[Discussion] Mass Shootings - Yeah, we need a thread just for this...

This year is the deadliest year ever in terms of mass shootings. In a political climate of polarization, it becomes harder to suss out legitimate information from the misinformation propagated by those with political agendas. Complicating this more is the continual resistance of 2nd amendment advocates to allow for political talk surrounding these massacres. This will involve political discussion to see if there are ways we can all agree might be good ways to prevent mass shootings.

This discussion should involve the details of any current, or future mass shooting, and how they compare to past mass shootings. How are they the same? How are they different? Do gun laws have an impact? Does the race of the shooter affect how we treat them? What makes one a hate crime and one an act or terrorism? Are these shootings the price of freedom?

Mental health, at least our current administration realizes it and is allocating funds to bolster that area of critical need. Oh wait...

OG_slinger wrote:

It's a toxic culture trifecta: gamer, gun, and male.

You forgot white

Mass shooting at Florida Madden tournament leaves multiple casualties

The LA Times and eSports reporter Rod Breslau both report that the shooter was a competitor at the tournament who lost and then opened fire on multiple people before turning the gun on himself.
TheGameguru wrote:
OG_slinger wrote:

It's a toxic culture trifecta: gamer, gun, and male.

You forgot white

you forgot "butthurt over something trivial" and "Florida".

Next day news, which as usual has more confirmed details:
CNN: Two killed in shooting at Jacksonville video game tournament

Paleocon wrote:
TheGameguru wrote:
OG_slinger wrote:

It's a toxic culture trifecta: gamer, gun, and male.

You forgot white

you forgot "butthurt over something trivial" and "Florida".

Or Texas:
The Independent: Texas man shot two females because they were 'incompetent' drivers: Nicholas Dagostino 'holds a very dim view of women' and believes their sole purpose 'is to give birth to male children', say investigators

Paleocon wrote:
TheGameguru wrote:
OG_slinger wrote:

It's a toxic culture trifecta: gamer, gun, and male.

You forgot white

you forgot "butthurt over something trivial" and "Florida".

The guy was from Baltimore, so the Florida bit doesn't stick the same way as with, say, Trayvon.

Grant Stinchfield, host for the National Rifle Association’s NRATV, blamed the Madden tournament victims for getting shot because they wore headphones and were "focused on the screen in front of them."

Apparently the NRA thinks that every citizen should live their lives as if they were point man on patrol in a combat zone and not, you know, just playing video games in a trendy entertainment district.

garion333 wrote:
Paleocon wrote:
TheGameguru wrote:
OG_slinger wrote:

It's a toxic culture trifecta: gamer, gun, and male.

You forgot white

you forgot "butthurt over something trivial" and "Florida".

The guy was from Baltimore, so the Florida bit doesn't stick the same way as with, say, Trayvon.

He was from Federal Hill. Basically a West Bank settlement in Baltimore.

OG_slinger wrote:

Grant Stinchfield, host for the National Rifle Association’s NRATV, blamed the Madden tournament victims for getting shot because they wore headphones and were "focused on the screen in front of them."

Apparently the NRA thinks that every citizen should live their lives as if they were point man on patrol in a combat zone and not, you know, just playing video games in a trendy entertainment district.

That's literally what they think. Everyone should carry a gun at all times because you never know when you'll need to spring into action to defend yourself and your loved ones from Them.

Victims of violent crimes are victims because they allowed themselves to be so.

Oh god, please don't think that I believe anything even remotely close to that, I 10000% don't.

Chaz wrote:
OG_slinger wrote:

Grant Stinchfield, host for the National Rifle Association’s NRATV, blamed the Madden tournament victims for getting shot because they wore headphones and were "focused on the screen in front of them."

Apparently the NRA thinks that every citizen should live their lives as if they were point man on patrol in a combat zone and not, you know, just playing video games in a trendy entertainment district.

That's literally what they think. Everyone should carry a gun at all times because you never know when you'll need to spring into action to defend yourself and your loved ones from Them.

Victims of violent crimes are victims because they allowed themselves to be so.

Oh god, please don't think that I believe anything even remotely close to that, I 10000% don't.

I carried firearms every day for over a year during my Iraq deployment. The discipline required to constantly maintain awareness of one's surroundings in a potential threat environment is draining for the average person. I feel like that one year sucked five years out of me.

I can't imagine an old, out-of-shape, under-trained NRA fundamentalist remaining mentally stable looking for threats under every rock while they wait for their chance to be a hero.

In college I was 'attacked' by a guy from Jacksonville when I beat him at a sh*tty NASCAR game. I very much expected this to turn out to be him, but that's silly, there's plenty of toxic white trash to go around.

JeffreyLSmith wrote:
Chaz wrote:
OG_slinger wrote:

Grant Stinchfield, host for the National Rifle Association’s NRATV, blamed the Madden tournament victims for getting shot because they wore headphones and were "focused on the screen in front of them."

Apparently the NRA thinks that every citizen should live their lives as if they were point man on patrol in a combat zone and not, you know, just playing video games in a trendy entertainment district.

That's literally what they think. Everyone should carry a gun at all times because you never know when you'll need to spring into action to defend yourself and your loved ones from Them.

Victims of violent crimes are victims because they allowed themselves to be so.

Oh god, please don't think that I believe anything even remotely close to that, I 10000% don't.

I carried firearms every day for over a year during my Iraq deployment. The discipline required to constantly maintain awareness of one's surroundings in a potential threat environment is draining for the average person. I feel like that one year sucked five years out of me.

I can't imagine an old, out-of-shape, under-trained NRA fundamentalist remaining mentally stable looking for threats under every rock while they wait for their chance to be a hero.

That constant state of hypervigilance and fear is definitely likely to increase a person's odds of developing long term anxiety disorders and PTSD. Anger is one of the symptoms of PTSD. And a small subset of these angry people will probably snap, maybe even shooting up other people with their firearms. Thus the need for vigilance and guns is confirmed. And the circle is complete. Thank you NRA.

Sigh - Three dead, shooter dead in 'horrific' shooting at Fifth Third Bank headquarters Downtown

I'm not even sure if this qualifies as a Mass Shooting anymore but it is still horrific. Apparently it is not a bank robbery gone wrong.

Hope any Goodjers in the area are safe.

There is a wiki about it Mass Shooting. By their definition, any multiple victim shooting is a mass shooting, but for a public mass shooting it needs four people shot though they must be indiscriminately chosen.

I fear it will get much worse before it starts getting better.

JeffreyLSmith wrote:
Chaz wrote:
OG_slinger wrote:

Grant Stinchfield, host for the National Rifle Association’s NRATV, blamed the Madden tournament victims for getting shot because they wore headphones and were "focused on the screen in front of them."

Apparently the NRA thinks that every citizen should live their lives as if they were point man on patrol in a combat zone and not, you know, just playing video games in a trendy entertainment district.

That's literally what they think. Everyone should carry a gun at all times because you never know when you'll need to spring into action to defend yourself and your loved ones from Them.

Victims of violent crimes are victims because they allowed themselves to be so.

Oh god, please don't think that I believe anything even remotely close to that, I 10000% don't.

I carried firearms every day for over a year during my Iraq deployment. The discipline required to constantly maintain awareness of one's surroundings in a potential threat environment is draining for the average person. I feel like that one year sucked five years out of me.

I can't imagine an old, out-of-shape, under-trained NRA fundamentalist remaining mentally stable looking for threats under every rock while they wait for their chance to be a hero.

+ Eleventy Billion.

Reaper81 wrote:
JeffreyLSmith wrote:
Chaz wrote:
OG_slinger wrote:

Grant Stinchfield, host for the National Rifle Association’s NRATV, blamed the Madden tournament victims for getting shot because they wore headphones and were "focused on the screen in front of them."

Apparently the NRA thinks that every citizen should live their lives as if they were point man on patrol in a combat zone and not, you know, just playing video games in a trendy entertainment district.

That's literally what they think. Everyone should carry a gun at all times because you never know when you'll need to spring into action to defend yourself and your loved ones from Them.

Victims of violent crimes are victims because they allowed themselves to be so.

Oh god, please don't think that I believe anything even remotely close to that, I 10000% don't.

I carried firearms every day for over a year during my Iraq deployment. The discipline required to constantly maintain awareness of one's surroundings in a potential threat environment is draining for the average person. I feel like that one year sucked five years out of me.

I can't imagine an old, out-of-shape, under-trained NRA fundamentalist remaining mentally stable looking for threats under every rock while they wait for their chance to be a hero.

+ Eleventy Billion.

I think Sacha Baron Cohen pretty much revealed that with how easily he got a guy to chase him around a room with his naked butthole.

Nevin73 wrote:

Sigh - Three dead, shooter dead in 'horrific' shooting at Fifth Third Bank headquarters Downtown

I'm not even sure if this qualifies as a Mass Shooting anymore but it is still horrific. Apparently it is not a bank robbery gone wrong.

Hope any Goodjers in the area are safe.

This hits relatively close to home. I live in Cincinnati and work with a contractor who had just been at 5/3 downtown a couple months ago. No connection and to my knowledge anyone in our orbits is fine but it's still a little surreal.

I just watched a show (won't name it so I won't spoil it for anyone). A cop at a gas station who was wearing plain clothes gets into a gun fight with a criminal and a cop wearing his uniform runs out after hearing the shots. The uniformed cop tells the other cop to drop the gun. She turns around to show her badge and the uniformed cop shoots her in the gut. Now this was a TV show but it is a very believable situation.

This is why there are stories that in the Vegas shooting, where the security guards were scared to draw their guns in case they were interpreted as the shooter by police or other security guards. And they were wearing security uniforms. Imagine a citizen running around during an active shooting event with a gun drawn trying to "save lives".

Six people murdered in Bakersfield. Bakersfield murders

kazar wrote:

I just watched a show (won't name it so I won't spoil it for anyone). A cop at a gas station who was wearing plain clothes gets into a gun fight with a criminal and a cop wearing his uniform runs out after hearing the shots. The uniformed cop tells the other cop to drop the gun. She turns around to show her badge and the uniformed cop shoots her in the gut. Now this was a TV show but it is a very believable situation.

This is why there are stories that in the Vegas shooting, where the security guards were scared to draw their guns in case they were interpreted as the shooter by police or other security guards. And they were wearing security uniforms. Imagine a citizen running around during an active shooting event with a gun drawn trying to "save lives".

I saw that exact same show and had the same thought. It was completely believable in today's climate.

JeffreyLSmith wrote:

I carried firearms every day for over a year during my Iraq deployment. The discipline required to constantly maintain awareness of one's surroundings in a potential threat environment is draining for the average person. I feel like that one year sucked five years out of me.

Having carried a firearm for decades, I can tell you that it's not like that, because there's no threat environment. If anything, it's the opposite: you have to defend against complacency, because it's fairly easy to be lulled by routine and become careless. 99.99% of the time, carrying every day is just a minor inconvenience; you've got this heavy lump of steel and plastic poking you in the side or back at the most inopportune moments.

Contrary to the opinions expressed here, almost every legal gun carrier has no desire to be a hero or to attack anyone. Statistically, they are some of the most stable, law-abiding people in the country - even moreso than police officers, and far better than the general population.

#notallgunownerskillpeoplesoweshouldjustmoveonbecauseitstotallyaboutlonewolfmentalhealthissues

People who conceal carry scare the sh*t out of me. They just live in a different, darker, world than I do. Living on a border state where conceal carry is legal and open carry popular, and where you see a lot of RudyPoo 21-year olds and aggro rednecks with holsters and big trucks I know that those guns are about statements of inadequacy and the intent to cause fear than they are about self preservation and defense. Lie to yourself if you want, I do all the time, but guns are about the owners fear not about anything else.

If it’s a no threat environment, what do you need to carry a gun for?

Aetius wrote:

Contrary to the opinions expressed here, almost every legal gun carrier has no desire to be a hero or to attack anyone. Statistically, they are some of the most stable, law-abiding people in the country - even moreso than police officers, and far better than the general population.

It may just be me, but I've yet to hear of an unarmed person shooting anyone.

Aetius wrote:

Statistically, [legal gun carriers] are some of the most stable, law-abiding people in the country - even moreso than police officers, and far better than the general population.

That's an odd statement. What is the measure of "stable, law-abiding-ness"?

and in what Journal was this statistical analysis published?

gewy wrote:

If it’s a no threat environment, what do you need to carry a gun for?

"No threat environment" means that it's not combat - there's not a constant threat of attack. That doesn't mean that there are zero threats. In an average civilian concealed carry context, you might face a life-threatening situation once or twice in your lifetime - more if you're a woman, and more if you live in a high-crime area. But if and when it happens, you really need it; it's usually your only chance to get out of that situation alive.

Chumpy_McChump wrote:
Aetius wrote:

Statistically, [legal gun carriers] are some of the most stable, law-abiding people in the country - even moreso than police officers, and far better than the general population.

That's an odd statement. What is the measure of "stable, law-abiding-ness"?

Yeah that last statement is super disturbing. Given the majority of gun owners are white men is that just basically stating that white men who own guns are > * with no real evidence to back that up?