News Las vegas massacre

[scout86]

When will we learn to not sell guns willy nilly to anyone who wants them?

We actually don't really do that now.

I'm going to channel my inner gun nut and say that I'm not quite comfortable with this government getting to decide who owns a gun. Because I can easily imagine a scenario where I might need my guns to defend myself against the government.

I'm totally opposed to senseless violence and this was certainly that. I'm waiting to hear the results of the investigation. I'll be surprised if this literally came out of nowhere.

And, obviously, there are other ways to kill large numbers of people, if that's your goal. To me the larger problem is that people actually want to do that

 

[Deleted member 541]

From what I’ve read already this guy had mental issues...

https://www.aol.com/article/news/20...las-vegas-shooter-and-islamic-state/23229760/

So, just another sick person that decided to take revenge, or kill for the joy of it all. Just so f*cking sickening....

 

[SaharaSon]

God help those on the critcal list to survive. What a terrible day.

 

[hodge]

Yeah, all good points about gun legislation. But other First World countries manage it. Why can't we? I mean, first off, is there any good reason for anyone other than the military and law enforcement to have automatic weapons? And yet, they're all over. Plus there are legal kits selling for $50 to make a semi-automatic weapon into an automatic weapon. It's just f-cked up.

ETA: yes, there are many other ways to kill massive numbers of people, but not many are as "easy" as shooting a gun from far away. You don't have to get blood on you, for one thing. You can drive a truck, but you still have to hear the, I imagine, godawful sound of bodies the vehicle hits.

Gah, sorry for getting gruesome.

 

[Deleted member 541]

I wonder how many of the victims and those attending the concert will end up on this site? A new influx of people with PTSD... God, I hope they get help before it sets in. They’ve been though enough...

 

[hodge]

Me, too, She Cat, but at least we're here for them.

 

[anthony]

Its the American NRA... nothing will change from this. Money talks... lives mean nothing to American politicians.

 

[hodge]

Yep, the NRA definitely carries a big share of the blame for the gun situation here. There are some congresspeople who fight it, though.

They've completely twisted the intended meaning of the 2nd Amendment of our Constitution.

 

[Friday]

eah, all good points about gun legislation. But other First World countries manage it. Why can't we?

Fully automatic weapons were banned on May 19, 1986. They have continued to be banned, sometimes by narrow votes, but often with increasing strictures, ever since.

They have been illegal to purchase, make, or own -by private citizens aka excepting police & military- for over 25 years.

They're ALREADY illegal. Every time tragedy strikes, though, the argument comes up to ban them. Even though they already are. We cannot legislate crime. We can only punish it.

It might be noted that they were initially banned in 1935. The laws were a little too specific, back then, as they were targeting tommy guns & similar. So more and more laws have been added over the years. The public has always been behind limiting weapons of mass casualty to military & police, only. It's not a new concept. Much as we may wish it were. IE, something terrible has happened, change the laws & it won't happen again. It's a self defense mechanism similar to victim blaming. How can we stop this??? Is a natural/rational thought process. Whether it's massacres or rape. Make it illegal, is clearly the first step. But that seems to be where we stop. It already is illegal. Has been illegal. For a long time. Thinking has to move beyond making crime illegal. Murder is illegal. Fully automatic weapons are illegal. Both just happened. So where do we go from there? And how far are we willing to go from there? It's a difficult question.

 

[hodge]

So how do we proceed then? What beyond laws might work?

A minor caveat -- yes automatics are illegal, but the $50 dollar kits to make them are not. Insane? Yep.

 

[Friday]

The kit is basically a nail file. It's super easy to manipulate metal, which is a big part of why we use it so much, and any basic understanding of mechanics accomplishes the job. IE the kit is a rip off / marketing ploy. You can buy what you need for about $5 at any hardware store. So how do we legislate mechanics tools? The same tools used on cars, construction, etc.? Do we outlaw anything that can manipulate metal? See the problem?

 

[hodge]

Yep. That's why I think the problem is in our culture. No easy or quick fix there. I just wonder how many more of these massacres occur before enough of us get together and say that something fundamental has got to change.

I, for one, abhor the idea that this just keeps going on and on every so often without us trying to identify and deal with the core problems here. We are literally a nation that is willing to sacrifice hundreds and thousands of our citizens because we refuse to address this gun issue. It's horrifying when you look at it that way. It's kind of like the annual Chinese Boat Dragon races, where every year at least one person is drowned. Only our situation is on a much, much larger and horrifying scale. Anyone remember the Shirley Jackson story "The Lottery"?

Come to think of it, it kind of makes me think of addiction. So many lives are lost. Haven't quite developed this thought, but I do think there might be a comparison.