Shooting at Las Vegas casino

Bullshit. This is the gameplan the Right uses after every damn one of these mass shootings. They tsk tsk with "how dare you, it's too soon to talk about that!", knowing damn well the public's short attention span will have diverted elsewhere before they've deemed it no longer "too soon."

We've got all the info needed to discuss the issue right now, and right now is when it should be discussed.

 

Facts: A deranged person (or persons) used a ludicrous weapon (or weapons) to murder a large number of people.

Same facts as Columbine, Sandy Hook, San Bernadino, Orlando, etc., etc., etc.

This conversation didn't start this morning. It's been going on for years -- ever day in the tormented lives of the people whose loved ones were senselessly taken.

 

Death toll nearing 60 now, based on reporters in Vegas.

 

Nothing's happening. Regardless. Stomp your feet and Tweet all day. The gun lobby owns Congress and these impotent lil bitches know it. They know the lobby will run an opponent against them should they dare speak out. They know the "DONT CHU TAKE MAH GUNS!!!!!111!!!" crowd will back them. And lastly, they also know that this strategy worked in the aftermath of fucking school kids being gunned down. Fucking children slaughtered and our congress stood there and cashed checks from the NRA.

Owned. Hillary can Tweet her way to carpal tunnel. She knows the game and the score here.

 

Are their thoughts and prayers supposed to matter less?

 

Movies have given the public a false impression of suppressors. On a long gun, all they're going to do is lessen hearing damage some. Run that Youtube video of the guy firing a suppressed .223 and listen to it. On a .22 with subsonic rounds (which you can't buy, you'd have to make handloads) it would be fairly quiet, but still not the James Bond "pfft" you get in films.

He probably was, but not by standing there with two guns, blazing away. He probably had a number of rifles loaded and ready to go, and when he shot one dry he put it down and picked up the next one instead... not that it matters that much. If you are conpetent with a magazine rifle you can reload it in two or three seconds.

 

No. It's just that "thoughts and prayers" has become a GOP go-to in the aftermath of these events. That precise phrase.

 

You're absolutely right about the impression movies make on people who aren't familiar with firearms. But you can buy subsonic ammo.

http://www.basspro.com/shop/en/hsm-subsonic-centerfire-rifle-ammo
http://www.basspro.com/shop/en/remington-subsonic-22-lr-rimfire-ammo

 

I don't mind "thoughts and prayers." People of all political stripes use it. We all grasp for the right way to express incomprehensible grief, horror, anger, etc.

What I mind is when "thoughts and prayers" is followed by a shrug of the shoulders, especially from men and women in congress and the White House.

 

I'm trained on the lightning speed of the news cycle by now so maybe there are some bombs on the way, but, wow, does it seem like Stephen Paddock's background gives absolutely zero hint of anything like this happening.

 

"Thoughts and prayers" has become everyone's go to when they are awkwardly trying to find something to say in a situation where they know words simply won't help. Go look at the MileHigh thread. I'm sure you'll find it used by some people who you know damn well are not GOP. The others will use better words, like "my condolences" which boil down to the same thing while sounding more literate, which you would expect here.

 

Ok, I stand corrected. I can't say that I shop for subsonic ammo enough to know that. I should have checked.