Gun Violence in America

Maybe we need one of (50) in a certain location…

And Texas Governor Abbott and Ted Cruz are speakers at the NRA’s upcoming Annual Conference in Houston this week….but Cruz is praying for the victims’ families.

https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/amp/Abbott-Cruz-Trump-NRA-convention-school-shooting-17196332.php

Also, Las Vegas Strip (60).

1 Like

But, what do we do that could actually have an impact?

These mass shootings represent a very small percent of gun homicides by count, but a large percent in terms of psychological impact. Millions of kids do active shooter drills because of a few school mass murders.

My suggestion – ban interchangeable magazines. Not “high capacity magazines”, but the entire concept of pre-loading something then simply snapping it into place to reload.

The magazine would be a fixed part of the gun. You open a door and slide rounds in with your fingers, one at a time. Up to six, because that’s the maximum capacity. The gun has no accommodation for any sort of mechanical aid. And, such aids are illegal.

The Buffalo shooter and this kid know they have six shots before they are fumbling with individual cartridges. Maybe they carry two guns, but then they are swapping out and still capped at twelve shots.
The US is such a big market, manufacturers will redesign their popular weapons to comply.

I wouldn’t try to confiscate existing non-compliant guns. Owners can keep them until they die (and be buried with them, if they like). But, they can’t sell, lend, give, bequeath them to anyone else. If you’re below age __ when the law is passed, you can never legally own an IM gun because you can’t legally acquire it. __ years of the law is passed, an 18 year-old arrested with an IM gun has automatic gun charges.

This will at least reduce the body count. I’m hopeful that some shootings don’t happen at all because the “spraying bullets” fantasy doesn’t exist.

This could even have an impact on routine criminal-on-criminal shootings. Fewer bullets flying if you have to count your shots. More aiming, less risk to bystanders.

And, yes, I think deer hunters can live with six rounds. If the need more, they aren’t doing it right.

A Trump appointed Judge ruled a California law with an age 21 requirement unconstitutional. It’s being appealed but given this Supreme Court…

maybe we need more psychological support, not for the shooters, but for the rest of the country. so that we can accept this as normal and not bat an eye. because guns - and mass shootings - are here to stay, so it’s best we just become emotionally immune to it

– GOP

Maybe look at what has worked in other countries and try something bolder than just tinkering here and there? I don’t accept that there is something inherently worse in the US character that explains the high level of gun violence. Every country has folks who will perpetrate gun violence but other first world countries make it harder to do so.

It might be worth asking: are there any other first world countries that got their start as independent countries after a revolt started, in part, because a colonial power wanted to disarm them, and where distrust of government authority is codified into their founding documents?

2 Likes

Yeah, but that was Las Vegas. And it was adults.

Orlando was 49.
Las Vegas was 58, and 2 more died later.

People will be horrified. The usual suspects will offer the usual thoughts and prayers. Nothing is going to change.

100 in a certain location? Maybe. 500 in a certain location? That will move the needle for a while. Enough to vote out/in enough people to make substantive change? I hate to be skeptical, but then I think about how generally lazy Americans are and how they bitch about politicians having career jobs and doing nothing and then gleefully vote their representative / senator / councilman / whatever right back into office for yet another 2, 4, 6 years.

I don’t think anyone would care if a whole town of kids got blown up.

Interesting question… Most Latin American countries have the right, which is funny given our tendency to violently overthrow those same countries.

But specifically, it looks like there are few 1st world countries that fought a war of independence.

Don’t worry, I N’d the R.

2 Likes

Georgia’s primary was yesterday. Herschel Walker won the GOP senate primary. Asked if he believes there should be new gun laws in the wake of the Texas shooting, Walker said: “What I like to do is see it and everything and stuff.” https://twitter.com/mkraju/status/1529281988158541825/video/1

GA is likely going to elect a domestic abuser who is incoherent due to CTE.

1 Like

Yeah, this will die in the SCOTUS. Should have tried it 10 years ago, when it would have been Constitutional, lol.

I think it was the most realistic solution, politically. Like we don’t let teens drink, why should we let them kill 20 children? Oh well.

Maybe we’ll crack down on manufacturers, but I think it’s more likely we’ll legalize grenades.

I’m trying to think of truly outrageous situations where most Republicans holding elected office finally say “OK, this is enough, we gotta do something” and I still think in the back of my mind, “but it still wouldn’t matter, nothing would change.”

The best thing I can come up with before I’m off to work for the day is an attack on a state capitol by some right-wing lunatic pissed that Republicans aren’t doing enough to go after some other group of people? Maybe some attack by some “free militia” group armed to the teeth and it literally requires a military response to finally put down. It would be horrific, it would shock the public, but I still can’t see Republicans flipping. Hell, I don’t know if I could see them even decide “OK, these militia groups, … they’re a problem, it’s time to put an end to them.” They’d cry but muh freedoms while still working to repress the shit out of others and deny them their freedoms - but that’s OK because … GQP logic.

You can’t trust Republicans to do the right thing here. You just can’t. They’ve shown repeatedly who they are, nothing is going to change that unless you vote them out of office down through “cleaning shit in the dog kennel at the local animal shelter.” And I’m no fan of Democrats, but at least they’re not openly condoning ways to overturn elections to seize and hold power, or looking for ways to repress the shit out of groups that “don’t look like us” or cosplaying G.I. Joe and allowing someone to go into a school and shoot 5, 10, 15, 20 kids up so badly authorities need DNA samples to identify remains.

I’m so desensitized that I find the whole situation kind of funny. In a sad way of course. But I know nothing will change so all I can do is laugh.

But don’t you think that, if the right thing to do now is to make changes, than the origins shouldn’t constrain you from doing the right thing? Why should any country be bound by the thinking from 200+ years ago?

in the US we are obsessed with the constitution

2 Likes

There are people whose thinking is based on bastardized interpretation of much older documents, so…

2 Likes