Mass shooting on campus in Oregon

But something could have -- perhaps -- kept him from getting the guns, right? There are all kinds of other guys like this out there. Right now. Sitting in their room. They're bitter or mentally ill or filled with hatred or encouraged by their online idiot buddies. They want to go somewhere -- a school, a theater, a park, a ballgame -- and randomly shoot everyone. And there are some of those guys who, for whatever reason, are unable to get a gun. Maybe they can't afford it. Maybe they can't pass a background check. Maybe they don't know where to get one off the black market. And so they remain gun-less. And eventually the murderous impulses pass. Maybe they get help, maybe they just realize they don't have the balls to pull it off. And they never do commit a mass murder. We have no idea who these people are, but I guarantee they're out there. A potential spree shooter who didn't do it because he couldn't get the gun. So why can't we do just a bit more to try and make sure there are more people like that, the ones we never hear of. It won't stop all of them. Nothing will, outside of an Australia-like change in the country and that's certainly not happening. But there are laws that could keep guns out of the hands at least a few of these people. And that could save dozens or hundreds of lives. So what would be the downside of some stronger laws?

 

Actually, it'll never happen at an NRA office. The cowards who do this shit wouldn't dare try it. Funny how they always pick gun-free zones, isn't it?

 

You're telling me this guy today would have worried about breaking a gun law but didn't worry about breaking the one about not murdering people?

 

It'll never happen at NRA headquarters because I'll bet they have metal detectors.

 

I would argue they pick the targets with the most opportunity for high casualties or a target that has some meaning to them, but there's no way of knowing that yet. But the FSU shooter had ties to the school, as did the Sandy Hook shooter, IIRC, and Roof was just looking for black folks to kill, just off the top of my head.

 

That chart says the United States had 227 rampage shootings from 2009-2013.

This one says the United States has had 294 in 2015 alone.

Shooting in Oregon: So far in 2015, we’ve had 274 days and 294 mass shootings

Quite a difference, eh?

 

That link appears to be to a "crowd sourced compendium" that fails to define exactly what constitutes a rampage.

Strong data, tony. You always provide the best links.

 

You LOVE these threads. Every mass shooting gives you a reason to get on your high horse and post your snark. I can only imagine you get a little jolt every time you hear of one and can't wait to stop whatever it is your doing and run to the computer.

By the way, as I've mentioned many times, I've never owned a gun. Hell, I've only shot one a couple times, and that was 30 years ago. So what, exactly, is my side? I've also mentioned numerous times that I'm fine with extra precautions. The problem is that this is an issue that has no middle ground. It is the greatest casualty, no pun intended, of our current culture's inability to have any kind of meaningful discourse -- political or otherwise. Just look at this thread.

You've got one side clinging to the "pry my gun" argument and another that is adamant that no one "needs" a gun. This isn't simply about guns; it's about a culture that doesn't give a shit about its fellow man. For some, that manifests itself in horrific violence. For others, they get off on trying to talk down to strangers. Different ends of a fucked-up spectrum.

Nobody really cares, and that especially includes the people with the power to do something about it. We actually are in agreement about how futile this issue is. So don't think you're better than the rest of us, Dick. You're not. You're just as much a part of the problem as I am.

 

You can call these psychos and whack jobs whatever you want, including psychos and whack jobs, but they are not cowards -- they go into these mass shootings knowing they're almost certainly going to die, and they almost always do.

 

I guess if you put shootouts by rival gangs (always in cities run by Democrats) in this category you can have us averaging 2-3 a day.

 

I would expect them to be armed in some circumstances. Routinely? No. Nor is there any particular need.

 

They usually go into these things intending to die.