[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?

Freyja wrote:

The reactionary sphere is now having an argument about whether red flag laws are actually good now, apparently.

Only for trans people, mind.

There have been a lot of folks asking why the response at covenant was so much better than at uvalde.

Covenant: nearly all white, private, religious, tuition $15,500 annually, 25% financial aid.

Uvalde: overwhelmingly latinx, public, underfunded, nearly all students on free or reduced lunch

I wonder what it could have been?

Paleocon wrote:

There have been a lot of folks asking why the response at covenant was so much better than at uvalde.

Covenant: nearly all white, private, religious, tuition $15,500 annually, 25% financial aid.

Uvalde: overwhelmingly latinx, public, underfunded, nearly all students on free or reduced lunch

I wonder what it could have been?

Obviously God cares more about them.

Private school tuition is now the "much less likely to get shot" tax.

The average household income in the Uvalde consolidated school district is $18,581/year.

The vice signaling and performative cruelty really is spiraling:

Tennessee politician attempted to school some students protesting gun violence at the Tennessee Capitol on Monday, but he missed the mark by a long shot.

The students were reacting to a recent shooting at a private Christian school in Nashville that led to the deaths of three children and three adults.

State Rep. William Lamberth agreed to talk with the protesters, but had a weird way to trying to win a debate with students worried about getting shot in class.

Lamberth’s approach was to ask the students which firearm they’d prefer to be shot with.

“If there is a firearm out there that you’re comfortable being shot with, please show me which one it is,” he asked rhetorically.

Lamberth probably thought the question he asked the protesters was deep and Socratic, but it came across as heartless ― especially when accompanied by a shrug.

“So you’re not going to like my answer, and, look, I’m going to say that straight up,” Lamberth warned. “It’s not about this one gun.”

He then claimed that it would be impossible to stop every single gun from getting into “the hands of a crazy person, a deranged person, [or] a convicted felon,” and even if it was done, it “would do nothing to prevent y’all’s safety.”

"Oh, but we are going to pass laws to make being different illegal," he added.

And desantis is busy making it easier for every asshole with an anger management issue to legally carry

Tennessee GOP begins expulsion process for 3 Democrats, House session devolves into chaos

The Tennessean wrote:

Yells rang out through the state Capitol as Tennessee House Republicans on Monday introduced resolutions to expel three Democrats for "disorderly behavior" after the trio led protest chants for gun reform on the floor of the chamber last week in the wake of the deadly Covenant School shooting.

On Thursday, the three House Democrats approached the podium between bills without being recognized to speak, a breach of chamber rules. With a bullhorn, Reps. Gloria Johnson of Knoxville, Justin Jones of Nashville and Justin Pearson of Memphis led protestors in the galleries in several chants calling for gun reform.

House leadership later likened the trio's behavior to an "insurrection," a characterization House Democrats decried last week.

House Republicans formally introduced three expulsion resolutions at the end of Monday evening's session. The resolutions claim the three "did knowingly and intentionally bring disorder and dishonor to the House of Representatives through their individual and collective actions."

Final votes to expel the three members will occur Thursday. Johnson, Jones, and Pearson will have an opportunity to defend their actions during that session.

The House chamber fell into chaos as Republican Rep. Andrew Farmer, R-Sevierville, introduced the first resolution, which called for Pearson's expulsion. Protestors screamed from the galleries above. Pearson raised his fist in protest, and House Democrats raised their hands to object.

Amid the chaos, House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, called for the vote, and the resolution passed with overwhelming support from the Republican supermajority. All three resolutions passed in a party-line vote of 72 to 23. Democrats will have little power to block expulsions on Thursday.

On top of that, Republicans also immediately stripped Johnson, Jones, and Pearson of all committee assignments and had their access badge to the Cordell Hull Legislative Office Building deactivated and were no longer able to use the member's parking garage.

IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/d21iBqH.png)

Prederick wrote:

The vice signaling and performative cruelty really is spiraling:

Lamberth’s approach was to ask the students which firearm they’d prefer to be shot with.

“If there is a firearm out there that you’re comfortable being shot with, please show me which one it is,” he asked rhetorically.

A single-shot muzzle-loader, as the Founding Fathers intended. That way at least you won't get a chance to shoot anyone else with it before someone stops you.

But the Tennessee house refused to expel a Republican member who had committed multiple acts of sex with underage girls last year.

Sure, yelling in the house chamber is so much worse...

Keldar wrote:
Prederick wrote:

The vice signaling and performative cruelty really is spiraling:

Lamberth’s approach was to ask the students which firearm they’d prefer to be shot with.

“If there is a firearm out there that you’re comfortable being shot with, please show me which one it is,” he asked rhetorically.

A single-shot muzzle-loader, as the Founding Fathers intended. That way at least you won't get a chance to shoot anyone else with it before someone stops you.

I never tire of posting this:

mwdowns wrote:
Keldar wrote:
Prederick wrote:

The vice signaling and performative cruelty really is spiraling:

Lamberth’s approach was to ask the students which firearm they’d prefer to be shot with.

“If there is a firearm out there that you’re comfortable being shot with, please show me which one it is,” he asked rhetorically.

A single-shot muzzle-loader, as the Founding Fathers intended. That way at least you won't get a chance to shoot anyone else with it before someone stops you.

I never tire of posting this:

I noticed in the video description that the original tweet wanted it redone with an 17th century musket. It is worth noting that the video features an Austrian M1784, which, as the model name suggests was introduced in the late 18th century and featured an innovative self priming mechanism that drastically reduced its reloading time (by nearly half). And as others have noted in the comment section, the shooter is cheating by using the wrong end of the ramrod (which he can only do because the charge he is using does not have an actual projectile). Even if we were to use only the weapons available during the Revolution (and use them in a manner that could actually be lethal), it is highly unlikely we would be looking at more than three rounds a minute.

And shooting in downtown Louisville this morning. Details still hazy, just telling people to avoid the blocks near the baseball stadium and a bank. Multiple ambulances, police, and FBI on the scene.

Bank robbery gone wrong? Another disgruntled employee workplace shooting? Who knows...

Five dead, including a cop, and at least six wounded.

Can't wait to hear again how more guns would have made this better somehow...

Stele wrote:

And shooting in downtown Louisville this morning. Details still hazy, just telling people to avoid the blocks near the baseball stadium and a bank. Multiple ambulances, police, and FBI on the scene.

Bank robbery gone wrong? Another disgruntled employee workplace shooting? Who knows...

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/lo...

5 dead. 6 injured. Just terror-related, AKA not a white guy.

sounds like workplace violence.

EverythingsTentative wrote:

Just terror-related, AKA not a white guy.

The shooter was a 23-year-old, college-educated White dude who worked at the bank, so they're going with the "mental illness" excuse.

And there was a one off shooting at the technical college downtown today too. Cops rushed from the first scene to the 2nd around 1130. One dead there as well.

Unrelated except for the being in America thing.

F the NRA and the GOP

I've always ignored this thread; I just use the Recent Activity link to see what I've posted in, and being continually reminded about mass shootings when a depressingly high proportion of the population think whatever body count it winds up with is worth it so they can feel free isn't something I've needed to do.

Then, of course, you find out they arrested a potential mass shooter at your daughter's college.

They had a class together last semester. He seemed very nice, and was quiet.

MilkmanDanimal wrote:

I've always ignored this thread; I just use the Recent Activity link to see what I've posted in, and being continually reminded about mass shootings when a depressingly high proportion of the population think whatever body count it winds up with is worth it so they can feel free isn't something I've needed to do.

Then, of course, you find out they arrested a potential mass shooter at your daughter's college.

They had a class together last semester. He seemed very nice, and was quiet.

That's terrifying, Milkman (as are every other story in this thread). I'm glad they got to him early.

Hey, that's where I went. Also, that's f*cked up.

It was probably about 60 pages prior in this thread or another I recollected the horror at my kids explaining they had a lockdown drill and then an actual lockdown due to a stray dog entering the school grounds.. Yep, the scariest threat was the fear a stray dog was unvaccinated and might randomly attack anyone on school grounds. This happened years ago and hasn't been matched since.

The school used it as an opportunity to practice locking classroom doors and barricading with school desks and chairs, lying down on the floors away from windows. The boy, being a tall kid for his age, was asked to help move the tables. He recollected being asked to hold the tables in place. A really great way to act as a bullet shield if a real shooter event occurred. I was especially unimpressed with the whole hey let's get the big Chinese-Australian boy to take one for the team given his ethnicity in a ~70% majority white wealthy public school demographic.

But anyway, putting that aside, the fact these are probable situations in the US where regular drilling is the most your legislators can come with to mitigating loss. It's just appalling. There's no way I could even consider sending my kids to study in the US even if they could gain admission to a US university (assuming I could even afford it in the future).

Looks like we’re going with mental health angle here.

Upper middle class white male who went to Alabama.

So far the angle looks like “low self esteem”. Because unearned self confidence for a white dude is the default setting.

IF only we threw more money and women at these white males.. then maybe they would stop shooting everyone.

TheGameguru wrote:

IF only we threw more money and women at these white males.. then maybe they would stop shooting everyone.

Because nothing says "safe for society" like Jake Paul.

TheGameguru wrote:

IF only we threw more money and women at these white males.. then maybe they would stop shooting everyone.

I thought we didn't negotiate with terrorists?

Paleocon wrote:

Looks like we’re going with mental health angle here.

Upper middle class white male who went to Alabama.

So far the angle looks like “low self esteem”. Because unearned self confidence for a white dude is the default setting.

I'm a white dude who had cripplingly low self esteem who struggled sometimes with suicidal ideation into my early 20's (and only improved to not be crippling or suicidal past that point), and I never once even imagined going on a shooting spree. I just do not get how people can think this is even remotely an excuse to scapegoat gun violence onto.

And plus, if "persecuted white men" is the "real" reason for gun violence, then why aren't women and minorities going on shooting rampages with even greater frequency than incels and dudebros?

TheGameguru wrote:

IF only we threw more money and women at these white males.. then maybe they would stop shooting everyone.

Oh the other hand if they would voluntarily agree to be put on a "no buy" list for guns I might be willing to pay white males a monthly amount.

It seems insane but it would be cheaper than what we are doing now.

White Christian Males are the most dangerous terrorist group in America by far.