Mass Shooting Incidents in the United States

[Son Of Coco]

Timeline: Colorado Movie Theater Massacre - ABC News

Absolutely horrible stuff. Must have been terrifying for everyone involved.

Gun control America...have a think about it. Or, you could just keep on throwing your hands in the air every time this happens, say 'Oh how terrible', do nothing, and then wait for the next one to occur.

[Hurricane]

Horrendous

[Spark]

Don't think these guns were purchased legally tbf.

[silentstriker]

Originally Posted by Son Of Coco

Timeline: Colorado Movie Theater Massacre - ABC News

Absolutely horrible stuff. Must have been terrifying for everyone involved.

Gun control America...have a think about it. Or, you could just keep on throwing your hands in the air every time this happens, say 'Oh how terrible', do nothing, and then wait for the next one to occur.

Against gun control personally. It would take an amendment and no one is strong enough to go against the gun lobby - too many Americans have guns and see it as a fundamental right.

Even democrats have abandoned it as an issue.

[Hurricane]

Would be great if Americans thought it was a fundamental right to have plutonium in their backyards as well.

[silentstriker]

Haha, probably not too far off tbf. I think USA has a society has decided a while back that they want access to firearms even if it means enduring occasional tragedies like this. May not be the right decision, but it's a pretty clear one that crosses party lines. This won't change anything.

[Top_Cat]

Originally Posted by Spark

Don't think these guns were purchased legally tbf.

They probably were. Colorado's gun laws are relatively (small l) liberal. Not sure, maybe SS will know, is it still a CCW state?

EDIT: Edited because I can't find any info to confirm that he bought legally but have seen it alluded to.

[Spikey]

They've been confirmed as being purchased legally. Some of the other stuff was purchased online (maybe the tear gas?).

Oates said the guns were purchased legally by Holmes at stores in the Denver area in the past two months. More than 6,000 rounds of ammunition were also purchased online, according to Oates.

[Spikey]

Originally Posted by Son Of Coco

Gun control America...have a think about it. Or, you could just keep on throwing your hands in the air every time this happens, say 'Oh how terrible', do nothing, and then wait for the next one to occur.

Rep. Gohmert (R-TX) also asked, “It does make me wonder, with all those people in the theater, was there nobody that was carrying a gun that could have stopped this guy more quickly?”

and that's why

[LongHopCassidy]

Originally Posted by Spark

Don't think these guns were purchased legally tbf.

They were.

[Son Of Coco]

Originally Posted by silentstriker

Against gun control personally. It would take an amendment and no one is strong enough to go against the gun lobby - too many Americans have guns and see it as a fundamental right.

Even democrats have abandoned it as an issue.

Being against gun control is part of getting your American citizenship though isn't it?

I find it interesting that you get the 'right to bear arms' argument from many American citizens when the constitution they refer to was drafted back in the 1700's. Am pretty sure they weren't aware semi-automatic weapons would be invented back then. Let alone used on their own citizens whenever anyone got a text message they didn't like.

The number of gun-related spree killings we've had in Australia since we introduced gun control in 1996 is 0. In America there have been 11 in the same period. I realise there are some other fundamental differences at play, but in my opinion the right to bear arms argument is caveman stuff. Just totally lacks common sense.

I agree it would be difficult to wind back things in a country where people have the potential to own multiple firearms with relative ease. Had a chat to a bloke a few years back from Miami who had 9 guns in his house...am pretty sure he only had two arms.

The problem as I see it is there are a reasonably large number of irresponsible/stupid people in every population. When you give them access to guns you can't be sure they'll put them in a place where people who shouldn't get them aren't able to access them. Then add laws that make it pretty easy for most people to buy a gun and 'wa la'.

Edit: On the other hand, I might have to go back and flick through our equivalent of the constitution to see what I might be able to get away with according to the laws of a hundred-odd years ago.

[Son Of Coco]

Originally Posted by Spikey

Rep. Gohmert (R-TX) also asked, “It does make me wonder, with all those people in the theater, was there nobody that was carrying a gun that could have stopped this guy more quickly?”

and that's why

Yeah, it's just an astonishing way of thinking about the situation. "Given we have the right to carry a gun as a way of protecting ourselves, why wasn't anyone at the cinema carrying a gun (apart from the obvious bloke up the front)!?"

[Top_Cat]

Full disclosure: am not nor do I ever plan to be a gun owner (but did really enjoy squeezing off round when I was in Police and on the range in general)

Two inconvenient truths for the pro gun types; the UK's gun death rate with incredibly strict gun laws and that no massacre has ever been stopped by a hero gun owner, even in the most liberal of gun-law states. Arizona is most definitely a concealed-carry state but that didn't stop some psycho from all but murdering a senator. This idea that many conservative types hold that spree gun violence is less likely in gun-friendly states should by rights have been demolished by now because even in places with pretty liberal laws where massacres have occurred, the idiot has either been arrested or taken out by Police. When Dimebag Darrel was killed on-stage in Ohio (a state with very liberal gun laws), a copper killed the guy, not a hero with a gun despite there being people who had guns confiscated after the show.

A random hero taking out the bad guy, it is a fiction. Of all the arguments around for more relaxed gun laws (and there are some good ones), in no way should that be afforded any credibility.

[Dan]

The US has over 9000 gun-related deaths per year.

If we link together Australia, England and a variety of other developed countries to make up the equivalent population, the figure is around 112. (obviously dependent on the countries you pick, but I cbf digging up the exact stat and which countries they were)

[social]

Originally Posted by Top_Cat

Full disclosure: am not nor do I ever plan to be a gun owner (but did really enjoy squeezing off round when I was in Police and on the range in general)

Two inconvenient truths for the pro gun types; the UK's gun death rate with incredibly strict gun laws and that no massacre has ever been stopped by a hero gun owner, even in the most liberal of gun-law states. Arizona is most definitely a concealed-carry state but that didn't stop some psycho from all but murdering a senator. This idea that many conservative types hold that spree gun violence is less likely in gun-friendly states should by rights have been demolished by now because even in places with pretty liberal laws where massacres have occurred, the idiot has either been arrested or taken out by Police. When Dimebag Darrel was killed on-stage in Ohio (a state with very liberal gun laws), a copper killed the guy, not a hero with a gun despite there being people who had guns confiscated after the show.

A random hero taking out the bad guy, it is a fiction. Of all the arguments around for more relaxed gun laws (and there are some good ones), in no way should that be afforded any credibility.

However, stats relating to attacks with a knife in the UK are pretty horrific IIRC and glassing attacks on the GC have reached alarming rates

Bottom line is that if some psycho wants to hurt another person then it's odds on they will find a way of doing it