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Las Vegas Shooting Leaves at Least 50 Dead, More Than 200 Wounded (wsj.com)

Readers share a report: At least 50 people are dead and more than 200 wounded after a shooting late Sunday at a music festival on the Las Vegas Strip (Editor's note: the link could be paywalled; alternative source). Police said they were first alerted to reports of an incident at 10:08 p.m. and then determined there was a shooter on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino who was targeting the nearby Route 91 Harvest Festival. Joseph Lombardo of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said in a briefing that officers responded and shot dead the suspect. He said the suspect was a local resident but declined to identify him, citing the ongoing investigation. Police are also trying to locate a female companion, who they named as Marilou Danley, who was traveling with the suspect.

719 of 1,219 comments (clear)

  1. We need more guns by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    This is what happens when you don't have enough guns. If some of those poor people in the crowd had had rifles, they could have taken the shooter out before so many died.

    1. Re:We need more guns by Aethedor · · Score: 5, Funny

      No, that's the old way. In a modern world, automated guns are placed at the corner of every street. It will open fire at everything that sounds like a gunshot. The only way to stop shootings like this. And it will make the excuse "guns don't kill people, people do" invalid. Developing, installing and maintaining such automated guns will also create a lot of jobs. It's gonna be great.

      --
      It doesn't have to be like this. All we need to do is make sure we keep talking.
    2. Re:We need more guns by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 2

      taking out some shooting from high up on the ground is not easy.

    3. Re:We need more guns by OzPeter · · Score: 5, Insightful

      OK Mr Internet Tough Guy ..

      If I was there and I had a gun, I would have stopped this after 6 people died. That's the magic number where I flip to Rambo mode and start randomly spraying bullets in a futile effort to stop the shooter.

      You do know that the shooter wasn't in the crowd and was in fact on the 32nd floor of a hotel a good 300 to 400 yards away? Your puny hand pop gun (if you actually have one) would have done jack shit in this case.

      I think we need to execute Mr Stephen Paddock.

      You're too late.

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      I am Slashdot. Are you Slashdot as well?
    4. Re:We need more guns by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      That's what ShotSpotter(TM) was originally designed for - automated urban warfare. ShotSpotter would identify the source of a gunshot and within milliseconds, automated drones or robots could identify and neutralize the source.

      The the pesky Geneva Conventions got in the way, the US Military abandoned the project so ShotSpotter(TM) was instead targeted for US Law Enforcement operations.

    5. Re:We need more guns by Kohath · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Blaming innocent gun owners is not the answer. Actions against innocents are never the right answer.

    6. Re:We need more guns by gtall · · Score: 3, Informative

      Let's assume you aren't joking. How many people would have to be killed before some local with a gun takes out the gunman and you would then consider this a success of more guns? What, maybe 1 or 2. With modern weapons, you can easily kill 10 people before some idiot with his own weapon guns you down and manages to miss all the other people s/he wasn't aiming at.

      The problem for the gun advocates is they campaigning for a minimum level of gun violence, yet they never tell us what that minimum level is, or how to keep normal people from buying guns, losing their minds, and then killing off a bunch of the rest of us. And if you have ever spent time with the mentally ill, you'd realize a good many of them can come off normal for everyday life. There's a percentage that will go all the way down the rat hole. Some will even take their medication on the way down.

      I thought a congress critter getting his ass shot off would change the atmosphere on Capital Hill towards gun control. Nope, it only made the gun nuts stronger.

    7. Re: We need more guns by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Except everyone is innocent until they're not. It's about prevention. Don't see why having stricter requirements is considered "punishment". I don't want to die because of your silly hobby.

    8. Re:We need more guns by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2

      What is wrong with people, is that we respect the right to carry and bear arms that is guaranteed to us in our constitution... the same constitution that gives you the right to speak your mind. The difference between us, is, I respect both.

    9. Re:We need more guns by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Lots of guns in Las Vegas...among the locals. Like often in such places it's the tourists who are unarmed and therefore targeted more often.

    10. Re:We need more guns by OzPeter · · Score: 5, Insightful

      He said rifle. Do you have a reading comprehension problem?

      No I don't. I also don't make up shit on the internet to sound tough.

      The only type of person capable of taking out that shooter from the crowd at the critical moment would be a fully trained and equipped sniper with combat experience, and who was also expecting the threat and was in already position.

      Now do you want to bullshit some more about how you can shoot into specific hotel room from 400 yards away with a civilian rifle, which you just happened to be carry to a music festival?

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      I am Slashdot. Are you Slashdot as well?
    11. Re:We need more guns by clickety6 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      It's not just an issue of a well person buying a gun and then developing mental health problems. The US gun lobby doesn't even want to restrict sales to those who already have mental health issues.

      --
      ----------------------------------- My Other Sig Is Hilarious -----------------------------------
    12. Re: We need more guns by Kohath · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Except everyone is innocent until they're not. It's about prevention. Don't see why having stricter requirements is considered "punishment". I don't want to die because of your silly hobby.

      That reasoning can be used to justify harming innocent people in any circumstance.

      Your "silly" computing "hobby" was just used to breach Equifax. You're only innocent "until you're not". Stricter requirements on "hackers" anyone?

      Maybe you'd be in favor of banning certain minorities too? Sure they're innocent, but only "until they're not", right? Hmmm?

      No. Wrong. Actions against innocents are never the right answer.

    13. Re: We need more guns by ScentCone · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I don't want to die because of your silly hobby.

      Silly hobbies like driving vehicles or cooking pot roast with a pressure cooker? That sort of thing? I don't want to die in a crowd of 80 other people because someone who's been allowed to drive has decided today to run down a bunch of pedestrians. Or die because someone who thinks I'm insufficiently obedient to allah has decided to use $50 worth of kitchen tools and hardware store supplies to slaughter a crowd full of people. Prevention is the key. No more passenger vans or pressure cookers, obviously.

      --
      Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
    14. Re: We need more guns by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Drunk drivers and otherwise still impaired drivers kill more people every year. There are already laws in place. There are sobriety check points. More laws do not always equate to less occurrence of issue.

    15. Re:We need more guns by bleh-of-the-huns · · Score: 5, Insightful

      And even if he did have a rifle.. at night, with hotels that are lit up like christmas trees, good luck figuring out which window in a hotel with 43 floors, and almost a hundred rooms per floor, the shooter was firing from. And even then, the security and the police on the ground would have more than likely assumed that you (the good guy with a gun) was actually one of the perpetrators.. so you (again, good misguided idiot with a gun) would likely have been killed.

      The whole good guy with a gun theory is completely asinine, it just adds to the confusion, and rarely if ever has a good outcome.

      But good luck getting the gun nuts to agree with that.. You cannot argue with a stupid person with a big dick.. I mean gun in his hand.

      And for the record, I am not anti gun, I grew up with them, I enjoy shooting them at the range when I get a chance. I am however against stupid and irresponsible people with guns and am for major changes and strengthening of gun control laws.

      --
      I came, I conquered, I coredumped
    16. Re:We need more guns by bleh-of-the-huns · · Score: 1

      This would be funny.. if not scary that someone out there will read this.. and turn your joke into reality...

      --
      I came, I conquered, I coredumped
    17. Re:We need more guns by OzPeter · · Score: 2, Informative

      Are you starting to realize now how stupid it is to suggest more guns are the answer to every gun problem.

      You still fail at reading by the way. He also already mentioned it would be futile...

      OK Mr Reading Wiz .. care to comment about how I was replying to the AC who said:

      If I was there and I had a gun, I would have stopped this after 6 people died.

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      I am Slashdot. Are you Slashdot as well?
    18. Re:We need more guns by bleh-of-the-huns · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Lets face it.. if killing 20 toddlers in a school did not change the laws, nothing will. It's a sad truth, but a reality because in the US, money reigns supreme, and the NRA has a metric shit ton of money that they throw around, not just to prevent changes to gun laws, but even to prevent research being done. Did you know that the CDC is not permitted to research gun violence (they did a study once a few years back by using some weird data gathering mechanism to avoid running afoul of some random rules the NRA has managed to get the Feds to agree to) because the NRA has effectively blocked federal funding into any gun research.

      Yeah.. this country is currently fucked...

      --
      I came, I conquered, I coredumped
    19. Re:We need more guns by AmiMoJo · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The cure is worse than the disease in America's case. There are three possible treatments:

      1. Stronger controls on guns
      2. Free, high quality mental healthcare
      3. More guns

      Number 3 is the least effective but also hated by fewer people than 1 or 2.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    20. Re:We need more guns by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      what wut happen? fireworks go off, people start screaming and falling over ... you pull a gun: voila you are now the shooter!

    21. Re:We need more guns by Richard_at_work · · Score: 4, Insightful

      To be fair, the AC also said "in a futile effort to stop the shooter" which kind of indicates they know it's a ridiculous reaction and that's the point they were making - I don't read the original ACs post as anything other than sarcastic and perhaps lightly trolling.

    22. Re:We need more guns by fred6666 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Except that now he had two options. Truck and gun. Leaving him only one (like in most sane countries) is a good start.

    23. Re: We need more guns by slashrio · · Score: 4, Insightful

      More than 90% of gun violence is not done with registered guns.
      So leave people, innocent civilians, who register their guns, alone please.

      --
      "Trump!!", the new Godwin.
    24. Re:We need more guns by argStyopa · · Score: 1

      Did you make this same flippant response after the Bataclan massacre in Paris?

      I believe 89 people died there, and Paris gun laws are plenty strict. It's almost like crazy murderous people don't care about the gun laws.

      --
      -Styopa
    25. Re: We need more guns by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      and mandatory free shooting classes for us citizens

    26. Re:We need more guns by GLMDesigns · · Score: 1

      Whatever he is - he doesn't know what he's talking about. I doubt he would know how to load a bolt action rifle; or if he can identify the difference between a bolt action and a semi-automatic without googling it first..

      --
      If you're scared of your govt then you need to further restrict its powers
      Vote 3rd Party in 2016 and beyond
    27. Re:We need more guns by GLMDesigns · · Score: 2, Informative

      A good guy with a gun is valid in some circumstances. Not this one.

      Case in point is when a Sudanese immigrant shoots up a church in Tennessee and the usher goes to his car and gets his handgun.

      --
      If you're scared of your govt then you need to further restrict its powers
      Vote 3rd Party in 2016 and beyond
    28. Re: We need more guns by dave420 · · Score: 1

      Then don't complain when scores of innocent people are murdered.

    29. Re: We need more guns by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      This. If we were only more like France, mass shootings would never happen, right?

      Dumb ass.

    30. Re:We need more guns by dave420 · · Score: 2

      True, but if it's incredibly difficult to get a gun, they won't have one when they want to use one. Look at the difference in numbers of people killed - that tells you the complete story, as opposed to comparing two single events.

    31. Re:We need more guns by Pseudonym · · Score: 1

      If I was there and I had a gun, I would have stopped this after 6 people died. That's the magic number where I flip to Rambo mode and start randomly spraying bullets in a futile effort to stop the shooter. I think we need to execute Mr Stephen Paddock.

      - Ben Carson

      --
      sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f(q{sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f});
    32. Re:We need more guns by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      ... people in the crowd had had rifles, they could have taken the shooter out ...

      Yeah, that's the outcome when a random group of people start shooting. It's difficult to argue with a 'good guy with a gun' story but reality isn't so tidy, especially when multiple firearms are involved.

      There's like 60 shootings a week in the USA where the wrong target was hit. Subtract the teens and children who snuck away with daddy's loaded gun and the number halves. Take away the real stupidity like the cop who dropped his gun, the mugging victim who shot himself, the too-common cleaning of a loaded gun and it's 20 people a week who are injured by neglect and inattention, and in many states it is declared a blameless accident. If 20 people a week drove their car like that and were declared blameless, there would be riots. Firearms cause the same level of destruction as a car, so why are firearm owners excused?

    33. Re:We need more guns by The-Ixian · · Score: 1

      But who controls the automated turrets?

      --
      My eyes reflect the stars and a smile lights up my face.
    34. Re: We need more guns by dave420 · · Score: 1, Funny

      No, as the registration data from that could be used by Zombie Obama to take everyone's guns! The best way is to give everyone as many guns as they can handle, then some more, and never ask any questions of the owner. Ever. Guns are simply too important!!!

    35. Re: We need more guns by wisdom_brewing · · Score: 1

      Why go with a bazooka when you can get a Nuke - a lil 'Un?

    36. Re:We need more guns by Pseudonym · · Score: 4, Funny

      Alexa, shoot that guy.

      --
      sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f(q{sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f});
    37. Re:We need more guns by penandpaper · · Score: 1

      I think we need to execute Mr Stephen Paddock.

      You're too late.

      And now I know where the phrase "beat a dead horse" comes from. I never imagined it was from people wanting to beat or "execute" a corpse.

    38. Re:We need more guns by 140Mandak262Jamuna · · Score: 5, Insightful
      No. It is not the money that gives NRA power.

      It is their members who show up without fail to every election. Especially the low turn out local elections.

      Till Democrats motivate their base to show up in every little election, we will lose. Always.

      It is not money. It is lack of motivation by our base.

      --
      sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
    39. Re:We need more guns by JudgeFurious · · Score: 4, Insightful

      You're wrong about the "good guy with a gun" theory being asinine but it is very much misunderstood and people seem to often think it means more than it does. a good guy with a gun stops shit all the time in this country. It happens regularly but it doesn't in some way confer super powers on these people and you can be a good guy with a gun and never have a chance just as easily (if not more often) as you can be one of the first to go down. What didn't happen here is a bunch of concealed carry people didn't go bat shit crazy and start shooting one another trying to find the killer. Good guys with guns wouldn't have made a lick of difference here but they also didn't make the situation worse either. That's better than it could have been.

      --
      Appended to the end of comments you post. 120 chars.
    40. Re: We need more guns by cayenne8 · · Score: 4, Informative

      More than 90% of gun violence is not done with registered guns.

      Err....as far as I know, in most states you do NOT have to register a gun with the state.

      If buying from an FFL dealer, you do go through a background check. But that is not registering the weapon.

      And in many states, a private transaction between two private individuals, of the sale of a firearm, there is no need for a background check, just is pretty much the same as selling a used cell phone between two private parties.

      Things that ARE registered with the Feds....fully automatic weapons. And the Hughes amendment in 1986 pretty much bans the sale of new automatic weapons. The only ones floating around for sale that were manufactured prior to May 19, 1986.

      So, to get a full auto weapon, the supply is limited to what was manufactured prior to this date, AND you have to go through a pretty background check, and the cheapest you can get one usually is north of maybe $16K - $20K on the CHEAP side.

      The audio sounded like he was somehow using a full auto.

      If this were the case, then it would be pretty much the first use of full auto in the US for a crime like this in modern history.

      Oh...and other types of arms that need to have special NFA registration, are SBS, SBR and suppressors....those require background checks by the Feds, and $200 tax stamp too..

      But regular arms other than these, for most states, do not require registration with local, state or federal entities.

      Most gun owners are not criminals.

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    41. Re:We need more guns by TimothyHollins · · Score: 3

      So what you're saying is it would take more area-capable firearms to combat this problem. I agree.

      If only Congress would allow concealed missile carry then someone could have launched a Tomahawk towards the general area of the shooter before he managed to kill so many.

    42. Re:We need more guns by bleh-of-the-huns · · Score: 1, Informative

      Odd, /. ate my last comment (or I forgot to hit submit...)

      The sole purpose of a gun is to kill and maim. It has no other purpose. A truck is transportation. I could probably kill you with a spoon too, but again it was not designed as a weapon.

      Your comparison would be valid, say if the truck came from the factory with razor blades attached to the wheels, pikes sticking out all sides, and a big ass meat grinder in the front to munch up people and kick out soylent green hamburgers into the bed of the truck. And then yes, I would be for more regulation on said food trucks.

      --
      I came, I conquered, I coredumped
    43. Re:We need more guns by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      It will open fire at everything that sounds like a gunshot..

      I just look forward to the infinite loop.

    44. Re:We need more guns by bleh-of-the-huns · · Score: 2

      FYI, the shooter in that incident actually shot himself, the usher just went and got his and held the shooter till the police got there.. not the best example, but I will concede it is better than most come up with for a good person with a gun.

      --
      I came, I conquered, I coredumped
    45. Re: We need more guns by Nidi62 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Guns are not a silly hobby, they are an enshrined RIGHT. You are asking for something the government does not have the power to do.

      I see plenty of people cheering Trump on for trying to curb the enshrined right of freedom of speech of NFL players protesting. They seem to forget that symbolic speech is protected by the 1st Amendment. And while the government doesn't have the power to completely remove these rights, they do have the power to put reasonable checks on the exercise of those rights (it's ok to protest, but don't block streets; felons can't own firearms; automatic weapons should be heavily regulated, etc). Mandatory initial and annually recurring training (firearm safety, laws, and basic marksmanship) is an obvious control that should be put on firearms and, while it wouldn't stop incidents like this one in Vegas, would certainly reduce the number of accidental gun deaths every year.

      --
      The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
    46. Re:We need more guns by hey! · · Score: 2

      We just have to resign ourselves to the fact that this is the trade-off we've chosen. The universe doesn't owe us solutions that make us completely happy. The best you usually get is some kind of utilitarian trade-off.

      Events like this are the price of your enjoyment of your
      being able to enjoy high-power semi-automatic weapons with large, interchangeable magazines. That doesn't make what happened here you fault in any way; given that what happened here is possible you might as well go ahead and enjoy yourself. But where one thing is possible the other is also.

      So here's the trade-off: in return for your being able to indulge responsibly in what is a perfectly innocent hobby, someone you don't know is going to die or be injured in a horrific incident like this.

      And don't give me any good-guy-with-a-gun BS; it's not that it never happens, but it only happens often enough to be worth factoring into policy in fantasies. Both sides of the gun control debate are statistically irrational; your chance of being murdered today is near a historic low. And buying a gun with a 30 round magazine because you might "need" is is like buying the FHM "100 Sexiest Women Alive" issue because you might want to have sex with one of them.

      So it really boils down to philosophy, not security. What we are willing to give up (or force other people to give up) in order to prevent a few rare and horrible events?

      --
      Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
    47. Re:We need more guns by jacekm · · Score: 1

      We do not know yet if the weapon used in this crime was legal. If it wasn't your "toughening" of the laws would do nothing to stop this particular case. With the upcoming 3D printing technologies it might be easy to print a gun in 10 years or so regardless of the laws. Also any nut case can construct improvised explosive device from pretty much household chemicals. Such device placed in the crowd would take more than 50 lives. We have seen this in Iraq. Coming from opressive communist country I can see certain advantages of public to have a right to be armed.

    48. Re:We need more guns by ScentCone · · Score: 1

      Lets face it.. if killing 20 toddlers in a school did not change the laws

      Right. Because it was ALREADY illegal for the crazy person who did that to have the guns, and he killed the person who legally owned them in order to take them and go kill people. You were hoping that the laws on the books that made everything about his actions illegal were made to make his actions MORE illegal? It's hard to make the fact that he murdered the gun owner and took the guns somehow ... more illegal.

      --
      Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
    49. Re:We need more guns by cayenne8 · · Score: 1

      The problem for the gun advocates is they campaigning for a minimum level of gun violence, yet they never tell us what that minimum level is,

      Well, there is no way to give that number.

      The ONLY way you will get the number of gun deaths to 0, would be to immediately ban all guns, and ammunition sales, And the confiscate all existing firearms and ammo from the citizenry.

      Now....do you realistically see that ever happening in the US, where private arms ownership is a full amendment to the US Constitution, from which all law is driven?

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    50. Re: We need more guns by Captain+Splendid · · Score: 1

      The car argument would be great if it weren't much easier to obtain a gun than a driver's license in most places.

      --
      Linux, you magnificent bastard, I read the fucking manual!
    51. Re:We need more guns by Triklyn · · Score: 1

      the fundamental purpose of the right to bear arms, is to resist government tyranny. everything else is nice and all, defense and hunting. but fundamentally, it's to stop government tyranny. that doesn't change regardless of tragedy.

      to paraphrase shapiro, it's because his grandparents didn't think tyranny was possible that they are now ashes.

      the america character was once, and still is for many, that the ultimate guarantor of your liberties is you.

    52. Re: We need more guns by dave420 · · Score: 1

      This is the thing, though: It's easy enough to stop cars from running people over. It's also a lot harder to turn a cooker into a bomb than simply picking up the object you already have in your possession. It's a lot harder to make sure crowds of tens of thousands are protected against guns if people have guns everywhere, and any discussion about their inherent danger versus their relative lack of use (compared to cars and cooking pots) if they continue to be fetishized. If we could have a sensible discussion where guns are not elevated above all other utensils, we might get to the bottom of this.

    53. Re: We need more guns by Kohath · · Score: 1

      How about we decide not to target innocent people who buy pressure cookers? Or say different prayers? Or have the wrong color? Or own a gun? Or drive a truck? Or are different than us?

      Let's just not send the police after innocent people at all.

    54. Re:We need more guns by eth1 · · Score: 1

      No, that's the old way. In a modern world, automated guns are placed at the corner of every street. It will open fire at everything that sounds like a gunshot. The only way to stop shootings like this. And it will make the excuse "guns don't kill people, people do" invalid. Developing, installing and maintaining such automated guns will also create a lot of jobs. It's gonna be great.

      Lots and lots of jobs... Since firing at "everything that sounds like a gunshot" would, of course, mean they'd decimate each other the first time one of them opened fire, necessitating the replacement of all of them...

      The shareholders of the manufacturer would probably go around trolling the systems with firecrackers.

    55. Re: We need more guns by cayenne8 · · Score: 1

      The car argument would be great if it weren't much easier to obtain a gun than a driver's license in most places.

      Well, there's not laws saying you have to have a license to drive or buy a car if you are only going to be using it on private land.

      You get a drivers license to prove you know how to drive on roads crowded with other folks driving cars.

      I believe it is illegal to discharge a weapon in public in most places (cities, towns, etc) that is not on a private range set up specifically for such activity.

      And it is illegal to use either a gun or a motorized vehicle to murder another human being...both have laws covering both activities with either tool. Fortunately, most people are sane and do not use either to murder people.

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    56. Re:We need more guns by Triklyn · · Score: 1

      most gun fatalities are from handguns

    57. Re: We need more guns by msauve · · Score: 1

      You don't need a driver's license to buy a car, and the lack of a driver's license isn't going to stop someone intent on driving into a crowd.

      --
      "National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
    58. Re:We need more guns by newdsfornerds · · Score: 1

      Right, because there is no advantage to being far above your target as opposed to being far below your target.

      --
      Damping absorbs vibrations. Dampening is caused by moisture.
    59. Re:We need more guns by jeff4747 · · Score: 5, Informative

      The NRA has fought multiple lawsuits so that blind people could buy guns. And not "legally blind" where they just have very bad eyesight. People who can't even see light and dark.

      On the mental health front, the NRA has fought to prevent any restrictions until the person is institutionalized or legally declared insane. Therapist is concerned about a patient's suicidal ideation and repeated statements that the patient want to "take out" people with their arsenal? The NRA has fought very hard against efforts to do anything with that arsenal. Including fighting against being able to go to a court in an attempt to get that arsenal away from the crazy person.

      The NRA tells a story about keeping guns away from crazy people, and then fights very hard to prevent people from being declared crazy. You've only listened to the first part, and haven't looked at their actions surrounding the second.

    60. Re:We need more guns by cayenne8 · · Score: 5, Informative

      The US gun lobby doesn't even want to restrict sales to those who already have mental health issues.

      I think the problem with most laws that have been put forth for removing a person's 2nd amendment right, for reasons of such things as mental illness, spousal abuse, etc....is that they are set up such that it immediately removes the rights from the accused, and leaves little if no rights to due process for that person to either defend themselves against the charges or have those rights restored once remediation steps have been made.

      But they way most of these laws have been written, mere accusation by a disgruntled spouse or any party that may have a grudge against the accused, causes the accused to immediately have their rights revoked and allow to have their property confiscated. Basically they laws proposed have made you guilty until proven innocent.

      We don't like that with any other of the amendments in the constitution, why should we be so willing to allow it for the 2nd?

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    61. Re: We need more guns by Bodhammer · · Score: 1

      Actually, everyone is guilty. https://kottke.org/13/06/you-c...

      --
      "I say we take off, nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure."
    62. Re:We need more guns by bleh-of-the-huns · · Score: 1

      If you had taken the time to read some of my other statements, you would note that I am not calling for a ban on guns outright, only meaningful laws and regulation related to gun control. Will that end all gun violence, no, would it reduce it significantly, my guess would be yes, but we will never know till something changes.

      In this particular case, had the owner secured their weapons appropriately, the shooter may not have been able to get a hold of them. Now could the shooter have gone somewhere else, sure, was there any way to prevent this tragedy, as it stood then, no, there were already too may legal firearms out in the open. But with current gun laws, it is difficult to hold the legal owner of a firearm liable when their weapon is taken from them and used in a crime. They just have to report is stolen and they are free of any guilt, even though it was stolen due to their own negligence. In the event they did have it locked up and secured, then yes, they were responsible and the thief was determined, so they are no longer liable, but most stolen weapons are ones that were secured poorly or not at all. Time to start holding those people responsible.

      --
      I came, I conquered, I coredumped
    63. Re: We need more guns by Kohath · · Score: 4, Informative

      Except your silly idea means we do not take any preventative action

      Yeah, systems that protect innocent people have that drawback. Totalitarianism is much more straightforward -- you just do whatever you want, prevent anything, without considering innocence or guilt.

    64. Re:We need more guns by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      Every industry association, trade group, owners' groups, sporting group ... ALL of them ... call loudly and routinely for the prevention of mentally unfit people obtaining firearms, and for the rigorous prosecution of anybody that participates in knowingly being part of providing a gun to someone like that

      Well, not exactly.

      https://www.usatoday.com/story...

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    65. Re:We need more guns by jeff4747 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      t's a sad truth, but a reality because in the US, money reigns supreme, and the NRA has a metric shit ton of money that they throw around

      Actually, the NRA has two things. Money is one of them, as you have said.

      The second is a rabid following who will vote for anything that the NRA says is gun control. No matter what else that particular politician does.

      Politician A fights to keep your industry alive, lower your taxes, rebuild the roads you drive on every day, but wants concealed carry to require a permit.
      Politician B fights to end your job, raise your taxes and destroy all infrastructure, punch you in the face every Tuesday, but wants concealed carry without a permit.

      NRA supporters will always vote for Politician B. No matter how much they are hurt by all the rest of the policies.

    66. Re:We need more guns by bleh-of-the-huns · · Score: 1

      Yes they are used in sports, and hunting, and what not. But their purpose, intent and design is to kill (note I never said people as the intended target). When they were first invented, sport was not something they had in mind. The framers of the 2nd amendment were not exactly thinking of firearms as a sportsman tool, it was a weapon. And if you saw some of my other comments, I actually stated as much, that I enjoy shooting and grew up with guns. So I am not anti gun. I was just taking apart the OP's comment that I responded to that a trucks initial design is not as a weapon, however a firearms design is, therefore you cannot compare the 2

      --
      I came, I conquered, I coredumped
    67. Re:We need more guns by cayenne8 · · Score: 1, Informative

      It's a sad truth, but a reality because in the US, money reigns supreme, and the NRA has a metric shit ton of money that they throw around

      And exactly where do you think the NRA gets its money? Yep, you guessed, it, from US citizens that want their interest protected, just like any other lobby for congress.

      That just shows there are plenty of folks in the US that wish to have their 2nd amendment rights protected.

      Did you know that the CDC is not permitted to research gun violence

      Hmm....CDC == Center for Disease Control.....ok, I'm trying to figure out why the CDC would be the organization to study gun violence....I mean, what disease is gun violence caused by?

      Are you saying that gun violence is bacterial or viral or something?

      That would be as silly as having NASA promote Islamic awareness issues.....but...err....wait.

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    68. Re:We need more guns by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

      Exactly.
      "On January 8, 2011, just a week into her third term, Giffords was a victim of an assassination attempt near Tucson" From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

      A bystander (A) with a handgun overwhelmed the assassin.
      Another bystander(B), who was not as close, assumed A was the assassin and tried to kill or disarm him.
      The misunderstanding was just resolved at the last moment.

      If you are close to the action, and have the nerves, the skills and the opportunity, you can likely positively interfere.

      As soon as you are more than 30 meters away, you most likely become part of the problem very quickly.

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
    69. Re:We need more guns by jeff4747 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      There is one way to get more gun control in the US.

      Hand out assault rifles to Black Lives Matter protesters. Gun control laws would suddenly become very, very important to many of the people who are horrified by gun control today.

    70. Re:We need more guns by hey! · · Score: 1

      Especially if you count suicides. But when we're talking mass shootings, long guns with very large magazines are more common, and when we're talking about mass sniping, handguns aren't a factor at all.

      There is really only one radical (and bound to be unpopular) thing you could do to reduce the harm created by mass shootings: ban detachable magazines. It would take a long time to have any measurable effect given the number of guns that use them currently in circulation, but in any case we're talking about rare events, relative to population size.

      --
      Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
    71. Re: We need more guns by cb88 · · Score: 1, Insightful

      "So, to get a full auto weapon, the supply is limited to what was manufactured prior to this date"

      Its more like to get a LEGAL full auto weapon... illegally is another story and there is basically nothing that can be done to stop people from illegally proliferating full auto weapons as they are pretty low tech to begin with.... even a shoestring can be used as a delay mechanism to make some semi-autos into a full auto (and for a short while a shoestring was classified as a full auto machine gun as retarded as that is).

      The real solution is to stop being afraid of guns, be ready if your time comes... because it's coming someday guns or no, and America wouldn't be what it is without guns, we would have been overthrown by the Communist Japanese 80 years ago... and we probably wouldn't exist and the world certainly wouldn't be as free as it is. The solution is if you are friend of the family of someone that was killed, or injured see if there is anything you can do for them just be a good person and quite trying to change the world into something idealistic... every time someone tries that millions die or end up as essentially slaves to their government, because you can't be idealistic as long as humans are humans, you must have a system of checks and balances and guns in the hands of citizens are one of them.

    72. Re:We need more guns by Khyber · · Score: 1

      "The only type of person capable of taking out that shooter from the crowd at the critical moment would be a fully trained and equipped sniper with combat experience"

      Wrong. Hunters regularly pull off 300+ yard shots all the time with a piddly .30-06.

      --
      Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
    73. Re:We need more guns by dunkelfalke · · Score: 1

      Apparently you don't know the difference between a disease and a infection. Gun violence may very well be caused by some mental disease and honestly, mentally ill people should not have access to firearms.

      --
      "It's such a fine line between stupid and clever" -- David St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap
    74. Re: We need more guns by cayenne8 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      It's easy enough to stop cars from running people over.

      Tell that to all the dead people in EU that have been victim of being killed by a terrorist using a motorized vehicle as a weapon.

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    75. Re:We need more guns by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 1

      It's controlled by AI, similar to how self-driving cars work.

    76. Re:We need more guns by Triklyn · · Score: 2

      50 dead is 3.5 weeks in chicago.

    77. Re:We need more guns by mark-t · · Score: 1

      I think the idea would be that nobody would control them... they would deterministically respond to any situations that warranted action occurring in the immediate vicinity.

      The question really would be who controls the placement of these guns.

    78. Re:We need more guns by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 1

      The storm drains on the street would help a lot, removing the need to mop up a lot of blood.

    79. Re:We need more guns by Graydyn+Young · · Score: 2

      No Alexa, that guy!

    80. Re: We need more guns by Triklyn · · Score: 1

      wait... that argument seems pretty damn close to racial profiling. i'm not sure if you wanted to go in that direction, but sure. lets look at demographics and paint them all with additional scrutiny and stop and frisk.

    81. Re:We need more guns by mark-t · · Score: 1

      Don't be ridiculous.... they'd run out of ammunition.

    82. Re:We need more guns by Archangel+Michael · · Score: 1

      Yeah, never mind that pesky 2nd Amendment and all the court decisions holding it up. What we need are more crappy judges who write their own laws arbitrarily abrogating the liberties of the people because the left can't actually get laws passed that make sane sense.

      Filed under the "you have to pass it to see whats in it".

      --
      Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
    83. Re:We need more guns by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 5, Interesting

      The best news article I have seen so far come out of this tragedy is this guy who didn't duck down, and instead drank his beer and looked to spot the shooter, then gave him the finger.

      Brave, stupid, and conveying a message from all of us.

    84. Re: We need more guns by DulcetTone · · Score: 1

      Witholding access to firearms from unstable people is too much to ask?

      Perhaps you can outline the issues you have with asking drivers to take a vision test?

      --
      tone
    85. Re:We need more guns by arth1 · · Score: 1

      Those are very rare. If anybody is interested, look up "defensive gun uses". The number of estimated defensive gun uses in the US ranges all the way from 80,000 to 2.4 million per year, to prevent bodily harm or death.

      Don't forget to subtract the numbers for documented harm by firearms from the numbers for allegedly prevented harm.

      More Americans have died from domestic firearms than the total number of American deaths in every war and conflict the US has ever fought, combined. Of the more than 11,500 firearm deaths so far this year, only around 1,500 claim to be defensive.
      Is a seven times higher risk of being killed than of using it for defense a good bargain?

    86. Re:We need more guns by epine · · Score: 3, Insightful

      It is lack of motivation by our base.

      Consistently high cortisol levels and an overactive amygdala turns people into joiners. It's a safety reflex to run with your own crowd.

      My politics are the politics of less cortisol, and I'm not especially keen to sign up to anyone else's mindless, group-thinking base.

      Fear is a weird thing. Having your gun taken away: soul destroying. Trump negotiating with North Korea: mild anxiety. Not only do you have to whip up fear to mobilize your base, but it also has to be fear of something puny, yet personal.

    87. Re:We need more guns by Train0987 · · Score: 1

      "The NRA has fought multiple lawsuits so that blind people could buy guns. "

      That is another lie. Do you guys even look this stuff up before going off the rails with it?

    88. Re: We need more guns by Kohath · · Score: 2

      Witholding access to firearms from unstable people is too much to ask?

      As long as there's legal due process, no.

    89. Re:We need more guns by cayenne8 · · Score: 1

      Essential Liberty != allowing mentally ill people to purchase automatic weapons

      I seriously doubt a mentally ill person could legally purchase a full auto weapon.

      He'd have to pass the background check by the feds which takes easily 9mos at the shortest, and pay the $200 tax stamp...AND...have no less than about $15-$20K to buy the cheapest of full auto weapons out there on the market. Which I can assure you, would not be really effective a more than say 100 yards...at least not with aiming.

      People like yourself keep conflating "scary" looking semi-automatic weapons, with fully automatic weapons which are very short supply and VERY difficult and expensive to acquire legally.

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    90. Re:We need more guns by Rockoon · · Score: 1

      It is their members who show up without fail to every election. Especially the low turn out local elections.

      Another group that show up at every election are the old religious people, people that are not uncomfortable with guns being around.

      And for every NRA member there are many other gun owners that are not NRA members.

      --
      "His name was James Damore."
    91. Re: We need more guns by the_saint1138 · · Score: 2

      As the other poster said, it's not really easy to stop cars from running people over. Happens all the time (usually not intentionally).

      Also, it's not hard to turn a pressure cooker into a bomb as you're claiming.
      From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...: "Pressure cooker bombs are relatively easy to construct".
      High explosives (like TNT, C4) are not required and low explosives can be used (gasoline, gunpowder), which is part of the reason for how easy they are to make.

    92. Re:We need more guns by eth1 · · Score: 1

      The problem for the gun advocates is they campaigning for a minimum level of gun violence, yet they never tell us what that minimum level is, or how to keep normal people from buying guns, losing their minds, and then killing off a bunch of the rest of us. And if you have ever spent time with the mentally ill, you'd realize a good many of them can come off normal for everyday life. There's a percentage that will go all the way down the rat hole. Some will even take their medication on the way down.

      If someone has lost their mind, and is intent on killing a bunch of people, whether or not they have access to firearms makes no difference. At that point, there's almost certainly going to be some minimum level of violence that happens before they can be stopped. Don't have guns? Build a bomb. Can't do that? Just call in a fake bomb threat to the local elementary, and drive your car through the crowd when they come out.

      The sad truth is that you can't stop that sort of behavior, no matter what you do, so please don't trample everyone else's rights with futile attempts. Universal access to cheap mental healthcare would probably be the most help, but still won't fix everyone (and remember, if someone thinks that accessing said mental healthcare will force them to give up their own rights, they might not get help).

    93. Re:We need more guns by Solandri · · Score: 1

      He had a helluva lot more options than truck and gun. I won't mention the myriad of other options so as not to give people ideas. But some of them could've easily killed hundreds if not thousands at a concert/gathering like this.

      If the only options you can think of are trucks and guns, then you're still stuck in the good guy obedient citizen mentality. Before 9/11, the Philippines police cracked a terrorist cell which included papers and computer documents about a plot to hijack airliners and fly them into buildings. When I heard that on the news, I dismissed it as the Philippines police grandstanding and trying to exaggerate their bust. I had a good guy obedient citizen mentality back then, and the concept of someone willfully flying an airliner full of people into a building full of people was simply unthinkable to me at the time. "Unthinkable" was a word I didn't truly understand until 9/11, and I realized the Philippines police had been right all along. And I had stupidly refused to see the obvious truth because my good guy obedient citizen blinders made it unthinkable.

      Stop trying to blame the objects. Blame the person for once. Understand that people doing things like this aren't good people who were tempted by the allure of evil objects into committing these heinous acts. They are evil or mentally unstable people, whose sole goal, whose sole driving purpose before committing these acts was to kill as many people as possible. The objects were merely a tool, a means to fulfill that intent. Once you understand that, then you can start thinking like they do about ways to carry out their schemes. And you'll realize that there are a hopelessly endless number of ways for them to carry out their intentions for us to successfully fight them by playing whack-a-mole and simply banning potentially deadly object with legitimate alternate uses.

    94. Re:We need more guns by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 1

      Those are brown people in Chicago, who the folks on the left don't consider as important. It is necessary to capitalize on incidents like this involving white deaths to prevent people from noticing that a place like Chicago with some of the strictest gun control laws, is where many, many brown people kill each other.

      If you are a young male person-of-color you are much much MUCH more likely to be killed by a fellow young male person-of-color than a police officer.

    95. Re:We need more guns by jandrese · · Score: 1

      I was actually thinking about this on the way into work today. Assuming people in the crowd were armed it would have been with handguns. The shooter was a good city block away up high in a hotel. What are the odds people returning fire would have been able to score a hit on the shooter without hitting people in adjacent hotel rooms? This of course assumes they could figure out where the shooter is in the first place. Snipers are notoriously difficult to spot.

      In my opinion the odds that return fire would have done anything except make the situation worse are extremely remote.

      --

      I read the internet for the articles.
    96. Re:We need more guns by Mr_Silver · · Score: 1

      The cure is worse than the disease in America's case. There are three possible treatments:

      1. Stronger controls on guns
      2. Free, high quality mental healthcare

      Sorry but a swift (and rather basic) Google search can point you to a trove of articles that dispel the myth that mental illness is strongly associated with gun crime

      For example:

      Yet surprisingly little population-level evidence supports the notion that individuals diagnosed with mental illness are more likely than anyone else to commit gun crimes. According to Appelbaum, less than 3% to 5% of US crimes involve people with mental illness, and the percentages of crimes that involve guns are lower than the national average for persons not diagnosed with mental illness. Databases that track gun homicides, such as the National Center for Health Statistics, similarly show that fewer than 5% of the 120 000 gun-related killings in the United States between 2001 and 2010 were perpetrated by people diagnosed with mental illness.

      source

      --
      Avantslash - View Slashdot cleanly on your mobile phone.
    97. Re: We need more guns by someone1234 · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Communist Japanese ??? Are you kidding or I miss something from American history?

      --
      Patents Drive Free Software as Hurricanes Drive Construction Industry
    98. Re:We need more guns by mrbester · · Score: 1

      At night, in a panicked crowd with bright lights dazzling the vision and no clear target or even indication of where the target vaguely is? Yeah, right. They're all Martin Riggs style superhumans. Do me a lemon.

      --
      "Wait. Something's happening. It's opening up! My God, it's full of apricots!"
    99. Re:We need more guns by fred6666 · · Score: 1

      The thing is, that person chose guns. Probably because it's what that person thought would be the most effective, the most deadly, and with the highest chances of success. Why even allow that option in the first place?

      There aren't only less shootings. There are a lot less murders in other comparably rich and developed countries with more restrictive gun laws.

    100. Re:We need more guns by cayenne8 · · Score: 1

      Apparently you don't know the difference between a disease and a infection. Gun violence may very well be caused by some mental disease and honestly, mentally ill people should not have access to firearms.

      "Pissed off" isn't a disease as far as I know.

      I"m sure there are *some* mentally ill people that have gone out to kill people like this, but I doubt it is the majority of them. The ones that do likely are quite mentally stable, they just have some religious or political bent that pisses them off, or maybe it is a fit of passion.

      But I doubt most of them are mentally ill. Otherwise we'd have more people innocent by reason of insanity than serving time.

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    101. Re:We need more guns by denzacar · · Score: 1

      The question really would be who controls the placement of these guns.

      Placement? Oh come on...
      Put lighter, low caliber ones, on flying drones and heavier ones on a wheeled or tracked platform.

      It's only a temporary measure anyway, until proper humanoid and bird-like hunter-seeker units are developed.
      Sure... early models will be ugly and have rubber skin... but that's a small price to pay for security of our children.

      --
      Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
    102. Re:We need more guns by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 1

      It's gonna be great.

      Until one of the gun fires and another automated gun that shoots at everything that sounds like a gunshot destroys it, only to be destroyed by another automated gun that shoots at everything that sounds like a gunshot, only to be destroyed by another automated gun that shoots at everything that sounds like a gunshot...

      --
      Ezekiel 23:20
    103. Re:We need more guns by denzacar · · Score: 1

      The one in a hat! THE ONE IN A RED HAT!!!

      Bad Alexa! Bad!

      --
      Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
    104. Re:We need more guns by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 1

      If your laptop or your cellphone was stolen, and the person who stole it used it to hack a bank, and $450,000 was stolen and never recovered, should you be liable because you didn't have the door of your car locked and the windows rolled up?

    105. Re:We need more guns by denzacar · · Score: 1

      Clearly, lasers are the way to go.

      --
      Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
    106. Re: We need more guns by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 1

      Your "silly" computing "hobby" was just used to breach Equifax.

      I sincerely doubt that any of my computing hobby activities bears any resemblance to what happened at Equifax greater than a gun bears to a hairdryer.

      --
      Ezekiel 23:20
    107. Re:We need more guns by Known+Nutter · · Score: 1

      Also worth noting here that reportedly the dude set the fire alarm off in his room, which led to him being located.

      --
      Beware of the Leopard.
    108. Re:We need more guns by Arashi256 · · Score: 1

      I am not American but yeah - I thought after Sandy Hook something would be done, that surely, *surely* 20 toddlers being gunned down in cold blood would change american attitudes to guns. But no - all that happened was that a bunch of people thought it was a conspiracy and nobody died at all and that it was a huge government cover-up to take away their guns. To the point where there's hate campaigns against grieving parents of murdered children. You can't fight that kind of fever. I assume it's just too embedded in the society to remove, regardless of the consequences. My sympathies for your next entirely preventable tragedy, America.

    109. Re:We need more guns by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 2

      Dear Alexa Support,

      This morning I asked Alexa "Who's that Guy" and it misinterpreted what I said as "shoot that Guy". This is problematic for me because I now have a dead Jehovah's witness on my doorstep. I guess what I'm asking is... can I have a refund for my Alexa?

      --
      "That's the way to do it" - Punch
    110. Re:We need more guns by denzacar · · Score: 1

      Since firing at "everything that sounds like a gunshot" would, of course, mean they'd decimate each other the first time one of them opened fire, necessitating the replacement of all of them...

      That's what frangible ammo is for.
      Saves you a fortune in repair costs on your drones. Just slap a new coat of paint on its metal exterior and it's good to go!

      --
      Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
    111. Re:We need more guns by harlequinn · · Score: 1

      No. A firearm's purpose is to accelerate a projectile to high velocity. I'm not being facetious, this is the actual purpose. The projectile that is fired from the firearm has whatever designated purpose the operator decides it will be used for. So if the operator decides to shoot at a piece of paper or steel then that is the purpose of that projectile.

    112. Re:We need more guns by Dan667 · · Score: 1

      The real problem is this guy was mentally ill or radicalized, but that is a tough problem to solve so instead we get to hear yet again about a wedge issue that politicians can exploit to get money and power.

    113. Re:We need more guns by deadwill69 · · Score: 1

      A few comments:

      A 30-06 is not piddly It has been used to attain confirmed kills past 1000 yds.
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
      Hathcock's second-longest confirmed kill was 1200 yards (1097 m) using a "standard" USMC sniper rifle chambered in .30-06 Springfield

      A few hunters do regularly pull off shots at 300+ yds. This is not the norm. Most hunters rarely fire over 100 yds. They are calm and have every advantage on their side. Now add someone shooting back. It adds a whole level of stress and add the fact you have to find them.

      It you are not "combat experienced" or have a high level of military/SWAT training you will not even be able to find the target, let alone have enough where-with-all to be able to aim and place an accurate shot. Most military and law enforcement train for this. And they usually use a piddly 30-06 or the even more piddly .308 (7.62 x 51mm which has a confirmed kill at 1,367 yds)

    114. Re:We need more guns by Grishnakh · · Score: 1

      They just have to report is stolen and they are free of any guilt, even though it was stolen due to their own negligence. In the event they did have it locked up and secured, then yes, they were responsible and the thief was determined, so they are no longer liable, but most stolen weapons are ones that were secured poorly or not at all. Time to start holding those people responsible.

      Maybe I'm wrong here, but while reporting the gun stolen may absolve someone of *criminal* liability, I don't think it prevents them from being sued by victims or the victims' families.

      Of course, in the case of Sandy Hook, the idiot mother was killed by her son so she wasn't alive to sue afterwards. Plus, the type of people who own guns usually don't have that much in the way of assets to be sued for: taking the negligent gun owner's trailer home and 1980s-era pickup truck isn't going to even pay for their legal fees, and I'm not sure they'd even be able to collect that much (IANAL, but I don't think you can make someone homeless with a court judgment, even if you wanted to for revenge).

    115. Re:We need more guns by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 1

      Some of us would be satisfied with the corpse of the shooter being hung out to dry in the sun, where the crows can pick at it.

    116. Re:We need more guns by tehcyder · · Score: 1

      Murdering a load of random strangers is by definition a sign of some sort of psychotic breakdown.

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
    117. Re:We need more guns by TheRaven64 · · Score: 2

      If you want to fight tyranny then the biggest thing that you need to prevent is centralised (government, private, or corporate) control over distribution of information. Keeping small arms in circulation doesn't appear to do anything to prevent this.

      --
      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
    118. Re:We need more guns by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      I guess the points to consider are:

      - 5% diagnosed with a mental illness. How many undiagnosed? If you don't have free high quality mental healthcare and a culture that finds mental health embarrassing and discourages males in particular from seeking help, you might well find that your diagnosis rate is low.

      - 120,000 gun related killings, but 175,000 gun related suicides. Most suicides are the result of mental illness.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    119. Re:We need more guns by Baloroth · · Score: 1

      People killed, or people killed per capita? People often like to cite the former, as if the US isn't the 3rd most populous country in the world and compare it to, say, France, which has 1/5th the number of people. The US isn't at the top for the latter, countries like Finland and Norway actually lead, and that's even if you ignore terrorist attacks. Mind you, the US definitely does have a problem with gun violence and mass shootings, and a fairly bad one, but not as bad as anti-gun activists would have you believe.

      Also, gun control doesn't do much to stop deliberate pre-meditated attacks, which this one sounds like to me (either that or he really, really hated Kei$ha).

      --
      "None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license." --John Milton
    120. Re:We need more guns by hey! · · Score: 1

      Yes, but Chicago is an enormous city; if you add up the homicides over the course of the year and divide by population, it has nowhere near the top murder rate in the country. In fact it doesn't even crack the top 30.

      This is the problem with people's use of statistics: they still react emotionally to the most provocative arrangement of the facts.

      --
      Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
    121. Re: We need more guns by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 2

      Guns are designed to kill things, and that's pretty much their only use.

      News Flash: killing things is a big part of the process of life.

      In fact, in said process, everything eventually dies.

    122. Re: We need more guns by Kohath · · Score: 1

      I sincerely doubt that any of my computing hobby activities bears any resemblance to what happened at Equifax...

      Just as regular gun owners' activities are not like these mass shootings.

    123. Re:We need more guns by clickety6 · · Score: 3, Informative
      They did put out a video advocating that blind people should be allowed to by guns for their own use. Even those without Daredevil like supersenses...:

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

      --
      ----------------------------------- My Other Sig Is Hilarious -----------------------------------
    124. Re: We need more guns by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 1

      The Japanese-Americans in the internment camps did sometimes eat food prepared in communal kitchens.

    125. Re: We need more guns by WolfWithoutAClause · · Score: 1

      He could have done pretty much the same thing with large magazine semiautomatic rifles though. Firing rate would have been lower, but not stupidly so.

      --

      -WolfWithoutAClause

      "Gravity is only a theory, not a fact!"
    126. Re: We need more guns by Kohath · · Score: 2

      The difference is that computers are designed for innocent use

      Self defense is innocent use.

    127. Re:We need more guns by WrongMonkey · · Score: 1

      Do you see what kind of slippery slope you would create if a therapist's concern could be sufficient to revoke a constitutional right? The problem, if you call it that, is the right to bear arms is a constitutional right and any method to circumvent that could be equally applied to circumvent other rights.

    128. Re:We need more guns by goose-incarnated · · Score: 1

      t's a sad truth, but a reality because in the US, money reigns supreme, and the NRA has a metric shit ton of money that they throw around

      Actually, the NRA has two things. Money is one of them, as you have said.

      The second is a rabid following who will vote for anything that the NRA says is gun control. No matter what else that particular politician does.

      Politician A fights to keep your industry alive, lower your taxes, rebuild the roads you drive on every day, but wants concealed carry to require a permit. Politician B fights to end your job, raise your taxes and destroy all infrastructure, punch you in the face every Tuesday, but wants concealed carry without a permit.

      NRA supporters will always vote for Politician B. No matter how much they are hurt by all the rest of the policies.

      Then politician A had better changes his stance and accept that it is the collective will will the people.

      --
      I'm a minority race. Save your vitriol for white people.
    129. Re: We need more guns by WolfWithoutAClause · · Score: 2

      I find that the question isn't "can these things be completely prevented", the question is: "how can we greatly reduce the incidence of mass shootings"? Countries like the UK and New Zealand have low incidences of these kinds of events, whereas America's incidence is very high. Having sensible laws that make it difficult for lone nuts getting hold of large magazine weapons is pretty effective.

      --

      -WolfWithoutAClause

      "Gravity is only a theory, not a fact!"
    130. Re: We need more guns by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 2

      I hope he gets prosecuted for this.

      I sure hope to hell is never gets prosecuted for it. There are many of us (a large majority?), those who voted for Trump and those opposed to him, who wish he would close his Twitter account. However, nothing he has posted, ever, on his twitter account rises to the level where it should be prosecuted.

      A country where said prosecution could happen isn't America.

      (respondents are encouraged to cite all sorts of cases and instances where my 'America' sentence can be used to ridicule me. There is always a need for more fertilizer.)

    131. Re:We need more guns by WrongMonkey · · Score: 2

      Like that Black Lives Matter supporter who shot 5 cops in Dallas? That was a year ago and still have seen any new support for gun control.

    132. Re:We need more guns by Curunir_wolf · · Score: 1

      Except in this case, the automatic weapon the shooter used was already illegal. So what laws would have prevented this shooting? Existing gun laws were broken. The NRA even supports the restrictions on automatic weapons, and they are not advocating for having them loosened.

      because the NRA has effectively blocked federal funding into any gun research.

      This is also false. The restriction you're referring to is an advocating restriction. All it says is that federal funding cannot be used to advocate for any political position, including gun rights / restrictions. I think that's a good rule. It also means that the Department of Energy cannot use tax dollars to advocate for more oil wells or gas fracking.

      Pointless rant is pointless.

      --
      "Somebody has to do something. It's just incredibly pathetic it has to be us."
      --- Jerry Garcia
    133. Re: We need more guns by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 1

      It's too late for Obama to end up on the half dollar, much as your scenario might encourage optimism.

    134. Re:We need more guns by hey! · · Score: 1

      Trying to have it both ways, are you? It's the liberals who are racist; you're just someone who sanctimoniously believes that "the blacks" deserve to die because they're doing it to themselves.

      Well, if you are a white person you are much more likely to be killed by white people. "Black on black" crime is a product of the same factors that drive white on white crime: de facto segregation. And while it's true black on black crime is a little more common than white on white crime, the effect disappears if you control by economic class.

      I went to school with a lot of guys from South Boston. Southie has become a kind of a movie cliche; most of the people there are perfectly normal. The kernel of truth in the movie myth, though, is that there are a bunch of guys (white guys) who are disturbingly violent. When I was a kid I used to walk by an auto shop on my way to the MDC pool. Years later it came out the Irish Mob used to chop people up and dissolve them in acid there.

      But nobody says, "Those white people are animals.". They understand the "thugs" are outliers. In fact, those thugs are often held up as folk heroes, which is really no different than what happens on the black side of the house.

      --
      Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
    135. Re:We need more guns by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 1

      If this guy had had a gun ready, it's possible only half as many people would have died at the concert.

    136. Re:We need more guns by tehcyder · · Score: 1

      "The only type of person capable of taking out that shooter from the crowd at the critical moment would be a fully trained and equipped sniper with combat experience"

      Wrong. Hunters regularly pull off 300+ yard shots all the time with a piddly .30-06.

      Generally the deer aren't firing back and dropping bodies round you.

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
    137. Re:We need more guns by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

      Sadly, even that level of arms is illegal to carry in much of the US...

      --
      Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
    138. Re:We need more guns by ScentCone · · Score: 1

      Plus, the type of people who own guns usually don't have that much in the way of assets to be sued for

      Hilarious.

      Let me guess: you still can't figure out why the Democrats (who talk like that about everyone who doesn't live in NY or CA) have lost nearly a thousand legislative seats, most of the governorships, both houses of congress, the White House, by association the Supreme Court, and millions of two-time Obama voters who actually finally got tired of that sort of snarky, condescending, patronizing crap that doesn't reflect reality. If you really think that "the type of people who own guns" aren't every bit as likely to own homes, cars, mutual funds, and all the rest as people who don't, then you embody exactly the sort of cluelessness that has been governing lefty politics in this country for long enough to have trashed the left's national political power. Please, keep it up. That sort of ignorant, mocking derision is just going to help even more over the next couple of election cycles. Let me guess, you also use the word "deplorables" when talking about the people who fix your car, grow your food, or build your home, right? Stupid people in flyover country are stupid, right? Regardless, a trip to the range around here will find you mixed in with business owners using $30,000 shotguns, professionals who like to target shoot, real estate agents who carry for self defense, and the like.

      If you're going to remain that ignorant, please don't endanger the rest of us by doing reckless things like voting based on what you think of other people.

      --
      Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
    139. Re: We need more guns by ckatko · · Score: 1

      This is really insightful.

      If we were talking about terrorism, people here would NOT be for banning all Muslims. It's not the good Muslims fault the bad ones are blowing people up.

      But guns? All a sudden the logic is reversed and it's okay to take them away from innocents. Unless they're Muslim, then once again it's racist.

      I'd find it easy to vote for a party if they could pick a fucking stance and stick with it.

    140. Re:We need more guns by ljw1004 · · Score: 1

      ["The US gun lobby doesn't even want to restrict sales to those who already have mental health issues."]
      That's just simply a lie. And you know it. So the question is, what do you hope to achieve by lying?

      I'm not sure how accusations of lying help this discussion.

      View1: We've seen various mass shootings, and a bunch of individual shootings, from individuals who in retrospect weren't quite right in the head. Maybe they were seeing a psychiatrist or psychologist for something. The current federal laws prevent firearm ownership only for people who have been "adjudicated as a mental defective or has been committed to any mental institution" and states have their own spin on it. I think we should draw the line back so more kinds of mental illness would prohibit firearm ownership. This is what Obama did by preventing some people on Social Security disabilities for psychiatric illness from owning firearms -- a move which the NRA called an "unconstitutional gun grab".

      View2: Sure the line has to be drawn somewhere. The line we currently draw is a good one. It really should take an official court ruling that someone is mentally defective before we start taking away their constitutional rights to bear arms. (Likewise, it takes a court ruling to deprive people of their constitutional right to liberty by sending them to jail).

      I can see merit in both views.

      As for the sentence you quoted that "The US gun lobby doesn't even want to restrict sales to those who already have mental health issues"? -- well, the US gun lobby does want to restrict sales to SOME people who have mental health issues, and wants to NOT restrict sales to other people who have mental health issues but haven't yet been committed or adjudicated as mentally defective. So the sentence was literally true, and literally false, according to how you fill in the ambiguities in it. You chose to fill in the ambiguities in such a way to make it false, and then you accused the poster of lying. You could have chosen differently.

    141. Re: We need more guns by Barsteward · · Score: 1

      Gun ownership is an outdated right because civilised society doesn't have the need for guns everywhere, only at appropriate gun sport venues under lock and key until required for sport. .....

      --
      "The hands that help are better far than lips that pray." - Robert Ingersoll (1833-1899)
    142. Re:We need more guns by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

      The NRA has an annual budget of about $250 million. Michael Bloomberg, a leading anti-gun nut, has a net worth around $47 BILLION. Bloomberg alone can double the spending of the NRA annually with just 1% interest on his net worth. That is just one high-profile anti-gun nut. If the NRA has a metric shit-ton of money to throw around, the anti-gun crowd has 1000 metric shit-tons of money to throw around.

      --
      Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
    143. Re: We need more guns by Barsteward · · Score: 1

      as long as those innocent civilian registered gun owners have them locked up when not in use down the range.

      --
      "The hands that help are better far than lips that pray." - Robert Ingersoll (1833-1899)
    144. Re:We need more guns by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

      Walk down to your local firearm dealer and try to buy an automatic weapon. Go ahead. Let us know how it goes...

      --
      Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
    145. Re: We need more guns by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      Guns aren't very good for self defence though, are they? Countries where people generally don't own or carry guns tend to be a lot safer.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    146. Re:We need more guns by walterbyrd · · Score: 1

      Because if guns are illegal they would automatically disappear in a puff of smoke "poof." Just like that.

      The gun he used was already illegal.

    147. Re:We need more guns by dfenstrate · · Score: 1

      There is one way to get more gun control in the US.

      Hand out assault rifles to Black Lives Matter protesters. Gun control laws would suddenly become very, very important to many of the people who are horrified by gun control today.

      It's funny you say that, because the first gun control laws were aimed at disarming black people so they couldn't protect themselves from Klan violence.

      --
      Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms should be the name of a store, not a government agency.
    148. Re:We need more guns by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

      Murders per 100,000 puts Chicago at number 6. Now, I guess most of those murders COULD be done with weapons other than firearms, but I'd bet most were firearms. SO it's well into the top 30...

      --
      Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
    149. Re:We need more guns by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

      Unless it is considered carrying out the will of your god? I guess we can classify all religion as a psychotic breakdown, but how hard down the path to destroying the 1st Amendment do we want to go in an effort to finish destroying the 2nd?

      --
      Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
    150. Re:We need more guns by Curunir_wolf · · Score: 1

      The sole purpose of a gun is to kill and maim. It has no other purpose.

      When a small woman is set upon by a large attacker, that gun is also an equalizer. Guns save more lives than they take.

      --
      "Somebody has to do something. It's just incredibly pathetic it has to be us."
      --- Jerry Garcia
    151. Re:We need more guns by quantaman · · Score: 1

      Hmm....CDC == Center for Disease Control.....ok, I'm trying to figure out why the CDC would be the organization to study gun violence....I mean, what disease is gun violence caused by?

      From their website:
      CDC works 24/7 to protect America from health, safety and security threats, both foreign and in the U.S. Whether diseases start at home or abroad, are chronic or acute, curable or preventable, human error or deliberate attack, CDC fights disease and supports communities and citizens to do the same.

      And:
      CDC's Role:
      -Detecting and responding to new and emerging health threats
      -Tackling the biggest health problems causing death and disability for Americans
      -Putting science and advanced technology into action to prevent disease
      -Promoting healthy and safe behaviors, communities and environment
      -Developing leaders and training the public health workforce, including disease detectives
      -Taking the health pulse of our nation

      The CDC looks at big public health questions, understanding causes of gun violence is something they'd probably be good at for the same reasons they're looking at the Opiod epidemic.

      --
      I stole this Sig
    152. Re:We need more guns by GLMDesigns · · Score: 1

      what I heard was that they scuffled and while they were wrestling around he was shot in the abdomen,

      --
      If you're scared of your govt then you need to further restrict its powers
      Vote 3rd Party in 2016 and beyond
    153. Re: We need more guns by the_saint1138 · · Score: 1

      I agree that freedom of speech should absolutely be protected, but politically-motivated coercion is not simply "speech".

      If you agree that incitement to violence would be unprotected by the first amendment, then it follows that a public official threatening someone's job over a political statement could fall into a similar category of unprotected speech.

    154. Re: We need more guns by arth1 · · Score: 1

      But guns? All a sudden the logic is reversed and it's okay to take them away from innocents. Unless they're Muslim, then once again it's racist.

      "Muslim" isn't a race; it's a description of a culturally inflicted gullibility, like "Christian" and "republican".

    155. Re: We need more guns by Kohath · · Score: 1

      Guns aren't very good for self defence though, are they?

      Versus the nothing that you have to offer?

    156. Re: We need more guns by Kohath · · Score: 1

      No one ever died from a hacked system? What about next week or next month when someone does?

    157. Re:We need more guns by cogeek · · Score: 1

      Timothy McVeigh chose a truck, fertilizer and diesel fuel. Why is there no outcry to take those away as an option?
      The Tsarnaev brothers chose pressure cookers and ball bearings. No outcry to take away that option?
      Go do a Google search for mass killings that didn't involve firearms. Educate yourself on how simple it is for an evil person to kill as many people as possible using a variety of methods. We can't outlaw them all and anyone foolish enough to think outlawing a single method will stop this behavior needs to examine the facts, not the feelings.

    158. Re:We need more guns by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      The whole good guy with a gun theory is completely asinine, it just adds to the confusion, and rarely if ever has a good outcome.

      If everyone had a gun so they could be the good guy I would probably go a movie premier, throw a smoke bomb in the room and then just fire my gun into the air and walk out. There would be more deaths than James Holmes achieved.

    159. Re: We need more guns by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      Silly hobbies like driving vehicles or cooking pot roast with a pressure cooker?

      Both of those hobbies kill almost no one. A rounding error in the number of deaths in the country. Especially the vehicle deaths. Those who drive them as hobbies are statistically among least likely to die compared to those who drive for work or those who commute.

    160. Re: We need more guns by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      Err....as far as I know, in most states you do NOT have to register a gun with the state.

      So the GP was right? :-)

    161. Re:We need more guns by lactose99 · · Score: 1

      Hunters aren't shooting at people that are shooting back at them. Kinda fucks with the aim a bit.

      --
      Fully licensed blockchain psychiatrist
    162. Re:We need more guns by AvitarX · · Score: 1

      Strict gun laws price guns out of the reach of children for the most part.

      But a tragedy like this is unlikely to be limited by them (as shown in Paris).

      --
      Wow, sent an e-mail as suggested when clicking on "use classic" banner, and got a fast response that addressed my msg
    163. Re:We need more guns by AvitarX · · Score: 1

      Are you saying there are less than 20 car accidents deemed no fault a week?

      --
      Wow, sent an e-mail as suggested when clicking on "use classic" banner, and got a fast response that addressed my msg
    164. Re:We need more guns by JudgeFurious · · Score: 1

      Not at all. I'm saying that you can carry a gun, practice with it, be proficient with it even and you can still not get a chance to use it at all or be in a situation like these people where the shooter is effectively invisible, far out of range, and already killing people before you ever know your in danger. That doesn't mean that the "good guy with a gun" angle isn't real and that they do on a regular basis intervene and stop dangerous people. It just means that it's not guaranteed that will happen. People who think that the idea is "asinine" always point to the things that could go wrong or that a good guy with a gun could not prevent. People who are advocates of it always point to the successful instances of a good guy stopping some violent person, defending themselves, or preventing further loss of life. All those things can happen. It's a mixed bag.

      --
      Appended to the end of comments you post. 120 chars.
    165. Re: We need more guns by fluffernutter · · Score: 1

      Pray tell, how many innocent people did the Equifax breach kill?

      --
      Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
    166. Re:We need more guns by aquacrayfish · · Score: 1

      That's quite a lot of unproven conjecture. If the CDC, or any federal agency with resources, were allowed an attempt to study those things we'd be able to turn some of that conjecture into discernible fact. That would at least allow the discussion to move forward instead of in a circle.

    167. Re:We need more guns by fred6666 · · Score: 1

      Simple. Because there are other use to the items you cite. We are not going to ban kitchen knifes either.
      What's the other use for an assault weapon? It's certainly not used for deer hunting.

      More murders happen per capita in the USA compared to every other rich country.
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

      USA is at 4.88 and nearby Canada is only 1.68. The climate doesn't explain the difference. There is a toxic gun and violence culture in the USA which isn't found elsewhere.

    168. Re: We need more guns by Actually,+I+do+RTFA · · Score: 1

      Don't see why having stricter requirements is considered "punishment"

      Wait, he used an automatic weapon. Those have pretty strict requirements. This is, AFAIK, the first crime where a legal automatic was used. In US History (at least since those requirements were enacted in the... 50's?)

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    169. Re: We need more guns by sjames · · Score: 1

      According to the pictures of various cooking failures, apparently for some people it's hard NOT to turn a pressure cooker into a bomb.

    170. Re:We need more guns by irrational_design · · Score: 1

      Someone will need to go around to reload the guns. That will provide lots more jobs right there!

    171. Re: We need more guns by Kohath · · Score: 1

      None yet. What about the hack of a critical system next month though? It’s only a matter of time before a hack kills a bunch of people.

      When it does, I'm going to argue we should not take actions against the innocent. What are you going to say? “Targeting innocents was cool last time, but this is different”?

    172. Re:We need more guns by jeff4747 · · Score: 1

      Do you see what kind of slippery slope you would create if a therapist's concern could be sufficient to revoke a constitutional right?

      You do realize that you can temporarily seize the arsenal until the person gets their day in court, right? Put a time limit on it so "Temporary" can't become permanent, and you save a lot of lives.

      However, you do sell fewer guns, so the NRA will be dead-set against this.

    173. Re:We need more guns by penandpaper · · Score: 1

      I am sure. While at the same time parading how civilized they are. It's a family fun event full of decapitations and bodily desecration. Bring the kids out to show them how a civilized people act.

      I get it. The guy is a crazy ass hole that will burn in Hell. But keep your virtue signaling vindictive barbarism to yourself. You don't need to act like a savage just because someone else does.

    174. Re:We need more guns by jeff4747 · · Score: 1

      Then politician A had better changes his stance and accept that it is the collective will will the people.

      No, it's the collective will of about 20% of the people. However, that 20% will vote only on that one issue.

      The remaining 60-80% (varies based on the poll) want different gun control policy, but they split their vote based on all the other issues in an election.

    175. Re:We need more guns by jeff4747 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      It's funny you say that, because the first gun control laws were aimed at disarming black people so they couldn't protect themselves from Klan violence.

      And the wave of gun control laws after that was in response to the Black Panthers.

      Heavily arm dark-skinned people, and suddenly gun control changes from "unthinkable violation of the Constitution" to "sensible idea".

    176. Re:We need more guns by hierofalcon · · Score: 1

      The good guy with a gun angle is pretty silly to think about only when you are considering the people being shot at from a height advantage in an unprotected open area with a big high rise nearby. Don't forget about the people in the room next door or across the hall from where the shots were fired from. An armed person who was proficient with their weapon may well have made a difference from close at hand. Most would not have tried, but someone ex-military or ex-cop might have been brave enough to try if they saw what was happening below. Like the parent says - you just never know.

    177. Re:We need more guns by WrongMonkey · · Score: 1

      You're going to seize property from a person without evidence that a crime has even been committed? Now you're violating at least two constitutional amendments instead of just one. The slippery slope has already begun...

    178. Re: We need more guns by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      My defence is living somewhere that is less dangerous so I don't need to defend myself from people with guns.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    179. Re: We need more guns by Cajun+Hell · · Score: 1

      Nothing?! Dude, if you carry a car around under your ass, people will think twice before ever attacking you. Those things are dangerous, and even the most fearless attacker will respect their power.

      The problem with cars is that even if you have a concealed carry permit, it's hard to conceal a car. The best setup I saw was something George Jetson had, but I'm told it was just some Hollywood fakery.

      --
      "Believe me!" -- Donald Trump
    180. Re: We need more guns by Kohath · · Score: 1

      Moving to Luxemborgh isn’t for everyone though, is it?

    181. Re:We need more guns by plague911 · · Score: 1
      "We don't like that with any other of the amendments in the constitution, why should we be so willing to allow it for the 2nd?"

      Simple, the other rights take more time to do damage.

      Now it is a valid philosophical debate whether that time to damage ratio's are worth the reduction in our civil liberties. It is however willful blindness to not recognize that you are presenting a false equivalency.

    182. Re:We need more guns by hey! · · Score: 5, Informative

      The ranking you have given Chicago is based on its membership in an arbitrary set of cities chosen for a wikipedia table. If you include *all* municipalities with a population of at least 25,000 (e.g. large enough that a small spate of murders doesn't have a big statistical effect) then Chicago does *not* crack the top 30.

      Here are the top ten using the 25,000 cutoff:

      10 Camden, NJ: 42/100,000
      9 New Orleans, LA 42/100,000
      8 Detroit, MI: 44/100,000
      7 Flint, MI : 47/100,000
      6 Petersburg, VA: 49/100,000
      5 Baltimore, MD: 55/100,000
      4 St. Louis, MO: 60/100,000
      3 Gary, IN: 65/100,000
      2 Chester, PA: 67/100,000
      1 East St. Louis, IL: 71/100,000

      Chicago, at 18 murders / 100,000 population isn't even close. However, while Chester PA is an extremely dangerous place to live, you can't maintain a media narrative of a murder epidemic with a city of only 34,000 people.

      What sets Chicago aside from all the cities on this top ten list is that is larger; not only larger, but massively larger, 2.72 million. If you choose a large enough population it will generate a regular stream of murders, relatively consistently from year to year. It's like comparing the absolute number of murders in California to those in Louisiana; Louisiana is much, much more dangerous, but it has about 10% of the population. Some years will be more murder-y than others there, whereas California is statistically large enough it will produce over 2000 murders/year like clockwork.

      Now Chicago has the highest murder rate among the largest cities in the US, but not by much:

      New York 8.5 million 3/100,000
      Los Angeles 3.97 million 7/100,000
      Chicago pop 2.72 million 15/100,000
      Houston pop 2.29 million, 13/100,000
      Phoenix pop 1.56 million, 7/100,000

      Now the interesting thing here is that the murder rate and absolute number of murders in Houston are very, very close to that of Chicago, but you never hear about the murder epidemic in Houston. It's because this is a narrative being pushed by Fox News, the propaganda arm of the Republican Party, and Houston is in a red state.

      --
      Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
    183. Re:We need more guns by BadTuna · · Score: 1

      How to do you determine a specific number?
      Why not a photo op with your hair and the flag blowing in the breeze looking majestic as fuck.
      Murica!

      --
      Your sig here!
    184. Re: We need more guns by sheph · · Score: 1

      That hobby you refer to is constitutionally protected because it's more than a hobby. It's a fundamental right to defend yourself against any potential threat up to and including your own government. The framers were keenly aware of just how bad governments can become over time. Just because some jackass misused his right doesn't mean that everyone else should lose theirs. This guy was unknown to Federal Law Enforcement. Which means he likely acquired his guns legally over a number of years. His family said he seemed perfectly normal. There were no indicators. According to them he just snapped. Stricter laws would not have stopped this. There is a possibility he had been recruited and radicalized by ISIS. What laws would have stopped that? Gangbangers acquire weapons outside the law all the time. Fully automatic weapons which could not be obtained legally. They shoot innocent bystanders all the time. What laws fix that problem? As long as you have people with murderous intent you will have murder. Regardless of how many laws and controls you implement.

      --
      I don't believe in karma, I just call it like I see it.
    185. Re:We need more guns by sexconker · · Score: 1

      You clearly do have reading comprehension problems. Your own reply to the AC exposes it further!

      Gives me the good laff.

    186. Re:We need more guns by sexconker · · Score: 1

      Not as delusional as thinking that making guns illegal will make you safe.

    187. Re: We need more guns by cayenne8 · · Score: 1

      his easily obtained automatic rifle.

      Fully automatic weapons are NOT easily attained.

      They also cost at the low end, $20K or so, and you have to go through a Federal background check that usually takes 9mos minimum. There are no new automatic weapons made for sale since the Hughes amendment in 1986...so, the scarcity of legal full auto weapons makes them VERY $$$, and hard to even find for sale.

      If this guy had full auto, I"m guessing he did some illegal modifications at home to make them full auto, which is a crime in of itself.

      HTH.

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    188. Re:We need more guns by losfromla · · Score: 1

      I am super-ultra-extremely liberal. I'm pro-regulation of industry, pro-solar, pro-legalizing anything recreational, organic, non-gmo, free-health-care for all, with a BS and MS in Engineering (I'm pointing out that I'm not a stoopid).

      I can't back the anti-gun thing! I don't see it as relevant and frankly don't give a shit about it as of right now given my life experiences during my 47+ years on earth. I think we should have more guns, endless guns. Unregulated, unlicensed, unmonitored. I've not been able to absorb any argument that has convinced me that getting rid of guns is feasible, nor that it will help solve any of our endemic problems. Maybe I'm too 'murican! Plus there's the 2nd amendment too.

      P.S.
      Look at what's been happening across the pond even, with terrorists now using vehicles as weapons...

      --
      Only I can judge you.
    189. Re:We need more guns by jeff4747 · · Score: 1

      You're going to seize property from a person without evidence that a crime has even been committed?

      :facepalm:

      This thread started with an example of a therapist finding mental health issues in a patient which would indicate they are far more likely than average to use those guns for violence against other people.

      That's a few miles beyond "no evidence". But that doesn't fit nicely with the story you want to tell, so you ignored that.

      Also, might wanna look up asset forfeiture laws if you actually gave a shit about this issue.

    190. Re:We need more guns by losfromla · · Score: 1

      Filed under the "you have to pass it to see whats in it".

      Wasn't that the strategy for ACA repeal that the Repugnicans were trying to use? Twice or was it three times that they tried that? The very last time, they weren't even sure what version they were voting on.

      --
      Only I can judge you.
    191. Re:We need more guns by losfromla · · Score: 1

      Pathetically sad and true.

      --
      Only I can judge you.
    192. Re:We need more guns by sheph · · Score: 1

      Define mental health issues though. Depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder? All of these diagnoses have degrees of severity. Most of them are controllable by medication. If you can drive a car you should be able to own a firearm (as well as be able to fly an airplane). Both can be used to deadly effect. And then lets talk about power tools, sharp knives, axes, extension cords, rocks, lumber, hammers, propane tanks, pressure cookers... If your intention is to kill someone there are lots of things you could use. Where do we stop in our attempt to bubble wrap society? I believe the intense focus on firearms is largely political and driven by the UN agenda. Most gun owners aren't nuts. By percentage the vast majority of gun owners will never misuse their rights, but they're not the ones who make the news.

      --
      I don't believe in karma, I just call it like I see it.
    193. Re:We need more guns by sheph · · Score: 1

      In order to find a cure you'd first have to correctly identify the disease. I'll give you a starting hint. It's not the guns.

      --
      I don't believe in karma, I just call it like I see it.
    194. Re: We need more guns by Macthorpe · · Score: 1

      We were talking about the use of cars instead of guns, but you know, keep huffing paint or whatever

      --
      "It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him." - Tolkien
    195. Re:We need more guns by Tablizer · · Score: 1

      I'm a democrat...Being responsibly able to defend your family is an important part of reality and life.

      But statistics don't bare this out. The innocent deaths caused by excessive guns (both quantity and power) is greater than those saved by home or self protection. We can look at other countries to see this.

      Plus, a simple gun is usually enough to scare off thieves. They don't visit your house for a shoot-out, they just want goods to sell to feed their drug addiction. As soon as they know there's a gun, most leave quickly. Sure, there are exceptions the right quotes over and over, but they ARE rare. Plus, if enough home-owners start shooting back, the thieves will up their arms also. Arms race.

    196. Re:We need more guns by losfromla · · Score: 1

      However, we now have a tyrannical government and all the guns and all the bullets did nothing to stop that. I support the 2nd amendment but it didn't do shit for us when tyranny arrived.

      --
      Only I can judge you.
    197. Re:We need more guns by hierofalcon · · Score: 1

      There's a toxic drug culture in the United States as well. Get people off the illegal drugs, dry up that trade, eliminate the gangs associated with it along with the need to commit other crimes to fund people's habits, and the gun / murder statistics would be much saner in the United States of America.

      Again, fix the people and the problem is drastically reduced. The problem isn't the weapons.

    198. Re:We need more guns by losfromla · · Score: 1

      Good point. Hadn't thought of that. I guess no one at the "Harvest Country Music Festival" felt a need to carry or like you said, they were aware enough not to go looking for imaginary bad guys.

      --
      Only I can judge you.
    199. Re:We need more guns by CaptainDork · · Score: 1

      Accurate to a degree.

      The NRA is not the bad guy here. They are the punching bag of the gun industry.

      Those who want to affect change regarding guns are going to have to avoid the NRA altogether and go directly after the gun manufacturers.

      Personally, I don't think there's anything that can or will be done.

      I've looked at the ideas put forth and not one of them would have prevented any of the mass shootings in the last few years.

      While this shooting is high-profile, larger problems are suicide and accidental discharge.

      Regarding homicide, the perpetrator is most likely a family member, a friend, or an acquaintance, and of the same ethnic background.

      Death by mass shooting is negligible by comparison.

      Again, I don't think there's any reasonable strategy to address something like this.

      --
      It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
    200. Re:We need more guns by WrongMonkey · · Score: 1
      Let me put this very simply: YOU CANNOT PUNISH A PERSON BEFORE A CRIME HAS BEEN COMMITTED.

      A therapist's opinion is exactly ZERO evidence. Therapist are not precogs. Depriving people of their constitutional rights because they "are far more likely than average to use those guns" is just one step away from detaining people because they "fit the profile of a criminal".

      Also, might wanna look up asset forfeiture laws if you actually gave a shit about this issue.

      I'm against asset forfeiture laws, too. When you're trying to argue that the government should be handed more power to circumvent the Constitution, it doesn't help to bring up abuses that they already routinely commit.

    201. Re:We need more guns by jsrjsr · · Score: 1

      Google texas tower shooting. Both police and armed citizens are credited with firing back and forcing the shooter to hide behind things so that we was not able to shoot as easily as he would otherwise have been.

    202. Re:We need more guns by mellon · · Score: 1

      Hm. Isn't this one of the ways we take out turrets in Portal?

    203. Re:We need more guns by goose-incarnated · · Score: 1

      Then politician A had better changes his stance and accept that it is the collective will will the people.

      No, it's the collective will of about 20% of the people. However, that 20% will vote only on that one issue.

      The remaining 60-80% (varies based on the poll) want different gun control policy, but they split their vote based on all the other issues in an election.

      Well if they want to trade off gun control policy against something else, it's still the collective will of the people and politician A had better be listening to that collective will if he wants to enact all the other policies.

      Maybe the majority of people who vote aren't really bothered by gun owners?

      --
      I'm a minority race. Save your vitriol for white people.
    204. Re: We need more guns by mellon · · Score: 1

      The great thing about solving that problem is that if you do, you also make the streets safer. The problem is that it's too easy for cars to jump kerbs and hit people. This is a technical problem, not something magically insurmountable.

    205. Re:We need more guns by Curunir_wolf · · Score: 1

      I'm not sure where you get your info from but you should find a new source. Funding for gun related research at the CDC absolutely was removed. Federal research dollars cannot study the topic anymore. That leaves private research groups to do it, they always have an agenda one way or another so their data is much more suspect than the CDC which never advocated any agenda about guns.

      When you look at statistics and conclude someone is advocating one way or another you are blinding yourself. They are just statistics, the CDC has never played politics. They do real serious work.

      I disagree with you about the CDC, but I don't want to get into that argument here. I will, however, provide this link just for your edification.

      As for my "sources" of information, it's not some organization with an agenda, I just read the bill. Here is the relevant text:

      “None of the funds made available for injury prevention and control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may be used to advocate or promote gun control.”

      I fail to see how that "silences" the CDC, other than telling them they cannot advocate for or against gun control. If they want to do a study and simply report facts, they are completely free to do so. But that's not what they want to do.

      --
      "Somebody has to do something. It's just incredibly pathetic it has to be us."
      --- Jerry Garcia
    206. Re:We need more guns by losfromla · · Score: 1

      I think that upward angle too would add to the difficulty level (hunters don't shoot far upward, do they?), I'm guessing you'd need a stable platform of some sort. The amps would be good if people weren't jostling the equipment in their search for cover.

      --
      Only I can judge you.
    207. Re:We need more guns by losfromla · · Score: 1

      Lol. Go back to class, your can't milk your bathroom pass for "intestinal distress" the whole day.

      --
      Only I can judge you.
    208. Re:We need more guns by shanen · · Score: 1

      Yeah, so let's ignore the problems and hope they go away. Problems like too many guns too easily obtained by too many people who shouldn't have the guns, whether or not those people also have drones.

      I remember that someone wrote a supposedly purely fictional book BEFORE 9/11 that speculated on hijacked planes used as flying bombs. Maybe if the big dick Cheney had read that book and taken it a bit seriously then airport security could have been improved before 9/11 happened. Or maybe not.

      I don't know if any of the actual 9/11 terrorists did read that book and got the idea that way. Doesn't actually matter, since the possibility existed and they certainly could have come up with the same idea on their own. In that case the book is only the existence proof that the idea was possible for someone to come up with.

      So now we should start ignoring he problem of genetically engineered bioweapons. We could make a bet, but the problem is that neither of us will be around to collect or pay up after that idea gets properly instantiated.

      --
      Freedom = (Meaningful - Coerced) Choice != (Speech | Beer^2), and sad sock puppets' bad mods avail them naught.
    209. Re:We need more guns by fred6666 · · Score: 1

      How is the drug culture anymore toxic in the US compared to say, Canada or the EU?
      There are drug addicts everywhere. Only the USA has the second amendment.

    210. Re: We need more guns by ScentCone · · Score: 1

      Both of those hobbies kill almost no one.

      Thank you for making my point. And just like cooking and driving, the hobby of shooting is amazingly safe. There are millions and millions of people who shoot guns for fun (or use them for self defense, putting dinner on the table, etc), and relative to those numbers, they are safer than DOCTORS when it comes to deaths at their hands. And guys like this monster in LV are, statistically, less of an issue when it comes to deaths and murder than are people with baseball bats and even bare hands, compared to bad guys with rifles.

      The issue is the incredibly tiny number of people who mis-use guns, pressure cookers, trucks, kitchen knives, etc.

      --
      Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
    211. Re:We need more guns by shanen · · Score: 1

      Not at all. Assuming he aimed in roughly the right direction the bullet might well have killed someone in the crowd or in some random room of the hotel. I'm assuming that the victim crowd's guns had deliberately been taken away, but it sickens me to imagine the carnage if the lone gunman had been able to trigger a shooting spree among the victims shooting every which way at each other because everyone else is shooting a gun, too.

      Cue the insane laughter from the 32nd floor wafting over the carnage.

      Rather amusing that what actually stopped the gunman was the smoke detector. So now we have to expect the next madman with guns to make sure he starts shooting from someplace without a smoke detector.

      --
      Freedom = (Meaningful - Coerced) Choice != (Speech | Beer^2), and sad sock puppets' bad mods avail them naught.
    212. Re: We need more guns by Jason+Levine · · Score: 5, Insightful

      How about this, then? Allow the CDC to study gun violence in the US? Currently, they are prevented from doing so. This leads to any gun control legislation being well intentioned but reactionary at best. If the CDC were allowed to study the issue and issue a report, that could be used to craft gun control laws that wouldn't impact the vast majority of law abiding gun owners while decreasing the incidence of mass shootings like these. Or the report might show that no amount of gun control law would solve this, in which case, we could move on to other possible solutions.

      To use your Equifax example, we don't just shout "Put up more firewalls" if a company is hacked. We examine how the hack occurred. Did software not get patched? Did employees fall for phishing scams? Was a laptop with passwords left in an employee's car? Once we figure out how the hack happened, we can take measures to prevent future hacks. In fact, oftentimes companies will pay people to "hack" into their systems. These intrusion detection companies will find the holes in your computer defenses so you can address them before a hacker exploits them just as the CDC could find the "holes" that are allowing mass shootings to happen so that we can fix it.

      --
      My sci-fi novel, Ghost Thief, is now available from Amazon.com.
    213. Re: We need more guns by Jason+Levine · · Score: 1

      If we could have a sensible discussion where guns are not elevated above all other utensils, we might get to the bottom of this.

      Which is why the CDC must be allowed to study the issue. Currently, they are prevented from doing so which results in both sides shouting rhetoric and circumstantial evidence back and forth. We need to study the issue and get some hard facts on what we could do to curtail the epidemic of gun violence with minimal impact on law abiding gun owners.

      --
      My sci-fi novel, Ghost Thief, is now available from Amazon.com.
    214. Re:We need more guns by shanen · · Score: 1

      Certainly deserved the insightful mod, but what the hell does this report of your moderation mean?

      Moderation +2 30% Insightful 30% Interesting 10% Flamebait

      If it were 5 mod points divided 2-2-1, then the percentages should be 40-40-20, so it must mean something else. Maybe it's just the fundamental brokenness of the moderation system that is driving Slashdot down?

      --
      Freedom = (Meaningful - Coerced) Choice != (Speech | Beer^2), and sad sock puppets' bad mods avail them naught.
    215. Re: We need more guns by wyHunter · · Score: 1

      I'm afraid you're confusing the idiot - you're discussing FACTS, not feel good opinions.

    216. Re:We need more guns by hierofalcon · · Score: 1

      And wave a magic wand and prevent all smuggling of guns and ammo into the US.

    217. Re:We need more guns by wyHunter · · Score: 1
    218. Re:We need more guns by wyHunter · · Score: 1

      Actually, you're discussing Democrats here. The first gun control laws in the USA were in South Carolina, to keep freed slaves from owning firearms. And every other gun control law in the nation typically comes from Democrat led states, who are afraid of brown people owning firearms.

    219. Re:We need more guns by The-Ixian · · Score: 1

      Phew! I thought you were going to say corporate America... I am relieved!

      --
      My eyes reflect the stars and a smile lights up my face.
    220. Re: We need more guns by pax+humana · · Score: 1

      Wait a minute, I'm intrigued. Are you also in favor of banning muslims from the US? Are you also in favor of Prohibition? "Except everyone is innocent until they're not. It's about prevention." And one other thing - the freedom to keep and bear arms is built into the Constitution (Bill of Rights) not to protect a hobby nor so much to protect themselves from each other, but to allow the people a chance to protect themselves from the government. It was all about protection from a potentially tyrannical government.

    221. Re: We need more guns by cayenne8 · · Score: 1

      just tell me about all the peaceful uses of rifles.

      Hmm...to date, all of my firearms, handguns, rifles and shotguns ALL have had peaceful use time. In fact, at least once a week , a subset of them gets used peacefully at the range, or at friends' homes that have land where we can go shoot.

      In fact, I'd dare say that MOST use of the guns in the US, by gun owners are peacefully used.

      Think about it, with as many guns as we have in the US and as many gun owners, if the vast majority of uses were not peaceful, we'd have a lot of trouble here and that simply is not the case.

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    222. Re: We need more guns by bestweasel · · Score: 1

      It's a mixed bag of 30,000 dead people every year.

    223. Re:We need more guns by Archangel+Michael · · Score: 1

      Yup. It wasn't passed. Hypocrites on both sides. Just as hypocritical of Pelosi saying that her argument was suddenly wrong.

      I can't defend (R) and I am not even going to try. I am neither (D) or (R). But there are hypocrites in all parties.

      --
      Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
    224. Re:We need more guns by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

      Firearms are essentially banned in Chicago and much harder to acquire in IL and its surrounding States as comapred to Houston. Perhaps it's not the presence or absence of an inert object that dictates violence, but the culture of the city itself?

      --
      Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
    225. Re: We need more guns by pax+humana · · Score: 1

      Also this weekend, an ISIS supporter in Edmonton, Canada ran over a police officer with a truck and then jumped out of the vehicle stabbing the officer with a knife after which he ran off and managed to injure four more bystanders. https://www.rt.com/news/405221...

    226. Re: We need more guns by cayenne8 · · Score: 1

      Gun ownership is an outdated right because civilised society doesn't have the need for guns everywhere

      Hmm..sure, just tell that to the criminals that are doing home invasions.

      Frankly, if someone kicks down my door, I'd rather meet them with a firearm and blow their ass away, rather than shouting "BOO" at them.

      And too, the right to bear arms in the US constitution was also put in there, as a protection from the tyranny of government. And even in these modern times, that could still happen.

      IF nothing else, when things go bad, I'd rather be able to protect myself. What happens when the power grid goes down, either through hacking or maybe a sun flare.

      Cities and life can turn real nasty when power is out and the police aren't a force. Just see what happens on a small scale in areas with hurricanes, with people looting, etc.

      Self defense is a viable reason to have them. Even in the best of times, the police are NOT there to prevent crimes. They just usually get there in time to investigate and cart away the bodies.

      In many areas, you can get a pizza delivered faster than you can get a cop to respond, so, you have to provide for your own defense until they can get there.

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    227. Re: We need more guns by cayenne8 · · Score: 1

      as long as those innocent civilian registered gun owners have them locked up when not in use down the range.

      Err..that doesn't do you much good when you have someone breaking into your home late at night when you are there.

      The most useless thing in the world is an unloaded gun...the second most useless thing is one locked up that you cannot readily access in an emergency.

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    228. Re:We need more guns by losfromla · · Score: 1

      I am neither also. However, the repugnicans were howling mad making all sorts of "closed door" meetings claims which were provably false while they were the minority party. Crying about how no one would tell them what was in proposed bills which were clearly available to them. Now that they are in power, the strategy they were gnashing their teeth complaining about is what they decided would be their go-to in order to push through their inhumane and even inhuman agenda. I don't buy the false equivalency that you are putting forth. The dems might be incompetent and unfortunately are also corporatists, however, the repugs take reprehensible to a wholly new levels as they plumb for new depths of corporatist fuckery.

      Repugnicans are way beyond hypocrites, they are actively evil and aren't even credibly trying to hide it.

      --
      Only I can judge you.
    229. Re:We need more guns by pax+humana · · Score: 1

      If you are having trouble buying a gun legally, you should go to the CIA for one. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... (aka Fast and Furious) The 2nd amendment is to protect ourselves from the government.

    230. Re:We need more guns by PmanAce · · Score: 1

      It does make it worse. In a panic situation, a good guy with a gun will be viewed as the bad guy by those whom can't see or know where the bad guy is. Cops might even shoot the good guy and ask questions later in the mayhem.

      --
      Tired of my customary (Score:1)
    231. Re:We need more guns by hey! · · Score: 2

      Well, I think it's pretty certain that if you could magically make all the guns in a city disappear, the homicide and the suicide rates would go down.

      But legally proscribing the sale of a thing in a narrow geographic area doesn't do much, particularly when you can go over the state line and have someone without a felony conviction make a straw purchase for you.

      --
      Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
    232. Re:We need more guns by Kernel+Kurtz · · Score: 1

      Let me put this very simply: YOU CANNOT PUNISH A PERSON BEFORE A CRIME HAS BEEN COMMITTED.

      Will keep that principle in mind next time I hear talk of "pre-emptive strikes" on other countries.

    233. Re:We need more guns by deadwill69 · · Score: 1

      Yes. Lots of other variables. It appears that dude was firing from 1200 yards away using what is referred to as plunging fire. It also appears he may have had a full auto. Bad situation all around for those in the beaten zone. 280 bullets in 31 seconds is a hell of count.

      Quick breakdown:
      http://www.nydailynews.com/new...

    234. Re:We need more guns by Kernel+Kurtz · · Score: 1

      Lets face it.. if killing 20 toddlers in a school did not change the laws, nothing will.

      Yes. Today is just another example of the country most Americans apparently want.

      Makes me profoundly glad I don't live there

    235. Re:We need more guns by jeff4747 · · Score: 1

      Let me put this very simply: YOU CANNOT PUNISH A PERSON BEFORE A CRIME HAS BEEN COMMITTED.

      So, you're white then.

      A therapist's opinion is exactly ZERO evidence.

      Again, this evidence would be used to kick off a process where the guns are impounded until the person can have their day in court.

      This sort of seizing of private property happens all the time. For example, a gun which the police think might be evidence of a crime is routinely seized, impounded and tested. Frequently with less evidence than "my patient told me he wants to shoot people".

      I'm against asset forfeiture laws, too.

      Yet you don't seem nearly so concerned about those.

    236. Re:We need more guns by Ferretman · · Score: 1

      As of this writing I don't believe I've heard any details as to why the shooter did this. We might never know, given that he offed himself.

      Ferret

      --
      Sic gorgiamus allos subjectatos nunc
    237. Re:We need more guns by WrongMonkey · · Score: 1

      That's fine by me. But go easy on that strawman you're beating up.

    238. Re:We need more guns by jeff4747 · · Score: 1

      Actually, you're discussing Democrats here

      And if the political parties still had the same alignment as that era, you'd have a point.

      And every other gun control law in the nation typically comes from Democrat led states, who are afraid of brown people owning firearms.

      Sure, like Colorado enacting some regulations after the Aurora theater shooting...oh wait, white guy, white state, state government split roughly 50/50.

    239. Re:We need more guns by jeff4747 · · Score: 1

      If you want to try and factually argue that "this is what the people really want", then you need something more like a referendum where there are no other issues.

      Btw, the NRA is vehemently against such efforts - they routinely try to shut down ballot initiatives and other referenda-like situations before a vote can be taken. Kinda indicates what the will of the people would actually show.

    240. Re:We need more guns by Kernel+Kurtz · · Score: 1

      Having a carry permit does not make you safer if you are black.

      Just ask Philando Castile.........

    241. Re: We need more guns by kqs · · Score: 1

      Silly hobbies like driving vehicles or cooking pot roast with a pressure cooker?

      Driving vehicles is an excellent comparison. Vehicles are crazy dangerous; therefore we have many regulations involving registering, inspecting and insuring those dangerous devices. Also licensing and testing the drivers. I agree with you, we should have similar regulations for firearms.

      Pressure cookers, though... I'm a poor cook but the most likely terrible result with a pressure cooker is a ceiling covered in strained gravy and veggies. Also, unlike vehicles and firearms, I'm not likely to be killed by your incompetence with a pressure cooker unless you tie me up next to your stove.

    242. Re: We need more guns by Ungrounded+Lightning · · Score: 1

      The audio sounded like he was somehow using a full auto.

      If this were the case, then it would be pretty much the first use of full auto in the US for a crime like this in modern history.

      And (unless I missed one in the last few years) the second killing committed, by its owner, with a privately-owned machine gun under the regulation of the GCA '34, in the 83 years since its passage.

      It's a bit early, so news items are notoriously unreliable (even when they're really trying to get it right). Nevertheless I've already heard:
        - CNN: Claim that the guns were converted semi-autos. (That's also illegal.)
        - CNN: Claim by a relative that the shooter "was not a gun guy".
        - New York Post (paraphrasing an article in the Daily Mail and a tweet from NBC News): Claim that the shooter was the son of a multiple felon bank robber, prison escapee, attempted cop killer, with a diagnosis of psychopathy and a history of using firearms in his crimes.

      --
      Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
    243. Re:We need more guns by Ferretman · · Score: 1

      Well said sir, well thought out.

      Ferret

      --
      Sic gorgiamus allos subjectatos nunc
    244. Re:We need more guns by hierofalcon · · Score: 1

      It's not the drugs that are the problem. It isn't the drug culture either. It's the "war on drugs", criminalization, and incarceration that is the problem in the US. It's been just as effective as the prohibition and had all the same baggage that came along with it. I can't say about Canada, but there seem to be some areas in the EU at least that have laxer attitudes about drugs than here. If it isn't criminal and is cheaper and easier to obtain, there would be less criminal involvement, less fights for territory control, fewer gang related deaths. There would undoubtedly be more drug related deaths, but that is another problem that again needs to be addressed at the people level rather than the gun/drug/alcohol level.

    245. Re:We need more guns by cogeek · · Score: 1

      You're right, it is simple. Do nothing to resolve the underlying issue, just do something, anything, that feels good and makes it feel like you're making a difference. Think of the children!

    246. Re: We need more guns by Kohath · · Score: 1

      Currently, they are prevented from doing so.

      Because it’s not a disease and it's not their mission. When all the diseases are cured and the budget is running a huge surplus so there’s tons of extra money and none of the scientists have anything to work on, then maybe.

    247. Re:We need more guns by fred6666 · · Score: 1

      Canada is just as hard on drug as the US, and so is the EU overall. Even though some countries are tolerant towards cannabis, so are some US states.
      So no, the war on drug doesn't explain the huge difference in murder rate.

    248. Re:We need more guns by goose-incarnated · · Score: 1

      Kinda indicates what the will of the people would actually show.

      We don't need a third variable to indicate what the will of the people is with regard to gun-control - we already know from their voting patterns that they don't care enough!

      It is not enough of a problem to anyone who has a vote to spend. The danger represented by gun ownership is smaller than many of the other routine dangers families face.

      For example, guns kill fewer children than swimming pools. More children are killed by parents carelessly backing over them in the driveway than by guns.

      Is it any wonder that a voter will not want to waste their vote on the anti-gun politician? Sure, it's important to you to reduce the number of gun-deaths, but society has indicated thus far that it finds other things that are more important.

      It's important to me that governments use open file-formats and not force me to purchase a copy of MS Office to do business with them, but I am hardly going to castigate voters who support a politician who wants to standardise on MS Office.

      Just because an issue is important to you, doesn't mean that it is actually important at all.

      --
      I'm a minority race. Save your vitriol for white people.
    249. Re:We need more guns by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

      And thereby make a pair of felons via straw purchase. You will NEVER be able to halt all firearm homicides. Most of the EU is highly restrictive relative to the US and even then, they have 65-70% number of mass shootings as we have in the US. It's the culture, not the presence/absence of weapons.

      --
      Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
    250. Re:We need more guns by fred6666 · · Score: 1

      Or even better, do as we always do, nothing. The murder rate will keep staying twice as high in the USA. But at least you'll keep your 2nd amendment, right?

      What's the underlying issue? There are probably many causes but the number of available non-hunting guns (and the ease of getting one) is definitely one of them. The gun loving culture is another. As long as you don't get this, you won't solve the issue.

      It's not with hand guns that you are going to defeat your tyrannic government anyways. You'd need tanks, jet fighters and nukes do to so. Therefore since the 2nd amendment serves no purpose, why not repeal it?

    251. Re:We need more guns by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      There is really only one radical (and bound to be unpopular) thing you could do to reduce the harm created by mass shootings: ban detachable magazines.

      I own a tube-fed .22 caliber semi-automatic winchester. The rate of fire with repeated trigger pulls is more than fast enough for any reasonable purpose, and with a little trivial fiddling, you can make vinyl hose reloaders that will reload the 13-14 rounds of .22lr that it will carry in the tube just about as quickly as you can insert a magazine. It will slow you down to a walking pace, as you probably can't reasonably manage it while running. It's legal in California, which is nice because I owned it before this last rules change here which made a bunch of firearms illegal, and I'd have hated to have had to get rid of it. I got it from my father.

      You're also going to have to ban any firearms which can feasibly be speed loaded if you want your rule to have any effect. That also means most revolvers.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    252. Re:We need more guns by Lodragandraoidh · · Score: 1

      I think we need to execute Mr Stephen Paddock.

      You're too late.

      And now I know where the phrase "beat a dead horse" comes from. I never imagined it was from people wanting to beat or "execute" a corpse.

      Wrong. It is not about trying to execute a corpse. The phrase comes about from the idea of getting a dead horse to move. No matter how much you may whip/beat the dead horse, it isn't going anywhere. In general use it means you're talking about a subject that isn't going to change, e.g. "If you want to get gun control laws changed, you're beating a dead horse; the NRA and Republicans have that all tied up."

      --

      Lodragan Draoidh
      The more you explain it, the more I don't understand it. - Mark Twain
    253. Re:We need more guns by I'm+New+Around+Here · · Score: 1

      Do blind people lose their right to freedom of speech? Or freedom of the press? What Constitutional rights other than the right to self defense should blind people give up?

      --
      If you think I voted for Trump because of this post, you're wrong. I voted for Dr. Jill Stein of the Green Party. Again.
    254. Re:We need more guns by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      I seriously doubt a mentally ill person could legally purchase a full auto weapon.

      I know where to go to purchase a full auto weapon without having to go through any background checks. I don't want one, nor think one would particularly benefit me; if I'm in a situation where a fully automatic weapon would help me more than the battle rifle and semi-automatic pistol I've got already, I'm probably well-fucked and I ought to get on with the business of getting my head between my legs so that I can kiss my own ass goodbye.

      People like yourself keep conflating "scary" looking semi-automatic weapons, with fully automatic weapons which are very short supply and VERY difficult and expensive to acquire legally.

      But not, in fact, very difficult to acquire illegally — though still plenty expensive.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    255. Re:We need more guns by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      On the mental health front, the NRA has fought to prevent any restrictions until the person is institutionalized or legally declared insane.

      I know someone whose parents had her institutionalized because she came out as bisexual. They told some lies about her, and even though she was an adult, they were accepted as sufficient evidence to lock her up in a facility on the basis that she might harm herself. I don't think the NRA gives one tenth of one shit about queers' right to bear arms, but I do share their distaste for depriving citizens of rights on specious bases. Given that the science of psychoanalysis is borderline fraud anyway, I think it's reasonable to be skeptical about depriving the mentally ill (who are in fact not generally dangerous to others) of their constitutional rights.

      If we could reasonably identify only the people who were clearly dangerously clinically mentally ill, and bar them from firearms purchases, that might be reasonable. But there really is a dangerous slippery slope there. Who's deciding? The latest DSM makes questioning your doctor a sign of a disorder.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    256. Re:We need more guns by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      The ONLY way you will get the number of gun deaths to 0, would be to immediately ban all guns, and ammunition sales, And the confiscate all existing firearms and ammo from the citizenry.

      Not only couldn't you do that even if you tried and all the people tried in good faith to comply, because of all the hidden guns that nobody knows the location of right now, but it wouldn't stop people smuggling in guns, and it wouldn't stop people making guns. Even if you could reasonably try to do it and wanted to do it, you couldn't actually do it even if you changed the constitution.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    257. Re: We need more guns by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Countries where people generally don't own or carry guns tend to be a lot safer.

      Countries where people are safer tend to inspire less gun ownership. Countries where people aren't permitted to own guns run the gamut from very safe to very, very unsafe.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    258. Re: We need more guns by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      Thank you for making my point. And just like cooking and driving, the hobby of shooting is amazingly safe.

      LOL.

    259. Re: We need more guns by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Err....as far as I know, in most states you do NOT have to register a gun with the state.

      Most of the population of the country lives somewhere in which firearms are controlled and have registration requirements.

      If buying from an FFL dealer, you do go through a background check. But that is not registering the weapon.

      That's a form of registration! When you're forced to go through a FFL dealer, it's specifically for the purpose of generating records of sales.

      Here in California (the most populous state) you're required to register ownership of handguns, but not long guns. I have some unregistered long guns, which were given to me by my father — thus the transfer didn't have to go through a dealer. I own one handgun, and I made the sale through an actual gun store within the last decade, and obviously had to jump through the usual hoops including taking a class and a test and getting a background check. Residents of New York (the fourth most populous state) need a permit to own a handgun, not just to buy one (as in California) and there is mandatory registration for all firearms. Florida and Texas are in between them, though they have less combined population. They're pretty free about firearms ownership. But Illinois (#5) requires firearms owners to get a card, so they don't require registration of firearms but they do require registration of firearm owners.

      I got tired of going down the list, but it looks to me like registration requirements are in fact not uncommon.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    260. Re:We need more guns by Dare+nMc · · Score: 1

      > fictional book BEFORE 9/11 that speculated on hijacked planes
        Tom Clancy "Debt of Honor"; was reported to be based on real foiled or changed terrorist plots. The 911 commission report also talked about the many times the government had intercepted plans to do this exact thing, before and after the book was published. So it wasn't anything brand new, by the author. It just wasn't presented to the right people at the right time in the right way to counter.

      Also we do have to measure the costs vs the risks of something happening, you cannot realistically secure every risk, and still have free productive lives, many risks are worth taking.

    261. Re: We need more guns by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      My defence is living somewhere that is less dangerous so I don't need to defend myself from people with guns.

      All of those places are either defended with weather so poor nobody else wants to live in them, or with lots and lots of guns (and bombs, and...) or both. In every case, lots of people have to suffer for the people living in those places to enjoy their particular lifestyles.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    262. Re:We need more guns by green1 · · Score: 1

      It's worked in every other civilized country....

    263. Re: We need more guns by green1 · · Score: 1

      Maybe you should start wondering why your country is the least safe first world country in existence then, and try to resolve that issue. Because there isn't any other first world country where so many people get shot.

    264. Re: We need more guns by green1 · · Score: 1

      And the funny part is that any rational person would say that this incident IS terrorism. But unless it happens to come out that the shooter was Muslim we're going to somehow pretend it wasn't?

    265. Re: We need more guns by green1 · · Score: 1

      And both of those are far less likely to get you killed than a loaded one, even if an armed robber breaks in to your home.

      The most commonly killed person by firearms in the USA is a family member of the owner of said firearm.

    266. Re: We need more guns by green1 · · Score: 1

      A mass shooting in France made news around the world because it's completely unheard of.

      So many mass shootings happen in the USA that most of them barely make the local news.

      I think the rest of the world might be on to something here.

    267. Re: We need more guns by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Maybe you should start wondering why your country is the least safe first world country in existence then, and try to resolve that issue.

      Yeah, we are trying. Problem is, people are still stupid. They vote for shitheels even when they have other options, and they vote for the greater of evils and pat themselves on the backs.

      Because there isn't any other first world country where so many people get shot.

      So what? The relevant statistic is the murder rate, not the shooting rate. We don't fare all that well there either; the only nations worth comparing to on that list who actually have a worse rate are Russia and China.

      I agree readily that we should work on reducing our homicide rate. I don't know that reducing gun ownership at this point would make things better, though. I think it would just lead to more killings by cops.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    268. Re: We need more guns by skam240 · · Score: 1

      Guns are absolutly not designed for self defense, they are designed to kill. The fact that they do this pretty well is why they are used for self defens.

      It is also why a lot of people see a difference between regulating guns versus more regulations on cars or computers. They are tools that are very different in nature.

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    269. Re:We need more guns by green1 · · Score: 1

      And this here is the real problem.

      Getting ANY form of sensible gun control passed in the USA would be basically impossible. But even if you did, it wouldn't solve the underlying problem. The underlying problem is, why on earth do Americans think they need so many guns???? It's the culture. There are so many guns already in circulation, that even if you banned all gun ownership overnight, nothing would change. How do you change that culture though?

      Evidence doesn't work. We have hundreds and hundreds of studies that show that Americans are more likely to be shot than citizens of any other first world country. We have tons of studies that show that the most likely person to be killed by any gun is a family member of that gun's owner. We have research showing that if you are confronted with an armed assailant you are far more likely to be hurt or killed if you have a gun than if you do not. And yet Americans still want more and more guns.

      How do you fix such a messed up mindset in an entire country's population?

    270. Re:We need more guns by green1 · · Score: 1

      Overnight, no.
      Long term? absolutely.

      And even illegal guns are less common in countries where there are fewer legal guns.

    271. Re: We need more guns by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      That doesn't sound like Europe at all. Full range of weather to suit any taste, strong gun control and very low gun crime rates.

      --
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      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    272. Re:We need more guns by sit1963nz · · Score: 1

      Bugger rifles, a howitzer would have guaranteed a kill, then a drone could take out the howitzer, then a jet fighter could take out the drone, then a battleship could have taken out the jet then.... a f*ck it, let the nukes fly.

    273. Re: We need more guns by skam240 · · Score: 1

      So a bunch of things that can be used as a weapon are the same as a weapon? Guns are designed specifically to kill. It's impractile to ban everything that can be used to kill but limiting the tools whose only purpose is to kill (and do it easily and efficiently) is moving towards a safer society.

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    274. Re:We need more guns by kaatochacha · · Score: 1

      The problem isn't a good guy with a gun. I'm pro gun, and agree anyone with a weapon in the crowd could have done nothing.
      The problem is we're moving into a time when we will no longer be safe in any group larger than five.
      no gun, then truck. no truck, then poison. Hell, a drone with nerve toxin could have killed everyone. and is that sort of thing getting easier or harder to manufacture?
      Scary times...

    275. Re: We need more guns by desdinova+216 · · Score: 1

      that's the one thing I haven't heard about the shooter. Was he a follower of one of these Religious Fundamentalist (regardless of brand) that view Las Vegas as "the modern day Sodom and Gomorrah"?

    276. Re: We need more guns by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 1

      Witholding access to firearms from unstable people is too much to ask?

      That sounds good in theory, but there was no reason to believe that this guy was "unstable". Stephen Paddock had no criminal record, was not diagnosed with any mental disorder, did not express politically extreme views. There was no reason to believe that he would do something like this.

      Mass shootings of strangers are only about 0.1% of shootings in America. It might make more sense to focus on the other 99.9% that don't often make the headlines. Mass shootings are very different, and are the most difficult to prevent. They tend to be committed by people with no prior record of violence, they are meticulously planned, and they tend to use rifles. The other 99.9% are 55% suicides, 5% accidents, and the other 40% tend to be committed by people with violent records, are spur-of-the-moment and driven by emotion, and are mostly done with handguns.

    277. Re:We need more guns by kaatochacha · · Score: 1

      It's automated turrets, all the way down.

    278. Re: We need more guns by kaatochacha · · Score: 1

      If I hear one more person rattle on about "a gun's only purpose is to kill people", I will simply be upset and not shoot anyone.
      Because I recognize: 1) Killing people is bad , and 2) morons exist.

    279. Re: We need more guns by Actually,+I+do+RTFA · · Score: 1

      Countries like the UK and New Zealand have low incidences of these kinds of events, whereas America's incidence is very high

      Well, the UK yes. But other industrial countries exceed the US in mass shooting deaths (per capita; obviously the US will have more total, with more people.) Specifically, Norway, Finland and Switzerland in Europe. (Based on data 2003-2014)

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    280. Re:We need more guns by Actually,+I+do+RTFA · · Score: 1

      What laws would you want to change? Because, AFAIK, even manufacturing these guns (for civilians) was already outlawed in 1986.

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    281. Re:We need more guns by JudgeFurious · · Score: 1

      Exactly right. Someone closer maybe has an opportunity to intervene. People down in the "kill box" might as well have been getting hit by lightning bolts thrown by Zeus. They never had a chance so pointing to them and saying "Where's your good guy with a gun now?" would be stupid and pointless. I am a former police officer and I carry concealed legally every day. If everyone in that audience had been carrying it wouldn't have mattered. If a few people near the room were armed that might have helped.

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      Appended to the end of comments you post. 120 chars.
    282. Re: We need more guns by JudgeFurious · · Score: 1

      Well yeah, that's about right. 10-11 thousand people are killed by others, around 18 thousand or so kill themselves. In a country with 323 million people in it and almost 43 thousand suicides a year that sounds about right.

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      Appended to the end of comments you post. 120 chars.
    283. Re: We need more guns by ScentCone · · Score: 1

      You know how I can tell I'm right and struck a nerve? Because you resort to a childish laugh instead of admitting that you've spent a moment and researched the topic and know you'll sound silly if try to actually talk about the reality and substance of the matter.

      --
      Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
    284. Re:We need more guns by blindseer · · Score: 1

      Politician A fights to keep your industry alive, lower your taxes, rebuild the roads you drive on every day, but wants concealed carry to require a permit.
      Politician B fights to end your job, raise your taxes and destroy all infrastructure, punch you in the face every Tuesday, but wants concealed carry without a permit.

      NRA supporters will always vote for Politician B. No matter how much they are hurt by all the rest of the policies.

      Have you thought about why that is?

      Choice "B" means getting a law repealed that once gone has not yet been replaced. In 1986 there was a single state that allowed for concealed carry without a permit, Vermont. Now that number is something like 10 or 12, depending on how "strong" of protection one sets the line to consider this "without a permit". 30 years ago only 10 states guaranteed people's right to self defense with a firearm, through either no permit or the government was required to issue a permit unless the applicant was prohibited from owning a firearm. Today that number is around 40 states with "shall issue" permits or no permit required. Taxes change every year, industries boom and bust, and the infrastructure in the USA is still very good no matter who is in charge. So long as voters see the government get just a little bit smaller, such as with gun law repeals, they will see a very real improvement in their freedoms and quality of life.

      Choice "A" likes to lie to people. They'll promise the world to get elected and then taxes still go up, regulations still kill industries, the roads continue to deteriorate, but they'll be honest about those gun control laws. I've seen the polls, and people have gotten wise to this. Gun control is just another tax by another name through fees and such. Gun control kills jobs as firearm manufacturers close up factories and move to another state, the guns are still made and sold but the jobs in that state just went somewhere else.

      Oh, and the face punching tends to stop when people are carrying guns.

      --
      I am armed because I am free. I am free because I am armed.
    285. Re: We need more guns by green1 · · Score: 1

      I don't know that reducing gun ownership at this point would make things better, though. I think it would just lead to more killings by cops.

      If there were fewer guns around, you think MORE people would be killed by police????

      I don't think I've ever heard a cop say he would have shot the suspect if only they hadn't been armed...

    286. Re:We need more guns by geekymachoman · · Score: 1

      Well, you can then just as well hand automatic weapons to any racist violent organization .. and use that as an excuse.

    287. Re:We need more guns by Khyber · · Score: 1

      "The sole purpose of a gun is to kill and maim."

      Tell that to my RAMSet rivet gun.

      Tell that to my pre-charged pneumatic cartridge gun that helps me thread cable through pipe.

      Tell that to my Nailgun.

      Fuckwit.

      --
      Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
    288. Re:We need more guns by Khyber · · Score: 1

      "hunters don't shoot far upward, do they"

      Any bird hunter pretty much has a 30-45 degree upwards aim, and they're after stuff almost 500-60 yards up.

      A regular shotgun-style wall of lead, even from handguns from the crowd below, would've likely hit the shooter. Sure the hotel/casino would be fucked, but hey, their fault for not catching the guy sneaking in a score or so of firearms in day after day...

      --
      Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
    289. Re: We need more guns by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      If there were fewer guns around, you think MORE people would be killed by police????

      Well, you can read, so you've got that going for you.

      I don't think I've ever heard a cop say he would have shot the suspect if only they hadn't been armed...

      The cops are constantly shooting people that they definitely don't think are armed, as well as people they should definitely be able to tell are not armed. You can't blame that shit on guns in civilian hands. If you are telling me you want to take guns out of the hands of cops, that makes sense to me. They clearly have shit emotional, trigger, and muzzle control, as a group. They are constantly wrongfully and/or accidentally shooting people.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    290. Re: We need more guns by SixMinutes · · Score: 1

      Guns are not a silly hobby, they are an enshrined RIGHT.

      Only in the US. Guns are tools for killing things. As tools, shotguns and long rifles have lots of legitimate uses in the countryside. But the only animals you can hunt with a handgun are other human beings, and the only purpose for a fully automatic weapon is to kill lots of humans at high efficiency.

      These are tools that have no place in modern society, the rest of the first world has figured this out. But the US has been ensnared by an irrational culture of gun fear: fear for personal safety, fear of state and police, fear of vanishingly rare incidents of terror. It is a fear that says: the only way to be safe is to wrap your hands around a rifle. It a fear fostered by the makers of weapons and their ideological friends, and they make millions off of it.

      For the US to recover from its plague of shootings large and small, it needs to recover from that fear first. A good next step after that would be a repeal of the Second Amendment.

    291. Re:We need more guns by Gussington · · Score: 1

      a good guy with a gun stops shit all the time in this country.

      Citation?
      I only ask because comparing American good guys with guns to other western Democracries' good guys without guns, seems to point toward less guns having a better net result overall.

    292. Re:We need more guns by Gussington · · Score: 1

      "The only type of person capable of taking out that shooter from the crowd at the critical moment would be a fully trained and equipped sniper with combat experience"

      Wrong. Hunters regularly pull off 300+ yard shots all the time with a piddly .30-06.

      So let's play out this scenario. Gun shots fired into a crowded area, thousands of armed hunters pull out their rifles that they brought to a concert for rapid response. How do you identify the shooter rather than another hunter now that everyone is waving a gun around? Is the furry hat?
      Let's say one hunter works out where the shooter is (400 yards away in the dark) and fires successfully, the other 999 hunters see that guy firing and someone shoots him thinking he was the original shooter (because he forgot to wear his furry shooter hat that announces that he is fact a hunter and not a criminal).
      But of course these are hunters so they never get it wrong...

    293. Re:We need more guns by SixMinutes · · Score: 1

      Guns are only tools, but it's important to consider what they are useful for. Handguns and assault rifles are only useful for hunting one kind of animal: humans.

      In my town, the worst mass killing we ever experienced occurred a few years ago. A young man became mentally disturbed, and killed five people, with a knife. I can only imagine what he might have been able to do with greater access to more efficient tools for killing people, but I live in Canada, where there is no legal path to obtain an automatic weapon, and where even obtaining a handgun requires two licenses, two safety courses, and two cumulative months of cooling off after obtaining those permits.

      We will likely always have mentally ill and malicious people with us, but we should make it as hard as possible for them to do harm. Tightly restricting ownership of weapons designed for killing only human beings is a reasonable way to do this.

    294. Re:We need more guns by SixMinutes · · Score: 1

      There was once a time in the US where you could reasonably make the case that armed militia were a useful way to keep the government in check, but no longer. Look at the equipment, weapons, numbers, and discipline that the police and national guard possesss these days. Any individual or small group (or even large group) taking armed action against the state is committing suicide.

      Further, what kind of collapse would the country have to suffer before some sort of armed confrontation with the state becomes anything like a reasonable choice? The US may be up against many crises, but it is still a functioning country and (nearly) a functioning democracy.

      I think, if you want to guard your governments against tyranny, your time is much better spent reading good journalism and being engaged with local and state politics, rather than arming yourself for some imagined doomsday.

    295. Re:We need more guns by MrKaos · · Score: 1

      If I was there and I had a gun, I would have stopped this after 6 people died.

      Shortly after you would be shot by the police and then your name would be on the front page of every website about how this anonymous nobody, who spent too much time masturbating, suddenly snapped and killed 7 people.

      --
      My ism, it's full of beliefs.
    296. Re:We need more guns by Ash-Fox · · Score: 1

      So you're going to focus on banning cars first then?

      --
      Change is certain; progress is not obligatory.
    297. Re: We need more guns by harlequinn · · Score: 1

      The truth hurts, but you'll get over it.

    298. Re: We need more guns by Actually,+I+do+RTFA · · Score: 1

      Here you go Check out the table as an embedded image halfway down. Fair warning, I was wrong. It was 2000-2014, not 2003-2014

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    299. Re:We need more guns by physicsphairy · · Score: 1

      The NRA has fought multiple lawsuits so that blind people could buy guns. And not "legally blind" where they just have very bad eyesight. People who can't even see light and dark.

      Why wouldn't they be allowed to buy guns? Isn't this the demographic least likely to go out and use guns to kill someone? I searched google news and couldn't find any incidents of any person being shot by a blind person. So there is zero public health concern, someone is just cruelly picking on the disabled in the hopes that it sets some groundwork for eroding gun rights more generally. It has all the moral legitimacy of banning blind people from owning anti-government artwork.

    300. Re: We need more guns by Cederic · · Score: 1

      Gun violence is not a disease. Don't be silly.

    301. Re:We need more guns by dywolf · · Score: 1

      still spouting falsehoods I see

      --
      The guy who said the election was rigged won the presidency with the second-most votes.
    302. Re:We need more guns by dywolf · · Score: 1

      Deer don't shoot back.

      --
      The guy who said the election was rigged won the presidency with the second-most votes.
    303. Re:We need more guns by Cederic · · Score: 1

      The problem for the gun advocates is they campaigning for a minimum level of gun violence

      The only people I've seen campaigning for violence tend to be extremists - of the religious, racial or political kind. Those aren't "gun advocates", they're extremists.

      Societal freedoms don't come for free. You don't get the tremendous personal empowerment and mobility provided by cars without an associated death rate. Sharp cutting tools built civilisation but continue to maim and kill.

      People that value the role of firearms in society similarly accept that there are related challenges.

    304. Re:We need more guns by Cederic · · Score: 1

      That's strange. You've quoted two different numbers for the murder rate in Chicago.

    305. Re:We need more guns by Cederic · · Score: 1

      Snipers are notoriously difficult to spot.

      Yes, because they wait for hours, take one shot, mask the flash, smoke and other effects of firing, move as soon as possible and relocate.

      Someone sat in one place for ten minutes shooting automatic weapons at night is easy to spot, which is why people rapidly pinpointed his location and the police knew which hotel room to breach.

    306. Re:We need more guns by GLMDesigns · · Score: 1

      I don't think the laws would allow citizens to break down doors to find the correct room. The laws are there so that you can protect yourself in the event of imminent danger. The Colt was called "the great equalizer" because 120 pound women could use it to defend themselves against 240 pound men.

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    307. Re: We need more guns by dywolf · · Score: 1

      this

      --
      The guy who said the election was rigged won the presidency with the second-most votes.
    308. Re:We need more guns by mjwx · · Score: 1

      The only type of person capable of taking out that shooter from the crowd at the critical moment would be a fully trained and equipped sniper with combat experience, and who was also expecting the threat and was in already position.

      Even then he'd need a support team to spot the target, and probably multiple shots to neutralise. Rampaging nutcases aren't known for standing still like a paper target at the range.

      Not sure if you've seen the Mandalay Bay hotel, but it's bright fucking gold and highly reflective in a town in with a love affair with neon lights. Practically the best camouflage a maniac or bond villain could ask for.

      --
      Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
    309. Re: We need more guns by werepants · · Score: 1

      Only about 9% of guns are registered. So, what you're telling us is that owners of registered guns commit crimes just as often, proportionally, as owners of unregistered guns.

    310. Re: We need more guns by Khyber · · Score: 1

      You've obviously never gone duck or goose hunting. Nor used tungsten shot in a 3 1/2" shell.

      --
      Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
    311. Re:We need more guns by cogeek · · Score: 1

      To quote Charles Babbage: "I am not able rightly to apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question."

      By that logic you could say that the Mainstream Media no longer does any investigative journalism, they just spout off their talking points, so we might as well repeal the 1st amendment.
      The 4th Amendment has been garbage ever since the Patriot Act was passed, so we might as well get rid of that one as well.
      Any part of the Bill of Rights you think still applies or just so much toilet paper?
      Just in case you haven't actually read it over any time recently, here you go: https://nccs.net/online-resour...

    312. Re:We need more guns by hierofalcon · · Score: 1

      It is also worth noting the population density differences between the few large Canadian cities and most major cities in the US. Someone said Vancouver was one of the most dense with something like 800 or so people per sq. km. Looks like many of the areas of NYC are are over 10,000. People density and the friction that causes also plays a large part in violence ends to disputes.

    313. Re:We need more guns by fred6666 · · Score: 1

      Most democracies don't have the 2nd amendment and are doing just fine. They have strong protection for free speech and other basic rights, however. Having a gun is not a basic right and has nothing to do in a constitution.

    314. Re:We need more guns by kaybee · · Score: 1

      There are situations where a good guy with a gun can help, would help, and have helped. This is not one of them.

      Conversely, I don't think fewer guns would have stopped this either. I mean he had 20, but he only needed one. And even if he had zero, he could have used explosives which likely would have caused more casualties.

      And I don't think more laws would have helped. It was highly illegal to modify a weapon to make it fully auto. It was illegal to break the glass in his hotel room. It was illegal to discharge a firearm in city limits. And it was illegal to murder 50+ people. What's the law this guy would have actually followed and avoided this?

      As much as people from "both sides" are going to try to use this to push their agenda, it was just a crazy guy who wanted to kill people for some unknown reason. There are not realistic changes that would have avoided this incident.

    315. Re:We need more guns by fred6666 · · Score: 1

      Population density in Canadian and US cities is comparable.
      It always depend how large you consider the territory of the city, of course.
      Murder rate is high even in low-density US cities, compared to similar Canadian cities.

    316. Re:We need more guns by losfromla · · Score: 1

      Handguns? At 600 yards? It was 400 yards horizontally, afaik, so 500 yards seems about right for the 32nd floor. I don't think the accuracy would be there with the barrel length of a typical handgun. I am pretty sure no one was rocking either a rifle or shotgun and/or weren't willing to go brandishing in the middle of a live shooter situation even if they had them in their camper or tour bus. So I think your wall of bullets would have hit the Mandalay from the first to the top floor and other adjacent buildings as well. At that point things might devolve into the gangsters that run LV thinking that they're under attack from the country folk and we'd have ended up with an all out war. Even if that amusing turn didn't evolve, the carnage from the country folk "defending" themselves would have probably multiplied the death toll several times.

      Thanks for the clarification on distance, I wasn't thinking about duck and goose hunters as you mention in your response to the AC below.

      --
      Only I can judge you.
    317. Re:We need more guns by Radiophobic · · Score: 1

      This. In this circumstance, it looks like democracy is working exactly as intended. Complaining about an issue on facebook and slashdot does nothing if you don't back up that complaint with a vote during the next election.

    318. Re: We need more guns by suutar · · Score: 1

      the problem is that fear is also useful to the government, and it's going to be difficult to not be afraid for personal safety while still being afraid of terrorists.

    319. Re: We need more guns by Ferretman · · Score: 1

      I had a course in shooting safety as part of my Hunter's Safety class.

      I felt was a horrible waste of my time and rolled my eyes mightily at some of the videos (the kid pulling his loaded gun out of the front sea muzzle first was the best), but the shooting courses were instructive enough.

      Ferret

      --
      Sic gorgiamus allos subjectatos nunc
    320. Re:We need more guns by bungo · · Score: 1

      This is an honest question. You probably won't be reading this, as I'm posting long after the article came up, but ....

      Why do you feel you need the 2nd amendment?

      It's not 1766, you're not going to defeat a modern army unless you get some serious firepower - more than what you're currently allowed.

      Do you think it's needed for personal safety? Sports shooting. No worries, I can accept that. But if that's the case, then some restrictions could be ok. No full auto maybe?

      --
      "The best part? I became an ordained minister while not wearing pants." -- CleverNickName
    321. Re: We need more guns by Ferretman · · Score: 1

      > Gun ownership is an outdated right because civilised > society doesn't have the need for guns everywhere, only > at appropriate gun sport venues under lock and key until > required for sport. .....

      I'm curious how did you decide that? I don't recall a vote, and I would not agree with your assertion in any case whatsoever. If you tried to take them, I suspect you'd use men and women with guns--obvious hypocrisy is obvious--to enforce your will.

      How 'bout you have a gun if you want one (or not), and I'll do the same eh?

      Ferret

      --
      Sic gorgiamus allos subjectatos nunc
    322. Re:We need more guns by Ferretman · · Score: 1

      >I believe 89 people died there, and Paris gun laws are plenty strict. It's almost > like crazy murderous people don't care about the gun laws.

      Well said.

      Ferret

      --
      Sic gorgiamus allos subjectatos nunc
    323. Re: We need more guns by slashrio · · Score: 1

      Only about 9% of guns are registered.

      In that case I recommend to improve the registration process.

      --
      "Trump!!", the new Godwin.
    324. Re: We need more guns by werepants · · Score: 1

      In that case I recommend to improve the registration process.

      Sure, let's make it mandatory, the way we do with motor vehicles and other technologies that are expensive and/or potentially dangerous.

    325. Re:We need more guns by AutodidactLabrat · · Score: 1

      The innocent will be compensated as in paid off.

    326. Re:We need more guns by rally2xs · · Score: 1

      A good guy with a gun is _always_ what ultimately stops those that don't commit suicide first. The good guy with a gun may be a civilian, or a soldier, or a cop, but these are all good guys with guns.

    327. Re:We need more guns by rally2xs · · Score: 1

      Well, if we did restrict the mentally ill from buying firearms, it wouldn't make a bit of difference. The person in question would find another way to get it - buy it used from someone that doesn't give a F about background checks, steal it himself, buy it from a criminal that stole it from someone else, etc.

      Gun control laws, all of them, are 100% ineffective. You can pass all such laws you want and not make a damned bit of difference.

      Want to protect those people at the concert? You hire a sniper. You build a sandbag blockhouse on the venue where everyone can see it, and then you put your sniper on the roof of an adjacent building where he can scan the entire elevated area from which an attack may occur. The moment the asshole breaks a window, this guy is "on it", and the moment he aims a rifle out the window, this guy puts his baseball hat backwards, squints through a telscopic sight, says, "Goodbye, asshole," and puts a .308 into said asshole's brain. End of attack, possibly before the 1st shot in this case. But that's how you protect those people, the same way the Secret Service protects the President. Oh, and this doesn't abridge anyone's 2nd Amendment Rights (but the left won't like that...)

    328. Re:We need more guns by rally2xs · · Score: 1

      Its because we don't want to do something that has 0% chance of working. Gun control laws 100% don't work.

    329. Re:We need more guns by rally2xs · · Score: 1

      #1 absolutely won't work, never has worked in this country, and never will work in this country.

      #2 works, it did back in the 60's when the men in white coats would roll up on the crazy SOB, scoop him up into straight jacket, and haul is ass off to the booby hatch. Then some judge said he has rights, so now he camps out in homeless tent cities, and every now and then shoots up a bunch of people.

      #3 absolutely will work, if you get the right gun in the right hands to produce counterfire to a mass shooting. Shooter takes a shot, counterfire puts a .308 into his brain. Yep, that works too.

    330. Re:We need more guns by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      If people has been armed in Vegas it would have made the situation worse. Unless one was carrying a sniper rifle there would be no way they could have hit the guy. Too far away and high up for hand guns... Maybe someone really skilled with a hunting rifle might have got lucky.

      More likely people would have started shooting where they suspected the shots were coming from, so now as well as the criminal you have paniced people sending bullets all over the place.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    331. Re: We need more guns by dave420 · · Score: 1

      That's poor logic. They might not be able to counter your argument, but that says nothing about whether your argument is sound or not.

    332. Re: We need more guns by dave420 · · Score: 1

      The difference is in each of those countries gun control was discussed afterwards, and progress made. The US seems hell-bent on not learning less someone's centuries-old document gets offended.

    333. Re:We need more guns by dave420 · · Score: 1

      If you think the only form of self defense is a gun you are beyond help. Hint: they can get a dog. A blind person waving a gun around isn't defending themselves even though they have a gun.

    334. Re:We need more guns by BrianMahoney1357 · · Score: 1

      It's the tail wagging the dog. The NRA has only 5 million members. I get that as roughly 1.5% of the population. How is that tiny percentage of people affecting gun controls? Are the famous 1% and that 1.5% one and the same? Why do people think the NRA is so powerful? Is there another group as small as the NRA that gives an impression of being so powerful?

    335. Re:We need more guns by dave420 · · Score: 1

      You do realise you can't fight the US military with the weapons you're allowed to own, right? That means if the armed forces are fighting for the people you don't need to do anything, and if the armed forces are fighting against the people your guns won't help. They're an anachronism - a lot has changed since the late 1700s, strangely enough.

    336. Re: We need more guns by dave420 · · Score: 1

      Your absurd appraisal of the discussion is the most painful thing here. You're not going to learn anything if you can't even accurately portray the reality of the discussion.

    337. Re:We need more guns by dave420 · · Score: 1

      A big fucking dog helps with home defense, and doesn't take time off to get drunk or otherwise incapacitated to the point defending the home becomes dangerous. It also doesn't kill your family when you lose your job, and most certainly won't go to Las Vegas to shoot the ever-loving-fuck out of innocent people.

    338. Re:We need more guns by dave420 · · Score: 1

      If the laptop/cellphone had one single button which, when pressed, hacked whatever it was pointed at and stole $450,000 from it, you might see how leaving it unsecured isn't as innocent as you portray it...

    339. Re:We need more guns by dave420 · · Score: 1

      I can't take you seriously with your lack-of-virtue signalling signature. It only serves to make you look like a racist desperately trying to not look like a racist. It's not very effective.

    340. Re:We need more guns by GLMDesigns · · Score: 1

      I stand corrected. That's so true, I was limiting my "good guy" to bystanders.

      Bystanders at the concert cannot take out a machine gun 300 yards away and 30 floors high with a handgun.

      Do we know yet what he was using?

      Of course dipsh!t Hillary is talking about "silencers". It's crazy how willfully ignorant people are.

      --
      If you're scared of your govt then you need to further restrict its powers
      Vote 3rd Party in 2016 and beyond
    341. Re:We need more guns by jeff4747 · · Score: 1

      First, lots of people who are not members of the NRA vote on the NRA's recommendations and propaganda.

      Second, the people who vote against gun control only vote against gun control. It overrides any other issue in the race. That is not true of the pro-gun-control side - the pro-gun-control side are willing to vote for someone they oppose on gun control as long as they agree on other issues.

      That means the roughly 20-30% of the population who are against any gun control have far more political power than their raw numbers would indicate.

    342. Re:We need more guns by jeff4747 · · Score: 1

      Why wouldn't they be allowed to buy guns?

      Because being able to see what you are shooting at, and more importantly what is behind what you are shooting at, is necessary to use a gun safely.

    343. Re: We need more guns by WolfWithoutAClause · · Score: 1

      I call BULLSHIT on that, Norway is solely because of Anders Brevik!

      The only other ones are Finland, magazine capacity is completely unrestricted there, and Switzerland. Switzerland is another case where they're awash with guns, they've only JUST in 2017 restricted magazine capacity there.

      --

      -WolfWithoutAClause

      "Gravity is only a theory, not a fact!"
    344. Re:We need more guns by Triklyn · · Score: 1

      yeah, and a bunch of farmers with AKs can't fight the military might of the US armed forces.

      presumably, control is about controlling people... and it defeats the purpose if you bomb all the people to hell. if the armed forces are fighting against the people...

      you have 1.5 million active military right now... and 100 million guns in the US among 300 million us citizens. as we see time and time again, boots on the ground is still a vital part of war.

    345. Re:We need more guns by Triklyn · · Score: 1

      last refuge, other factors are also very important.

    346. Re:We need more guns by Triklyn · · Score: 1

      venezuela

    347. Re:We need more guns by Triklyn · · Score: 1

      tyranny isn't here. the president is not a king.

    348. Re:We need more guns by losfromla · · Score: 1
      --
      Only I can judge you.
    349. Re:We need more guns by Triklyn · · Score: 1

      i don't think that word means what you think it means. please point to something tyrannical as enacted by the current government.

    350. Re:We need more guns by Triklyn · · Score: 1

      read the link, trump may have the classic 'traits' seen in a tyrant. but that does not make this government tyrannical nor trump a tyrant. please again, point me to something tyrannical that has happened. having the impulse, is very different from having the follow through.

    351. Re:We need more guns by losfromla · · Score: 1

      You didn't read the article led to by the link I so carefully pasted in? Are you proposing that the orange tyrant literally has to declare himself king before you'll agree that tyranny is upon us? I sure hope we don't get there for all our sakes. Especially being that we are such sheep that we'd just bleat about it on the internet while watching "I Love Lucy" reruns.

      --
      Only I can judge you.
    352. Re:We need more guns by losfromla · · Score: 1

      The article to me says, if it walks like a duck and it quacks like a duck... They are making the argument by induction that the unhealthy obese moronic orangutan *president is a tyrant. If you choose to not make the connection then I guess you're going to need yet another trait checked. For me, enough are in place, clearly your standard of proof is higher. Then again I always loathed that guy, well not really during the TV show, I liked the show. Since learning more about what a vile creature he and his family are I have come to much firmer and better informed beliefs about the mendacious orange occupier of the White House. If you on the other hand like him, clearly it will take much more evidence to see that he is indeed a tyrant, though I'd grant he hasn't fully reached his goals.

      P.S. If a person exhibits enough traits of a psychopath, that person is a psychopath. If a person exhibits 3 or more symptoms of metabolic syndrome, that person has metabolic syndrome. In my mind, drumPft has passed the tyrant threshold, in yours he hasn't. You are free to continue with your opinion, wrong as it may be ;-).

      --
      Only I can judge you.
    353. Re:We need more guns by wyHunter · · Score: 1

      Trust me, the Denver/Boulder metro area is pretty heavily 'D" and all decisions in Colorado come from the festering fools there. I lived there for a decade, and am glad to be out.

    354. Re:We need more guns by dywolf · · Score: 1

      it's what ive said before: "he was a law abiding owner....until he wasn't."

      --
      The guy who said the election was rigged won the presidency with the second-most votes.
    355. Re: We need more guns by dywolf · · Score: 1

      first they would have to admit that those countries exist, that its possible we can learn from them, and that this isn't the first time these problems have ever been encountered in the history of humanity.

      --
      The guy who said the election was rigged won the presidency with the second-most votes.
    356. Re:We need more guns by dcw3 · · Score: 1

      There would have been plenty of muzzle flash to easily identify what room the shooter was firing from. The estimates I've seen put him at about 1100 feet from the crowd. That's easily within range for a marksman with a decent rifle.

      I haven't tried to find the answers to this yet, but have read that police first arrived at the room door 12 minutes after the start of the shooting, and yet didn't breech the door for nearly 75 minutes. Why was that?...had he already shot himself?...had the shooting stopped?...were they waiting to clear adjacent rooms? As with many investigations, we'll learn more as all of this unfolds, but in the meantime we'll hear lots of speculation from the media to keep the revenue stream hot.

      --
      Just another day in Paradise
    357. Re:We need more guns by dcw3 · · Score: 1

      The sole purpose of a gun is to kill and maim. It has no other purpose

      As a gun owner for over forty years, I've put thousands of rounds through them, and never killed nor maimed. Clearly, they have no other purpose in your eyes. That said, if someone were to threaten me or my family, I wouldn't hesitate to use them to defend us. If that isn't justifiable to you, then I can't help you, and am simply glad that you aren't king.

      --
      Just another day in Paradise
    358. Re:We need more guns by dcw3 · · Score: 1

      If 20 people a week drove their car like that and were declared blameless, there would be riots.

      You're clearly unaware of actual accident statistics. Try looking them up before making baseless comments.

      --
      Just another day in Paradise
    359. Re:We need more guns by Triklyn · · Score: 1

      the issue isn't that he doesn't fit the mold of a tyrant, it's whether or not he is one. and tyranny, like murder, has one or two 'traits' that must be met.

      according to wikipedia "Plato and Aristotle define a tyrant as a person who rules without law, using extreme and cruel methods against both his own people and others." and further along, defines it as someone that 'usurps sovereign power'.

      you're saying, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's a duck.. i'm saying... it's not even a bird you loon.

      in essence, he fits the 'psychological profile' of a tyrant... but he hasn't actually done anything tyrannical.

    360. Re:We need more guns by Triklyn · · Score: 1

      no, i just need him to enact something NOT SPECIFICALLY delegated to him in his capacity as president of the United States.

      for example, when obama unilaterally declared a moratorium on prosecution of dreamers... that's not really in the purview of his office to do, to pick and choose which laws to enforce. partial enforcement is of course acceptable, but he declared a categorical stop on enforcement. if you want amnesty, pass a bill. but that power is relegated to congress and our political process.

      if the president plays within the rules of game as defined, he is not tyrannical. breaking the rules of the game is tyranny. if you want to change the rules of the game, the rules of the game allow for that too. if we want to delegate those powers to the presidency. pass a bill. sign it into law... or ratify an amendment.

    361. Re:We need more guns by losfromla · · Score: 1

      My argument against what you are saying is already captured in the Time article I linked, I don't feel that further discussion is warranted, you penguin.
      And yes, he has done tyrannical things.
      Enjoy your blissful existence.

      Article pasted here for posterity in case linked version disappears:

      Donald Trump, president and chief executive of Trump Organization Inc. and 2016 Republican presidential candidate, smiles while speaking during a news conference at the Mar-A-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Fla., on March 15, 2016.
      Donald Trump, president and chief executive of Trump Organization Inc. and 2016 Republican presidential candidate, smiles while speaking during a news conference at the Mar-A-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Fla., on March 15, 2016. Bloomberg via Getty Images
      History
      This Is What Ancient Greeks Would Have Called Donald Trump
      Devin Singh
      Mar 18, 2016
      Ideas
      Devin Singh is Assistant Professor of Religion at Dartmouth College and is a Public Voices Fellow with the OpEd Project.

      Is Donald Trump a tyrant?

      This is not a question of character. It’s even less a matter of likability. Rather it goes to the heart of who we are and who we want to be: Does the Donald pose a fundamental threat to American democracy?

      The ancient Greeks thought long and hard about such issues. While we’ve come to associate the word tyrant with someone of foul temperament who abuses power—all traits with which Trump has been linked—Greece had a fairly technical definition. Though coming in many forms, the tyrannos is a figure who, usually through great personal wealth, circumvents established political processes to attain power. Often an outsider or one of the wealthy elite, the tyrant flouts conventions of discourse and forums for debate. The tyrant ignores traditions of deliberation and steamrolls opposition. Ultimately, a tyrant rises to power in ways that undermine democratic structures, leaving the ruler unaccountable to those ruled or to the checks and balances of the system.

      Centuries later, on another continent, these ideas still matter. It’s from such thinkers that we derive the political concepts that undergird our democracy. The ancient Greeks understood what qualities might destroy the democratic model they developed and that we’ve inherited.
      Related
      US-POLITICS-TRUMP
      politics
      Charles J. Sykes: Where the Right Went Wrong

      Central among these tyrannical characteristics is a voracious pursuit of wealth with no attendant commitment to public service. For Aristotle in his Politics, money serves as a tyrant’s ultimate means and ends. He cautioned that the tyrant, while claiming to care for the public good, will use the city’s treasury for personal enrichment. Even a tyrant’s gift for rhetoric, and use of flattery and insult, is calculated to provide access to more wealth.

      The classical tyrants tended to be notoriously big spenders and conspicuous consumers. They often undertook massive building projects, erecting structures as monuments to their name, trying to increase their notoriety. As Thucydides was forced to acknowledge of tyrants: “They adorn the city beautifully.”

      So important is money to tyrants' aims that they may exaggerate their wealth to gain support. Thus, in Aristophanes’ satirical play, The Wasps, a would-be tyrant’s net worth comes under scrutiny. His opponents attempt to set him straight by reminding him that he’s not as wealthy as he claims and that his aspirations are misguided.

      The tyrant also typically capitalizes on popular unrest and dissatisfaction, and mobilizes the people, often violently, against the political elite. Yet because the tyrant comes to power outside the conventions of democracy designed to curb power, and has demonstrated contempt of ideals like rational debate and discourse, he is left unaccountable. He ends up betraying the people who helped install him.

      Anything sound familiar?

      To be sure, the tyrant label onl

      --
      Only I can judge you.
    362. Re:We need more guns by losfromla · · Score: 1

      Read up on "Executive Orders" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

      It is exactly within his purview to direct members and staff which are under the executive branch in how to behave in specific situations. With the obstructionist morons he was always running into, this was all he could do. And just to be clear, it is specifically, exactly and well within his roles and responsibilities to do so.

          Since you are clearly anti-Obama and think he invented executive orders, here is an excerpt for you on their modern history and use from the same wikipedia page:
      First column, is the president in question (*president in dRumpFt's case),
      second column is the number issued by that president,
      last column is the number E.O. that president started at (what numbered ones existed before their term).
      Gerald R. Ford 169 11798
      Jimmy Carter 320 11967
      Ronald Reagan 381 12287
      George H. W. Bush 166 12668
      Bill Clinton [16] 308 12834
      George W. Bush [16] 291 13198
      Barack Obama [16] 276 13489
      Donald Trump (as of September 29, 2017) [16] [17] 49 13765

      --
      Only I can judge you.
    363. Re: We need more guns by thegreatbob · · Score: 1

      No true knave would make such an argument.

      --
      There is no XUL, only WebExtensions...
    364. Re:We need more guns by Triklyn · · Score: 1

      i'm well aware of executive orders, just don't like them when they're used to bypass the legislative process. executive orders are incredibly easy to reverse. and we grant too much power to the presidency. regardless of the president in power. my issue with obama's use in daca is that it acted blatantly to contravene existing immigration law.

      if you want to reform immigration, convince congress to pass reform. if you can't do that, work to change the makeup of congress. i don't like it when public policy swings wildly.

    365. Re:We need more guns by Triklyn · · Score: 1

      never heard penguin before. kudos on that whimsical insults.

      enjoy your stress.

    366. Re: We need more guns by harlequinn · · Score: 1

      Lol, you're funny.

      How is accurately stating the purpose of a firearm and projectile absurd?

      How is accurately stating the reality of the situation not conducive to learning?

      Why is this accurate representation bothersome to you?

      If I'm incorrect (hint: I'm not) then please state the real purpose for a firearm and the real purpose for a projectile.

  2. So is this called Terrorism? by houghi · · Score: 2, Interesting

    So is this called Terrorism? Will people of the same skin color now be targeted? Because that would be bad.

    --
    Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
    1. Re:So is this called Terrorism? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      I do hope there is a travel ban on every white male over the age of 50! That will stop any future terrorist attacks right!

    2. Re:So is this called Terrorism? by TimothyHollins · · Score: 4, Insightful

      No, this is not terrorism (yet). There is no ideological or political separation for discriminating between the victims and the perpetrator(s). If the shooter has left some manifesto or similar behind it may be classified as an act of terrorism later, but nothing of that sort has as of yet been discovered.

      Why would you call this terrorism? Why is it relevant?

    3. Re:So is this called Terrorism? by Kohath · · Score: 2

      Blaming innocents based on skin color is not the answer. Actions against innocents are never the right answer.

    4. Re:So is this called Terrorism? by Nidi62 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      No, this is not terrorism (yet). There is no ideological or political separation for discriminating between the victims and the perpetrator(s). If the shooter has left some manifesto or similar behind it may be classified as an act of terrorism later, but nothing of that sort has as of yet been discovered.

      Why would you call this terrorism? Why is it relevant?

      If Trump can call anything terrorism without waiting for any facts showing it to be so, why can't we? Because the perpetrator is white? As a white gun owner myself (also a freely admitted anti-Trumper since the birther days), Trump's (relative) silence on this attack speaks volumes. He's sent out what, 2-3 condolence tweets? No stream of tweets decrying terror and how we have to act now, how great the first responders are, etc.

      This attack can cause big trouble for Trump. If he takes steps to prevent acts like this he angers his base (even though we sorely need some practical gun control), if he does nothing then he shows the rest of the country and the world he cares only about his base, in which case his ability to govern and compromise, already damaged, ends up beyond repair. Best case for Trump at this point is the shooter turns out to be a registered Democrat, in which case the right-wing media plays up their favorite talking point of how Democrats have been violent since Lincoln was assassinated, conveniently forgetting the ideological shift in the mid 20th Century.

      --
      The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
    5. Re:So is this called Terrorism? by andydread · · Score: 2, Insightful

      If he takes steps to prevent acts like this he angers his base (even though we sorely need some practical gun control),

      what gun control that you are advocating for would have stopped this particular incident? The guy had a machine gun. Machine guns are banned i.e. illegal. We don't know where the gun was obtained and in this case it doesn't matter because the machine gun in and of itself was illegal. It is not legal to transfer a machine gun anywhere, gun show or not. Obviously this guy does not obey gun laws. I honestly would like to hear your suggestion on what "practical" gun control would have stopped this situation.

      Also.. Trump is fucking moron.

    6. Re:So is this called Terrorism? by Nidi62 · · Score: 1

      Nobody's calling this terrorism dipshit.

      Why not? If you are spraying a crowd of 30,000 people at a concert with an automatic weapon (and listening to the video that's been released, he is using a fully automatic firearm of some type) from the 32nd floor of a hotel, how is that anything but terrorism?

      --
      The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
    7. Re:So is this called Terrorism? by Kohath · · Score: 2

      [Blaming innocents based on skin color is not the answer. ] Actions against innocents are never the right answer.

      Actions against innocents are quite often the rightest of all answers.

      So you're in favor of police actions targeting innocent minorities then. Because they're different than you.

    8. Re:So is this called Terrorism? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Traditionally, "terrorism" was violence or threats of violence intended to change nation-state policy. For example, an eco-terrorist attempts to change laws around deforestation by planting metal spikes, which halts deforestation and raises awareness of the issue. Middle east "you know what" terrorists try to alter policies around involvement in the middle east. The key is how the action relates to nation-state policy and public sentiment. So if for say the 9/11 hijackers had merely wanted a thrill ride, then the "exact" same act wouldn't be *terrorism.* Of course, the modern word has been thrown around so much, it has basically turned into a catch-all for violent acts.

    9. Re:So is this called Terrorism? by Kohath · · Score: 2

      They support gun control because gun owners are the other -- people not like them.

      It's a common reaction to things like this to blame minorities and people who are different than you in some way. It's based on ignorance and fear.

    10. Re:So is this called Terrorism? by Nidi62 · · Score: 1

      They support gun control because gun owners are the other -- people not like them.

      Did you miss the 3rd sentence of my post where I said I'm a gun owner? I'm just not a card carrying member of the NRA, "they gunna take our gunz!" crowd.

      --
      The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
    11. Re:So is this called Terrorism? by Nidi62 · · Score: 1, Interesting

      If he takes steps to prevent acts like this he angers his base (even though we sorely need some practical gun control),

      what gun control that you are advocating for would have stopped this particular incident? The guy had a machine gun. Machine guns are banned i.e. illegal. We don't know where the gun was obtained and in this case it doesn't matter because the machine gun in and of itself was illegal. It is not legal to transfer a machine gun anywhere, gun show or not. Obviously this guy does not obey gun laws. I honestly would like to hear your suggestion on what "practical" gun control would have stopped this situation.

      Also.. Trump is fucking moron.

      It wouldn't stop this one. There are plenty of cases (Norway, Australia, etc) that show that even very strong gun control, even to the point of an almost complete ban cannot prevent attacks. But just because no solution is 100% effective, it does not mean the only option is the status quo. Mandatory training classes (focusing on firearm safety, laws, and basic marksmanship) for firearm ownership is a logical first step. And, while it's not directly related to gun control, improvements in the mental health system in our country would go a long way as well, as most mass shooters in the US tend to have psychological issues that have been unaddressed, or at least inadequately addressed. The problem is the NRA and others have equated any form of checks on gun ownership as the first step to completely ban guns which, given the amount of guns already in circulation in the US, is an incredibly unlikely scenario. But it gets them more money from membership dues and gets more donations for affiliated politicians and PACs.

      --
      The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
    12. Re:So is this called Terrorism? by Kohath · · Score: 1

      Did you miss the 3rd sentence of my post where I said I'm a gun owner?

      You didn't tell the truth about Trump's "silence" on this issue. It's not even light out this morning and he already made a statement. Why should we believe anything else you have to say?

      Also, the dead aren't even cold yet and all you can think about is some political calculation? Show some humanity.

    13. Re:So is this called Terrorism? by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 1

      Why not? If you are spraying a crowd of 30,000 people at a concert with an automatic weapon (and listening to the video that's been released, he is using a fully automatic firearm of some type) from the 32nd floor of a hotel, how is that anything but terrorism?

      Terrorism is seemingly random violence meant to further a political goal.

      This is seemingly random violence but there's not [yet?] a clear political goal.

      So you can't call it terrorism at the present time. Not every incidence of random violence is terrorism. They may be "terrifying" but that's not what the word means.

      --
      My God, it's Full of Source!
      OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
    14. Re:So is this called Terrorism? by Kohath · · Score: 1

      Can we collectively agree that blaming innocents is wrong then?

      Actions against innocent people are never the right answer.

    15. Re:So is this called Terrorism? by Nidi62 · · Score: 1

      Did you miss the 3rd sentence of my post where I said I'm a gun owner?

      You didn't tell the truth about Trump's "silence" on this issue. It's not even light out this morning and he already made a statement. Why should we believe anything else you have to say?

      Also, the dead aren't even cold yet and all you can think about is some political calculation? Show some humanity.

      Did you read my post at all? I specifically mentioned he sent out a few condolence tweets, but they were nothing like what he has traditionally sent out during attacks in Europe. Hell, he hasn't even called the shooter a "loser" yet! That's his favorite insult for terrorists.

      --
      The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
    16. Re:So is this called Terrorism? by dave420 · · Score: 1

      Your book means very little, and until the guy's motive is discovered, it's impossible to say whether it's terrorism or not. The guy might have been tripping and thought he was killing aliens for all we know. There is a reason the police engage in investigations and not just cast a cursory glance over a crime scene and decide on the spot what happened.

    17. Re:So is this called Terrorism? by Kohath · · Score: 1

      I specifically mentioned he sent out a few condolence tweets

      So he showed some humanity then.

    18. Re: So is this called Terrorism? by bestweasel · · Score: 1

      Trump has already offered his "warmest condolences" and Pence has offered prayers. What more do you expect them to do?

    19. Re:So is this called Terrorism? by Kohath · · Score: 1

      In Australia the idea that you're going to get gunned down on the way to work, or going to a football game, or picking the kids up from school ...

      In the USA it's an everyday occurrence.

      False.

    20. Re:So is this called Terrorism? by tsqr · · Score: 1

      If Trump can call anything terrorism without waiting for any facts showing it to be so, why can't we?

      You can. Of course, you'll be just as wrong as he is. Is that what you're after?

    21. Re:So is this called Terrorism? by Kohath · · Score: 1

      Did you read my post at all?

      You're talking with Kohath, one of Slashdot's many pathetic trolls, so no, your post was not read for understanding or comprehension, just for bits and pieces to twist out of context for his own malignant purposes.

      Yeah, that Kohath guy doesn't want innocent people targeted by police. What's up with people like that? I guess Kohath can't see how sending the police after innocent people is cool sometimes.

    22. Re:So is this called Terrorism? by penandpaper · · Score: 1

      He's expected to remark on the situation. It happened at 10:00pm... WTF is he supposed to do? Jump out in his MLP PJ's and make a State of the Union address at 3:00 in the morning?

      can you get over Trump plz?

    23. Re:So is this called Terrorism? by hey! · · Score: 1

      Oh, everyone will agree to that.

      What you'll never get anyone to do is stop blaming people who look guilty to them.

      --
      Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
    24. Re:So is this called Terrorism? by coastwalker · · Score: 1

      I think we will find that there were "bad things done on both sides" as far as Trump is concerned.....

      --
      Facts are history now plebs have politics for religion on social media.
    25. Re:So is this called Terrorism? by Kohath · · Score: 1

      What you'll never get anyone to do is stop blaming people who look guilty to them.

      So anyone that's different then.

      We should be able to get at least a few good people to agree not to target innocents, even when they're different.

    26. Re:So is this called Terrorism? by Kjella · · Score: 1

      I'd say action speaks louder than words, even if the "manifesto" only existed in the guy's mind he certainly seemed to have some sort of plan or meaning behind it, it wasn't a fit of rage, psychosis, for any personal gain or to take revenge on any particular individual(s). It doesn't have to be a direct relation to the concert, like when terrorist groups in Africa attack tourist destinations it's not really about the tourists but to cripple the economy and threaten the government. It's possible he was too far gone for anyone else to understand what kind of "message" he was sending, but none the less I'm willing to call anyone opening up fire on random concert goers for acts of terrorism. Maybe it can't be legally proven, but you can also have a murder without a convicted murderer. Same way I'd say these people were killed in a terror attack, even if nobody is convicted of terrorism.

      --
      Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
    27. Re:So is this called Terrorism? by Kohath · · Score: 1

      You forgot Philando Castile and Tamir Rice. And Chad Chadwick. Yeah, I actually do care.

    28. Re:So is this called Terrorism? by blindseer · · Score: 1

      I do hope there is a travel ban on every white male over the age of 50! That will stop any future terrorist attacks right!

      But how would President Trump get from the White House to his vacation home in Florida?

      --
      I am armed because I am free. I am free because I am armed.
    29. Re:So is this called Terrorism? by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

      Na, I guess it is enough to restrict them to rooms in hotels on floors they can reach via the stairs.

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
    30. Re:So is this called Terrorism? by naughtynaughty · · Score: 1

      Machine guns are not banned.

      There are multiple shooting ranges in Las Vegas that specifically advertise a machine gun "experience", you can go rent a fully automatic gun and blast away.

      For specifics with regard to gun laws, ban the sort of magazines he was using. They were likely 80+ round magazines. I'm sure hunters wouldn't object and being about to fire 80 rounds without reloading doesn't seem to be a home defense issue. So ban them, and not as in your imaginary machine gun ban, but an actual ban on them.

    31. Re:So is this called Terrorism? by Triklyn · · Score: 1

      isis just claimed him, but that's up in the air

    32. Re:So is this called Terrorism? by andydread · · Score: 1

      I said it was illegal to transfer machine guns. it is illegal to posses a machine gun manufactured after 1986 therefore they are effectively banned.

    33. Re:So is this called Terrorism? by Grishnakh · · Score: 1

      You shouldn't speak about things you're clueless about. Machine guns are not illegal in the slightest, they're just expensive and hard to get because they're in limited supply (they can't sell new ones to civilians, so you're limited to ones manufactured before sometime in the 80s, so you have to convince someone to sell one of theirs to you, and you have to pay the ATF $200 for a tax stamp and they'll do some kind of background check on you).

      In addition to that, it's not *that* hard to make your own using a readily-available assault rifle (usually an AR-15). It's illegal, of course, but information isn't and the information is available on the internet somewhere. You're probably right that this guy doesn't obey gun laws (it's much more likely he illegally converted an AR-15 or AK47 to full-auto than he bought a legal one), but having easily-converted rifles so readily available to civilians makes it easy for nutjobs like this to do these kinds of things. It's not so easy to convert a wooden-stock single-shot bolt-action hunting rifle to full-auto, for instance. "Practical" gun control is always about making it more difficult for people to get guns (esp. mentally unstable people), and part of that is about making it more difficult to get guns that make it easy to be more destructive. So, if for instance, AR-15s and other magazine-fed rifles were banned, but magazine-fed .22LR handguns were still readily available, we wouldn't be seeing massacres like this.

    34. Re:So is this called Terrorism? by Grishnakh · · Score: 1

      And, while it's not directly related to gun control, improvements in the mental health system in our country would go a long way as well, as most mass shooters in the US tend to have psychological issues that have been unaddressed, or at least inadequately addressed.

      Honestly, I'm not sure how that would help any. At least half the US population believes the government staged the 9/11 attacks, after all. This population is under nothing less than a mass delusion. I can't imagine how you'd fix that with some counselors; it's self-reinforcing.

    35. Re:So is this called Terrorism? by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      what gun control that you are advocating for would have stopped this particular incident?

      How about "no guns in casinos"? By police accounts, the guy carried at least 10 guns into the place. That doesn't raise any red flags? "Oh, it's just another white man with 10 guns. He's probably just a Second Amendment enthusiast"

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    36. Re:So is this called Terrorism? by walterbyrd · · Score: 1

      Nobody with any sense is calling this terrorism.

      In deference to what many seem to think: not every act of violence is terrorism.

    37. Re:So is this called Terrorism? by Kohath · · Score: 1

      Maybe, but a tragedy isn’t the time for politics. Show some humanity.

      Also, you should give up the backward-looking “but Obama” stuff pretty soon. He’s gone.

    38. Re:So is this called Terrorism? by andydread · · Score: 1

      if you think that casinos allow people to come into them armed with illegal machine guns you are a moron. Also the machine gun the guy used is likely illegal so the guy already broke current gun laws. So what gun law you think this guy would have obeyed? Current reports are that the shooter rented a room in the hotel and sneaked the guns into the room in a golf bag. Obviously you haven't been following the reports.

    39. Re:So is this called Terrorism? by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      Current reports are that the shooter rented a room in the hotel and sneaked the guns into the room in a golf bag.

      Ten rifles, and enough ammo to kill or wound over 500 people. That was one heavy motherfucking golf bag.

      How do you even fit 10 rifles in a golf bag?

      So what gun law you think this guy would have obeyed?

      "Nothing can be done about mass shootings", says the only country where these things regularly happen.

      Today is the 275th day of 2017. We have had 273 mass shootings so far this year. What the fuck is so wrong with America that we have to have one of these every day? There hasn't been a mass shooting in Australia since 1996. What laws do they have there that keep this from happening?

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    40. Re:So is this called Terrorism? by desdinova+216 · · Score: 1

      unfortunately we're never going to know the reason he did it, since he's dead

    41. Re:So is this called Terrorism? by driblio · · Score: 1

      1,516 mass shootings in 1,735 days
      https://www.theguardian.com/us...

      Learn something.

    42. Re:So is this called Terrorism? by dcw3 · · Score: 1

      If Trump can call anything terrorism without waiting for any facts showing it to be so, why can't we?

      You do realize that the countries listed in Trump's original proposal were listed by Obama's administration. He's still a moron, but maybe you could deal with facts instead of agenda.

      --
      Just another day in Paradise
    43. Re:So is this called Terrorism? by dcw3 · · Score: 1

      The guy had a machine gun

      No, he had semi-automatic weapons. Not a single one was fully automatic (machine gun). Machine guns are not illegal, they are licensed, and in fact you can go shot one any day of the week in Las Vegas...it's advertised frequently. What the shooter did have were bump stocks, which subvert the spirit of the law on automatic weapons, and I hope that Congress bans them.

      --
      Just another day in Paradise
    44. Re:So is this called Terrorism? by dcw3 · · Score: 1

      Rules are made all the time that affect innocents because of criminals or idiots. We wouldn't have speed limits, TSA, or employers monitoring our surfing at work, if it wasn't for the idiocy of a few.

      So, which makes more sense and is less costly? Patting down every grandma in a wheelchair, and every five year old's teddy coming through an airport, or focusing the efforts on a demographic with a history of that? Yes, it's not fair, and neither is life...I've personally been profiled more than once (airports and local cops), and it sucked, and was inconvenient, but whatever.

      --
      Just another day in Paradise
  3. Blame Reagan by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    When Reagan was negotiating the Machine Gun Ban of 1986, he refused to allow Congress to confiscate existing machine guns in circulation. So, existing machine guns were grandfathered in.

    1. Re:Blame Reagan by EvilSS · · Score: 1

      When Reagan was negotiating the Machine Gun Ban of 1986, he refused to allow Congress to confiscate existing machine guns in circulation. So, existing machine guns were grandfathered in.

      Yea I'd bet this wasn't one of those. Pre-ban full auto weapons go for quite a lot of money ($10K and up) and require a bunch of paperwork. Odds are this is an illegally converted semi-auto. We have an unfortunate loop-hole in the law that allows conversion parts to be sold legally, as long as you do not posses the weapon they can be used to convert. It requires some modification to the AR-15 lower but from what I understand it's not hard to do. Note that doing this, or even possessing both, is very illegal. I really don't get the purpose of allowing the parts to be sold at all. There is no real legit reason to purchase them unless you also own a registered M16.

      --
      I browse on +1 so AC's need not respond, I won't see it.
    2. Re:Blame Reagan by EvilSS · · Score: 1

      How hard would it be for someone with access to a machine shop (and plans) to fabricate the necessary parts to convert semi-auto to fully automatic?

      No idea, but it would be a lot harder than just buying them at a gun show and converting an existing AR15 lower.

      --
      I browse on +1 so AC's need not respond, I won't see it.
    3. Re:Blame Reagan by Train0987 · · Score: 2

      "We have an unfortunate loop-hole in the law that allows conversion parts to be sold legally, as long as you do not posses the weapon they can be used to convert. "

      That is not true either. Anything that can be used to convert a weapon to full-auto falls under the NFA and must be registered as well. A full-auto seer, for example is a trivial $2 part that now sells for $20k if properly registered.

    4. Re:Blame Reagan by Train0987 · · Score: 1

      "but it would be a lot harder than just buying them at a gun show and converting an existing AR15 lower."

      It's actually very simple, except doing it will put you in prison for a minimum of 10 years. The ATF does not F around with these laws.

    5. Re:Blame Reagan by EvilSS · · Score: 1

      "We have an unfortunate loop-hole in the law that allows conversion parts to be sold legally, as long as you do not posses the weapon they can be used to convert. "

      That is not true either. Anything that can be used to convert a weapon to full-auto falls under the NFA and must be registered as well. A full-auto seer, for example is a trivial $2 part that now sells for $20k if properly registered.

      Nope. You can buy a full auto kit for under $100. Seriously, just go search around for M16 full auto fire control group. For example, here is one for about $90:
      Fire Control Group Only
      1- OEM M16 Full Auto Trigger
      1- OEM Full Auto Hammer
      1- OEM Full Auto Selector
      1- OEM Full Auto Disconnector
      1- OEM Auto Sear With Pin Set


      From their FAQ:
      Q: Are there any special requirements to purchase the F.A.lower receiver parts?Tax Stamp or Form 4 paperwork? Or is it just cash and order?
      A: This is not a transferable item. Nothing is required to purchase it. Thank you Was this answer helpful?

      --
      I browse on +1 so AC's need not respond, I won't see it.
    6. Re:Blame Reagan by sheph · · Score: 1

      From what I read it wasn't a machine gun anyway. It had a bump fire stock where the "automation" is performed by the recoil. Those aren't illegal (and shouldn't be).

      --
      I don't believe in karma, I just call it like I see it.
    7. Re:Blame Reagan by green1 · · Score: 1

      Gotta love that type of "gun control"

      The parts and instructions are freely available and easy to obtain legally. but don't worry, we'll try to catch you and punish you after you've killed a few dozen people....

      No wonder you guys are so screwed....

    8. Re:Blame Reagan by Cederic · · Score: 1

      Are you shitting me? I could manufacture an automatic firearm inside of a week, starting from a wallet full of cash and no equipment or raw materials. This isn't hard.

      Reliable ammunition would be substantially harder, as I'm in the UK, but I'm confident I could get something that'll at least give me human target level accuracy to a couple of hundred yards.

      The only reason people in the UK don't do this is because of the UK law, or as you put it, "gun control". So just what the fuck is different about the US here?

    9. Re:Blame Reagan by Cederic · · Score: 1

      First time I've heard about bump stocks. They're.. a bit sad really.

    10. Re:Blame Reagan by green1 · · Score: 1

      The fact that in the USA you don't have to make it from scratch, you can legally buy a kit to convert a legally acquired firearm to a fully automatic one that feeds from large capacity, completely legal, magazines, and you don't even need to pass any form of background check for any of it. It's only illegal if someone happens to notice that you have the end product.
      In most of the rest of the world the base firearm (an assault rifle) is probably illegal, the conversion kit is definitely illegal, as are the high capacity magazines, and to even own a firearm you need to pass basic background checks, and often a firearms handling and safety course.

      Nothing will make it impossible for a determined person to make or obtain a deadly weapon, but these laws have been well proven in most of the civilized world to make the occurrence of such things MUCH less common.

  4. Perhaps finally we can put an end to this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    We can put an end to this controversy once and for all.

    They said not to ban it. They said we needed more of it. They said not to limit our rights for the sake of a few.

    Now look where we are.

    It's finally time, once and for all, to put an end to country music.

    1. Re:Perhaps finally we can put an end to this by bleh-of-the-huns · · Score: 1

      Too soon man.. too soon (but yes I did get a chuckle out of that...)

      --
      I came, I conquered, I coredumped
    2. Re:Perhaps finally we can put an end to this by irrational_design · · Score: 1

      Man, what if they did find that the shooter was a rabid anti-country music fanatic.

    3. Re:Perhaps finally we can put an end to this by CaptainDork · · Score: 1

      Fuck you.

      I was going to post this:

      "It's obviously terrorism because the guy was heavy metal."

      --
      It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
  5. Re:It was a country music show! by OzPeter · · Score: 1

    Half the audience was carrying! Why didn't they turn around and all point BOOM! right between the eyes!

    Right! - Right!

    what? Do you mean commit mass suicide?

    Because its sounds like you haven't even read where the shooter was.

    --
    I am Slashdot. Are you Slashdot as well?
  6. still relevant by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1
  7. I don't the answer to this... I really don't by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    As a first responder, this is the kind of stuff we train for and pray we'll never have to respond to. I was doing active shooter training at my town elementary school just last month, and our typical gallows humor was on wide display, the only way we can deal with what would be a horror show in the best possible circumstances and only goes downhill from there.
    This kind of thing never happened when I was a kid. How have we as a society come to this? And more importantly what's the answer. Ban guns? I don't personally own a gun and have little thoughts about them one way or the other, but with millions of guns on the street would this ever make a difference? If you ban automatic weapons, are not many regular weapons relatively easy to modify? And much like the war on drugs, I can't help but feel that a war on guns would have much the same effect - people who want them can still readily get them and our prisons are filled to bursting with low-level offenders. Maybe we ban all brown people from coming into the country, except this guy in Vegas wasn't brown, has lived here all his life, and from his profile it seems unlikely he is a jihadist (further information pending). Perhaps this is the fault of our frayed medical safety net which leaves people with serious mental illnesses more or less to fend for themselves, but you can't force people to get mental help or take their medication regularly when they do - as a guy with a bipolar sister, I can swear to that.
    Meanwhile politicians will go on TV and spew whatever talking points support whatever their tracking polling tells them, and people out for a night on the town will continue be shot en mass. Anyone have any new ideas, or can convince me that something old will sound somehow new and fresh this time around?

    1. Re:I don't the answer to this... I really don't by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      This kind of thing never happened when I was a kid. How have we as a society come to this?

      When were you a kid? This kind of thing has been happening since the 1700s in loose similarities, with more specific similarities coming all throughout the 1900s with more horrific examples available. And those are just the US.

      I agree with the vast majority of your points, but I feel that the fact that these things are more apparent is more due to the connectivity of everyone. There has been an uptick, (in my opinion) easily attributed to population density growths as well as the aforementioned connectivity.

      Whereas, 50 years ago, I probably wouldn't know any more than the fact that there was a shooting until I watch the news this afternoon (not a morning person) and even then, I wouldn't have much in the way of details, today, I can find out a ton of information about the incident in 5 minutes or less. If I were of unscrupulous intent and was trying to figure out a way to make my mark, this information could be what pushes me over the edge.

    2. Re:I don't the answer to this... I really don't by buddyglass · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Recently looked at a list of top mass shootings in the U.S. by # of casualties. 7 of 13 happened in the last 10 years. 12 of thirteen happened since 1983, the only exception being Charles Whitman in 1966.

    3. Re:I don't the answer to this... I really don't by Mascot · · Score: 5, Insightful

      tl;dr: I don't have the answer either.

      It seems like a tricky area to do reliable research on. It's not like you have two virtually identical countries and can ban guns in one and not the other and see how it all pans out. Australia's changes to gun laws following their Port Arthur massacre might be cited to show restrictive legislation can work, but then again it's very difficult to control for other influences (IIRC gun related violence was already on a downward trend, but with the trend seeming to accelerate after the new legislation).

      Then there are nations with both restrictive legislation _and_ high rate of gun ownership, that do not have these issues. So one could argue that might be the way to go. For example, in my own nation (Norway) we have a high rate of gun ownership, but "for protection" is simply not a valid reason to buy a firearm. You buy one for hunting, or for sports. For handguns you need to pass a safety course and be an active member of a club for a minimum of six months, at which point you can buy a safe approved for firearms storage (requirements being designed to prevent the firearm from being stolen) and then _apply_ for a permit to purchase a handgun. Typically you'll get approved, but the police does check with your club so if you've been behaving like an idiot and ignored safety protocols and such, they'll let the police know. In other words, this serves to instill a mindset of safety with regards to firearms.

      Do I think that's the holy grail of how to sort out gun violence? To be honest, no. It works for us, because we are us. We're a society where people do not in general view firearms as something you need for protection. We don't sit on our back porch taking potshots at bottles (hey, I'm entitled to at least one stereotype here, I figured). Where police are still not generally armed. How can what works here be expected to work in a nation like the US, where the primary argument for gun ownership seems to be protection from your neighbors and your own government? Where there's a very real risk of a traffic stop turning into a shootout?

      Now, I do think the US legislation and culture when it comes to gun ownership is nothing short of bonkers. That doesn't mean I can claim to know what might work to help solve it. Although I don't see many ways of making it worse, so just about anything seems worth trying.

    4. Re:I don't the answer to this... I really don't by buddyglass · · Score: 1

      2017 population is roughly 325 million. Population in 1945 was roughly 140 million. Seems strange that there was exactly 1 "top" mass shooting during the 37 years from 1945 to 1982, then 12 in the 35 years from 1982 to 2017. Given the differences in population I'd expect there to be approximately half as many during the 1945-1982 period as in the 1983-2017 period.

    5. Re:I don't the answer to this... I really don't by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      This was about the time that mental health practices changed from long-term care to just using pills and weekly counseling.

    6. Re:I don't the answer to this... I really don't by jeff4747 · · Score: 1

      The gun industry had a problem: Fewer and fewer people were buying guns. The number of households with at least one gun went from about 60-75% in the 1950s to about 33% today.

      That a lot less guns sold, and a lot less profits.

      So they did the sensible thing, and started a marketing campaign. They worked very hard at stoking the fears of gun owners so that they would buy more guns. During the 1950s, most of those households had one gun. Today, most gun owners own 3 or more guns. Ca-ching, baby!

      Now, there may be some side effects but we can't possibly let that get in the way of profit.

      As for solutions, well the only one really is for people to stop being cowards terrified of boogeymen everywhere.

    7. Re:I don't the answer to this... I really don't by bugs2squash · · Score: 1

      Careful there buddy, you're getting mighty close to analyzing gun related behavior.

      --
      Nullius in verba
    8. Re:I don't the answer to this... I really don't by Solandri · · Score: 3, Interesting

      For example, in my own nation (Norway) we have a high rate of gun ownership, but "for protection" is simply not a valid reason to buy a firearm.

      The pattern I've noticed in the U.S. is that densely populated areas with relatively fast police response times (a few minutes) generally favor gun control. Sparsely populated areas with slow police response times (15+ minutes) generally favor individual gun ownership. The "you don't own a gun so you call someone with a gun (police) to protect you" argument has very different connotations depending on which type of area you live in.

      I'm not sure what sort of solution this suggests, if any. Increased police presence in rural areas (to maintain the same number of cops per square mile and thus the same response time) is probably unfeasible. Just pointing out the pattern I've noticed and why some of the pro/anti gun control arguments which ring true in one location may sound like total nonsense in another.

    9. Re:I don't the answer to this... I really don't by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

      Assuming the GP is over the age of 40 (like me - I am two score and 9) - then none of what you listed happened when he was a kid. The world consists of more than those in their 20s and 30s...

      --
      Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
    10. Re:I don't the answer to this... I really don't by Mascot · · Score: 1

      I don't have the numbers to give an objective comment, but I cannot remember this type of divide around here. We have rural areas the police literally only routinely visits on a weekly basis, with response times in the area of "45 minutes in 80% of urgent cases", and I don't recall hearing the locals argue for larger degrees of gun ownership. What they do tend to complain about, is the response time for medical aid.

      My speculation would be that in a society with low crime and levels of violence, priorities are skewed in comparison to high crime nations. It seems logical. Adding to that, in case you missed it in my original response, if you call the cops here they will by default show up unarmed. They'll only arm themselves if the situation is judged to warrant it, and central approval having been given.

      If all (or most) of this holds true, a cultural shift would do wonders to the US. But I don't see that happening without significant political upheaval. A major driver for reduction of crime seems to be financial equality, and redistribution of wealth is in the US almost synonymous with communism which is again a euphemism for to many Americans.

    11. Re:I don't the answer to this... I really don't by Mascot · · Score: 1

      ...a euphemism for (insert name for ultimate evil) to many Americans.

      I used less-than/more-than instead of parens originally, which 1) vanished on preview and, 2) caused the message to not appear when trying to edit, so I had no way of fixing it.

    12. Re:I don't the answer to this... I really don't by sexconker · · Score: 1

      325/140 chance of said nut / patsy * 325/140 amount of pressure causing said said nut / patsy to crack * 325/140 targets.

      That second 2 factors would actually be much greater since populations have shifted into cities (density not scaling linearly with population).

    13. Re:I don't the answer to this... I really don't by pax+humana · · Score: 1

      Sir, I decry your use of a stereotype! We do not shoot at bottles since plastic bottles are much cheaper and more prevalent. Besides, nothing beats popping a shotgun slug into a watermelon (except a black powder rifle!).

    14. Re:I don't the answer to this... I really don't by Gussington · · Score: 1

      And more importantly what's the answer. Ban guns?

      This is what is confusing the debate. I don't think anyone is seriously considering a universal ban on all guns, except the NRA that uses it as a FUD device.
      Even here in Australia where we are the world's leading example of effective gun control, I can still get a gun license and go buy a gun. I even have a pistol range up the road from my house that I can go to if I want. But we have very little gun violence because now it's only gun enthusiasts and hunters/farmers who go to the trouble of trying to get one.

    15. Re:I don't the answer to this... I really don't by quantaman · · Score: 1

      For example, in my own nation (Norway) we have a high rate of gun ownership, but "for protection" is simply not a valid reason to buy a firearm.

      The pattern I've noticed in the U.S. is that densely populated areas with relatively fast police response times (a few minutes) generally favor gun control. Sparsely populated areas with slow police response times (15+ minutes) generally favor individual gun ownership. The "you don't own a gun so you call someone with a gun (police) to protect you" argument has very different connotations depending on which type of area you live in.

      I'm not sure what sort of solution this suggests, if any. Increased police presence in rural areas (to maintain the same number of cops per square mile and thus the same response time) is probably unfeasible. Just pointing out the pattern I've noticed and why some of the pro/anti gun control arguments which ring true in one location may sound like total nonsense in another.

      Possibly, though the urban/rural divide covers more things than gun.

      I think another part is that hunting is a lot more feasible in rural areas, and guns may be useful for ranchers to protect livestock. In urban areas they're really only useful for shooting other people.

      Urbanites also tend to see more value in communal goods, and the idea of having a lot of guns around doesn't feel very safe in a city.

      --
      I stole this Sig
    16. Re:I don't the answer to this... I really don't by Cederic · · Score: 1

      While Norway is such a small country that police may never be but so far away, there are places in the US where you might easily be hours from the nearest police.

      So small you can drive from one end to the other in just 28 hours - if you take a shortcut via two other countries.

      Also only 5 million population too - population density is under half that of the US. Sure, in Alaska you can be entirely isolated in a way that Norway can't match, but on average Norway was a shoddy example for you to use.

  8. Lack of information doesn't matter by ScentCone · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's amazing (but not surprising) how little the lack of meaningful background/facts on this dead guy, his act, his purported "companion" and his motivations matters to those who are already spinning up complex narratives to serve whatever agenda they're usually selling. Doesn't matter who we're talking about or which ax they're grinding. It's just remarkable how consistently the early period following something like this is full of what turns out to be misleading, or outright fictional information. But the speculation and misinformation (it's not even misinformation, it's something else ... just fabrications in the absence of anything solid to go on) now fills in all of the social and traditional media cracks so early and so thoroughly that whenever real information emerges, it can never shake off some of the "facts" that circulated early on.

    That indelible quality to whatever gets said first (see, for example, the perfectly incorrect Ferguson story that's still impervious to reality) is well understood now, and creates a sort of awful race to get into that "first mover" narrative position because that's now all that matters. It's not a new observation to say that the 24 hour news cycle generates endless blathering by talking heads looking to fill broadcast time, but the social media frosting on that cake has added an even worse and in many ways far more toxic new layer.

    --
    Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
    1. Re:Lack of information doesn't matter by Cytotoxic · · Score: 4, Insightful

      You are absolutely correct, so I'll make a stab at an indelible fact....

      The guy was crazy.

      There, I said it. Crazy dude gonna do crazy dude stuff. The fact that he was a big fan of "Blood Drive" on SyFy might sidetrack some folks, but I'm gonna put my chit down on uncontrolled schizophrenia. Others might dig into his political affiliations. But even if he's been to see Milo and has a Bernie T-shirt with a white power pin, I'm still going with crazy. Everything else is a symptom.

      I can tell because the "not crazy" bucket includes "people who don't shoot at large crowds". And the "people who shoot at large crowds" bucket doesn't really include "not crazy".

      I'll also make a prediction: nobody cares. HuffPo is already on record calling for gun control and talking politics. (that was when the death toll was 20, BTW) Remember the "bath salts" guy who ate the dude's face in Miami? Yeah, nobody remembers that he wasn't on any sort of drugs. He was crazy. Crazy dude gonna do crazy dude stuff. That's how they roll.

      So you are right. And nobody cares..... because they have an ax, and they intend to grind it.

    2. Re:Lack of information doesn't matter by ScentCone · · Score: 2, Interesting

      So it doesn't bother you that the fact that no, nobody legally "freely hands guns to" criminally insane people kind of contradicts your point?

      Regardless, gun advocates routinely point out that:

      1) The number of people killed by ANY means (including murders with guns) has been doing down nationwide for decades, even when you include crazy mass murder attacks like this.

      2) That guns are used hundreds of thousands of times every year to prevent, halt, or lessen the impact of violent crimes by other people. That's the "value" part you're asking about.

      The vast majority of murders in the country that happen to involve guns are intra/inter-gang murders in a handful of specific cities that haven't acted on their gang problems.

      In cases like this, where the crazy guy appears to have used rifles of some sort (we have no details about them or their provenance yet), it's worth noting that the FBI says that far more people are killed every year with knives, clubs and bare hands that are killed by ANY sort of murder involving a rifle or shotgun. That long and larger trail of death and injury is just a constant dull roar, so nobody pays attention to it.

      --
      Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
    3. Re:Lack of information doesn't matter by hey! · · Score: 4, Interesting

      You are absolutely correct, so I'll make a stab at an indelible fact....

      The guy was crazy.

      There, I said it. Crazy dude gonna do crazy dude stuff. T

      It is probably worth remembering that one of the first (and only) things this Congress did was to overturn Obama-era rules that restricted gun sales to people with certain severe mental illnesses. Now granted those rules wouldn't have caught this guy, because they only applied to people with very severe and obvious delusions. Statistically your likelihood of running into one of these people toting a gun is practically nil, but eventually someone is going to.

      Congress did this in the same act that repealed the rule that required coal mines to monitor water quality in adjacent streams.

      --
      Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
    4. Re:Lack of information doesn't matter by chiefcrash · · Score: 4, Informative

      It is probably worth remembering that one of the first (and only) things this Congress did was to overturn Obama-era rules that restricted gun sales to people with certain severe mental illnesses.

      Not quite. The repeal does not change any actual firearm regulations; there have been (and still are) laws on the books that prohibit the sale of guns to some groups of people based on mental illness. All they did was remove a questionable reporting requirement from the Social Security Administration that tried to equate "has trouble handling finances" with "potentially dangerous mental defect"

      When the ACLU agrees with the NRA on something, it might be worth digging deeper...

      --
      Show me on the 1st Amendment bobblehead where the moderator touched you...
    5. Re:Lack of information doesn't matter by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      it's worth noting that the FBI says that far more people are killed every year with knives, clubs and bare hands that are killed by ANY sort of murder involving a rifle or shotgun.

      I've noticed that you don't include handguns in that neat little NRA talking point. Why is that? Why do you compare "knives, clubs and bare hands" to a number that doesn't include the most deadly type of firearm in the United States? Far more people are killed with handguns than all the "knives, clubs, and bare hands", so why did you leave them out?

      That long and larger trail of death and injury is just a constant dull roar, so nobody pays attention to it.

      The longest and largest trail of death and injury leads back to the all-American handgun. By far. My question is, why did your statement above choose to not pay attention to it?

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    6. Re:Lack of information doesn't matter by swb · · Score: 1

      The confounding problem with the "crazy" analysis is how much planning and effort a shooting like this requires. Usually (but not always) people with serious mental illnesses are lacking in executive functioning and don't do a very good job of creating plans or following through on them.

      At the same time, it's hard to understand any motivation to shoot hundreds of rounds at a massed crowd that doesn't seem like the byproduct of a deranged mind.

    7. Re:Lack of information doesn't matter by ScentCone · · Score: 1

      I've noticed that you don't include handguns

      Because the murderer in question didn't use handguns (again, based on what the police have said so far). Which you know, but are trying to deflect. Because your next stop is going to be to tell us (without knowing anything about the rifles used, if they were legally owned/modified, etc) that mass murders in the US would be stopped if only he couldn't have bought the rifle(s) he used. And if he'd used something else entirely (like a truck, or an IED), then you'd be focusing some completely different aspect of his lunacy, but probably not on whether we should take away trucks or pressure cookers.

      --
      Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
    8. Re:Lack of information doesn't matter by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      Because the murderer in question didn't use handguns

      He also didn't use "knives, clubs and bare hands", yet you felt it was important to mention those.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    9. Re:Lack of information doesn't matter by micahraleigh · · Score: 1

      Given that the MSM reported Major Hassan was committing "workplace violence" when he was shouting "Allah Akbar!", I'll lean on Drudge saying the guy was a muslim.

    10. Re:Lack of information doesn't matter by pax+humana · · Score: 1

      Good point. Let's look at the 2017 data. http://marginalrevolution.com/... (Note, I did not check on MarginalRevolution's political leanings.) PopeRatzo, your point handguns being the weapon of choice for US murders is correct. However, your comment is off base. In fact ScentCone DID mention handguns in the very sentence before the one you quote. So my question back to you, PopeRatzo, is why YOU chose to ignore ScentCone's statement? As you yourself pointed out, that is not an NRA talking point but an FBI talking point. I dislike hypocrites. And another thing - the tragic event in Las Vegas did not involve hand guns, so you are the one who is off topic (or at least on the edge).

    11. Re:Lack of information doesn't matter by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      In fact ScentCone DID mention handguns in the very sentence before the one you quote.

      Please show us where ScentCone mentioned handguns.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    12. Re:Lack of information doesn't matter by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Usually (but not always) people with serious mental illnesses are lacking in executive functioning and don't do a very good job of creating plans or following through on them.

      That doesn't explain the gang of psychopaths (ok, some of them might only be sociopaths) running our government, does it? Willfully maintaining a harmful, unsustainable status quo is a sign of a disconnection from reality. And really, most of us are complicit to some degree.

      it's hard to understand any motivation to shoot hundreds of rounds at a massed crowd that doesn't seem like the byproduct of a deranged mind.

      There's just no shortage of deranged minds out there. Our system seems almost purpose-made to create them.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    13. Re:Lack of information doesn't matter by swb · · Score: 1

      I think "running government" is one of those kinds of job environments where you are so disconnected from the day-day outcomes of your policies that it's possible to rationally advocate for policies which you think actually have some kind altruistic outcome. I don't think it's personal mental derangement, it's the unreal nature of structure of the work and environment.

      I don't know if its a mental illness or just extremely flawed thinking, but I do think there is a kind of delusional behavior caused by an excess of confirmation bias. I overheard people are work with in their early 30s with at best low-end college degree griping about unions (none are members or have worked in union shops), and I think they believe that because they have been lucky enough to stumble into half-decent IT jobs they are over-invested in the idea of benevolent employers, their own skill and the nature of the job market to supply good-paying jobs.

      I do agree that in many ways modern life has turned some corner that is actively creating deranged people. Unfortunately, the guy accused of this particular mass shooting doesn't appear to be a victim of the usual modern life traps -- not in financial crisis, not suffering from an obvious illness (pilot's licenses require medical certifications), basically successfully self-employed for years, so none of the embitterment that comes from suffering at a bad job, no apparent political alignment of any kind and nobody that knew him seems to think he evidenced any kind of problems.

    14. Re:Lack of information doesn't matter by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      no apparent political alignment of any kind and nobody that knew him seems to think he evidenced any kind of problems.

      I have heard some snarky comments about how the white supremacists in Vegas thought he was a good guy, but no more details so it's probably a red herring. Regardless, if nobody that knew him thought he had any problems, then everybody that knew him was some kind of idiot, and/or nobody was actually close enough to him to know him.

      I am a bit annoyed by people trying to call this terrorism already, though. Terrorism against who? All Americans? Country music fans? Country music singers? It seems more like a psychotic break than an act of terrorism, so far. Maybe the cops will find a note that turns it into terrorism, but so far it's just an act of savagery. He was on his way to commit a terrorist act, but the music woke him up :p

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    15. Re:Lack of information doesn't matter by swb · · Score: 1

      It's obviously a conspiracy theory, but the accused shooter's total lack of obvious warning signs and general life success *almost* make me wonder if he could have somehow been an unintentional victim of an actual third party conspiracy. Some group of shooters who identified him as being alone and in a high vantage point room and saw a vulnerability they could exploit.

      And yes, this is a conspiracy theory and I don't think it will pan out, but over time it would be great to see some or all of the following:

      1) Surveillance footage showing him bringing in a large number of suitcases or packages to contain the 23 firearms found in his room and the large amount of ammunition.

      2) Room cleaning records & staff interviews of people who had access to the room -- did they notice a lot of suitcases for a single patron? Was there a large gap in staff access to the room, giving him time to unwrap/assemble a bunch of guns, like no cleaning service for 24-48 hours?

      3) The exterior photos and NY Times hotel diagram show TWO rooms in use. Did he actually check into two rooms? Does anyone remember asking him why a solo traveler and single patron would want a suite AND an additional room? He was known as a high stakes gambler, not there for a convention or some other purpose where a second room would have an obvious explanation.

      4) Can they forensically link all the guns to him? Serial number traces, finger prints, including traces of accessories or third party attachments demonstrating he was the buyer or could reasonably be demonstrated to be the owner. Some gaps may be expected, as I'm sure Nevada or other places he lives have no transfer requirements for in-state private party sales, but even these might be reasonably traced to original buyers in states where he lived.

      5) Some material evidence from his life that provides a substantial psychological motivation for doing this. That's my biggest issue now -- this guy was living a kind of everyman's fantasy, independently wealthy (brother quoted in the Times as saying he'd made at least $2 million in real estate) and living a life leisure. Even if everything else checks out to indicate he was the guy that did this (and I'm pretty sure it will), it will be pretty weird if they can't come up with some evidence of a motive.

    16. Re:Lack of information doesn't matter by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Well, it doesn't take long to set up your guns. They're designed to be easy to set up. But all the rest of that stuff, for sure.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  9. Re:Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by bleh-of-the-huns · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If I could mod your comment into the depths of hell I would. You are making assumptions where there is no information to make such, and showing your own political bias and agenda. And not a very hard attempt either, because the other side of the political spectrum could make the same assumption that he is a Trump support right wing second amendment loving nutjob, since we all know the left is anti gun and this guy had numerious firearms. We also know who he was, a 68 year old native resident of Nevada, which more than likely also makes him a Republican..

    But unlike you, I won't jump to conclusions yet to, otherwise I would be a total dick... You should probably do the same else everyone will think you are a total dick.

    And yes, while this is not exactly news for nerds, it is still an important event that should be covered.

    --
    I came, I conquered, I coredumped
  10. Re:Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by jcr · · Score: 4, Insightful

    a 68 year old native resident of Nevada, which more than likely also makes him a Republican..

    Right, all those Nevada Republicans who kept voting Harry Reid in year after year.

    -jcr

    --
    The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
  11. Cue the brainwashed Americans and their gun love. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Guns don't kill people, people kill people.
    The guns the guy used were illegal.
    Gun laws won't stop crazies.
    Psycho gun killers are Democrats or on antidepressants.
    Guns stop zillions of other attacks.
    99.9% of gun owners don't massacre anyone.
    They still kill each other in DC (or gun free zone of your choice).
    We need guns to protect ourselves against New Hitler

    We've all heard them a million times before.

    The fact is, whenever the news of a "active shooter killing spree" comes out the very FIRST thought people have is "Oh, where in the US is it this time??".
    Trying to argue for a bit of sanity there is like trying to convince North Koreans that Dear Leader does actually poo, it's an almost impossible task.

    Hey, a whole classroom of kids got slaughtered at Sandy Hook and they did NOTHING. This won't be any different.
    The cannon fodder have been conditioned far too well. Not only do they willingly walk to the slaughterhouse, they protest the rights of the slaughterman to kill them.

    Just like their second rate healthcare system, and their lack of a social safety net, the ones at the top in the US are only interested in profit. Guns are big business, like healthcare and private prisons. Lots of money to be made, and votes to be had. It's only the little people that carry the burden, so that's ok.

    There's no point in rebutting the same old points they raise over and over again. It's just water off a ducks back.

    So, now it's time for more "thoughts and prayers", no meaningful action, and some collective amnesia until we read about the next American mass murder obscenity in a week, or months time.

  12. Re:Racial profiling by Kohath · · Score: 1

    We don't know yet. But we know people like you are jerks with zero humanity. You just told us.

  13. Not an off the shelf weapon by Dan+East · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The weapon was fully automatic, which is very tightly regulated. It is likely the shooter either modified a weapon illegally or obtained one on the black market. That is no normal "assault rifle".

    I slowed down one of the eyewitness videos and used a tap-counter to count how many rounds were fired. I counted 80 rounds in a single burst. He was either using a belt-fed automatic weapon, or some specialized extremely high capacity magazine. The standard magazine you can buy for an assault rifle is 30 rounds.

    For all of the commentators saying this is what America gets for guns being legalized, I would like to point out that in Europe there have been far more attacks using fully automatic, illegal weapons like what just happened in Las Vegas, than in the USA. In fact, Europe still holds the record for the most people killed in mass incidents of this kind. This was a premeditated attack using specialized weapons by someone so incredibly deranged and unhinged that they would obtain several thousands of dollars of gear ahead of time, then open fire on a crowd of innocent people over and over with a fully automatic weapon.

    --
    Better known as 318230.
    1. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by Ash-Fox · · Score: 1

      For all of the commentators saying this is what America gets for guns being legalized, I would like to point out that in Europe

      Guns are legal in Europe too, this argument is invalid.

      --
      Change is certain; progress is not obligatory.
    2. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      We already know guns are at fault and must be banned, you're just supposed to be snarky and contemptuous about it, stop posting this crap and start making jokes about "gun nuts" and how you hope the people killed were Trump supporters, or how you're glad the shooter is white. Don't you want to be on the right side of history?

    3. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by Ash-Fox · · Score: 2

      We already know guns are at fault and must be banned

      They were banned from that area; didn't work.

      --
      Change is certain; progress is not obligatory.
    4. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by Richard_at_work · · Score: 5, Informative

      "Europe" is a continent made up of many countries - many European countries ban guns.

      Many non-Europeans seem to have a problem understanding that Europe is not a single political entity - not even the European Union spans the entirety of Europe, and the EU doesn't regulate guns, that's down to member states at an individual level.

    5. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by Nidi62 · · Score: 2

      The weapon was fully automatic, which is very tightly regulated. It is likely the shooter either modified a weapon illegally or obtained one on the black market. That is no normal "assault rifle".

      You can buy a fully automatic weapon for the price of a less than mid-level new car, perfectly legally. You only have to get certain licenses and stamps and follow certain regulations related to storage, but really anyone can get if you can find one. Hell, I know one person that has one and I know of at least one local gun range that allows you to rent one (it's a ripoff though, an MP5 but you can only use their pre-loaded magazines that they charge $50 each for). The recent legalization of silencers is kind of concerning as well. I'm surprised someone hasn't used any of those in a mass shooting yet-a couple silenced pistols in a loud venue means you can shoot for a lot longer before people notice what's going on.

      --
      The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
    6. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 1

      many European countries ban guns

      They bad mass murder too. It's just that psychopathic criminals don't pay attention to such things, so some of these things will always happen no matter what is banned.

      --
      My God, it's Full of Source!
      OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
    7. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by Dan+East · · Score: 1

      I didn't say annual gun deaths. I said "killed in mass incidents of this kind", which is when a person using illegal military weapons (full auto) attacks an large innocent group of people. Like this. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

      --
      Better known as 318230.
    8. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 2

      The recent legalization of silencers is kind of concerning as well. I'm surprised someone hasn't used any of those in a mass shooting yet-a couple silenced pistols in a loud venue means you can shoot for a lot longer before people notice what's going on.

      So, you've never actually used a gun with a silencer? They don't go "PEW! PEW!" like in the movies. There is no way a pistol with a "silencer" would not be heard very distinctly in a large and crowded venue. The primary use of "silencers" is for hearing protection and to minimize impact on neighbors.

      Please don't base public policy arguments on fictional works.

      --
      My God, it's Full of Source!
      OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
    9. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      A legal full-auto firearm is $25,000+ to buy, if you can find one, and can take months of paperwork and background investigations to get approval for. To date, I'm not aware of any crimes ever being committed with a legally owned fully automatic weapon.

      Modifying a semi-auto to fire in full auto can sometimes be done but is extremely illegal.

      It would be interesting to find out exactly what the shooter was using and how he obtained it, but I doubt those details will ever come out accurately.

    10. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by OzPeter · · Score: 1

      The weapon was fully automatic, which is very tightly regulated. It is likely the shooter either modified a weapon illegally or obtained one on the black market. That is no normal "assault rifle".

      You can buy a fully automatic weapon for the price of a less than mid-level new car, perfectly legally.

      2 years ago I was hiking in some mountains near Salt Lake City. The base of these mountains was a popular spot for people to come out on weekends and setup targets and shoot at them (the places was littered with shell casings of various types - why the fuck they couldn't clean up after themselves I don't know). So I am hearing a collection of semi-automatic pistol and rifle fire. OK thats not unexpected. Then all of a sudden someone lights up a fully automatic machine gun. Totally different sound. I never saw who was firing this gun, but it seems that taking it out into the desert and shooting at things was a relaxing thing for them to do.

      --
      I am Slashdot. Are you Slashdot as well?
    11. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by Kiuas · · Score: 5, Interesting

      For all of the commentators saying this is what America gets for guns being legalized, I would like to point out that in Europe there have been far more attacks using fully automatic, illegal weapons like what just happened in Las Vegas, than in the USA. In fact, Europe still holds the record for the most people killed in mass incidents of this kind. This was a premeditated attack using specialized weapons by someone so incredibly deranged and unhinged that they would obtain several thousands of dollars of gear ahead of time, then open fire on a crowd of innocent people over and over with a fully automatic weapon.

      As a European I fully agree with your core point, which is that people who're motivated to do harm will go to great lengths to achieve their goals. However, one slight thing to point out: in Europe getting any kind of gun is a lot more difficult than in the US, which means if someone planning an attack, they pretty much have to get their weapons illegally, and if one's already about to go to the black market to get a gun illegally, might as well make it an automatic.

      That being said, the US still has numerically a lot more (mass) shootings than Europe because the abundance of (legal) guns means that acquiring a gun of some description even illegally is far easier than in Europe. Thus you have a higher rate of gun crime and homicide than countries within the EU. That is, someone just wanting to get their hands on any kind of gun to go shoot up their school/workplace/etc. will have a much hgiher chance of success in the US than in here. Most mass shooters are mentally unstable, often depressed, so the difficulty of getting a gun illegally in here means the rates of mass shootings are much lower.

      However, it should be noted that it's not about the plain amount of guns. There are plenty of countries in Europe that have high amounts of firearms, we (Finland) among them, Switzerland is another famous example where everyone that goes through the army keeps the rifle in their home, yet we both have several times smaller homicide rates as well as rates of mass shootings. Why then is this? Well it's because we do have regulations about how the guns must be kept and transported. And in Switzerland the ammo for the rifles provided by the army is strictly controlled. In here to get a hunting rifle you actually need to be part of a hunting club for a while and pass a psych exam, and it's illegal to transport the weapon in public without it being disassembled.

      My point here is this: gun regulations do affect the amount of deaths by guns, but these regulations are too often thought of in the black and white mindset of 'less vs. more guns'. However, as I said we're both in agreement that even the most sensible regulation cannot stop all mass shootings or acts of terror. We've had a handful of mass shootings in the 2000s, all of them with the exception of a single case committed using stolen/illegal weaponry (and that case itself went to court that determined the police were guylty of dereliction of duty when they did not confiscate the weapon/license even though the perpetrator had been investigated based on his online writings idolizing violence). However, the only terror attack we've had which happened earlier this summer was done with a knife and the death toll was only 2 because of that.

      So while you're right that this incident especially could not probably have been affected by more regulations, it's still good to keep in mind that the kind of regulations in place do affect the overall number of gun crimes and homicides significantly. One thing that is also a factor and I feel is too often sidelined in the american gun discussion is the availability of mental health services. Obviously it's too early to say what role if any that played here before knowing if he even tried to seek help, though it's rather that the guy was a nut of some description.

      My heart goes out to anyone here with friends or family in Vegas, stay strong people!

      --
      "It is the business of the future to be dangerous" -Alfred North Whitehead
    12. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by dave420 · · Score: 1

      Can you name a European country which has banned all guns? Maybe your argument needs some tweaking as at the moment it's a bit all over the place.

    13. Re: Not an off the shelf weapon by swillden · · Score: 1

      Silencers were invented so that farmers can shoot rats in the barn while not scaring the livestock.

      Then the inventors failed, because unless you're shooting a silenced .22 rifle (long barrel) with .22 shorts or a very low-energy .22LR round, the livestock are going to get scared. Cartridge with a more power? Gonna be noisy. Shorter barrel (e.g. handgun)? Gonna be noisy. Suppressors lower the volume to a point where it won't damage your hearing, but it's still loud.

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    14. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by dave420 · · Score: 1

      That's what happens when you have porous, heavily-crossed borders between areas of different levels of gun control. Correctly-implemented (read: national) gun control would help this massively, but is unpalatable to many it seems.

    15. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by swillden · · Score: 4, Informative

      My point here is this: gun regulations do affect the amount of deaths by guns

      Maybe. I think there's also a significant cultural aspect. One telling statistic: There are more knife murders per capita in Chicago than in Toronto. That can't be blamed on guns, and neither city has any knife restrictions.

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    16. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by Dan+East · · Score: 1

      Except for the magazine capacity, you are correct, which is why I placed "assault rifle" in quotes. Mainstream media has redefined (to the general public) that an "assault rifle" is a semi-automatic rifle that looks scary (like having a pistol grip and an adjustable stock). The point I was trying to make is the weapon used in Las Vegas was not something you could buy from Walmart or your normal gun store, and it requires special permits that take many months to acquire and are very expensive.

      --
      Better known as 318230.
    17. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by Dan+East · · Score: 2

      This is the first attack in the USA I'm aware of using a fully automatic military weapon. The specific incident I'm aware of that (to this point) has claimed far more lives in Europe is the 2015 Paris attack. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

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    18. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by nehumanuscrede · · Score: 1

      Just an fyi:

      You can get 90 round drum magazines though they are prone to jamming in my experience, thus to be avoided.
      You can simply have more than one rifle ready to go when one runs out.

      There is a device called a " Slide Fire " which will get the weapon up to full-auto rates of fire, but has a tendency to wreak havoc on accuracy.
      ( Google it )

    19. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by Maltheus · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Some Europeans have trouble understanding this same fact about the United STATES of America.

    20. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by nehumanuscrede · · Score: 1

      An update to my post after watching the video.

      The first thing that came to mind was that silly hand-crank you can attach to your gun to get automatic fire rates. Whatever it is he is shooting, it's not a common setup. The initial burst is very long which isn't usually very common as automatic fire has a tendency to lift your muzzle in a hurry. Thus, burst shooting is a thing.
      ( or heavier belt-fed weapons designed for it, though extremely difficult for civilians to own )

      Also odd he elected for a spray-and-pray solution vs aimed shooting, though certainly can't argue with his results :|

    21. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

      I would like to point out that in Europe there have been far more attacks using fully automatic, illegal weapons like what just happened in Las Vegas, than in the USA. In fact, Europe still holds the record for the most people killed in mass incidents of this kind.
      That is wrong on all accounts.
      Except you want to write: In fact, Europe still holds the record for the most people killed in a single mass incident(no s) of this kind.
      So: how many incidents like this did we have in Europe the last 30 years? One? Two?

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
    22. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by Ash-Fox · · Score: 1

      The EU is only a part of Europe, it is not Europe.

      --
      Change is certain; progress is not obligatory.
    23. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by Ash-Fox · · Score: 1

      That's what happens when you have porous, heavily-crossed borders between areas of different levels of gun control. Correctly-implemented (read: national) gun control would help this massively, but is unpalatable to many it seems.

      You can't even keep drugs or mobile phones out of high security prisons in the US, what realistic hope do you have to even accomplish this goal? Even in North Korea, American movies are traded and watched despite being highly prohibited content in a country that operates under a strict regime.

      --
      Change is certain; progress is not obligatory.
    24. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by Ash-Fox · · Score: 1

      The country is awash with firearms and you want to claim a no pissing section in your pool would ever work?

      I would argue it just doesn't work, no matter how much you scale it up.

      --
      Change is certain; progress is not obligatory.
    25. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      There is no way a pistol with a "silencer" would not be heard very distinctly in a large and crowded venue.

      At a crowded Las Vegas concert, the sound level can hit 155 decibels, with average levels of over 120 decibels. A silenced pistol hits maybe 110 decibels, mostly in the higher frequencies which tend to be less noticeable.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    26. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by Walking+The+Walk · · Score: 2

      My point here is this: gun regulations do affect the amount of deaths by guns

      Maybe. I think there's also a significant cultural aspect. One telling statistic: There are more knife murders per capita in Chicago than in Toronto. That can't be blamed on guns, and neither city has any knife restrictions.

      Toronto is in Canada, which does have knife restrictions. See also some of the better knife forums where this question comes up a lot.

      --
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      Can impart wisdom and truth
      Call proc signature()
    27. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by Ash-Fox · · Score: 1

      Since when are RPGs legal?

      An RPG would be legal under a category A license in France.

      --
      Change is certain; progress is not obligatory.
    28. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by swillden · · Score: 1

      My point here is this: gun regulations do affect the amount of deaths by guns

      Maybe. I think there's also a significant cultural aspect. One telling statistic: There are more knife murders per capita in Chicago than in Toronto. That can't be blamed on guns, and neither city has any knife restrictions.

      Toronto is in Canada, which does have knife restrictions. See also some of the better knife forums where this question comes up a lot.

      Bah. Okay, I should have said "no knife restrictions that matter". Lots of places regulate switchblades, gravity-assisted opening blades, long folding knives, etc. In fact Chicago's regulations are roughly the same as Toronto's in that respect. But your average kitchen knife is a perfectly-serviceable weapon, and in many ways superior to the banned knives.

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    29. Re: Not an off the shelf weapon by Curunir_wolf · · Score: 1

      Silencers were invented so that farmers can shoot rats in the barn while not scaring the livestock.

      Then the inventors failed, because unless you're shooting a silenced .22 rifle (long barrel) with .22 shorts or a very low-energy .22LR round, the livestock are going to get scared. Cartridge with a more power? Gonna be noisy. Shorter barrel (e.g. handgun)? Gonna be noisy. Suppressors lower the volume to a point where it won't damage your hearing, but it's still loud.

      Well if you're shooting rats in a barn, why would you use anything but a .22 rifle with .22 shorts?

      --
      "Somebody has to do something. It's just incredibly pathetic it has to be us."
      --- Jerry Garcia
    30. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by swillden · · Score: 1

      Agree. Americans are just more violent people on average than most civilized nations' populations. No laws will change that.

      I'd really like to disagree with this, but I can't. One thing I can say, though, is that the culture of violence is not homogenous throughout the United States. Violence is rare in lots of places, on par with Europe, and in some cases even below many European countries. New Hampshire, for example, has a homicide rate of 0.9 per 100K, on the same order as Denmark, Germany and the UK. Maine, Minnesota and Vermont are on par with France.

      It's also worth pointing out that though when you said "Americans" you meant "people in the United States", the fact is that the more literal definition of "Americans" as "people in the Americas" makes your statement even more true. The homicide rate in the Americas (16.3 per 100K) is higher even than the homicide rate in Africa (12.5 per 100K) and this is true even in American countries with strong gun restrictions.

      (Aside: Note that total homicide rate is the right measure when trying to estimate the effects of gun control. Measurements of gun homicides put a heavy thumb on the scale and are really quite silly since the tool used doesn't matter all that much to the murder victim.)

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    31. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

      The European Firearms Directive overrides the members of the EU. And the EU does regulate firearms down to the member states. Even Switzerland and Norway participate in the EU Firearms Directive.

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    32. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by TykeClone · · Score: 1

      Not quite - there is a law in Chicago limiting the length of a knife blade. https://chicagocode.org/8-24-0...

      --
      A fine is a tax you pay for doing wrong and a tax is a fine you pay for doing all right.
    33. Re: Not an off the shelf weapon by swillden · · Score: 1

      Fair point. As history, though, the claim doesn't stand up in any case.

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    34. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by swillden · · Score: 1

      Not quite - there is a law in Chicago limiting the length of a knife blade. https://chicagocode.org/8-24-0...

      Also state laws banning switchblades, etc.

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    35. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

      Not even close to realistic on your volume levels for concerts. You're off by 20+ dB. The loudest ever was around 135+ dB for peaks, and average was closer to 110. I know a LOT of FOH engineers and they almost to a person push for 90-100 dB SPL average with peaks to 120. That's really loud - but orders of magnitude less power than you claim.

      Source: I design and build high-power speakers for a living, for a wide variety of brands.

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    36. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

      Here's a list and if we limit mass-shootings to those with 5 or more killed, there have been about 26 in the last 30 years, in Europe.

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    37. Re: Not an off the shelf weapon by bugs2squash · · Score: 1

      They found 10 rifles in the room. How did they find the guy anyway, was it by sound or because they saw the muzzle flash.

      --
      Nullius in verba
    38. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      You're right. Loud concerts can hit nearly 130 dB, but improvements in sound engineering have brought the average down quite a bit. Still louder than a suppressed pistol, though.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    39. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by fred6666 · · Score: 1

      Not sure about what qualifies as a "mass shooting", however the murder rate is much higher in the USA compared to the EU.

    40. Re: Not an off the shelf weapon by bugs2squash · · Score: 1

      Authorities had been alerted to his location thanks to a smoke alarm that went off in the room, presumably triggered as a result of the shots fired.

      --
      Nullius in verba
    41. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by dunkelfalke · · Score: 1

      New Hampshire has about as many inhabitants as a large city, but a population density lower than a village. It is difficult to shoot somebody if there is nobody around. Homicide rates of similarly populated areas in Europe (which are seriously difficult to find) are barely above zero. Germany, on the other hand, has an average population density similar to the state of Maryland which has a homicide rate of 8.6, almost 10x higher.

      --
      "It's such a fine line between stupid and clever" -- David St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap
    42. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

      And the US have about 30 every year ... so what is your point?

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
    43. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by wyHunter · · Score: 1

      Actually, I suspect that FInland and Switzerland have fewer mass shootings because you have social consensus. You know, like 'This is not a good idea.'

    44. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

      My point is you said there was like one or two in the last 30 years. You are off by an order of magnitude. If you look at the record for the US, we've had 37 mass shooting with 5 more killed, in the last 30 years. So it's not that different. And again, an order of magnitude different than you state.

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    45. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

      In testing, most of the suppressors reduced the volume to between 130 and 145 dB. That's louder than a concert. A few suppressors can be quieter, and use of subsonic ammunition helps, but even suppressed a firearm is still a very loud thing.

      --
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    46. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      In testing, most of the suppressors reduced the volume to between 130 and 145 dB

      Suppressed .22 and 9 millimeter is less than 115 dB.

      The problematic thing about suppressors is that they change the sound of gunfire enough that most people wouldn't recognize it as such. That's why the military used those Qual-A-Tec type suppressors to dispatch dogs when they're approaching a hostile village.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    47. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

      Then you missed my point.
      The parent claimed Europe had more mass shootings with higher death toll than the US.
      We don't have many mass shootings, and we only had 2 or 3 with a similar or higher death toll than the worst american ones.

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
    48. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by s122604 · · Score: 1

      You don't know that it was true full auto

      It could have been that the shooter modified the gun with a bump fire stock or binary trigger.
      Both of the items are available over the counter, for less than 500$, with zero paperwork.
      Both will give near full auto rates of fire, albeit with less accuracy, but when you are spraying bullets into a crowd, that probably doesn't matter.

    49. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

      Parent was wrong, and you were quite wrong yourself in your rebuttal. I guess that doesn't matter, though?

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    50. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

      Yeah, from the 32nd floor across the street - .22 and 9mm wouldn't be used... ;) They will still be quite loud. And 9mm, unless it's subsonic, is still extremely loud - well above 115 dB (that's why .45 is used more often, it is a barely-supersonic load when it's hot-loaded, typically it is subsonic in most loadings as compared to 9mm).

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    51. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      Yeah, from the 32nd floor across the street - .22 and 9mm wouldn't be used... ;)

      You're right. From the 32nd floor across the street, a suppressor wouldn't have made much difference with the sound of the rifles.

      Their main function would have been making the rifles more stable, allowing the gunman to have better aim when murdering 58 people and wounding over 500.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    52. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by pax+humana · · Score: 1
      Data from 2015: Europe as defined by https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... which includes Russia and Ukraine

      Europe homicides 23477, population 831 million

      USA homicides 12996, population 321 million

      Mexico homicides 25757+, population 126 million

      IMHO, Mexico is much more like the USA than Europe.

      Kiuas, thank you for the interesting perspective.

    53. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by chihowa · · Score: 1

      Maryland has a higher homicide rate than 48 other states and double the average homicide rate of the entire US. It just happens to have the same overall density as Germany. The two more violent states have 1/10 the population density of Germany and 1/2 to 1/4 the population density of New Hampshire. The states that have a higher population density than Maryland have a small fraction of the homicide rates.

      Finland and Sweden have higher homicide rates than New Hampshire, despite having half or less the population density. That's not even getting to Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, with similar rates as the whole US and much lower densities.

      There are certainly cultural differences in the US that lead to higher homicide rates but they are not homogenous or directly correlated with state population density.

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    54. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by chihowa · · Score: 1

      By homicide rates alone (who gives a shit about 'gun violence' in particular), you are nearly 1.6 times as likely to be a victim of homicide in the US as compared to Europe (3.0 to 4.9 / 100000).

      Automatic weapons haven't previously been used for crime in the US since the 1930's, which is an interesting bit of trivia. They have more recently been used in Europe, which is also an interesting bit of trivia. You, or another AC, expressed disbelief about this ("I myself as an European would like to see your sources as I can't trace these insane amounts of automatic gun use."). Do try to keep up.

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      If you want a vision of the future, imagine a youtube comments section scrolling - forever.
    55. Re: Not an off the shelf weapon by blindseer · · Score: 1

      Well if you're shooting rats in a barn, why would you use anything but a .22 rifle with .22 shorts?

      I've shot critters in a barn before with .22 shorts and I doubt the report was even audible a fair distance from the building. I've got an especially long barrel bolt action rifle, which reduces the noise as there's no cycling of a semi-automatic bolt and the gas pressures have reduced with the longer barrel. Inside the barn it sounds like someone popping an inflated paper bag.

      I've tested the penetration of the bullets and in the unlikely event that I miss my target the wooden barn walls will stop the bullet. I prefer it over my air rifle. The air rifle makes more noise, is not as accurate, is more likely to wound than kill, and takes longer to load for the next target.

      --
      I am armed because I am free. I am free because I am armed.
    56. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by Gussington · · Score: 1

      Some Europeans have trouble understanding this same fact about the United STATES of America.

      Because the USA is a single country, Europe isn't.
      In other news, Americans are terrible at geography

    57. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

      I was not wrong ing my rebuttal.
      In the last 30 years we had in Europe 3 mass shootings that are comparable with the current one in the US.

      And you pointed out with your wiki link that we had about 30 mass shootings over 30 years if you count mass as involved greater than 4 or 5.

      In the US you have a mass shooting with 4 or 5 involved nearly every week.

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
    58. Re: Not an off the shelf weapon by Cederic · · Score: 1

      Archers own multiple bows.
      Chefs own multiple knives.
      Musicians own multiple instruments.
      Golfers own multiple clubs.

      I could go on, but I think the point is clear: Just what the fuck makes people that own guns different from people that own other tools, toys and weapons?

    59. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

      The current one in the US is the largest ever. We've had ONE comparable in the last 30 years. In the last 30 years, there's been TWO shootings in the US with over 40 fatalities - this one and the Miami gay bar attack. On-par with the EU. You are wrong.

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      Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
    60. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by slashrio · · Score: 1

      Ever heard of 'deep state'?

      --
      "Trump!!", the new Godwin.
    61. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

      Sorry, I lost track.
      About what am I wrong?

      The parent claimed the EU had more shootings and more devastating shootings and implied had more killed people by guns than the US. Did he not?

      In the last 30 years less people died in the EU to gun fire than in the US in a single year.

      Turn it how you want ... As far as I have the discussion in mind: I'm right. The parent is wrong. And you are a nitpicker who is not able to point out what he thinks I actually might have said wrong.

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
    62. Re:Not an off the shelf weapon by dunkelfalke · · Score: 1

      Apples and oranges. Finland and Sweden both are settled differently from New Hampshire - there are basicaly a few cities where the population density is very high and a whole lot of empty spaces. New Hampshire is settled much more uniformly in comparison. The largest city in New Hampshire - Manchester - is more or less comparable to Turku. It is difficult to find the statistics for Turku - my Finnish is simpy not good enough for that, has been too long ago and I never have learned the language properly, but given the 70 murders for the whole country and Turku's population, it would be around 3.

      In regards to Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia you are absolutely right. These three and Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Croatia have been a big mistake. They are third world shitholes that don't belong in the EU. And yes, I have visited all of them except Bulgaria so I can judge.

      Oh, by the way, the three countries you have mentioned have several other interesting things in common
      1) Their firearm laws are very lax compared to the more civilised EU members
      2) They consider USA being a closer friend than the EU
      3) They have a large chunk of their population that is considered second class citizens, actually mostly not even citizens, but stateless persons who often have no legal chance to get a citizenship despite being born there, have difficulties to get jobs and are actively discriminated against - not quite to the point of Jim Crow laws, but still quite a lot. Sounds familiar?

      --
      "It's such a fine line between stupid and clever" -- David St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap
  14. Flood a country with untracable guns... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    ...and have effectively no barriers to mentally deranged people getting hold of enough weaponry to start a small war !

    What could possibly go wrong ???

    Oh, wait.....

  15. Re:Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    "which more than likely also makes him a Republican" and then " I won't jump to conclusions yet"

    Sounds like you already did, bro.

  16. Re: Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by Ogive17 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Less than 12 hours and the political blame game already well underway.

    Can we all just agree the guy was a fucked up human.... I just wish people that miserable would just use one bullet into their brain instead of killing innocent people as well.

    --
    "Action without philosophy is a lethal weapon; philosophy without action is worthless."
  17. Here come the regulatory loonies by nctritech · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Expect swarms of people to demand that our freedoms be curtailed so that "this can never happen again!" Expect the same swarms of people to be just as stupid and reaction-driven as they were every other time a bad thing has happened in the United States. Let's not address the source of the problem, let's make sure they just have to do the bad deeds in a slightly different manner with the same degree of success.

    1. Re:Here come the regulatory loonies by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Yep, the same swarms of people that cheered when the orange clown declared that the solution the all the U.S.'s terrorism problems was to ban all muslims.

      And yet, somehow, I'm 99% convinced that you voted for him.

    2. Re:Here come the regulatory loonies by The+Cynical+Critic · · Score: 2

      I quite honestly can't see any reason why civilians should have access to assault rifles, fully automatic or not, in a country like the U.S. We're not talking about a warzone like Iraq or a country with a semi-militia army like Switzerland. Weapons like bolt lock hunting rifles and sports rifles have legitimate uses they're specifically designed for. Assault rifles however are designed for warfare and in any other uses lose to weapons actually designed for these tasks.

      However I have a feeling any response I'm going to get will be the usual mix of insults, claiming that people need their assault rifles so that they can overthrow the government, that a handgun or something less effective isn't enough for personal defense or some half-assed attempt to prove that assault rifles make for good sports rifles.

      --
      "Why should I want to make anything up? Life's bad enough as it is without wanting to invent any more of it."
    3. Re:Here come the regulatory loonies by slashrio · · Score: 1

      Well, you could always wear protection. Oh, wait, government forbids that...

      --
      "Trump!!", the new Godwin.
    4. Re:Here come the regulatory loonies by nctritech · · Score: 1

      I don't want to get into the "assault rifle" discussion partly because the whole concept of "assault rifles" is nebulous at best and it's completely irrelevant to this story. This shooter had a fully automatic weapon which is already quite illegal in the USA for normal people. It seems that comments assume I refer to reactionary gun control legislation when my actual thoughts run more along the lines of reactionary legislation forcing hotels in urban areas to perform intrusive security searches a la TSA airport screenings on patrons and have metal detectors at all of the doors. That's not quite the same thing that responses to my original comment seem to be reading into it.

    5. Re:Here come the regulatory loonies by dave420 · · Score: 1

      The guy curtailed the ever-loving shit out of 50 peoples' rights. If he had to use a car, do you think he'd have been as successful? Both the source and the symptoms need addressing at the same time.

    6. Re:Here come the regulatory loonies by nctritech · · Score: 1

      Ah! Here you go, making assumptions based on your own prejudices. "You fucking gun rights assholes." Nice label-slapping. Here, I'll copy-paste what I just wrote to another respondent that wasn't nearly as much of an angry agenda-fueled lunatic as you:

      This shooter had a fully automatic weapon which is already quite illegal in the USA for normal people. It seems that comments assume I refer to reactionary gun control legislation when my actual thoughts run more along the lines of reactionary legislation forcing hotels in urban areas to perform intrusive security searches a la TSA airport screenings on patrons and have metal detectors at all of the doors. That's not quite the same thing that responses to my original comment seem to be reading into it.

      I'm more of a "fucking don't want to live in a police state asshole" than a "fucking gun rights asshole." But hey, enjoy your fantasy world, Anon.

    7. Re:Here come the regulatory loonies by nctritech · · Score: 1

      Source? You mean the already-illegal fully automatic weapon he used? That is already illegal to own in the United States. Easily made from non-automatic weapons though, so what's your solution there? Ban all guns? Not the best time to mention that anyone can buy machining equipment to make such a gun themselves, I suppose. Force registration of all machining equipment capable of building a firearm? Where's "address the source" going? Please elaborate.

    8. Re: Here come the regulatory loonies by bestweasel · · Score: 1

      Are you talking about contraception to prevent more Americans being born? Because the Republicans are against that.

      Or perhaps you mean the freedom to wear body armor when going about your daily lives? That would indeed be another step closer to the ideal society.

    9. Re:Here come the regulatory loonies by lucasnate1 · · Score: 1

      What is the source of the problem? I'm seriously asking, because I come from a country that until 20 years ago gave free M16s to most 18 year olds (israeli forced conscription) and yet we barely had shootings. Admittedly, guns are becoming more limited now and we did have at least one shooting spree already.

    10. Re:Here come the regulatory loonies by Curunir_wolf · · Score: 1

      Let's not address the source of the problem,

      And what pray tell would that be?

      You fucking gun rights assholes are clearly winning. 20 schoolchildren murdered by the son of an unstable "prepper" aaaaaaaannnd...nothing. Do you even remember when/where 49 people were killed in a mass shooting between now and then? Whats your endgame? We all have to be strapped to go outside (and armored because a gun won't stop a bulled fired at my back...or front)? To me that's not a happy existence but hell, what do I know. Whatever you do, don't study any data. Just use these events to shoot your preconceptions from the hip.

      If you really study all the data on mass shootings in the US, you'd be advocating for banning SSRIs, not guns./p.

      --
      "Somebody has to do something. It's just incredibly pathetic it has to be us."
      --- Jerry Garcia
    11. Re:Here come the regulatory loonies by nctritech · · Score: 1

      Culture of violence? Something tells me you don't live in America. Fantasy violence is very different from actual violence. Violent crime in the US peaked in the early 1990s and has been on a mostly steady decline ever since. Most of what you've posted is clearly a greatly exaggerated fantasy based on what you read on the internet and has little basis in reality. Contrary to what you seem to think, people are not punching each other in the streets with reckless abandon and slashing their neighbors' throats to get ahead. I wonder where you have been getting these crazy notions. When I walk outside every day, I'm vastly more likely to run into someone who is friendly or at least agreeable to deal with than someone who will stab me in the face. Doesn't jive with whatever strange novel you've been reading.

    12. Re: Here come the regulatory loonies by nctritech · · Score: 1

      Sure, I've watched plenty of US movies and television shows. I also know that Jack Thompson and Anita Sarkeesian were both proven wrong by scientific studies several times over: the fantasies you indulge in don't become your reality. If they did, I'd have some serious concerns about Italians after having seen Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma.

    13. Re:Here come the regulatory loonies by dcw3 · · Score: 1

      No, the shooter had bump stocks which are legal, though that won't last long now that even the NRA has come out in favor of doing something about them. Fully automatic weapons are also not illegal, you simply need a license. You can shoot one any day of the week at many locations across the country.

      --
      Just another day in Paradise
  18. Re:Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by Megol · · Score: 1

    Statistics. Learn about them. But always remember that statistics aren't truth _for_a_subset_ of what the statistics measure.

  19. Re:Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by bleh-of-the-huns · · Score: 2

    You are picking an choosing statements from a sentence and taking them out of context. That's a no no.

    That particular aspect of course, I should have backed up, which say a link. https://www.nytimes.com/electi...
    You will note that the majority of the state is red, so that backs up my statement "which more than likely", which is a guess based on statistical data. Then again, at the same time the individual was from Misquite NV, which is in Clark County, same county as Las Vegas, which went blue. But like most counties that have major metro areas, the city typically goes blue, where as the surrounding areas are usually a solid red, but the number of city votes beats the rural ones (very similar to Virginia in which Northern Virginia is solidly blue, but the rest is solid red).

    The point being, I made a supposition to support my original statement "because the other side of the political spectrum could make the same assumption" showing the OP that I could do the same thing and go in the opposite direction, providing the same guess work, and coming up with an opposite ideological conclusion.

    --
    I came, I conquered, I coredumped
  20. This stuff needs to END - whats wrong with ppl? by adosch · · Score: 3, Insightful

    This is a whole new level of insanity I just cannot wrap my head around. I just don't understand the mentality or whacked-out level of disgruntlement, depression and motive it takes to want to walk into a concert and mow human beings down with an assault rifle (I presume), then have your own life taken. That in itself, minus the news-fed death toll that's rising as I type this, is a tragedy.

    It's just downright scary as fuck anymore to go to any public event. I look at the school shootings from the late 1990's and 2000's, that 'joker' impersonator who took lives at the Batman movie premiere, Boston marathon bombings, the Ariana Grande concert in London as of late, and now at a fucking Country music concert at Las Vegas? Talk about wanting to just stay at home anymore. Living in the United States or not, I think anyone is going to start second-guessing

    Point I'm getting at is, one life or a million lives, this insider-thread-homeland or organization-led terrorism shit happens every day on scales that blow my mind. I wish that it all made headlines so we'd, as a world of people, would figure out how to handle it. Because it's not right or just, and even though this is making huge headlines, we sure don't blink more than once at headlines for any war-torn country where a car bomb erases hundreds of lives --- and that's just as terrorism-led and tragic. We need to stop minimizing it and come together to end this type of behavior.

    It's honestly sad and I'd be the first one to say, the more and more this happens, the less and less I seem to find an answer to any of it.

    1. Re:This stuff needs to END - whats wrong with ppl? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Life is risky. Life is scary. Grow a pair of balls.

    2. Re:This stuff needs to END - whats wrong with ppl? by MinaInerz · · Score: 5, Insightful

      It's just downright scary as fuck anymore to go to any public event. I look at the school shootings from the late 1990's and 2000's, that 'joker' impersonator who took lives at the Batman movie premiere, Boston marathon bombings, the Ariana Grande concert in London as of late, and now at a fucking Country music concert at Las Vegas? Talk about wanting to just stay at home anymore. Living in the United States or not, I think anyone is going to start second-guessing

      It isn't even remotely that scary. Your odds of dying while driving to a public event far exceed your chance of getting shot there. If you're afraid of going to a public event, then you probably shouldn't go anywhere near your automobile.

    3. Re:This stuff needs to END - whats wrong with ppl? by dave420 · · Score: 3, Informative

      Changing your behaviour or beliefs is letting terrorists win. The secret is to figure out why a terrorist is terrorising, and tackle their grievances (perceived or otherwise). This is how the Brits severely curtailed the IRA, for example.

      For the home of the brave, there seem to be a fantastic amount of scaredy cats in the US.

    4. Re:This stuff needs to END - whats wrong with ppl? by misexistentialist · · Score: 1

      There is no answer because life is meaningless. When a man who has decided to expedite his own death kills others first it's because his thinking is still too "sane" to accept that no one's life matters. Well maybe there is your answer: "senseless violence" is caused consciousness, which only exists because the universe is senseless

    5. Re:This stuff needs to END - whats wrong with ppl? by MancunianMaskMan · · Score: 1

      Oi! That Ariana Grande concert was in Manchester. Nothing will unite Mancs like the claim that "that filthy London" has better terrorists than us.

    6. Re:This stuff needs to END - whats wrong with ppl? by sfled · · Score: 1

      The insanity goes even further back than the shootings you cite: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

      --
      I'm not really a web designer, I just play one on the Internet.
    7. Re:This stuff needs to END - whats wrong with ppl? by argStyopa · · Score: 1

      Maybe this will seem callous, but at 7.5 billion of anything, a few hundred of that thing don't objectively matter much to the whole.

      --
      -Styopa
    8. Re:This stuff needs to END - whats wrong with ppl? by GrumpySteen · · Score: 1

      Says the guy posting as an anonymous coward.

    9. Re:This stuff needs to END - whats wrong with ppl? by GrumpySteen · · Score: 1

      That's why nobody cared about the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria, right?

    10. Re:This stuff needs to END - whats wrong with ppl? by TheRaven64 · · Score: 1

      The secret is to figure out why a terrorist is terrorising, and tackle their grievances (perceived or otherwise). This is how the Brits severely curtailed the IRA, for example.

      The IRA was largely curtailed by a huge effort from the intelligence services to compromise members of IRA cells. The extent of this is only now being declassified: huge numbers of IRA members were caught and then released as moles, reporting back on the actions of the other members. The IRA was vulnerable to this kind of attack because it was a fairly well organised group. The current crop of terrorists seem to mostly be people who read something on the Internet and decided to go on a killing spree. That's far harder to combat.

      --
      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
    11. Re:This stuff needs to END - whats wrong with ppl? by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 1

      It isn't even remotely that scary. Your odds of dying while driving to a public event far exceed your chance of getting shot there. If you're afraid of going to a public event, then you probably shouldn't go anywhere near your automobile.

      Indeed. We need to stop putting hundreds of billions into a massive military force to fight a tiny enemy which would be better addressed with common-sense gun regulation which wouldn't even cost the government a penny.

      There are ways to curb the automobile injuries/death but it's off the topic.

      --
      Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
    12. Re:This stuff needs to END - whats wrong with ppl? by Solandri · · Score: 2

      Chart of odds of dying to back this up (2017 publication).

      1 in 95 - Suicide
      1 in 96 - Poisoning / overdoes (this is the new big one, courtesy of the opioid epidemic, but the press has mostly ignored it).*
      1 in 114 - Motor vehicle crash
      1 in 127 - Fall
      1 in 370 - Assault by firearm
      1 in 645 - Car occupant
      1 in 647 - Pedestrian incident (mostly hit by cars)
      1 in 948 - Motorcycle rider incident

      Do note that these are overall odds of dying for the country as a whole. Not everyone participates in all of these activities so your individual risk may be higher. For example, the motorcyclist death rate for the country as a whole is 1 in 948. But there are approximately 30x as many cars as motorcycles, suggesting only about 1 in 30 people rides a motorcycle. So the fatality rate for an individual motorcyclist is probably closer to 1 in 32. (Yes, about 1 in every 100 people you know who rides in a car is fated to die in a car accident. About 1 in every 30 people you know who rides a motorcycle is fated to die in a motorcycle accident.)

      * You remember that shooting at UCLA last year which resulted in 2 dead (murder/suicide)? That made national headlines with all the major networks carrying live coverage, because the press loves stories about gun violence. The exact same day a drug overdose incident at a concert in Florida killed 2 and hospitalized 57. But that story barely made it out of local news.

      And just for completeness, there were 225 people killed by terrorists from 2001 (post-9/11) to 2016, or 15 per year. With a population of 323 million and an average lifespan of 79 years, that works out to a chance of dying of:

      1 in 161,856 - Lightning strike
      1 in 272,574 - Terrorism

    13. Re:This stuff needs to END - whats wrong with ppl? by micahraleigh · · Score: 1

      This didn't happen when I was a kid.

      When everyone I knew went to church.

      People need to hear about Jesus, and the ones who don't have some hard lives with special needs.

    14. Re:This stuff needs to END - whats wrong with ppl? by Tom · · Score: 1

      It's actually quite simple. but not many want to hear it:

      If you put pressure on a system, the weak parts start to blow.

      Since the end of the Cold War, and thus the disappearance of a real, available, other way of life, however inferior and more poor it was, has made the western way of life a monopoly, and if you paid attention in Economics 101, you know what monopolies do - extract monopoly rent. This takes the form of pressure on the social systems to extract money from the lower classes to give to the already rich. The pressure comes in the form of higher taxes, less real-money wages, financial crises, falling pensions - the exact way in which it manifests varies slightly from country to country, but everywhere in the west today the current generation has less social security, more work hours, more "flexibility" (and thus uncertainty) and in general more stressors than the last generation.

      People are starting to blow and we're only seing the beginning of that. A few years ago, a depressed airline pilot in Europe steered a passenger plane into a mountain. After some initial scandal, no actual actions were taken to ensure that pilots are in a good mental state. Additional checking was briefly discussed, but no steps to actually improve the mental health of people who do a stressful job full of overtime.

      --
      Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
    15. Re:This stuff needs to END - whats wrong with ppl? by SuiteSisterMary · · Score: 1

      Japan doesn't have shooting sprees, but America, so far, hasn't had nerve gas released into subway systems.

      --
      Vintage computer games and RPG books available. Email me if you're interested.
    16. Re:This stuff needs to END - whats wrong with ppl? by ideadman · · Score: 1

      +1 I hear this all the time and make the same argument. I wish my fellow American's understood this.

    17. Re:This stuff needs to END - whats wrong with ppl? by argStyopa · · Score: 1

      If you can't tell the difference between "actual care" and "politically useful excuse", I can't explain it to you.

      --
      -Styopa
    18. Re:This stuff needs to END - whats wrong with ppl? by dywolf · · Score: 1

      yes, and while i agree people are bad at diagnosing risk, there are other factors that contribute to our perception of relative danger.
      such as the ability of us to fight back or otherwise react to a developing situation, or the scale of potential harm.

      air travel is safer than driving.
      yet air travel is far far more tightly regulated and controlled in terms of safety, both because as a passenger theres very little we can do in event of a accident, and because the number of people exposed to harm in any one event. car mishaps are also more survivable than aircraft, even if the aircraft relative rate of mishaps is lower. ie, more likely to walk away from a car mishap than airliner.

      you mention a mass drug overdose (or possible poisoning by the sound). again, that's far more survivable than a gunshot wound.
      again, while the odds of firearm involvement are lower, the odds of irrecoverable harm when they are involved, is far higher.

      we can even consider this on things as simple as the idea of locking our doors at night.
      its all a part of risk management and preventive caution.

      --
      The guy who said the election was rigged won the presidency with the second-most votes.
  21. Re:Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by ganjadude · · Score: 2

    yeah i mean they ALWAYS shoot up country concerns.....

    --
    have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
  22. Re:Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by bleh-of-the-huns · · Score: 1

    Funny, I read your source material.. while a heavily right leaning site... no where in that article is there a reference to any political leanings, right or left.. Not sure if I would call that publication a more reliable source since it appears a good chunk of what they are reporting on came from the AP newswire.

    --
    I came, I conquered, I coredumped
  23. Re:It was a country music show! by drinkypoo · · Score: 1, Informative

    Because its sounds like you haven't even read where the shooter was.

    Bystanders recorded video sufficient to count muzzle flashes from the shooter. If literally half of everyone in the crowd were actually armed, they possibly could have poured enough fire into his position to destroy his cover and get some rounds into him. Of course, they would have absolutely obliterated the side of the hotel in the process... But that's war.

    Granted, we don't really want war in our streets, except it's already here; the police are making war on us. They're killing us at accelerating rates, even though it's becoming safer and safer to be a cop. And they have more of us in prison per capita in this country than anywhere else in the world, and literally the only nation which executes more people than we do per capita on a regular basis is China. There are other nations with bigger problems (post-coup purges, for example) but this stuff is inexcusable for a nation which wants to claim to be the greatest on the planet.

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  24. Re:Racial profiling by Nidi62 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    We don't know yet.

    Yes we do. 64 years old, lived in Mesquite, no currently known political affiliation despite what some AC trolls on here are saying. Over 400 sent to hospitals, roughly 10 firearms found in his hotel room, apparently killed himself before police arrived.

    --
    The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
  25. Re:So Republican by GLMDesigns · · Score: 1

    Bernie Sanders anyone?

    Michael Moore?

    --
    If you're scared of your govt then you need to further restrict its powers
    Vote 3rd Party in 2016 and beyond
  26. Re: Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Left, right, get everyone riled up?

    New account? Are you an American or one of those Russian propagandists out to sow discord we were told about only a few days ago? My money's on the latter.

  27. Re:News for nerds? by RavenLrD20k · · Score: 2

    The reason stories like this make it to the front page is because we give it a hell of a lot of comments and even more views. As of this response the story has been on the page for nearly an hour and a half has already broken more than 135 comments while the actual tech story about a backdoor in Cisco's Umbrella platform has been up nearly two hours and....there's 10. 10 comments.

    The Slashdot editors are simply responding to the communities actions as to what stories to pull to the front page and ignoring our denouncements. Actions speak louder that words. If we actually responded to the tech stories more than this trash...we'd see more of those. But... judging by the comment volumes alone, tech stories just don't interest the community much.

  28. Re:Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by Talderas · · Score: 1

    If the shooter was shooting from a hotel room in the Mandalay Bay (shooting came from the 37th floor of MB which I assume are hotel rooms), and is known to be a guest of the hotel, why would you assume the shooter was a Nevada resident?

    --
    "Lack of speed can be overcome. In the worst case by patience." --Znork
  29. Re: Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by bestweasel · · Score: 1

    Right, because trying to decide how a deranged lone gunman voted and ascribing standard political motives makes so much sense. "On the one hand the right stand for individual and corporate freedom while the left tend to prefer social cohesion and fairer redistribution of wealth so on balance I'm going to get a bunch of guns and kill as many strangers as i can."

  30. Re:No legal guns, no crime by slashrio · · Score: 1

    False? False flag you mean.

    --
    "Trump!!", the new Godwin.
  31. Re: Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by wisdom_brewing · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Helps with mankinds carbon footprint after the media furore passes (on a simplistic basis - taking out USAians - actually wondering how much extra electricity/fuel would be used as a result of this, how many flights affected, etc, etc - net impacts).

  32. Charles Whitman by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 1

    He was usmc and showed what can be done from up high.
    lee harvey oswald also usmc got off a lot of rounds with that old gun as well.

  33. Re: Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by Nite_Hawk · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Can we all just agree the guy was a fucked up human.... I just wish people that miserable would just use one bullet into their brain instead of killing innocent people as well.

    Despite how divisive politics is these days, once you make the jump to go on a killing rampage the only real allegiance you have is to violent authoritarianism. Whatever perceived injustices that led one to commit that kind of atrocity is more like the window dressings that surround a deranged mind. People like James Hodgkinson, Stephen Paddock, and even Timothy McVeigh have a lot more in common than they do separating them apart. It's really important that we stop trying to project these people as extensions of the left or right. It makes it too easy for people to start demonizing anyone that doesn't agree with them.

  34. But is it terrorism? by hyades1 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    It's pretty obvious if Stephen Paddock's name was something like Abdul Fatah, the entire right would be screaming "Terrorist!" (which is how Breitbart started their coverage). It looks like it was an old white guy with an Anglo name, though, which complicates things. If it turns out Paddock was a lefty...Terrorism!!! If Paddock was a conservative, the blame will fall on mental health issues which weren't addressed because Obamacare.

    I'm betting on a different motive: the guy was a music lover.

    --
    I've calculated my velocity with such exquisite precision that I have no idea where I am.
    1. Re:But is it terrorism? by chiefcrash · · Score: 1

      ISIS is claiming responsibility now...

      For whatever *that's* worth...

      --
      Show me on the 1st Amendment bobblehead where the moderator touched you...
    2. Re:But is it terrorism? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      It's pretty obvious if Stephen Paddock's name was something like Abdul Fatah

      He was a recent (within 3-4 months) convert to Islam.

    3. Re:But is it terrorism? by guruevi · · Score: 1

      It's also terrorism, terrorism doesn't have to have a political motive attached to it, some people are just psychopaths.

      And obviously there are people making a political statement about it (Clinton regards the NRA) but we've had all sorts of presidents and lawmakers and incidents in all sorts of states and other countries with or without all sorts of gun laws.

      --
      Custom electronics and digital signage for your business: www.evcircuits.com
    4. Re:But is it terrorism? by cascadingstylesheet · · Score: 1, Insightful

      It's pretty obvious if Stephen Paddock's name was something like Abdul Fatah, the entire right would be screaming "Terrorist!" (which is how Breitbart started their coverage). It looks like it was an old white guy with an Anglo name, though, which complicates things. If it turns out Paddock was a lefty...Terrorism!!! If Paddock was a conservative, the blame will fall on mental health issues which weren't addressed because Obamacare.

      I'm betting on a different motive: the guy was a music lover.

      You have it exactly the wrong way round. We heard almost instantly that he was a white male (and will surely keep hearing it, endlessly, unless he turns out to also have been a member of some protected group).

      While if his name had been Abdul Fatah, and he had been screaming the usual stuff, all the main news sources would still be scratching their heads, puzzled as can be.

    5. Re:But is it terrorism? by Known+Nutter · · Score: 1

      There are exactly 3 Democratic left-leaning individuals living in Mesquite, NV. At last check, all 3 are still there. No way this guy is left-leaning anything.

      --
      Beware of the Leopard.
    6. Re:But is it terrorism? by dfenstrate · · Score: 1

      There have been previous instances when a convert had changed his name to, say, 'Abdul Fatah', committed some act of violence, and then the media reported his name as 'Stephen Paddock' knowing full well of his previous legal name change. (I have no reason to believe, at this time, any media outlet is doing this routine for this particular story.)

      --
      Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms should be the name of a store, not a government agency.
    7. Re:But is it terrorism? by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 1

      But is it terrorism

      If the shooter did this for ideological or political reasons then it's terrorism. If he did it because he thought it was a gathering of demons that rose from hell to kill everyone (or something like that) then it's mental illness.

      --
      Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
    8. Re:But is it terrorism? by hyades1 · · Score: 1

      Except the US leads the world in incidents like this by such a wide margin, nobody's even in second place.

      --
      I've calculated my velocity with such exquisite precision that I have no idea where I am.
    9. Re:But is it terrorism? by hyades1 · · Score: 1

      Yeah, just like Oklahoma City, right?

      --
      I've calculated my velocity with such exquisite precision that I have no idea where I am.
    10. Re:But is it terrorism? by LostInTaiwan · · Score: 1

      You mean the conservative media kept mentioning the shooter is white? None of the main stream media is stressing the ethnicity of the shooter, just his name. just like they don't stress the ethnicity of the shooter had he/she been name "Abdul Fatah."

    11. Re:But is it terrorism? by guruevi · · Score: 1

      You've never been to India or Middle East then, if you're talking about massacres, the average massacre kills 9000 people, not 50.

      ISIS massacred a few hundred Yasidi, with guns, in a single night. I don't think the US leads anything in that matter, it only leads when you only look at US media.

      --
      Custom electronics and digital signage for your business: www.evcircuits.com
  35. Re: Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by Pseudonym · · Score: 1

    Slashdot is an equal opportunity partisan forum though.

    --
    sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f(q{sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f});
  36. Re: Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by penandpaper · · Score: 1

    because media is here to propagandize and capitalize on such events.

    FTFY. It's not just /.. It's everywhere. On NPR a guy was advocating for pre-crime.

  37. Re:Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by 140Mandak262Jamuna · · Score: 1
    In the game of chicken, (and political agenda) being rational like you is a vulnerability. The pipe-bomb posting guy has already won and left the scene.

    The greatest danger to democracy is not enemies external and internal, it is the apathy and ignorance of the voting public. Sadly our voters are misinformed, and are apathetic. So the irrational guys keep winning.

    Still we should continue to be rational and sane, and pray and hope someday the adage "you can't fool all the people all the time" will come true.

    --
    sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
  38. Re: Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by JudgeFurious · · Score: 1

    I wish I had mod points because that's a damn fine comment right there. There is a subset of people in this world who for whatever reason are capable of this kind of thing. They might be looking for an excuse to do it but where they get their excuse isn't the point of the problem. They can find it on the left or on the right just as easily. They can find it in the morning traffic. When they find it that's when people start dying. The same thing that sets them off might just spoil my morning or put you in a bad mood all day. At worst it might make you or I more active on some issue or topic but the people who can do this are a whole other cut of cloth entirely.

    --
    Appended to the end of comments you post. 120 chars.
  39. Re:Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by NicknameUnavailable · · Score: 1

    Who gives a damn what his political affiliation was? He's not a shining example of any ideal other than psychopathic self-obsession and hatred of his own life.

    I'm so sick of the idea that someone who believes something and does something bad makes that belief bad - it's not even remotely the case because if the belief were bad everyone who holds it would be doing the bad things.

    The issue about guns is simple: we have them so we have less government-induced oppression, if we lack them we have more government-induced oppression.

    History has shown that governments oppressing people lead to far more deaths than even if you gave every mass shooter in history a nuke and assumed they dropped it on the most populated city remaining.

    If we lost 99% of the population through the course of their lives to mass shooters it would still be better than taking everyone's guns and in turn letting the corrupt politicians steamroll over everyone else at a whim, at least mass shooters are random so it doesn't change the demographics for the worse.

  40. Slashdot is on it again... by sTERNKERN · · Score: 1

    What the hell is this site turning into? Don't we have enough other news portals to cover these stories? Anybody knows another site which is more like slashdot when it was about news for nerds..?

    1. Re:Slashdot is on it again... by ledow · · Score: 1

      Good luck. I've looked for a "real news" site for years that actually lets you filter this kind of thing out.

      If I want news, I go on a news site.
      If I want tech news, I go on a tech news site.

      Unfortunately, "number of eyeballs" always wins and they all creep into current affairs, actions of presidents of countries that I have little interest in, and terrorist attacks etc. as well as the soapboxing of any vaguely relevant celebrity (Musk, etc.).

      Personally, I want a news search engine that lets me filter:

      -terrorism
      -ISIS
      -Trump
      -Brexit
      -Musk ... ...

      All the ones I see end up with either junk creeping through or such sparse pages after you do that that it's just not worth it.

      Like the TV show The Newsroom: I'd really like it to exist in real life, a channel that only reports REAL NEWS and not the tripe, but while "what's popular" dictates revenue, you don't stand a chance.

    2. Re:Slashdot is on it again... by rylyeh · · Score: 1

      SoylentNews?

      --
      Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn
  41. Re:Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by bleh-of-the-huns · · Score: 3

    Because they already identified the shooter, there is no assumption. The guys name is Stephan Paddock from Misquite NV.

    --
    I came, I conquered, I coredumped
  42. Re:Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by bleh-of-the-huns · · Score: 1

    Last I checked.. I'm pretty well aware of the area's political makeup.. considering in the last 20 years, I have lived in Fairfax (VA), Arlington (VA), Alexandria (VA), DC proper, Bowie (MD) and Annapolis (MD). Regardless of why the area is blue, it is a fact that NOVA is blue, and the rest of the state is red. That however does not mean that every person in NOVA is blue, and every person in the rest of the state is red. So no, there is nothing wrong with my example.

    --
    I came, I conquered, I coredumped
  43. Re: Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by Jesus_666 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Speaking as an outsider, these days it feels as if all discourse in the USA exists only within the narrative of Red Team vs. Blue Team –and it doesn't actually matter what those teams represent or what they do. Even things like the well-being of the country are secondary to the question of which team "wins". That is deeply troubling –especially since the USA have nuclear weapons and a propensity to project their power wherever they want. An unstable USA is in nobody's interest.

    --
    USE HOT GRITS WITH STATUE OF NATALIE PORTMAN (NAKED AND PETRIFIED)
  44. Re: Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by bleh-of-the-huns · · Score: 1

    Read my original statement above, that was the point I was trying to make (and apparently failing.. maybe I need to use smaller words...). The OP I responded to automatically called the shooter a left wing extremist without providing any information. My response was that I could use the same thought process and come up with the opposite result.

    --
    I came, I conquered, I coredumped
  45. Re: Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2

    We need to stop looking so hard at the "left vs. right" paradigm, and start looking at the "asshole vs. great person" paradigm.

    This guy falls strongly on the asshole side of the spectrum. I guarantee it.

  46. A decent into chaos by nehumanuscrede · · Score: 1

    Since this story involves guns, this will be one of those submissions with 1000+ comments before the day is out.

    There will be everything from both sides, lots of hate, shit slinging and probably even a few conspiracy theories and / or how it's Trumps or Russia's fault. Democrats and the anti-gun crowd will blame it on lax gun laws and the ability to buy / own guns, Republicans and the pro-gun folks will blame the guys mental health. Responsible gun owners will just sit at home and :facepalm: at all the stupidity that will be forthcoming. The Social Justice Armies will be out in full strength on both sides.

    One things for certain, there will be lots of hate and blame over the next month or so. Knee jerk legislation will be forthcoming from a few of the idiots in Congress to ban everything under the sun. It will probably go nowhere, which will generate even more hate for the current administration for " doing nothing ". There will probably be someone who will start a movement and give it some silly name prefixed with a hashtag.

    In the end, we'll learn the guy was probably on LE radar for quite a long time before he finally snapped and took out his anger on the world. Folks will want to know why nothing was done and we'll probably end up with fewer rights down the road than we have today because of it. ( As they say in politics, never let a tragedy go to waste. )

    What strikes me odd is the guy's age ( 64 ) and what possibly could have caused a melt-down like this that created the anger necessary to randomly kill as many people as he could.

    1. Re:A decent into chaos by jeff4747 · · Score: 1

      Knee jerk legislation will be forthcoming from a few of the idiots in Congress to ban everything under the sun

      You haven't been paying much attention. There will be no legislation. Just like there was no legislation after Sandy Hook or Pulse.

      The NRA voters vote only on NRA issues. That means going strongly against the NRA ends your political career.

      You will lose no rights. Instead, we'll just pile up more dead bodies so you can bleat about how important your rights are.

    2. Re:A decent into chaos by Grog6 · · Score: 1

      Dementia and Fox News.

      We had to make my mom quit watching Fox before she passed, because it would rile her up so much.

      Do that to a Marine with Dementia, and Charlie is running for cover, whoever he thinks is Charlie. :(

      --
      Truth isn't Truth - Guliani
    3. Re:A decent into chaos by nehumanuscrede · · Score: 1

      Well, to counter your point:

      The guns aren't the issue. Never really have been. There are a dozen of them in my safe whose record of violence consists solely of putting holes in paper from varying distances. I can load one and set it on the table and absolutely nothing will happen. It will simply rust away if left there long enough.

      However, if you can tell me how guns are at fault here without taking into account whose hands the weapon is in, you'll impress a whole lot of folks. If you can explain why a gun is completely evil in the hands of X vs the hands of Y, AND still convince the world that the problem is the gun, you'll probably win the Nobel Prize.

      To point out the elephant in the room, the problem is people. There has never been a mass killing in history without a human mind to think it up and / or put it into motion. Regardless of the tool used ( guns, bombs, vehicles, whatever ) they all have the same common denominator.

      People.

      However, it's easier to blame and control a tool than it is to identify / profile and control people. Thus, we arrive to where we are today.

    4. Re:A decent into chaos by jeff4747 · · Score: 2

      Well, to counter your point:

      The guns aren't the issue

      This is more clearly phrased as "to completely change the subject because the previous tactic was blowing up in my face...."

      However, if you can tell me how guns are at fault here without taking into account whose hands the weapon is in, you'll impress a whole lot of folks

      Gun control is about reducing the general availability of guns, so that crazy people have a harder time getting them. That doesn't mean crazy people will never get one, because the definition of "harder" does not change to suit your political objective of protecting your precious.

      Gun control is also about making the actual mass shooting slower and less efficient, so that fewer people are killed before an organized response can deal with it. And again, the definition of those words does not change to suit your political objective.

      Gun control has always been a damage mitigation strategy. Not a damage elimination strategy. But again, that nuance doesn't suit your political goals.

      To point out the elephant in the room, the problem is people. There has never been a mass killing in history without a human mind to think it up and / or put it into motion. Regardless of the tool used ( guns, bombs, vehicles, whatever ) they all have the same common denominator.

      Feel free to propose how to eliminate all crazy people.

      While doing so, keep in mind the NRA has fought all efforts to take guns away from crazy people via making it very difficult to have a gun owner considered legally insane until after the bodies have been piled up.

  47. Re: So Republican by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Odd all of the angry old white men I know are racist right wing ultra conservatives. The old liberals are more laid back. Probably has to do with living in a rural area where education and income levels are low. Just how Trump likes them, dumb, poor and easy to manipulate.

  48. New record! by smchris · · Score: 1

    All I can add because American _culture_ is insane. This is a dead society just waiting for Uncle Sam's corpse to hit the ground. No sanity from the Republicans. No sanity from the Democrats. No groundswell of citizens rising up to say "Enough!" So, whatever. Nihilism reigns. "New record!"

  49. Re:Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by jellomizer · · Score: 1

    It is too bad we now live in a world, where the crazy actions of a Madman where we must assume that such actions are politically motivated. He may be a Republican, but his actions may not be politically motivated.

    In terms of politics Country Music Fans are a diverse bunch. So it wouldn't be a good venue to make any sort of statement.

    The thing that I fear the most, is how divided we are politically where the actual divide isn't that far. However we are so on edge, that one bad spark, could have disastrous consequences.

    --
    If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
  50. Re:If the crowd was armed by famebait · · Score: 1

    You need to add in all the other people in the hotel that would get hit.

    --
    sudo ergo sum
  51. Re:Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by bleh-of-the-huns · · Score: 2

    No one is calling for an outright ban... okay some are... fine a good majority are, but in many cases that is a knee jerk reaction to a heinous crime like this. Many sane people that are anti gun in their own homes (like my wife), are more for better control, and meaningful regulations. Would that eliminate all gun violence, of course not, but it would cut down on it to a major extent, and make those who are too stupid (read: irresponsible) to own guns more liable to the damage and death caused by them. Laws, and for that matter, the Constitution itself, really do need to catch up with the times. Not saying radical changes, but what the framers had in mind when it was written, is not how we exist today. Things change, and as a country and a populace, we need to change appropriately, which means, time to rethink some laws and Constitutional elements.

    --
    I came, I conquered, I coredumped
  52. Re: Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    The important thing is we all take a minute to realize that while lives have been lost, this is not the time to bring up gun safety. Just as hurricanes are not the time to bring up global warming, climate change or any of that.

    The real problem America faces is the pansy assed disrespectful overpaid so called athletes playing football without giving a seig heil to the flag.

  53. Re: Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by jellomizer · · Score: 1

    I think we as a nation is generally on edge, about the people who have different politics then you. Where Russian Fake news, had more or less successfully radicalized both political spectrum, to destabilize our country. So we are all fearful that the other guy in a fit or rage will attack us.

    I myself who drives a Prius, tend to be weary of the people driving Pickup trucks especially ones with conservative bumper stickers, as the Car that I bought mostly to save money on Gasoline may see my Car as a Far left political statement, and may try to run me off the road. I have never actually had any problems with these trucks, but because of the political climate it became a fear that I never had before.

    Trump whether or not if you like him, has not done anything to help bridge these gaps and fears, and for the most part had made it worse. To be fair Obama, didn't do enough to bridge the gap as well, and he started the wedge.

    --
    If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
  54. Re: Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by k2r · · Score: 5, Interesting

    > Even things like the well-being of the country are secondary to the question of which team "wins".

    This is the thing that irritates me the most about US-American politics. Where I live we just had a general election and though the party I voted for did not win the majority and will be in opposition I'm fine with other parties trying to form a (3-party) coalition. They will try to govern all of our country in a way that they perceive as possible optimum for all of the people. Even if I will disagree with some of those decisions they will be justifiable.

    I guess my friends voted for at least 5 different parties in these elections, one even was the head of the local election campaign for a party I decidedly did not vote for.
    Yet we don't beat each other up but have passionate discussions over beer and dinner.

    What is wrong with "you" in the US?

  55. Re:Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by jcr · · Score: 1

    he was a radical leftist nutjob.

    Got a source on that? I haven't seen any indication of his motives at all so far.

    -jcr

    --
    The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
  56. Re:Let's assume we outlaw guns by TheRaven64 · · Score: 2

    Outlawing guns in an area that has wide open borders with no customs or other security checks and is directly adjacent to areas where guns are readily available makes no sense. You might want to compare areas of Europe rather than making an argument that's akin to saying 'look, we made a no-pissing end of the swimming pool, but it's still full of piss, non-pissing swimming pools can't possibly work!'

    --
    I am TheRaven on Soylent News
  57. Re:Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by bleh-of-the-huns · · Score: 1

    Till we know for sure, we cannot really make any assumptions, I agree with that (although apparently my prior statement did not come across as such as I was responding to someone who made an assumption that it was one side, and I posted an attempt to show that I could just as easily show the opposite, and was not actually making that assertion in earnest).

    You are right that country music fans are a diverse bunch, in fact, I would say that for many genres, music brings people from all backgrounds together.

    It may have just been a target of opportunity at the time. LV is full of people at all times of the day and night. I have been there for more than 10 years of Blackhat and Defcons (I generally don't like LV). Last week or the week before was an even bigger music festival (the I Heart Radio one).. I dunno.. I'm just rambling now...... I'd like to say it could have been worse had it not been for the quick response by law enforcement, but with more than 50 dead and 400 injured now... but that just seems hollow...

    --
    I came, I conquered, I coredumped
  58. Re: Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by Ogive17 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The problem in the US right now is that many people on both sides of the political spectrum pick one issue they care about and choose a candidate simply because of that. There's a large subset of Americans that only care about the 2nd amendment, the right to bear arms (own guns). They don't give a shit about the rest of our Bill of Rights as long as they keep their guns. On the other side, there are people that want open borders hell or high water.

    These people are lost to reason. There can be no compromise.

    I'm stuck in the middle, however we're such a minority now and also relatively soft spoken that our opinions are washed out. The talking heads want controversy.. if the people are too busy fighting with each other we'll never see how terrible our elected officials are. If Trump wants to drain the swamp, term limits are needed for Congress.

    --
    "Action without philosophy is a lethal weapon; philosophy without action is worthless."
  59. Re:News for nerds? by stealth_finger · · Score: 1

    Wut?

    Do you know the difference between a guarantee and a tagline?

    --
    Wanna buy a shirt?
    https://www.redbubble.com/people/stealthfinger/shop?asc=u
  60. Re:Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by wickedsteve · · Score: 1

    Instead of showing some empathy for victims and families you think about how you could have killed more people? A tragedy just happened and you start pointing fingers and playing victim. Shame on you. Shame on whomever raised you. We need to come together when shit hits the fan, not politics.

  61. Re:News for nerds? by stealth_finger · · Score: 1

    What you describe is exactly why MTV and SCIFI and History channels turned into complete and utter crap. Pandering to the lowest common denominator ruins everything good. I don't give a fuck if 50 people died hundreds of miles away. I don't care. GROW SOME BALLS you pansy fairy fucks. People die every fucking day. You might die tomorrow. I might die tomorrow. Death is a part of life that you need to accept as an adult.

    So don't click on it and go add to the comments on the actual tech articles. It's not fucking difficult.

    --
    Wanna buy a shirt?
    https://www.redbubble.com/people/stealthfinger/shop?asc=u
  62. Free speech of NFL players by mi · · Score: 4, Insightful

    curb the enshrined right of freedom of speech of NFL players protesting.

    This is bullshit. There is no such right. The 1st Amendment protects them from government prosecution — one can not be jailed for making a statement. It does not protect them — nor anyone else — from the disgust of their fellow citizens. Private employers may fire assholes — indeed, just the other day y'all were celebrating firings of the folks (accused of) taking parts in KKK marches...

    Consistency much?

    --
    In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
    1. Re:Free speech of NFL players by coinreturn · · Score: 3, Insightful

      You've missed the point entirely. The PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES is advocating for FIRING people for exercising their first amendment rights. That is government suppression of free speech.

    2. Re:Free speech of NFL players by mi · · Score: 1, Informative

      The PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES is advocating for FIRING people for exercising their first amendment rights.

      The President does not lose his First Amendment rights, when he becomes President.

      That is government suppression of free speech.

      Nope. As long as he is not doing anything about it in his official capacity, it is not.

      --
      In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
    3. Re:Free speech of NFL players by cayenne8 · · Score: 1

      You've missed the point entirely. The PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES is advocating for FIRING people for exercising their first amendment rights. That is government suppression of free speech.

      Well, his advocacy for such firings, has NO POWER OF LAW...in the case of his advocacy for this, he was just publishing his views like any other private US citizen. I don't think he loses that right when he becomes president does he?

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    4. Re:Free speech of NFL players by Triklyn · · Score: 1

      its in poor taste, but he's not taking direct action. unless someone makes the case that he's trying to sway the NFL leadership with threat of governmental reprisal if they don't comply.

    5. Re:Free speech of NFL players by mi · · Score: 1

      a legal case can EASILY be made

      Ha! Is that your standard for winning arguments? Not much, not much...

      --
      In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
    6. Re:Free speech of NFL players by mishehu · · Score: 1

      Is the POTUS ever off-the-clock? Is there a time of day that he can't be taking a massive crap in a White House toilet and simultaneously order the nukes to strike North Korea? If the answer to this is "no, no such time exists as long as he is the POTUS", then he effectively is extremely limited in his ability to express political speech as a private citizen, for he is the least private of all citizens in the country. And it doesn't matter if he *legally* can force the firings of the players, the fact that he is speaking from his position as POTUS is already enough to consider it an abuse of power in violation of the 1A.

    7. Re:Free speech of NFL players by Outta_the_way_peck! · · Score: 1

      When the POTUS is calling on NFL owners to fire these players, one can understandable interpret that as government persecution. The owners seem to have no intention of disciplining players for this so Trump should STFU.

    8. Re:Free speech of NFL players by dywolf · · Score: 1

      this is where you prove once again that you don't know what youre talking about

      --
      The guy who said the election was rigged won the presidency with the second-most votes.
    9. Re:Free speech of NFL players by werepants · · Score: 1

      Except that the idiot in office regularly DOES describe official policy from twitter - the transgender ban, for instance. Thanks to the extraordinary lack of discipline in the oval office it means that the distinctions between executive policy and the insomniac ramblings of an incoherent narcissist no longer exist. "It's just twitter" isn't a defense.

      Plus, Trump campaigned on his promise to violate constitutional rights and has continually attempted to make good on those promises. He's no friend of free speech or freedom of religion, except to the extent that they protect him and his followers.

    10. Re:Free speech of NFL players by dywolf · · Score: 1

      everything he does is in his official capacity because unlike many political positions the office of the presidency rests in his person.
      again you prove you know nothing

      --
      The guy who said the election was rigged won the presidency with the second-most votes.
  63. Re:Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by MachineShedFred · · Score: 1

    You're citing a source in the attempt to use geographical area to make conclusions about distribution of political disposition. You do know that population density is not equal throughout the State of Nevada, right? Or really any other state, for that matter. You know that there are vast deserts and tracts of highly restricted land in Nevada where they used to actually detonate nuclear weapons because literally nobody is there? It's over 1,200 square miles of nobody.

    In your own source, 9 out of 15 of those "red" counties had less than 10,000 total voters in a Presidential election, where the two "blue" counties each had well over 100,000 votes tallied, with Clark County having over 500,000 votes recorded. Are you saying that Eureka County is just as populous as Clark County (2.115 million people per the US Census Bureau), but only had 0.038% voter turnout (798 total votes - your linked source)? Because that's what it sounds like you are saying.

    You would probably look at the county election results in Oregon and come to the same conclusion, because of the same basic mistake: Oregon is filled with Republicans because the majority of the counties are red! Except that Hillary carried the state 50 to 40, and the State Legislature is made up of 52 Democrats to 38 Republicans [Senate: 17(D)-13(R); House: 35(D) - 25(R)]. And this isn't an abberation - it's been that way in Oregon for a long time.

    Population distribution is not equal across counties, therefore a map showing county election results as "blue" or "red" is not useful for statistically determining anything about the population's political disposition. When you add in the other information on the page you linked, it tells a completely different story - and that story is that you are wrong.

    --
    Slashdot still doesnâ(TM)t support Unicode after it was added to the HTML standard in 1997.
  64. Bill of Rights by mi · · Score: 1

    These may all be arguments for abolishing the Second Amendment. But, so long as it remains the law of the land, it must be obeyed and all the laws limiting weapon-owning and carrying are just that: unconstitutional. And I'm not talking about just guns either — in NJ, for example, it is illegal to possess even a slingshot!

    And, no, "licensing" requirements are not constitutional either: because it is not a right, if exercising it requires a government's permission.

    --
    In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
  65. News for Nerds, Stuff that Matters. by Jack9 · · Score: 1

    Wut?

    This is not stuff that matters. It's a political story for views. I don't have modpoints for the FPoster, so I will repeat the message.

    --

    Often wrong but never in doubt.
    I am Jack9.
    Everyone knows me.
  66. Re:Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by dryeo · · Score: 1

    The issue about guns is simple: we have them so we have less government-induced oppression, if we lack them we have more government-induced oppression.

    The problem is that Americans have forgot the other half of the equation, namely that a large standing army leads to oppression. That's the reason that the militia was mentioned in the 2nd and the Army had to be refinanced regularly, unlike the Navy, in the main part of the Constitution.

    --
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverted_totalitarianism
  67. ISIS Takes Credit by TheAngryCat · · Score: 1

    http://www.express.co.uk/news/... Much sadness as the war against humanity continues.

  68. The gun god demands blood! by GameboyRMH · · Score: 1

    The tree of low-paperwork gun ownership must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of innocent bystanders and law enforcement officers. Is it safe to assume the country folk at this concert would've been happy to sacrifice their lives for the cause?

    --
    "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
    1. Re:The gun god demands blood! by hyades1 · · Score: 1

      In America, everything's to blame except the actual guns. Some of the stats collected in this link tell a different story.

      https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/10/2/16399418/us-gun-violence-statistics-maps-charts

      --
      I've calculated my velocity with such exquisite precision that I have no idea where I am.
  69. Re:Another crackpot by guruevi · · Score: 1

    You obviously have never been outside of America. If you want to talk about lack of tolerance, go to Africa or Asia, people that share the same language, country and culture kill each other over feuds that sometimes have been running for so long, nobody even remembers why they started.

    --
    Custom electronics and digital signage for your business: www.evcircuits.com
  70. Re: News for nerds? by RobotRunAmok · · Score: 1

    It's not. It's "Stuff That Matters." Please pay attention.

  71. 2nd Amendment by Tenebrousedge · · Score: 1

    We were intended to have a militia as opposed to a standing army. We re-thought that idea after the militia failed to prevent the Capitol from being burned, but did not revise the Constitution. One of the problems with starting the first modern democracy was that we didn't know what that would look like, and the Founders had somewhat romantic ideals there. It was envisioned that we would be a nation of citizen-farmers, self-sufficient men defending their own soil. This is still a popular idea, but in practice not everyone is capable or interested in living off their own land, and there isn't really a good substitute for the professional soldier. The consequences of 1814 seem to have been the 2nd Amendment dying the death of a thousand cuts, and the creation of the most powerful military in history.

    Supporters of the 2nd Amendment tend to ignore these inconsistencies. I think we should try to resolve them. Either "shall not be infringed" should be interpreted more literally, and the military disbanded, or we should revise the Constitution to reflect the current state of affairs.

    --
    Those who advocate genocide deserve every protection afforded by law, and none afforded by common human decency.
    1. Re:2nd Amendment by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 1

      No, in spite of all your flowery language and your complicated scenarios, the Second Amendment was added so that we could rise up and shoot the politicians if the need were to ever occur.

      'The professional soldier' idea is scary as hell. Do you want to be ruled by those who can best afford to hire men with guns to take command?

    2. Re:2nd Amendment by Train0987 · · Score: 1

      Wrong. The milita was understood to be ALL citizens.

    3. Re:2nd Amendment by Tenebrousedge · · Score: 1

      I have to assume you only read half my comment. You've certainly proved my point about ignoring the issue of the militia, but you should probably note that suggesting that the military be disbanded is inconsistent with your last sentence. Also, whatever your opinions are about professional soldiers, [1] we do have them, and [2] it is hopefully not controversial to suggest that trained professionals will outperform amateurs. It should be especially uncontroversial given the events of 1814, but there are a number of examples throughout history to suggest that an effective fighting force is not a thing of improvisation.

      Generally, I think the idea of defending a country with a militia is probably not optimal, and if there is going to be some country with the ability to project force around the globe, I'd rather it be this one. I'm completely fine with people arguing otherwise, and I could even find some arguments for that position myself. What I don't particularly agree with is doing an end-run around "shall not be infringed". Since that is liable to be a point of common ground, maybe you should find some more intelligent reply to my post.

      --
      Those who advocate genocide deserve every protection afforded by law, and none afforded by common human decency.
    4. Re:2nd Amendment by Tenebrousedge · · Score: 1

      Not only did I not contradict that idea, but it is actually central to my argument.

      --
      Those who advocate genocide deserve every protection afforded by law, and none afforded by common human decency.
  72. Re:Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by Barsteward · · Score: 1

    "If we lost 99% of the population through the course of their lives to mass shooters it would still be better than taking everyone's guns and in turn letting the corrupt politicians steamroll over everyone else at a whim, at least mass shooters are random so it doesn't change the demographics for the worse."

    You seem to be a conspiracy theory enthusiast of the largest order. I just want to laugh at your reasoning in this quote of yours but its scary you can think thats a smart rationale.

    --
    "The hands that help are better far than lips that pray." - Robert Ingersoll (1833-1899)
  73. Re:Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by NicknameUnavailable · · Score: 1

    I agree, militas are horribly under-equipped - they were supposed to have the same firepower as the military to avoid any possibility of oppression. As it stands we have enough guns to ensure the government can't get away with rounding people up en mass, but not enough to have politicians perpetually living in fear of the consequences of fucking up and thereby acting in our interests.

  74. Re:News for nerds? by MightyMartian · · Score: 1

    Slashdot could stop pandering to the likes of you by getting rid of AC postings

    --
    The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
  75. Re:So Republican by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

    Just solving the problem By Any Means Necessary (BAMN)...

    --
    Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
  76. Re:Racial profiling by Curunir_wolf · · Score: 1

    We don't know yet.

    Yes we do. 64 years old, lived in Mesquite, no currently known political affiliation despite what some AC trolls on here are saying. Over 400 sent to hospitals, roughly 10 firearms found in his hotel room, apparently killed himself before police arrived.

    A converted Muslim, recruited by ISIS.

    --
    "Somebody has to do something. It's just incredibly pathetic it has to be us."
    --- Jerry Garcia
  77. Re: Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by pots · · Score: 1

    once you make the jump to go on a killing rampage the only real allegiance you have is to violent authoritarianism

    Where'd you get this idea? Someone like this could just as easily be an anarchist. Or a nihilist, who doesn't fall anywhere on the left-right political spectrum. This sort of thing doesn't have to be motivated by ideals or mental illness. Disillusionment is enough, in some cases.

    I guess that's most of the point that you were making. And that's a fine point.

  78. Re: Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by postbigbang · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I own a tiny hybrid and a HUGE pickup truck. I worry about not seeing small vehicles sometimes while driving the truck. I don't worry much about trucks seeing me.

    You worry too much about political statements. We're not all on edge, but you are. Step away from the media. They make money by glueing you to themselves for profit. Rob them of the profit and have a more relaxed life.

    --
    ---- Teach Peace. It's Cheaper Than War.
  79. For some perspective by sremick · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I know it's going to be pointless debating anyone online/here about this, but I just wanted to drop some points for thought.

    Not all liberals are anti-gun. This liberal owns several. But that's because I also own fire-extinguishers, and not because I'm trying to play fireman/cop. I own them because I recognize and accept that it's my personal responsibility to control an immediate emergency as best I can until the pros arrive. Which can be 30-45 mins in rural areas. I hope I never have to use either.

    I also recognize that I have a 1-in 110,000 chance of dying in a mass shooting, as terrible and sad as events like this are. Meanwhile I have a 1-in-113 chance of dying in a car accident. So I try to live my life with some perspective and control my fear/paranoia.

    1. Re:For some perspective by WolfWithoutAClause · · Score: 1

      No, if there was a one in a 110,000 chance of dying from a particular type of yoghurt, how long do you think it would remain on the market???

      The usual cut-off is generally around one in a million for things you voluntarily do; but for things that get inflicted on you, 1 in 110,000 is pretty high. You may have a 1 in 113 chance of dying in a car crash, but at least YOU get the advantage of traveling around until YOUR untimely demise.

      In this case, some git just blows your bloody brains out, and he gets to do this, and you get no advantage at all; it is inflicted on YOU by others.

      --

      -WolfWithoutAClause

      "Gravity is only a theory, not a fact!"
    2. Re:For some perspective by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      No, if there was a one in a 110,000 chance of dying from a particular type of yoghurt, how long do you think it would remain on the market???

      Of the 323M people in the USA, 3,000 people a year die of food poisoning. So eating anything is already more dangerous than that. Yet, we have extremely lax controls on food safety. Most places, restaurants aren't even required to post the results in their front window. You actually have to go inside and ask to read the health report. The truth is that No Lives Matter.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    3. Re:For some perspective by WolfWithoutAClause · · Score: 1

      Yes, below one in a million nobody cares, and food poisoning is a factor of ten above that, so people do care, and there's people whose job it is to try to minimize that. And so you can actually ask them for their health report.

      And note that that's about ONE TENTH of the number of people killed by guns in America. And there's more people killed by guns than cars in America, but a car is something that is actually useful.

      --

      -WolfWithoutAClause

      "Gravity is only a theory, not a fact!"
  80. The tech... by WolfgangVL · · Score: 1

    This was a concert? The 'goers already had phones out taking video. I bet there will be hundreds of shaky videos of this event surfacing in the next few hours. Some Quite graphic.

    This ones going to be viewed from every angle for months.

    --
    You are being ripped off every second of every day, so that advertisers can help rip you off even more tomorrow.
  81. Re:No legal guns, no crime by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

    Where would that be? Category A weapons - used in this shooting - are essentially banned in all of the EU. Norway and Switzerland also recognize and follow the EU firearms directive.

    --
    Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
  82. False equivalence much? by denzacar · · Score: 2

    One can't take a well defensible, higher ground, position, lock himself up there and keep lobbing cars or pressure cookers at thousands of people half a mile or more in the distance.
    Nor can one ambush those thousands of people with a car. Or keep running over people once they realize that the driver of said car is running people over.
    Purely based on a fact that a car is a lot more visible and avoidable than a bullet.
    One can dodge a Dodge but one can't bullet a bullet.

    And while one CAN ambush people with a pressure cooker... Constructing one, then hauling it and placing it without blowing oneself up IS a tiny-winy bit trickier than point and click effort of using a gun.
    One can't just bang-bang-bang at a crowd outside one's window with a car or a pressure cooker cause one is suddenly and gravely disappointed in the effectiveness of those pills which promised that penis enlargement OR cause one is annoyed with loud music those pesky kids are playing.
    One can't do either on whim - the way someone with a gun can.

    Plus... Neither cars nor weaponized pressure cookers grow on trees, and it is easier to find a gun store in US of A than a store selling... well... anything other than gasoline.
    There 14146 McDonald's restaurants in the US, 16708 franchised car dealers, 36536 grocery stores and 143849 gas stations... but 51438 gun retailers.
    129817 gun dealers if you count in "collectors" (61,562), pawn shops (7,356), and importers and manufacturers.
    And WE KNOW that Americans have a McDonald's problem.

    But even if cars and cooker did grow on trees - one still has to find the said tree, pick the car, drive it to where people are, get enough traction...

    I mean... look at that cunt in Charleston.
    He had to drive AAAALLL the way from Ohio to South Carolina, only to be able to run over a single person.
    It took planning. And work. And driving. And finding his way around a foreign town.
    You can't just type in "People to run over with a car" in your GPS, you know?

    Also, fenced venues such as open air concerts tend not to allow one to take cars OR weaponized pressure cookers inside.
    But you can still squeeze off a couple of shots inside.
    Just get yourself some high ground and... bang-bang-bang your way to that penis enlargement! Show the world you're NOT firing blanks!

    --
    Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
  83. Re:Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by NicknameUnavailable · · Score: 1

    You seem to be a conspiracy theory enthusiast of the largest order. I just want to laugh at your reasoning in this quote of yours but its scary you can think thats a smart rationale.

    The first move of every single repressive regime in history has been to confiscate weapons from the people they aim to oppress. That's not conspiracy, it's history.

  84. Re:Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by lactose99 · · Score: 1

    He's from Clark County, nary a more nutty collection of righty-liberty types in the nation.

    --
    Fully licensed blockchain psychiatrist
  85. Re:Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by hierofalcon · · Score: 1

    What the framers of the Constitution had in mind was that the people should be permitted to have military grade fully functional weapons at their immediate disposal to keep the government from getting out of hand. Even then, not everyone could afford their own cannon or warship, but the framers had in mind that anyone who could, should be permitted to do so.

    A news story says that some neighbors are getting bent out of shape down south by a man with a fully operational WWII tank parked in front of his house. The framers would have been OK with this, although they would have considered it a relic and would have preferred a modern variant.

    The problem isn't the weapons. The problem is the people's morals. When everyone has a proper fear and reverence for God again, you won't have to worry about who has a fully automatic pistol on their hip. And even the crazy people who don't have any business with a fully automatic pistol on their hip would be far less likely to actually use one if there were no gun free zones and the probability was 100% that at least a few people where they were intending to cause mayhem were armed and knew how to use their weapons - it's why gun free zones are so popular as a target environment today.

    You can argue we have an Department of Defense today, with all that entails along with a National Guard. The debate on which model would be better - the one the framers of the Constitution championed or the one we have now actually makes us safer (when including the debt and animosity caused by all of our wars) could go on for pages. I hope it doesn't. But have no doubt about what the framers intended.

  86. Re:Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    But have no doubt about what the framers intended.

    Why? Must we think that they would march in lockstep with whatever ideology you claim they'd support, or can we not see some indications otherwise, including their own suppression of rebellions, conduct in office, and more?

    And that's leaving aside whether they'd think differently today, with an entirely different set of circumstances as well as some significant evidence of their more obvious errors. Who knows, they might think otherwise, knowing what they wrought.

    But it hardly matters, they're dead, they don't have a vote, let alone controlling influence. I'd respect you more if you weren't so devoted to enshrining them in support of your own cause, but sadly, you have fallen for the mistake of idolization.

    Me, I'd hope that they'd be disgusted as your devotion, even if I'm a bit uncertain. Some people do find worship of themselves to be appealing.

  87. Re:Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by sheph · · Score: 1

    Actually, his family said he had no political affiliation that they knew of. Not everything is political. It's also worth mentioning that ISIS is taking credit saying he was radicalized months ago. That hasn't been confirmed, but in light of the number of people and lack of explanation it makes sense.

    --
    I don't believe in karma, I just call it like I see it.
  88. Re: Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by Nite_Hawk · · Score: 2

    once you make the jump to go on a killing rampage the only real allegiance you have is to violent authoritarianism

    Where'd you get this idea? Someone like this could just as easily be an anarchist.

    You are thinking of authoritarianism and anarchism in terms of political views (which at least for anarchism can be pretty nebulous depending on who you ask), but I am thinking of it more in terms of psychology:

    "Authoritarian personality is a state of mind or attitude characterized by belief in absolute obedience or submission to one's own authority, as well as the administration of that belief through the oppression of one's subordinates. It usually applies to individuals who are known or viewed as having an authoritative, strict, or oppressive personality towards subordinates."

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

    I would argue that murder is sort of an absolute means of forced submission to one's own authority. If not of mind, it certainly is of body. The murderer imposes their will and once it's happened the victim is powerless to overcome it (at least in so far as the mortal world is concerned).

    Or a nihilist, who doesn't fall anywhere on the left-right political spectrum. This sort of thing doesn't have to be motivated by ideals or mental illness. Disillusionment is enough, in some cases.

    I guess that's most of the point that you were making. And that's a fine point.

    Ultimately it really comes to "might makes right".

  89. Re:News for nerds? by sexconker · · Score: 1

    The Cisco story was pointless, though:

    Here's How Cisco Fixed A Backdoor
    They released an update which turns it off by default.

    There's literally nothing of substance and certainly nothing to discuss. Typical Cisco incompetence. Obvious fix for a backdoor. Everyone already knows you can't really trust them but you're fucked because you have to use somebody's products. There's simply nothing to discuss. It was also posted before much of the US was awake and bored at work.

  90. Re:Actually most would prefer 1 and 2. by cayenne8 · · Score: 1

    But those against 2 are highly motivated and armed and will refuse to let anyone in who would enact #2,

    I many would support #2 IF there were put in sufficient provisions for due legal process for the person accused of such, before that person lost their rights and their property was confiscated.

    There are an awful lot of jilted spouses/significant others out there that would use laws like this to hassle someone they had a grudge against.

    Most of the laws for taking away ones 2nd amendment rights have the accused as guilty till proven innocent and make it awful tough for someone wrongfully accused/labeled to defend themselves and yet, their property and rights have already been trampled upon.

    --
    Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
  91. Rural Logic [Re:We need more guns] by Tablizer · · Score: 2

    There's another element. Rural people often have a great fear of the Federal Government turning heavily liberal and ruining their rural and/or religious way of life. They see guns as one of the few insurance policies protecting them from a run-away "Big Govt". The loss of life from mass shootings is not big enough to justify losing this "insurance policy" in their mind.

    They do the math and conclude that sometimes "freedom is better than life". It is rational to THEM: the cost of the insurance policy (a lost % of life) is less than the perceived danger of the Big Gov't taking over. They are willing to sacrifice a few percent of the population to events like this to prevent 100% of everybody they know from being ruled by Big Gov't. Nobody can accurately calculate the odds of their "socialist doomsday" scenario, so their guess is as good as yours or mine.

    It's similar to what you often see in the middle east: protecting their "way of life" is more important to many than (current) peace. They are willing to die to protect their way of life. NRA thinking is just a variation on this theme.

  92. Re: Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Is that you Ivan?

  93. Re: Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by bestweasel · · Score: 1

    "and in turn letting the corrupt politicians steamroll over everyone else at a whim"

    Because guns have done such a good job preventing that.

  94. Re:He had full auto by Tuidjy · · Score: 1

    Did you listen to the audio of the shootings Multiple bursts of full auto fire. These are illegal

    Fully automatic weapons, up to and including machine guns are legal in Nevada. Some require registration, but just like the recently legislated checks, no law enforcement agency wants to be responsible (even the FBI passed) and no one is enforcing even the super permissive laws.

    Please educate yourself before you post authoritatively.

    --
    No good deed goes unpunished...
  95. Re:Cue the brainwashed Americans and their gun lov by sexconker · · Score: 1

    Guns don't kill people, people kill people.
    The guns the guy used were illegal.
    Gun laws won't stop crazies.
    Psycho gun killers are Democrats or on antidepressants.
    Guns stop zillions of other attacks.
    99.9% of gun owners don't massacre anyone.
    They still kill each other in DC (or gun free zone of your choice).
    We need guns to protect ourselves against New Hitler

    We've all heard them a million times before.

    And you can't refute a single one.

    Further, even if they were all objectively false, that wouldn't change a thing. The 2nd amendment guarantees the right to keep and bear arms. The government cannot legally infringe upon that right. I don't care how many people are killed, that right is fundamentally more important than whatever safety you imagine to be traded for it.

  96. Re:He had full auto by jsrjsr · · Score: 1

    Legal automatic firearms were manufactured before 1986 and cost over ten thousand dollars each because of the limited supply. You don't seem to understand the law any better than the guy who said they were illegal.

  97. Re: Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by pots · · Score: 1

    Well, huh. I have never heard that definition of authoritarian. Okay, fair enough.

  98. Re:Cue the brainwashed Americans and their gun lov by sheph · · Score: 1

    For being supposedly so well educated you display an astounding amount of ignorance. All of those things are often stated. Which doesn't make them untrue. Gun laws are so strict in New York it's almost impossible to own a firearm. A state with close to the highest incidence of gun crime in the country dwarfed only by Chicago another shining example of the effectiveness of gun control. You could completely outlaw guns and you will still have this problem.

    --
    I don't believe in karma, I just call it like I see it.
  99. Re: Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by Pseudonym · · Score: 1

    What I meant to imply is we drove out the middle ground and just kept the fringes.

    --
    sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f(q{sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f});
  100. A referendum on removing the 2nd amendment by DMJC · · Score: 1

    The US Government always has the option to vote/call for a referendum on repealing the 2nd amendment. Sure it might not pass, but there is always the option for it. The US Government acting alone cannot take away the right to bear arms, but the people of the United States can have the option to choose to do so if their leadership took it to the people in a vote.

    1. Re:A referendum on removing the 2nd amendment by Ferretman · · Score: 1

      Technically you could vote on such a thing, but those rights did not come from the government and hence cannot be taken away by the government. They are [re-existing and hence inalienable.

      Ferret

      --
      Sic gorgiamus allos subjectatos nunc
  101. Re:He had full auto by Tuidjy · · Score: 1

    It depends on your definition of 'legal'. If by 'legal' you mean weapons with the proper paperwork, so that no law enforcement agency will ever bother you, you can get a fully automatic AK47 for less than $3000, which includes the paperwork. AK74 are for some reason cheaper, don't ask me why. Yes, they will be manufactured before 1986, but I would not bet on how long they have actually been in the US.

    As for what you can buy at gun shows, and be able to say with a straight face that you believed that the transaction was legal... How good are you at controlling your expressions?

    I have personally seen weapons that I know 100% are violating multiple laws for sale, and not from a car trunk behind a 'private club'. At gun shows, I have seen people sell AR15s and the parts to make them fully automatic on the same stand, for a lot less than $10000 combined. Sure, the vendors were, *wink* *wink* unaffiliated.

    When law enforcement ignores blatant violation to the spirit of the law, when you cannot tell whether a gun is legal or not without an arrest, and knowing that the gun cannot physically be legal is not probable cause, when no agency will bother enforcing existing laws...

    So yes, I am 100% sure some of the weapons used in the shooting were illegal. I am also sure that yesterday, no law enforcement officer would have bothered with any of them. I am also sure that if the shooter had cared, he could have gone through the trouble of making the guns very hard to object to, legally.

    Basically, the best way to hide a stick is to drop it on forest floor (the English idiom escapes me). Nevada has so many legal automatic weapons, and so many automatic weapons with defensible paperwork, and so many automatic weapons which are hard to challenge, that law enforcement does not bother with them unless there is a good reason. Well, ~60 dead is a good reason, so we will probably hear that the weapons involved were illegal. I also bet that the parts which went into them were purchased completely legally.

    -----------

    By the way, I like guns, I own quite a few, and they are all 100% legal, even my old service CZ... But I went to a lot of trouble to do so, and if I had not been financially comfortable and single, I would have never bothered. If a guy wants to acquire a fully automatic rifle in California, it is a lot more work than it is in Nevada. Not that either is very difficult with someone with as much money as the shooter had, at least a few months ago.

    --
    No good deed goes unpunished...
  102. Bad gun! Not the nutjob's fault! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Bad, bad, bad guns! Now let the bashing begin. Let us create a monument to the fucktards that shoot, blow up or run over innocent people. Because with out guns, cars, trucks and chemicals to make bombs with, there would not be any innocent people killed!

    Now the real question: How do we modify / fix society so that stupid / fucktard people do not kill innocent people? I applaud and support the assholes that want to kill themselves, but ffs do it on your own and leave the innocent folks alone!

  103. Very Sad Indeed by Ferretman · · Score: 1

    I hope we can find out motivations and such....and I definitely hope he burns in hell for his actions.

    Ferret

    --
    Sic gorgiamus allos subjectatos nunc
  104. Re: Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by Brockmire · · Score: 1

    Of course, a God believer has nonsensical beliefs that everyone should carry a gun but not use them because of God morals or some shit. I hope you are on a list and monitored. That's some crazy stupid shit.

  105. Re:Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by hierofalcon · · Score: 1

    I'm not currently a gun owner or shooter.

  106. A short letter from an outsider by nyri · · Score: 2

    Hi US people,

    I noticed that you are a) trying to guess which party the gunman voted for and b) discussing the merits or either better or worse availability of guns as a solutions.

    As per gunman's voting record, I would suggest to you that it is irrelevant: Your political side won't score any points nor get any additional votes, even if it turns out that the gunman voted for the other party.

    As per the availability of gun: It is not viable solution. It has been studies and the gun laws do not correlate in any manner with the number of deaths in these types of events. So there, gun laws are not a working solution. Hence, I would recommend that you look in to something that might work: Having better availability of mental health services.

    Finally, I have a sad observation to make. You are not interested in discussing the merits (or the lack there of) of mental health approach because it does not involve political divide. You have forsaken your country. Petty political point scoring reigns supreme.

    Sincerely yours,
    A guy from Finland

    1. Re:A short letter from an outsider by Gussington · · Score: 1

      Post of the day. Thanks.

  107. Re: Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by hierofalcon · · Score: 1

    What I'm saying is that if you live up to the tenets of your religion - and you can insert a great many religions as an example - you aren't supposed to kill, you aren't supposed to hate people. Christianity espouses love to all. We may not do it right all the time, but the ideals of many religions are designed to have a society that lives and behaves well toward one another as one of the primary goals. The fact that the nation has gotten so far away from God and respect for His creation is the problem. Guns won't solve it, but trying to solve the gun issue without solving the human issue is pointless. There are too many other ways to cause mayhem.

  108. Re:Cue the brainwashed Americans and their gun lov by Ferretman · · Score: 1

    And yet for all your blather my rights are greater than your feelz.

    Ferret

    --
    Sic gorgiamus allos subjectatos nunc
  109. Depends on the "mental health issue" by Ungrounded+Lightning · · Score: 1

    It's not just an issue of a well person buying a gun and then developing mental health problems. The US gun lobby doesn't even want to restrict sales to those who already have mental health issues.

    That depends on the mental health issue.

    I don't know of anyone - even the most extreme gun-rights advocates - who has a problem with disarming a person who has been adjudicated by a court of appropriate jurisdiction to being a danger to others by reason of mental problems.

    But many "mental health issues" are not associated with an increase in risk of attacks on others - and many are actually associated with a DEcrease.

    For instance: Depressives are drastically LESS dangerous to the general population than the average person. Meanwhile, disarming anyone who has ever been treated for depression would disarm over half the adult women in the United States.

    Psychiatrists are some of the strongest lobbyists AGAINST such laws. This is because they both make it less likely that people needing treatment for mental issues will seek it and open confidential patient records to perusal by government functionaries and law enforcement.

    Another recent trend is treating anyone who is a crime victim - rape, assault, robbery, stalking, etc. - for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Whether they want such "treatment" or not. Guess who is most likely to NEED a gun for self-defense? Guess when they are likely to get off their tails and go buy one?

    --
    Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
  110. Re:Racial profiling by pax+humana · · Score: 1

    Nah, Chuck Norris killed him before the police could get there.

  111. Australias Experience with Guns by labnet · · Score: 1

    Being from Australia, I can at least comment on the cultural impact of guns.

    In the early 80's KMART were still selling rifles. There were heaps of guns around.... but, the primary use for our weapons was for taming wildlife, not seeing them as object of personal protection. In the USA I believe it is the reverse.

    Australia was also becoming very urbanised and after the Port Arthur massacre, semi automatic weapons were banned. Now you can still buy guns, and every farmer has several, but:
    - They must be kept in gun safes
    - All guns are licensed
    - Police do come and check your serial numbers against their records
    - You have to be a member of a gun club or be on a rural property.
    - You have to do a firearms safety course before being issued a license that must be annually renewed.
    - There are strict background checks.

    What I have noticed, is
    - I never hear about kids accidentally shooting themselves anymore
    - Rarely hear about gun suicides.
    - Never see guns in public, except on Police
    - No one here worries about getting shot, because generally when it rarely happens, its criminals shooting each other.

    The USA will never change their gun culture in my lifetime: so massacres like this will just be the price of that culture.

    --
    46137
  112. Re:Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by reboot246 · · Score: 1

    Maybe he just didn't like country music. Maybe he loved country music but didn't like what it has become. Maybe he was so deep in debt because of his gambling that he just snapped. We really don't have a clue yet.

    Everybody is closer to becoming insane than they realize. All it takes is something or somebody flipping the switch. We're all capable of doing horrendous things.

    There will be plenty of time later to throw political bombs. Save it until then.

  113. Re: Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by JudgeFurious · · Score: 1

    Well, I'd have thought that was obvious.

    --
    Appended to the end of comments you post. 120 chars.
  114. Re:Cue the brainwashed Americans and their gun lov by quantaman · · Score: 1

    The fact is, whenever the news of a "active shooter killing spree" comes out the very FIRST thought people have is "Oh, where in the US is it this time??".

    Actually it's "what's the ethnicity, religion, and political affiliation of the shooter(s)?"

    It's distasteful, but they want to know because it's a really important question.

    If the shooter is an Arab Muslim you're going to see a push for more Muslim bans, racial profiling, deportations, not to mention a jump in hate crimes.

    If the shooter is a Mexican illegal you're going to see the end of DACA and a bunch of people getting deported from the only country they've ever known.

    As it is, the shooter is white, his political affiliation and even religion don't really matter. His tribe, white people, is strong enough that they're at no risk of discrimination in the US. Thankfully we'll be able to spend more time mourning the victims this time around.

    --
    I stole this Sig
  115. Re:Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by yuriklastalov · · Score: 1

    If he were a left wing nutjob you'll never hear anything about his motives in any MSM outlet. They'd bring it up once, in the middle of the night, and only then because there's a non-zero chance that Fox would report it.

  116. Re: Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by NicknameUnavailable · · Score: 1

    Because guns have done such a good job preventing that.

    I know that's sarcasm, but they have. As far as corrupt governments go measured over a historical scale, ours is relatively nice.

  117. Re: Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by dcw3 · · Score: 1

    This comment makes me want to subscribe to Jesus' blog, and I'm not even religious. Bravo sir.

    --
    Just another day in Paradise
  118. Re:Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by Marxist+Hacker+42 · · Score: 1

    Hard to throw a pipe bomb nearly a mile, but I suppose you could design them with model rocket engines. Good thing that leftwing nut jobs aren't quite that smart. The body count could have been limited if hotel security had responded quicker though- over 70 minutes of bullets raining out the window and people complaining of the sound of gun shots to the front desk, and nobody did anything?

    --
    SJW: a person who perceives an injustice, and while correcting it, commits a greater injustice.
  119. Re:Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by Hylandr · · Score: 1

    *Ahem*

    Your left is showing

    --
    ~ People that think they are better than anyone else for any reason are the cause of all the strife in the world.
  120. Re: Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by Marxist+Hacker+42 · · Score: 1

    It can also come to "right and wrong are meaningless, other people are just my playthings to do with what I wish"

    --
    SJW: a person who perceives an injustice, and while correcting it, commits a greater injustice.
  121. Re: Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by Marxist+Hacker+42 · · Score: 1

    That is part of the reason why my prius is covered in right wing bumper stickers.

    --
    SJW: a person who perceives an injustice, and while correcting it, commits a greater injustice.
  122. Re:Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by Marxist+Hacker+42 · · Score: 1

    Used to be. Under the new regime, there is zero chance that Fox would do anything different from the rest of the MSM.

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    SJW: a person who perceives an injustice, and while correcting it, commits a greater injustice.
  123. Re: Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by Marxist+Hacker+42 · · Score: 1
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    SJW: a person who perceives an injustice, and while correcting it, commits a greater injustice.
  124. Re: Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by Marxist+Hacker+42 · · Score: 1

    https://www.mediaite.com/online/a-theory-on-what-motivated-stephan-paddock-and-why-therell-be-more-of-him-in-the-future//
    Thus, exactly right- since nobody has any morals anymore, the toys have to be taken away from the babies.

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    SJW: a person who perceives an injustice, and while correcting it, commits a greater injustice.
  125. Re: Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by leslie.satenstein · · Score: 1

    Was the shooting an anti-political act, or as ISIS claims, an anti-American revenge act? It will take years before we know. My condolences go out to the victims. The NRA should be praying for forgiveness, along with the Congress people responsible for allowing AK47 and similar automatic repeat shooters to be sold. The USA is not facing a civil war. Why are killing machines allowed to be sold? It's OK to sell defense weapons, but not attack ones.

  126. No Glass Break Sensors... until now by AlejandroTejadaC · · Score: 1

    Tell me if I am wrong, but from now on, every building in USA would require by law that Glass Break Sensors are installed in every window... at least that is what I want to believe: https://buythetop10.com/top-10...

  127. Local vs Remote and Clueless links... by MercTech · · Score: 1

    I get tired of a tragedy happening and getting a flood of stories and commentaries from talking heads far removed from what is actually happening.

        Instead of the cited CNN link from the initial post; how about links to local to Las Vegas news sources that are not skewing the report to fit an ideological doctrine.

    http://www.fox5vegas.com/

    http://news3lv.com/news/nation-world/former-fbi-profiler-brad-garrett-what-we-know-so-far-about-las-vegas-sniper

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    NRRPT/RCT
  128. Re:News for nerds? by Lord+Kano · · Score: 1

    "Stuff That Matters"

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    "Hi. This is my friend, Jack Shit, and you don't know him." - Lord Kano
  129. So when is it time? by AutodidactLabrat · · Score: 1

    Obviously the gun nuts are out in force, but let us ask "When is it time to talk about removing weapons of war from our streets"?
    My answer is: Every single time someone dies in the name of the NRA profits!

  130. Fuck Slashdot by Gallomimia · · Score: 1

    This is exactly the kind of story that I hope to avoid by reading slashdot, news about nerdy stuff, computers, internet, video games. Unless they're planning to take away our video games because of this, or they're planning to make a video game about it, it doesn't belong here. There's other websites to talk about normal news.

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    Sadly, a Libertarian cannot force his views on another, and freedom cannot spread as does the cancer known as religion.
  131. Re: Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by lars_stefan_axelsson · · Score: 1

    There's a large subset of Americans that only care about the 2nd amendment, the right to bear arms (own guns). They don't give a shit about the rest of our Bill of Rights as long as they keep their guns. On the other side, there are people that want open borders hell or high water.

    These people are lost to reason. There can be no compromise.

    But that's not necessarily an unreasonable position. With a two party system such as yours, and especially given the current political climate, it could be argued that it doesn't really matter which of the two you vote for. You'll end up in the same place anyway.

    This is of course supported by the observations of the low voter turnout, liberal usage of terms such as "republicrats" etc.

    These larger questions are also not necessarily in the hands of the politicians in any case; questions regarding the economy etc.

    However the question of whether, and how, people should be allowed to own and shoot guns, is one of those few questions that is solely within the political domain. So if you feel that your vote doesn't matter in the larger scheme of things anyway, voting single issue becomes the rational choice. If you feel you'll be shafted anyway, you might as well use your vote for something you care about.

    And then you of course also have to take into account that laws regarding weapons ownership is only a very small piece of the puzzle. We have traditionally had much stricter gun control laws in Sweden, and also a lot less violent crime than the US. However, that has recently changed significantly. When it comes to firearms violence we have to now go to southern Italy to find similar figures (and if we compare explosive/grenade violence, we have to go to Mexico).

    Our firearm laws have not changed one iota during this period. The changes in violence are all due to social ills, with criminal gangs gaining a foothold (for lots of reasons) and illegal arms being smuggled here from south east Europe. (It's also the first time that firearms violence hasn't given rise to yet shriller cries for more strict licensing laws, as the AKMs and hand grenades that are used, obviously were never legally owned here in Sweden to begin with.) So restricting licensing further, would obviously not do anything to help the problem. Legally owned guns simply does not figure into this particular equation.

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    Stefan Axelsson
  132. modded ar by nten · · Score: 1

    It was an ar with a holosight, super high capacity magazine, and a bump stock to enable high fire rates. There was a picture in the telegraph. All purchaseble legally in my state at least. The ATF has specifically stated bump stocks are not fully auto parts because you are still pulling the trigger multiple times. I doubt they will revisit that decision, that would be admitting error. And in any case a shoe string and a keychain can make many rifles fully auto so it would be difficult to enforce. Full auto isn't even particularly lethal. Unless there is a huge crowd and you have no particular target and a high vantage point...

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    refactor the law, its bloated, confusing and unmaintainable.
  133. Re:Pipe bombs would have killed thousands. by dcw3 · · Score: 1

    I've lived in the area since '82 as well. You might want to check your history on NOVA voting though. For example Fairfax county went Red for governor in '93, '97 and as recently as '09, and Senate in 2000. Six of the Nine Loudoun Co. board of supervisors are Republican, and two of their four state representatives. Prior to '08, Loudoun had a long history of straight Red presidential vote majorities, dating back to 1912 according to their wiki page.

    Additionally, you might want to look at the Richmond and VA Beach areas, which have become much more blue.

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    Just another day in Paradise