Sinfest

CTrees · Joined: 21 Jul 2006 Posts: 3643

Heard at work: "was [the shooter] a Muslim, or an American?"

I just... I don't... ugh. South Carolina.
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mouse · Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 15622 Location: under the bed

they are saying now that one of the teachers killed was the shooter's mother, that at least some of the kids were in her classroom, and that the shooter's father has also been found dead. so i'm guessing some serious mental issues on the part of the shooter (well, obviously - but you know what i mean).
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Samsally · Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 5439

So far the only reactions I've overheard at work is basic horror and one "I am NEVER having kids".

But there are so many people in my online circles crying "Can we not talk about gun control now we should be feeling bad for these families" and I don't get how actively trying to prevent future tragedies is in any way disrespectful.

However, interviewing traumatized 14 year olds (and adults, for that matter) is pretty fucking disrespectful in my book.
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Dennis J. Squidbunny · Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2012 8:36 pm Post subject:

so awful, and sad.

Sam the Eagle · Joined: 02 Oct 2006 Posts: 2276 Location: 192.168.0.1

Would it be too much to ask the press or other parties to leave the families and witnesses alone; let a few day pass by without talking about this at all. And once burials are done, calmly address the issues instead of doing the opposite for a change?.

Otherwise, mourning/uproar/business as usual...

Lather, rinse, repeat.
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fritterdonut · Joined: 24 Jul 2012 Posts: 673 Location: Hedonism

This whole thing just reminds me how much I hate the media.

Also, I think it might be time to look at a national firearm licensing program, America.
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mouse · Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 15622 Location: under the bed

but then the government would be able to hunt you down and take your guns! or the commie invaders, just like in red dawn!

i agree that the people involved should be left alone by the press - but sadly, i think the only way we are going to get the politicians to stop kow-towing to the NRA and actually _do_ something is to make them feel the heat of the moment, make them respond emotionally - and then hold them to it. such little, little children - i cry every time i think about them. i think about all the excitement those kids would have had these days, as christmas approaches - christmas will never be the same for those families, for that town, again. i don't care if we fly off the fiscal cliff like thelma and louise - congress should drop everything and deal with this. if they have time to calm down, the NRA will have time to get their lobbying machine in action, and all we'll get is another round of stupid, bullshit comments.
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Willem · Joined: 09 Jul 2006 Posts: 6306 Location: wasteland style

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PezlFNTGWv4
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CTrees · Joined: 21 Jul 2006 Posts: 3643

And a mass stabbing in China. Terrible week...
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fritterdonut · Joined: 24 Jul 2012 Posts: 673 Location: Hedonism

Licensing doesn't mean the government knows you own guns, it just means the government knows you have permission to own guns.

What you're thinking of is a gun registry, in which firearms are registered with police/government. Canada quashed it's Long Gun Registry a little while ago, which I am somewhat thankful for seeing as crime rates with long guns (rifles/shotguns with barrels >19" long, total length >26", limited to 5 rounds per magazine for centerfire rifles) have historically been low in Canada. However, IIRC, all restricted firearms (handguns/AR's/Carbines) are registered with the RCMP.

Licensing just means that in order to purchase, possess or use a firearm, you have to have successfully completed the firearm safety course (which includes a final exam), have had a background check, waited the 28 day waiting period on first-time applicants, etc. If I remember correctly, this includes (for the restricted license at least) a mental health check.

Also, doesn't December have a record of having the highest homicide and suicide rates?
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mouse · Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 15622 Location: under the bed

oh, i agree - you have to have a license to drive a car, and demonstrate you are competent to do so, and a car isn't even designed to kill things. tell that to the loonies who want no control over having weapons at all.

and it looks like in this case, it wouldn't have mattered. apparently the shooter used guns that his mother had legally purchased. presumably, she would have had no trouble getting a license.

which i suppose will be what supports all the anti-gun-control types - "the law wouldn't have stopped him!"
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CTrees · Joined: 21 Jul 2006 Posts: 3643

fritterdonut · Joined: 24 Jul 2012 Posts: 673 Location: Hedonism

Well, in Canada it would be a felony I believe. Firearms are supposed to be stored in a secure locked location, have a trigger lock on them, or have the bolt of the weapon removed making it inoperable. And unless it's in a gun safe, ammunition is supposed to be stored separately in a different secure location.

Sad that any one of these had the potential to have prevented these shootings. I have no idea why any parent would leave firearms out where an (apparently) developmentally challenged son could get to them.

Also, the car comparison is perfect and I was going to bring it up... a firearm shoots small, light metal objects at high speeds. A car is a large metal object traveling at relatively slower speeds. Both are widely available in North America, and both can lead to crippling injury or death. Why require a license for one, and not the other?

EDIT: Also, there is truth in the statement that criminals will always use guns, even if they are outright banned, because if a criminal is planning on breaking a law in the first place, why bother following firearm regulations? The best we can do is try to stop preventable situations... like leaving firearms unsecured near people with mental disorders and children. Perhaps having a mental health check before purchasing firearms?
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Dogen · Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 9514 Location: Bellingham, WA

If you have young kids in your life, here is some advice on how to talk to them about tragedy, from a child psychiatrist.
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Darqcyde · Posted: Sat Dec 15, 2012 4:13 am Post subject: