My Goodness, this is heartbreaking

[dasher]

One other thing I wonder is if the media should not report the shooters name and anything specific about the shooter beyond age, gender, etc. I know that what I'm suggesting is a restriction on freedom, but it seems to me that a lot of these idiots want to be famous/infamous. Maybe taking that away would help...

Have to report it. Sadly, the name is news.

 

[marz09cuse]

It's being reported now that the gunman's parents are both dead as well.

 

[orangefog]

It is awful. I can't even imagine it. What must have been going on in this sicko's head??

I haven't a clue, but I can't wait to see my kids and give them a big hug tonight.

 

[JoeSU]

Not to get the discussion off of the topic of gun control, but the 18 students that were killed were kindergartners. Five year olds just starting their lives. To think that someone could look at a five year old and end his/her life is beyond me.

At Christmastime, no less.
This is a tragedy on so many levels.

 

[HoustonCuse]

Isn't it pretty easy to do the conversion though? Ie convert a legal weapon into an illegal one? Do they require psychological testing before a gun purchase? I know nothing about guns so forgive the ignorance...but to me IF there is a way to make it harder to do the conversion (ie change the technology), require that gun owners at least have a track record of stability, restrict the numbers of guns a person owns, etc, than that may make sense. I was however struck by the stat that in Canada there are way more guns and way less gun crime. That seems to point towards some other causation. Complicated issue...

There is currently no psychological test required for gun purchases. There is a federal background check performed on new gun purchases. I'm not exactly sure what they check beyond criminal record, but I know my buddy got significally delayed in a gun purchase one time because he was divorced and it flagged him somehow in their system. There is also the so-called gunshow loophole which is that buying a used gun does not require the background check (this applies to all used gun purchases, not just gun-show transactions).

I don't know that mental stability testing is a bad idea, I just wonder if it would catch these type of school shooters. Seems like most of them appear totaly normal up until the day they do it.

 

[jordoo]

I haven't a clue, but I can't wait to see my kids and give them a big hug tonight.

I was just thinking how disappointed i will be since my girls are at my mom & dads tonight and i wont see them. My little boy will get the extra love until i pick them up in the morning.

 

[Cramz]

I hate to get involved with threads on this topic since I have worked on this issue for so long, but I just wants to correct one thing. Fully automatic weapons are not illegal. You only need to acquire a special license and pass a background check to get one. It is illegal to manufacture a new fully automatic weapon in this country, but there are certainly some in circulation, I've seen plenty at gun shows. But it doesn't matter all that much anyway since you can empty a 30 round magazine in a semiautomatic pistol in 10-12 seconds. If you bump fire a semi-auto rifle you could probably empty a 100 round magazine in the same amount of time.

One other thing, the notion about bad people accomplishing their misdeeds even if they didn't have guns available? Research suggests that's not true. Look at suicide for example. Most people who attempt suicide fail. Only a small percentage use guns to attempt it, but as you might guess, most of those people are successful. It's sad.

I really don't think it's the power of the NRA anymore either, they don't have much sway anymore. I think when it comes to gun violence in this country most are just resigned to our fate unfortunately as a lot of the comments in this thread indicate.

 

[ConnectiCuse]

The shooter's mother was the teacher of the kindergarten class where most of the shooting occurred. Word is that the entire class is currently unaccounted for. He also tried to kill most of the staff in the main office.

 

[pearl31]

halfmoon wins the politicization award

congrats, I hope you didn't trip over any dead children in your rush to score a petty point

really?
I mean, really??

 

[dasher]

I hate to get involved with threads on this topic since I have worked on this issue for so long, but I just wants to correct one thing. Fully automatic weapons are not illegal. You only need to acquire a special license and pass a background check to get one. It is illegal to manufacture a new fully automatic weapon in this country, but there are certainly some in circulation, I've seen plenty at gun shows. But it doesn't matter all that much anyway since you can empty a 30 round magazine in a semiautomatic pistol in 10-12 seconds. If you bump fire a semi-auto rifle you could probably empty a 100 round magazine in the same amount of time.

One other thing, the notion about bad people accomplishing their misdeeds even if they didn't have guns available? Research suggests that's not true. Look at suicide for example. Most people who attempt suicide fail. Only a small percentage use guns to attempt it, but as you might guess, most of those people are successful. It's sad.

I really don't think it's the power of the NRA anymore either, they don't have much sway anymore. I think when it comes to gun violence in this country most are just resigned to our fate unfortunately as a lot of the comments in this thread indicate.

Really? Some on this board would be interested to know that. I know I am. And the importrant part is that you can empty a 30 round magazine in a semi-automatic pistol. And a 100 round magazine in to a semi-auto rifle. thank you for the information.

 

[Pearl309]

Thank god..

So if the kids in CT were only injured, it wouldnt be a big deal? Its possible to kill with a knife, and possible to just injure with a gun

No. Just correcting the facts. Not trolling.

 

[jordoo]

Our society has some serious problems. We've got a history of violence going back two centuries. And we suffer from some real social ills that will exist regardless of our treatment of guns. Available and acceptance of guns, though, only worsens the problem.

(Funny you bring up the top speed of cars. It's always seemed ridiculous that cars sold on the general market don't come with mandatory speed restrictors of some kind. Police officers should have cars that go 150 miles per hour. I shouldn't. Same deal with many kinds of weapons. Nothing good can come from driving 150 miles per hour; nothing good can come from my owning an assault weapon.)

No doubt some serious long standing issues and i suspect some of it is our species not just our countries routs. I'm not sure that outlawing dangerous things is really that helpful. Obviously guns are unique in there specific design to kill living organisms. I am not really for telling people what to do what not to do how to live ect but we need to do something obviously. Anyway i have to get some work done before going home.

 

[LennX6]

Funny how you never hear of mass shootings in Texas. I wonder why that might be?

Don't blame the tools for the demonic handywork, blame the demon.

This is just the worst, but what is to stop anyone from indulging a homicidal/suicidal psychoses rampage if someone comes to a judgement that is their best course of action?

Not knowing the case I am going to speculate that gunman at one time took SSRIs (Prozac,Paxil,Lexapro...) Small common thread in virtually all mass shootings no one talks about. Those are the tools of the demon just as much.

I gravitate to your side in this debate, but there was the UT clocktower shooting in the 60's. That almost seemed like the granddaddy of them all.

 

[HoustonCuse]

I hate to get involved with threads on this topic since I have worked on this issue for so long, but I just wants to correct one thing. Fully automatic weapons are not illegal. You only need to acquire a special license and pass a background check to get one. It is illegal to manufacture a new fully automatic weapon in this country, but there are certainly some in circulation, I've seen plenty at gun shows.

In effect though, they are illegal for the purposes of this conversation. Some dealer licenses allow ownership and some full-auto weapons made prior to 1935 (or thereabouts?) were grandfathered in but I don't think even a Curios and Relics liscence is enough to transact or own those guns. I'm not disagreeing with your statement, I think it is easier to just gloss over the old BARs, etc as there is an extraordinarily small supply of legal Class 3 weapons out there and it confuses the debate because 99% of people debating these topics have no idea what the difference is between semi-auto, full-auto, bolt action, single shot, etc. Plus there aren't a whole lot of Browning 1919 water cooled machine guns being used in a drive bys.

 

[HOFCeluck]

I hate to get involved with threads on this topic since I have worked on this issue for so long, but I just wants to correct one thing. Fully automatic weapons are not illegal. You only need to acquire a special license and pass a background check to get one. It is illegal to manufacture a new fully automatic weapon in this country, but there are certainly some in circulation, I've seen plenty at gun shows. But it doesn't matter all that much anyway since you can empty a 30 round magazine in a semiautomatic pistol in 10-12 seconds. If you bump fire a semi-auto rifle you could probably empty a 100 round magazine in the same amount of time.

One other thing, the notion about bad people accomplishing their misdeeds even if they didn't have guns available? Research suggests that's not true. Look at suicide for example. Most people who attempt suicide fail. Only a small percentage use guns to attempt it, but as you might guess, most of those people are successful. It's sad.

I really don't think it's the power of the NRA anymore either, they don't have much sway anymore. I think when it comes to gun violence in this country most are just resigned to our fate unfortunately as a lot of the comments in this thread indicate.

thank you. I stand corrected.

 

[SUfanNC]

Well I am saddened by this unreal act of violence. I understand the issue is a hot topic but some of the lengths some of you will go to prove a point is ridiculous.

 

[pearl31]

As they should be. Giuns cannot pull their own trigers.

Oh Lord

 

[dasher]

In effect though, they are illegal for the purposes of this conversation. Some dealer licenses allow ownership and some full-auto weapons made prior to 1935 (or thereabouts?) were grandfathered in but I don't think even a Curios and Relics liscence is enough to transact or own those guns. I'm not disagreeing with your statement, I think it is easier to just gloss over the old BARs, etc as there is an extraordinarily small supply of legal Class 3 weapons out there and it confuses the debate because 99% of people debating these topics have no idea what the difference is between semi-auto, full-auto, bolt action, single shot, etc. Plus there aren't a whole lot of Browning 1919 water cooled machine guns being used in a drive bys.

Houston, do you agree that semi-automatic guns can be converted to automatic weapons with little to no difficulty?

 

[LennX6]

That's just not true:

September 1999 - a gunman opened fire at a prayer service in Fort Worth, Texas, killing six people before committing suicide.

July 2009 - Six people, including one student, were shot in a drive-by shooting at a community rally on the campus of Texas Southern University, Houston.
November 2009 - U.S. army psychologist Major Nidal Hasan opened fire at a military base in Fort Hood, Texas, leaving 13 dead and 42 others wounded.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...mass-shootings-in-the-US-since-Columbine.html

as I posted earlier, the clocktower massacre in the 60's. After that post I remembered the Lubys cafeteria shootup in Killeen in the 90s,

 

[Cheriehoop]

That's just not true:

September 1999 - a gunman opened fire at a prayer service in Fort Worth, Texas, killing six people before committing suicide.

July 2009 - Six people, including one student, were shot in a drive-by shooting at a community rally on the campus of Texas Southern University, Houston.
November 2009 - U.S. army psychologist Major Nidal Hasan opened fire at a military base in Fort Hood, Texas, leaving 13 dead and 42 others wounded.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...mass-shootings-in-the-US-since-Columbine.html

In addition he could just google "Texas A&M" and "mass shooting" alone and see what occurred this past August. Didn't make national headlines though, we're getting desensitized because it is happening so often. It's now about numbers and the ages of the victims if it is headline news. Silly and uninformed to say Texas is a panacea from the gun issues because of lax gun laws. It's so so sick what our society is tolerating and politicizing while innocents die.

 

[suhoops4life]

Yeah and neither party wants to even have a discussion about guns in America because of the NRA and millions of yahoos that say that over 200 years ago our brillant forefathers gauranteed the unfethered right in the Constitution.

The 2 reasons it is part of the Constitution is to provide us with a citizen militia in the event of an invasion & a pathway to overthrowing an oppressive government. It's pure genius & I thank our founding fathers for having the foresight to include it. I trust in them more than I trust any other opinion on the matter.

 

[LennX6]

thank you. I stand corrected.

Hate to say , this will continue to happen until the day comes when minds can be read (Yes that day will come and won't that be exciting).

 

[pearl31]

Funny how you never hear of mass shootings in Texas. I wonder why that might be?

Don't blame the tools for the demonic handywork, blame the demon.

This is just the worst, but what is to stop anyone from indulging a homicidal/suicidal psychoses rampage if someone comes to a judgement that is their best course of action?

Not knowing the case I am going to speculate that gunman at one time took SSRIs (Prozac,Paxil,Lexapro...) Small common thread in virtually all mass shootings no one talks about. Those are the tools of the demon just as much.

I'm sorry, but this is quite possibly the worst post I've ever read anywhere.
God help us.

 

[Cramz]

Houston, do you agree that semi-automatic guns can be converted to automatic weapons with little to no difficulty?

Not Houston, but it depends on the weapon. Conversion kits are illegal, but its not rocket science. Some cheap handguns can be converted in no time at all with a few tools. i don't think this is a huge issue though. Most gun crime is committed with handguns and converting a handgun to full auto isn't really that appealing. One squeeze of the trigger and you'd be empty, and the short barrel would make you pretty inaccurate.

 

[HoustonCuse]

Houston, do you agree that semi-automatic guns can be converted to automatic weapons with little to no difficulty?

I suppose some of them can. I personally can't do it and wouldn't ever try, but conceptually yes.