it could potentially be a case of a mistreated or otherwise disgruntled employee living the dream of shooting up his bosses or co-workers.

 

Supposedly it was because of a lawsuit between the shooter and the company of the CEO who was shot.

 

http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/region_phoenix_metro/central_phoenix/NEW-Phoenix-office-complex-shooting-Lawsuit-may-be-tied-to-shooting

 

I was actually in the newsroom when this happened, pretty tragic though.

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

If that's the case, then it's really only a matter of time before an over-zealous ignorant politician (or group thereof) actually bans violent videogames.

Good fucking luck with that. Supreme Court of the USA ruled that unconstitutional years ago, and it would take some time for some group to pull that off.

[Patticus]

Good fucking luck with that. Supreme Court of the USA ruled that unconstitutional years ago, and it would take some time for some group to pull that off.

 

They'll wait until the balance of liberals and conservatives on the bench favors them, and then they'll pounce.

 

Anyway, the lawsuit thing as motivation... I really don't think that that is something worth shooting people over. Was the guy already mentally unstable?

[Linkabel]

Well even though it might not seem have been a motivation somehow I think it did have something to do with it. All those involve in the shooting were involved in the lawsuit. It does seem weird though, I know he was suing the company for $20,000 and the company was counter-suing him what I don't know for how much.

 

About him having mental issues, well so far no one has found anything about that. I think right now they found him dead, apparently he killed himself. I honestly think he just snapped with the lawsuit and maybe other things in his life contributed to it.

[SuperStingray]

So I'm bumping this because something has popped up that may change how we look at gun regulation.

 

Gun rights activists are now taking advantage of 3D printing to create weapons and ammo.

 

 

3D printing is still young technology, but it's now cheap enough to be accessible at a consumer level.  It's already being used to make everything from action figures to cars, and soon you'll be able to download your very own functional AR-15.  I don't know how easy homebrew guns are to make, but this facilitates it to a whole new level.  This group, Defense Distributed, has faced some heavy blowback from 3D printer companies, at one point having their printer forcibly confiscated, but they've already started their own wiki and file host.  Right now, the only gun on the site breaks after about six shots, but on the other hand, you can download a gun that can shoot six times without breaking and technology only gets better with time.

 

In my opinion, this could be some real Metal Gear Solid 4 shit- the democratization of weapons.  Gun control is controversial as it is, but if there's one thing our congress doesn't know jack shit how to deal with, it's the internet.  This adds a new complicated dimension to the controversy, and it needs to be addressed before a mentally ill person downloads a rifle and takes it to a crowded mall.

Edited February 10, 2013 by SuperStingray

[Stacy]

So I'm bumping this because something has popped up that may change how we look at gun regulation.

 

Gun rights activists are now taking advantage of 3D printing to create weapons and ammo.

 

 

3D printing is still young technology, but it's now cheap enough to be accessible at a consumer level.  It's already being used to make everything from action figures to cars, and soon you'll be able to download your very own functional AR-15.  I don't know how easy homebrew guns are to make, but this facilitates it to a whole new level.  This group, Defense Distributed, has faced some heavy blowback from 3D printer companies, at one point having their printer forcibly confiscated, but they've already started their own wiki and file host.  Right now, the only gun on the site breaks after about six shots, but on the other hand, you can download a gun that can shoot six times without breaking and technology only gets better with time.

 

In my opinion, this could be some real Metal Gear Solid 4 shit- the democratization of weapons.  Gun control is controversial as it is, but if there's one thing our congress doesn't know jack shit how to deal with, it's the internet.  This adds a new complicated dimension to the controversy, and it needs to be addressed before a mentally ill person downloads a rifle and takes it to a crowded mall.

 

Interesting though I would think some crazed killer would download something more lethal like an M4 or hell an RPG if possible.

 

Sad how a great invention like this could be use to do something like that.

[Clouder]

To add to this thread, there was a shooting right next door to my house last month. The victim was found dead in his car.