Running shooting thread 2023

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/11/03/mass-shootings-suicide-firearms-research/

 

This quote came after a good Samaritan pulled out a gun and fired warning shots to stop a panhandler who was mugging a woman in a New York City subway station.
Anyone care to guess which of the people involved in this incident he's referring to?

Man charged with allegedly firing gun to stop robbery in Midtown subway station

 

I hope the guy firing randomly.

 

You win the stuffed Stewie Griffin.
Rather alarming, though, that even though firing a gun there probably wasn't the smartest thing, the transit president seems to think the guy preventing a mugging and maybe worse is the bigger public menace than the reason why the guy had to shoot it in the first place.

 

I admire someone trying to help, but shooting a gun in a subway station puts potentially hundreds of people at risk. Absolutely can't let that happen.

Help is great, but try another way that doesn't involve a gun. Perhaps alert a cop. They're usually nearby.

 

Which I suppose begs the question, if the cops were nearby and doing their job then why didn't they stop the mugger in the first place?

 

Hard to know since we weren't there. But the point, to me, is there has to be some sort of deterrent for the guy, as good/noble as his intentions might have been. Can't have armed vigilantes running around the city shooting first and asking questions later.

 

I get that. If this guy was firing his warning shots down the track, or if there were any people around, then I can see why you'd want to nip that in the bud.
It just struck me that the transit president seems to consider the guy who stopped the mugging more of a menace than the guy who was actually doing the mugging. Speaks to a mindset and a certain level of cultural rot that's pretty frightening. Incidents like this, the Daniel Penny thing, and a few others also send a message that you'll be punished for defending yourself or others, and if that's the case why bother?

 

'Begs the question' does not mean raise/prompt the question or avoid the question. It means to assume the basic premise of an argument without proving it.

 

I'd guess the transit guy was just trying to send a message that this was not acceptable. Could have been a better statement, from what I saw. I guess I just don't take as grim a view as you on this. These incidents aren't widespread, but they do get outsized coverage, and they certainly get exploited by people with an agenda.

As far as Penny, I doubt he'll serve any time. His intentions were good, but went too far obviously. A guy died, so there has to be legal process involved. Can't just say "oh, well!" and be done with it.

I can only speak to my own experience, but generally people overall want to do the right thing, and be helpful. But on the many daily occasions that happens, those stories don't get outsized attention. And that's not a new issue.

 

As good the intentions were, how dumb is this guy to fire a gun inside? That bullet must go somewhere. Maybe it lodges in a wall, maybe someone. Maybe it hits a wall then hits someone. And then what? Great job stopping a mugging, you just shot someone.

Where were the police? Um, did the guy try to find them?

The shot scared the guy? Um if a loud noise scared him, did he try shouting?

Did the guy try anything other than firing a weapon … inside? And for a mugging? The guy wanted a purse and wallet. Cool sounds like he got caught by the security systems in the subway.