Why we shouldn't focus on mass shootings

[Loren Pechtel]

http://mic.com/articles/22774/mass-...-100-out-of-12-000-annual-homicides-in-the-us

They are less than 1% of homicides, trying to set gun policy based on mass shootings is a case of the tail wagging the dog.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

No, you should set gun policy based on the fact that you kill each other way too often with guns. The mass homicides are just a good way to easily convey the obvious point about one of the main things that's wrong with your country.

 

[Frikki]

http://mic.com/articles/22774/mass-...-100-out-of-12-000-annual-homicides-in-the-us

They are less than 1% of homicides, trying to set gun policy based on mass shootings is a case of the tail wagging the dog.

Do you enjoy living in a country that has a murder rate like a third world country?

 

[Keith&Co.]

Do you enjoy living in a country that has a murder rate like a third world country?

You make it sound bad. But put it on a t-shirt or a bumper sticker and you've got a campaign slogan. We're #1.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

http://mic.com/articles/22774/mass-...-100-out-of-12-000-annual-homicides-in-the-us

They are less than 1% of homicides, trying to set gun policy based on mass shootings is a case of the tail wagging the dog.

Well, let me be frank. We tried setting gun policy based on the huge gun murder rate in the country. You didn't listen. So we stepped it up a notch and used mass gun murders to help base a gun policy on. You didn't listen. Then a couple dozen children were fucking murdered... and that "children" thing isn't hyperbole. They weren't high schoolers at Columbine (another incident that you didn't listen to), but actually elementary school kids... when they were murdered... the gun folks were almost crying outloud first... fearful that Obama was going to take away their guns.

At that point, I personally gave up. You just don't fucking care.

 

[NobleSavage]

http://mic.com/articles/22774/mass-...-100-out-of-12-000-annual-homicides-in-the-us

They are less than 1% of homicides, trying to set gun policy based on mass shootings is a case of the tail wagging the dog.

Well, let me be frank. We tried setting gun policy based on the huge gun murder rate in the country. You didn't listen. So we stepped it up a notch and used mass gun murders to help base a gun policy on. You didn't listen. Then a couple dozen children were fucking murdered... and that "children" thing isn't hyperbole. They weren't high schoolers at Columbine (another incident that you didn't listen to), but actually elementary school kids... when they were murdered... the gun folks were almost crying outloud first... fearful that Obama was going to take away their guns.

At that point, I personally gave up. You just don't fucking care.

2/3rd of gun deaths are suicides. Until you can get a prescription cyanide pill -- after a waiting period -- people should be able to buy a gun. Hanging yourself would suck and most of the other methods fail.

The homicide rate in the US is 4.7 per 100,000; while not good, this is better than the global rate of 7.6. We have more liberal gun laws than most countries with a high homicide rate. We can give Canada a run for it's money without getting rid of the guns by revamping the "criminal justice" system, legalizing drugs, and making sure every citizen has a decent life such that crime is unappealing. Solve those problems and the people will be much more likely to give up their guns voluntarily. Dicking around with hi-capacity mags and collapsible stocks won't move the stats much.

 

[barbos]

This latest nut seemed pretty determined, I doubt denying him gun could have prevented anything. He knew he was going to get his gun and waited for it, if not he would have made a bomb. In any case, I would argue no guns for anyone younger than 25.

 

[NobleSavage]

This latest nut seemed pretty determined, I doubt denying him gun could have prevented anything. He knew he was going to get his gun and waited for it, if not he would have made a bomb. In any case, I would argue no guns for anyone younger than 25.

Yeah, diesel fuel and fertilizer are not hard to come buy. Youtube is filled with hillbillies making ANFO bombs. As just one example, I wonder when someone will pack a firecracker in ricin? What are we gonna do, outlaw castor beans?

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

This latest nut seemed pretty determined, I doubt denying him gun could have prevented anything. He knew he was going to get his gun and waited for it, if not he would have made a bomb. In any case, I would argue no guns for anyone younger than 25.

Made a bomb? This kid didn't have the brains to break into a college to shoot students. Doubt he had the beans to make a bomb.

 

[NobleSavage]

This latest nut seemed pretty determined, I doubt denying him gun could have prevented anything. He knew he was going to get his gun and waited for it, if not he would have made a bomb. In any case, I would argue no guns for anyone younger than 25.

Made a bomb? This kid didn't have the brains to break into a college to shoot students. Doubt he had the beans to make a bomb.

You don't need brains to make a bomb. The detonator might be tricky, but a determined stupid person could do it. Making Meth is more complicated and tons of idiots make that shit in their toilet or whatever.

 

[Derec]

Do you enjoy living in a country that has a murder rate like a third world country?

Depends on the third world country. Some have relatively low murder rates, while some like Honduras and Venezuela are quite high.

You make it sound bad. But put it on a t-shirt or a bumper sticker and you've got a campaign slogan. We're #1.

More like #111.  List of countries by intentional homicide rate

 

[Derec]

You don't need brains to make a bomb. The detonator might be tricky, but a determined stupid person could do it.

The trick is avoiding bomb going off while you are making it and you only get to make one mistake.  Greenwich Village townhouse explosion
The same thing sometimes happens to Palestinian terrorists making bombs.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Made a bomb? This kid didn't have the brains to break into a college to shoot students. Doubt he had the beans to make a bomb.

You don't need brains to make a bomb. The detonator might be tricky, but a determined stupid person could do it. Making Meth is more complicated and tons of idiots make that shit in their toilet or whatever.

That must be why bombs are used all the time, I suppose.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Depends on the third world country. Some have relatively low murder rates, while some like Honduras and Venezuela are quite high.

You make it sound bad. But put it on a t-shirt or a bumper sticker and you've got a campaign slogan. We're #1.

More like #111.  List of countries by intentional homicide rate

Where is our Yukon member? The rate plunged the last three years to non-existent. What happened there? And PEI looks like the safest place to live on the planet.

Odd how the red states are typically the higher murder rates. Do red states rank positively over the blue states in anything?

 

[credoconsolans]

Depends on the third world country. Some have relatively low murder rates, while some like Honduras and Venezuela are quite high.



More like #111.  List of countries by intentional homicide rate

Where is our Yukon member? The rate plunged the last three years to non-existent. What happened there? And PEI looks like the safest place to live on the planet.

Odd how the red states are typically the higher murder rates. Do red states rank positively over the blue states in anything?

Less taxes.

 

[NobleSavage]

You don't need brains to make a bomb. The detonator might be tricky, but a determined stupid person could do it. Making Meth is more complicated and tons of idiots make that shit in their toilet or whatever.

That must be why bombs are used all the time, I suppose.

Used all the time? No, but I believe the point of the thread was that mass gun murders are statically insignificant. We did just have the Boston Marathon Bombing; using the logic of fear, that was one time too many. We need a pressure cooker buyback program!

There are states with a lower gun homicide rate 1-2%, but with high ownership > 50%. If you gave everyone in Northern Europe an AR with a 1000 rounds of ammo I really don't think much would change; they are just more happy and healthy. So, while the bad news may be that US citizens refuse to de-arm, the good news is there are a lot of things we can do to bring down the homicide rate.

Who has one of the worst gun homicide rates? Washington, DC at 16.5 and with a 3.6% gun ownership rate. That murder rate would plummet if you take care of the poverty, give people a decent job, a reason to live, and something to do other than smoking crack.

 

[AthenaAwakened]

I believe the point of the thread is get people to ignore mass killings because mass killings shock the senses and morality of most people and call the proliferation of guns in our society into question. It's not because the people who usually make this argument care about suicide rates or homicide rates or any other rates. If they did, you would see more of them posting threads about those rates OUTSIDE of these threads.

 

[barbos]

This latest nut seemed pretty determined, I doubt denying him gun could have prevented anything. He knew he was going to get his gun and waited for it, if not he would have made a bomb. In any case, I would argue no guns for anyone younger than 25.

Made a bomb? This kid didn't have the brains to break into a college to shoot students. Doubt he had the beans to make a bomb.

But he is a racist, why would he go an kill bunch of mostly white students?

 

[ronburgundy]

Depends on the third world country. Some have relatively low murder rates, while some like Honduras and Venezuela are quite high.

You make it sound bad. But put it on a t-shirt or a bumper sticker and you've got a campaign slogan. We're #1.

More like #111.  List of countries by intentional homicide rate

More like #1 in the first world by a factor of 4, and more than half of the third world. More murders than Iran, and about the same as North Korea.
IOW, the level of gun availability due to the legal market causes murder rates similar to having a murderous dictatorship or not having any kind of constitutional democratic system of justice and law enforcement.

 

[NobleSavage]

Depends on the third world country. Some have relatively low murder rates, while some like Honduras and Venezuela are quite high.



More like #111.  List of countries by intentional homicide rate

More like #1 in the first world by a factor of 4, and more than half of the third world. More murders than Iran, and about the same as North Korea.
IOW, the level of gun availability due to the legal market causes murder rates similar to having a murderous dictatorship or not having any kind of constitutional democratic system of justice and law enforcement.

You are over simplifying stuff. If the US got rid of certain concentrated cesspools our numbers would look good. If you take all the guns away you can pat yourself on the shoulder, but these areas will still have a high rate of robbery, rape, violet crime, theft, etc.

Kansas shows 5 murders and 0 by gun: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_violence_in_the_United_States_by_state