Las Vegas Massacre

[revo]

holy shit

[DMT]

Cue the bullshit prayers, and pandering to the NRA.

[Sour Masher]

Cue the bullshit prayers, and pandering to the NRA.

The market is already reacting--gun stock prices are up.

Politicians will try to figure how this plays to their preferred narrative. I will be interested in how gun advocates will spin this, since this guy doesn't fit a profile that fits their narrative, and there is no way others having guns would have helped, as this guy was 32 floors up and had both the height and lighting advantage.

Meanwhile, 50 people are dead, hundreds more wounded, and thousands more scarred by this. And we are no closer to really understanding the root causes of these things. I don't have any answers--there is no one profile that fits a mass shooter, and the fact that anyone can do this at any time is frightening. It may only be addressing a symptom rather than a cause, but the fact that just about anyone can get access to the sort of arsenal this guy had continues to be a major problem.

I continue to be flabbergasted by the near unfettered and unlimited access just about everyone has in this country to assault weapons capable of ending dozens of lives in moments. It is too much power in the hands of a capricious population. In Europe, when medications used by people wanting to commit suicide were taken out of bottles and put into blister packs, suicide rates fell. The simple act of having to take the extra time to get all the pills needed made a lot of people not bother. I know it is absurd, but I do wish, at the least, bullets were that hard to get to. It is just too damn easy for someone to have a bad day, snap, and take dozens of people out.

[swampdragon]

Kristof with some good ideas - that will be panned by too many people
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/02/o...ol-left-region

[onejayhawk]

Kristof with some good ideas - that will be panned by too many people
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/02/o...ol-left-region

Unfortunately, none of them would have prevented the sort of carefully planned crime we have in Las Vegas. That's assuming the law was obeyed. The teens at Columbine broke over 20 federal gun and explosives laws, not even touching on the Colorado laws.

J

[cardboardbox]

The market is already reacting--gun stock prices are up.

Politicians will try to figure how this plays to their preferred narrative. I will be interested in how gun advocates will spin this, since this guy doesn't fit a profile that fits their narrative, and there is no way others having guns would have helped, as this guy was 32 floors up and had both the height and lighting advantage.

Meanwhile, 50 people are dead, hundreds more wounded, and thousands more scarred by this. And we are no closer to really understanding the root causes of these things. I don't have any answers--there is no one profile that fits a mass shooter, and the fact that anyone can do this at any time is frightening. It may only be addressing a symptom rather than a cause, but the fact that just about anyone can get access to the sort of arsenal this guy had continues to be a major problem.

I continue to be flabbergasted by the near unfettered and unlimited access just about everyone has in this country to assault weapons capable of ending dozens of lives in moments. It is too much power in the hands of a capricious population. In Europe, when medications used by people wanting to commit suicide were taken out of bottles and put into blister packs, suicide rates fell. The simple act of having to take the extra time to get all the pills needed made a lot of people not bother. I know it is absurd, but I do wish, at the least, bullets were that hard to get to. It is just too damn easy for someone to have a bad day, snap, and take dozens of people out.

what do you propose? Lets assume the psychopath already owned the guns and ammo.

[DMT]

what do you propose? Lets assume the psychopath already owned the guns and ammo.

Other countries have sharply reduced gun violence through sensible legislation. Why are we so inept? Same thing with healthcare. Hmmm, perhaps it's because Republicans (in general) care more about lobby dollars and corporate profits than human lives.

[cardboardbox]

Other countries have sharply reduced gun violence through sensible legislation. Why are we so inept? Same thing with healthcare. Hmmm, perhaps it's because Republicans (in general) care more about lobby dollars and corporate profits than human lives.

so what do you propose?

[DMT]

But it doesn't matter, Republicans will once again block any attempts to enact legislation, no point in even discussing it. They're a sick party full of greed and hate that are destroying our country. Gun control, healthcare, inequality, judicial/police reform, women's reproductive health, education, the planet, you name it, and Republicans are on the wrong side. It makes me sick.

[DMT]

so what do you propose?

I think the points laid out by Kristoff are a good start. I'd go even further and try Australia's buyback program to get guns off the street. As he said, there is no panacea, but the refusal of the right to even try is unforgivable.

[cardboardbox]

I think the points laid out by Kristoff are a good start. I'd go even further and try Australia's buyback program to get guns off the street. As he said, there is no panacea, but the refusal of the right to even try is unforgivable.

I read it, and honestly those 8 points dont sound very useful at all. Thats window dressing when a full scale remodel is needed. I just dont see how you'd get 300 million guns out of owners hands.

[dslaw]

Unfortunately, none of them would have prevented the sort of carefully planned crime we have in Las Vegas. That's assuming the law was obeyed. The teens at Columbine broke over 20 federal gun and explosives laws, not even touching on the Colorado laws.

J

This is what we always hear after shootings - "nothing could have prevented this". But if that statement is true why do so many other countries have shooting rates so far below what we have in this country? I was talking to a couple from New Zealand and anyone in that country can purchase a gun, just like in the US. But they have to go to pay to go a class, go through an interview with police (or some sort of agency). Once you get a license there are things such as you are required to keep ammo locked in one place while guns are locked in another cabinet to help avoid accidents. Will any of this 100% prevent shootings? No, only a 100% destruction of all guns would do that and no one is proposing that kind of a policy. But it can help reduce the incidents. I think that is what most normal people want - stop the 5 year old kids from getting weapons and shooting themselves or their siblings; stop someone from going to a gun show and buying a gun illegally; stop people from buying semi-automatic weapons that aren't used for hunting, only hurting others.

[Fresno Bob]

treat guns exactly like cars, license, registration, insurance, regulation on "street legal"

[cardboardbox]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDeUzatoUhs

[DMT]

I read it, and honestly those 8 points dont sound very useful at all. Thats window dressing when a full scale remodel is needed. I just dont see how you'd get 300 million guns out of owners hands.

And why can't anything be done? Because of Republicans.