It’s a common refrain we hear from “gun rights” advocates after mass shootings like the one that took the lives of 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas.
"Second, there were also plenty of “good guys” there with guns." No sir, there were no such people in evidence anywhere. A uniform and a badge does not make you "a good guy" anymore than a halloween costume makes you Batman.
So you prefer a more rigorous test for police officers to be sure they are willing to risk their lives to save children and teachers rather than a more rigorous test to keep guns out of the hands of people who shouldn't have them - or to simply abolish private ownership of guns whose sole purpose is to slaughter people. No wonder people keep dying.
The fact that our country's AR-15 style weapon arsenal has grown to an estimated 20 million is unfathomable. It means that even if we achieve a miracle and manage to ban future sales of these weapons, it would need to be coupled with a plan to buy back or otherwise neutralize this massive arsenal.
As Professor Heather Cox Richardson detailed early this am at LFAA, Mother, Angeli Rose Gomez drove 40 miles to Robb & was arrested upon vigorously complaining about police inaction, then released, then Angeli scaled a fence went & got into one of the school rooms & brought her two (2) children out to safety. Put that on theTimeline.
not enough tears!!!! my daughter was terrified to take my 7 yr old grandson to school for his last day, police cars all around the school! Every republican who voted against gun control has the blood of these precious children/teachers on their hands as well as the police who stood by while the gunman slaughtered our children
Sounds about right for the various police forces across the USA. Big and brave while shooting an unarmed suspect in the back of the head, or a 13 year old with his arms up, but faced with a shooter with an AR-15 and body armour, they were too afraid for their own lives to do anything.
And that is the basic idea that has spread. Anyone with an easily obtainable semi-automatic gun, some body armour, and a grudge, now feels invincible and can go and do whatever they like, while the cops hide, because they don’t have the ability to easily take this type of shooter down.
And as gun numbers increase, this is going to become a daily occurrence, and The Republicans will continue with their refrain of “Thoughts and Prayers” and “we need more guns”. At least until someone decides to take their anger out on them. Then their attitudes will change so fast it’ll cause whiplash.
Why did the police wait? I don't understand that! If they had not waited and shot him while he was outside, many lives would be saved. I agree with strengthening gun laws and addressing the mental health issues, but that is all long term. stopping the continuing crisis of school shooters need swift and immediate action that will stop or at least prevent anyone who thinks of it from being successful. If a shooter stills want to do it, they will be prevented from doing it by being killed without hurting anyone else. I am about as liberal as they come, but I sincerely think we need armed police/security/military outside every school where there is an unlocked entry point. They need to be prepared to shoot to kill anyone who approaches with a weapon. Once we stop the shooters, we can continue to address the remaining factors.
The problem is Cathy, is you can’t stop them. Uvalde, had an entire police force dedicated to schools. 40% of the towns budget was spent on them. Including weaponry. They even had their own SWAT team. There was supposed to be a School Police officer on the premises. He apparently wasn’t were he should have been, and why any outside door was unlocked hasn’t been explained yet.
They is a entire manual dedicated in the school as to what to do if a live shooting event occurs and the school had just gone through a live shooter drill.
The fastest way to stop this is to ban the ammunition these weapons use. There is nothing in the 2nd Amendment about ammunition. And that might just give some breathing room to figure out how to stop this carnage, because that”s what this is. Since Columbine, there has been 331 school shootings and 311,000 dead. Last year there were 42 and this year, only 5 months, in there have been 24. This is an epidemic, and it’s getting worse.
The law enforcement at Uvalde were like the firemen in Fahrenheit 451: " Is it true that long ago firemen put fires out instead of going to start them?" "No."
Meanwhile, the GOP has once again proved that, to them, life begins at conception and ends with a sacred sacrifice on the altar of the Second Amendment execution.
Maybe some of these we expect to be brave lose their appetite for the fight once the bullets start whizzing by. They appear much more feisty when there's 5 of them with clubs, tasers and guns taking on a 60 year old, unarmed jaywalker.
i'm an old guy. The first mass shooting i remember was an ex-Marine, attending college in TX at Austin, climbed to the top of a tall building on campus and rained death down on whoever crossed his field of view. Then there was the postal employee, shot up his workplace in Oklahoma City. That, they brought in a lot of psychologists, sociologists, took a long, hard look at work conditions with the Post Office that lead to significant changes in Postal Service operations to significantly reduce employee stress. Unfortunately i've seen a lot of mass shootings here in the US. What i've noticed about them, they almost always involve individuals under significant stress and who are largely alone in this. What i've also noticed is that the perpetrators are getting younger, people who are much less skilled in dealing with stress.
But background checks? From what i've seen, in most of these shootings the perpetrators would likely have passed, with no criminal record and no previous adverse psych health issues. While i strongly agree something needs doing, i am strongly against making empty gestures that accomplish nothing for the sake of feeling good, 'Look! We did something!' Not heard of any criminal or psych record for this guy in TX yet, would likely have passed a background check. The guy in Las Vegas who shot up a bunch of party-goers from a hotel window had been a solid figure in the community, would likely have also passed. Sandyhook? The kid stole Mom's guns, no background check would have helped there. The law banning ex-military with PTSD from owning guns, that was likely a good idea, even if it's a wide net that cost a cousin of mine his job as a detective on a police force.
It's disappointing to find such hysterical irrationality in your newsletter, not what i subscribed for, thought you were more level-headed/reasoning than this.
Ya, ARs, they seem to be the weapon of choice among the kids, they look cool, if you're going to be a mass killer, above all you should no doubt look badass.
Banning guns outright, ya, that would be somewhat effective, though i've heard of people in more restrictive countries doing some serious damage in schools and on public transpo (anywhere people gather in large numbers, that's what makes schools so attractive) using knives. You cite Australia and Britain, they also don't arm their police. But to attempt something like that here, you know that would not fly, wouldn't be surprised to see something like that leading to a second Civil War over government overreach, especially given the extreme polarity the Democrats and Republicans have fostered in this country (leading to the emergence of such radical extremist centrist reactionaries with no alignment with either party such as myself). You didn't mention Switzerland, a country awash in guns, even requiring adult males to learn how to use one and practice at least once a year, with gun ownership encouraged, and have a homicide rate approaching 0. They would seem to be doing something right there. Given US culture, that might be a better example to go looking at.
Hysterically grasping at straws, throwing meaningless laws at a problem, is not going to solve anything! It's going to take some really calm, cool analysis. Raising minimum age for ownership of some classes of firearms (ARs, handguns...) might be a very reasonable place to start, something that could actually be effected. It would not stop the killings in Chicago, with the large number of illegally owned weapons, people not giving a hoot about any 'background checks'. Solving the high degree of stress and frustration faced by many adolescents trying to transition to adulthood, something really stressful for many in the US, that's not going to be so easy to fix.
Just and FYI, THE Swiss have a almost none existent death by gun rate because they take gun ownership very seriously. For a population of over 8 million there are only 2 million privately owned guns.
To start with they are obsessed with getting it right. Every year they hold a shooting contest every September, where ever kid who can get there flock to it. They use SwissArmy Rifles and accuracy is valued above all.
Switzerland also has mandatory military service for all the men age 18 to 34 and they are all trained on how to use pistols and rifles. After service the men can but their weapons but they must obtain a permit for it. And more that 25% of Swiss Gun owners keep their weapons for military or police duty. Switzerlands borders are basically designed to blow up on cam and with at least 3000 demolition points on bridges, roads, rails and tunnels around the entire country. For most of their existence they have taken being neutral very seriously.
In 2007 the Small Arms Survey that the government carries out on a regular basis found that it had the 3rd highest ratio of civilian firearms per 100 residents outdone only by Yemen and the USA. Since 2012 that figures has been dropping now there’s only one dun for every Swiss people.
And getting a gun permit is not easy. Everyone who owned one is logged in the local region or Canon, and to get one, the local police can and do consult, psychiatrists, or talk with authorities in another Canon if the prospective buyer lived there previously. Anyone who has a drug or alcohol addiction are not allowed to own weapons nor anyone with a previous crime conviction, any crime. Also the law states, that anyone who expresses a violent or dangerous attitude won’t be permitted to own a gun. And anyone who wants to carry their weapons for “defensive purposes” must prove they can load, unload, and shoot their weapon and pass a test.
And while Switzerland was found to be one of the “happiest” countries in the world in 2017, that has slipped over the ensuing years due to declining social support and increased corruption, as well as addiction and depression and their gun violence has turned inward. Accounting for the highest rates of of gun violence and suicide by gun in Europe.
Today only about 11% of Citizens keep their military issue weapons at home, more rules pertaining to gun ownership have been implemented , including making it illegal to carry a loaded gun during transport and conceal carry permits are almost impossible to get unless you are a security worker or a police officer.
"Second, there were also plenty of “good guys” there with guns." No sir, there were no such people in evidence anywhere. A uniform and a badge does not make you "a good guy" anymore than a halloween costume makes you Batman.
So you prefer a more rigorous test for police officers to be sure they are willing to risk their lives to save children and teachers rather than a more rigorous test to keep guns out of the hands of people who shouldn't have them - or to simply abolish private ownership of guns whose sole purpose is to slaughter people. No wonder people keep dying.
The fact that our country's AR-15 style weapon arsenal has grown to an estimated 20 million is unfathomable. It means that even if we achieve a miracle and manage to ban future sales of these weapons, it would need to be coupled with a plan to buy back or otherwise neutralize this massive arsenal.
And they waited 1 hour while those precious children and their teachers were slaughtered!
Thank you Linda, or while survivors bled or hid.
no words to explain their cowardly non actions!
As Professor Heather Cox Richardson detailed early this am at LFAA, Mother, Angeli Rose Gomez drove 40 miles to Robb & was arrested upon vigorously complaining about police inaction, then released, then Angeli scaled a fence went & got into one of the school rooms & brought her two (2) children out to safety. Put that on theTimeline.
not enough tears!!!! my daughter was terrified to take my 7 yr old grandson to school for his last day, police cars all around the school! Every republican who voted against gun control has the blood of these precious children/teachers on their hands as well as the police who stood by while the gunman slaughtered our children
Sounds about right for the various police forces across the USA. Big and brave while shooting an unarmed suspect in the back of the head, or a 13 year old with his arms up, but faced with a shooter with an AR-15 and body armour, they were too afraid for their own lives to do anything.
And that is the basic idea that has spread. Anyone with an easily obtainable semi-automatic gun, some body armour, and a grudge, now feels invincible and can go and do whatever they like, while the cops hide, because they don’t have the ability to easily take this type of shooter down.
And as gun numbers increase, this is going to become a daily occurrence, and The Republicans will continue with their refrain of “Thoughts and Prayers” and “we need more guns”. At least until someone decides to take their anger out on them. Then their attitudes will change so fast it’ll cause whiplash.
Why did the police wait? I don't understand that! If they had not waited and shot him while he was outside, many lives would be saved. I agree with strengthening gun laws and addressing the mental health issues, but that is all long term. stopping the continuing crisis of school shooters need swift and immediate action that will stop or at least prevent anyone who thinks of it from being successful. If a shooter stills want to do it, they will be prevented from doing it by being killed without hurting anyone else. I am about as liberal as they come, but I sincerely think we need armed police/security/military outside every school where there is an unlocked entry point. They need to be prepared to shoot to kill anyone who approaches with a weapon. Once we stop the shooters, we can continue to address the remaining factors.
The problem is Cathy, is you can’t stop them. Uvalde, had an entire police force dedicated to schools. 40% of the towns budget was spent on them. Including weaponry. They even had their own SWAT team. There was supposed to be a School Police officer on the premises. He apparently wasn’t were he should have been, and why any outside door was unlocked hasn’t been explained yet.
They is a entire manual dedicated in the school as to what to do if a live shooting event occurs and the school had just gone through a live shooter drill.
The fastest way to stop this is to ban the ammunition these weapons use. There is nothing in the 2nd Amendment about ammunition. And that might just give some breathing room to figure out how to stop this carnage, because that”s what this is. Since Columbine, there has been 331 school shootings and 311,000 dead. Last year there were 42 and this year, only 5 months, in there have been 24. This is an epidemic, and it’s getting worse.
The law enforcement at Uvalde were like the firemen in Fahrenheit 451: " Is it true that long ago firemen put fires out instead of going to start them?" "No."
Meanwhile, the GOP has once again proved that, to them, life begins at conception and ends with a sacred sacrifice on the altar of the Second Amendment execution.
Well said. Thank you.
Maybe some of these we expect to be brave lose their appetite for the fight once the bullets start whizzing by. They appear much more feisty when there's 5 of them with clubs, tasers and guns taking on a 60 year old, unarmed jaywalker.
i'm an old guy. The first mass shooting i remember was an ex-Marine, attending college in TX at Austin, climbed to the top of a tall building on campus and rained death down on whoever crossed his field of view. Then there was the postal employee, shot up his workplace in Oklahoma City. That, they brought in a lot of psychologists, sociologists, took a long, hard look at work conditions with the Post Office that lead to significant changes in Postal Service operations to significantly reduce employee stress. Unfortunately i've seen a lot of mass shootings here in the US. What i've noticed about them, they almost always involve individuals under significant stress and who are largely alone in this. What i've also noticed is that the perpetrators are getting younger, people who are much less skilled in dealing with stress.
But background checks? From what i've seen, in most of these shootings the perpetrators would likely have passed, with no criminal record and no previous adverse psych health issues. While i strongly agree something needs doing, i am strongly against making empty gestures that accomplish nothing for the sake of feeling good, 'Look! We did something!' Not heard of any criminal or psych record for this guy in TX yet, would likely have passed a background check. The guy in Las Vegas who shot up a bunch of party-goers from a hotel window had been a solid figure in the community, would likely have also passed. Sandyhook? The kid stole Mom's guns, no background check would have helped there. The law banning ex-military with PTSD from owning guns, that was likely a good idea, even if it's a wide net that cost a cousin of mine his job as a detective on a police force.
It's disappointing to find such hysterical irrationality in your newsletter, not what i subscribed for, thought you were more level-headed/reasoning than this.
Ya, ARs, they seem to be the weapon of choice among the kids, they look cool, if you're going to be a mass killer, above all you should no doubt look badass.
Banning guns outright, ya, that would be somewhat effective, though i've heard of people in more restrictive countries doing some serious damage in schools and on public transpo (anywhere people gather in large numbers, that's what makes schools so attractive) using knives. You cite Australia and Britain, they also don't arm their police. But to attempt something like that here, you know that would not fly, wouldn't be surprised to see something like that leading to a second Civil War over government overreach, especially given the extreme polarity the Democrats and Republicans have fostered in this country (leading to the emergence of such radical extremist centrist reactionaries with no alignment with either party such as myself). You didn't mention Switzerland, a country awash in guns, even requiring adult males to learn how to use one and practice at least once a year, with gun ownership encouraged, and have a homicide rate approaching 0. They would seem to be doing something right there. Given US culture, that might be a better example to go looking at.
Hysterically grasping at straws, throwing meaningless laws at a problem, is not going to solve anything! It's going to take some really calm, cool analysis. Raising minimum age for ownership of some classes of firearms (ARs, handguns...) might be a very reasonable place to start, something that could actually be effected. It would not stop the killings in Chicago, with the large number of illegally owned weapons, people not giving a hoot about any 'background checks'. Solving the high degree of stress and frustration faced by many adolescents trying to transition to adulthood, something really stressful for many in the US, that's not going to be so easy to fix.
Best wishes, get well soon.
Just and FYI, THE Swiss have a almost none existent death by gun rate because they take gun ownership very seriously. For a population of over 8 million there are only 2 million privately owned guns.
To start with they are obsessed with getting it right. Every year they hold a shooting contest every September, where ever kid who can get there flock to it. They use SwissArmy Rifles and accuracy is valued above all.
Switzerland also has mandatory military service for all the men age 18 to 34 and they are all trained on how to use pistols and rifles. After service the men can but their weapons but they must obtain a permit for it. And more that 25% of Swiss Gun owners keep their weapons for military or police duty. Switzerlands borders are basically designed to blow up on cam and with at least 3000 demolition points on bridges, roads, rails and tunnels around the entire country. For most of their existence they have taken being neutral very seriously.
In 2007 the Small Arms Survey that the government carries out on a regular basis found that it had the 3rd highest ratio of civilian firearms per 100 residents outdone only by Yemen and the USA. Since 2012 that figures has been dropping now there’s only one dun for every Swiss people.
And getting a gun permit is not easy. Everyone who owned one is logged in the local region or Canon, and to get one, the local police can and do consult, psychiatrists, or talk with authorities in another Canon if the prospective buyer lived there previously. Anyone who has a drug or alcohol addiction are not allowed to own weapons nor anyone with a previous crime conviction, any crime. Also the law states, that anyone who expresses a violent or dangerous attitude won’t be permitted to own a gun. And anyone who wants to carry their weapons for “defensive purposes” must prove they can load, unload, and shoot their weapon and pass a test.
And while Switzerland was found to be one of the “happiest” countries in the world in 2017, that has slipped over the ensuing years due to declining social support and increased corruption, as well as addiction and depression and their gun violence has turned inward. Accounting for the highest rates of of gun violence and suicide by gun in Europe.
Today only about 11% of Citizens keep their military issue weapons at home, more rules pertaining to gun ownership have been implemented , including making it illegal to carry a loaded gun during transport and conceal carry permits are almost impossible to get unless you are a security worker or a police officer.