ongoing mass shootings thread

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Do you really feel that way?

I can honestly say I felt far less safe in many, many places in the world than I did when I lived in the US (NYC) or when I visit there. Maybe because I've been to some dodgy places but as much as the US gun culture is insane in my eyes, it's nowhere near comparable for me to some other places I've been.

I really do. I lived in Asia for a while, and traveled around the continent, and at no time did I feel as unsafe as I do when I'm in the U.S. Europe is the same for me.

Maybe easy access to the constant news coverage of gun violence in the U.S. is partly to blame. If I knew what happens in other countries, I would feel just as uneasy there.
 
The only time I ever had a gun "pulled" on me (and I use quotation marks because we fled quickly enough that I never felt I was in much danger) was in a shore town of all places.
 
I really do. I lived in Asia for a while, and traveled around the continent, and at no time did I feel as unsafe as I do when I'm in the U.S. Europe is the same for me.

Maybe easy access to the constant news coverage of gun violence in the U.S. is partly to blame. If I knew what happens in other countries, I would feel just as uneasy there.

Yeah, I'd have to say that I felt considerably less safe in South Africa, Angola and Zimbabwe, as well as certain areas of a few other African countries. Frankly there are also a number of sketchy parts of Paris where I felt less safe than I did in Harlem. :shrug:
 
I live in a city that used to be the murder Capitol of America. Crime has dropped precipitously, going from 400 murders a year in 1993 to under 100 in 2012. Never seen a gun. I've had some friends who've been mugged or assaulted, but no guns.

That said, there's a (usually non-fatal) shooting in my general neighborhood about once a month. The victim is almost always a young black male from a different part of town engaged in some sort of criminal activity.

As a tourist, your chances of being a victim of gun violence is much less than being hit by a car.

Guns exacerbate problems already in existence in the US (crime, poverty), and they do tend to take ordinary disputes (domestic issues) and turn them into murder simply because the mere presence of a gun in a situation turns a small problem into a bigger one. Yes, there are the occasional mass shootings, which are ghastly, but there are 310m people down here.

That said, it should serve as a wake up call that guns aren't freedom. They kill freedom. And we have a big image problem.
 
Just think what might have happened if he wasn't stupid enough to open the door :shrug:

And then in addition to that have enough IQ to call 911
 
Just think what might have happened if he wasn't stupid enough to open the door :shrug:

And then in addition to that have enough IQ to call 911

I know right! Stupid old fuck shouldn't have investigated strange noises and strange people on HIS OWN PROPERTY. No way he should've been allowed to do that!!!!! :madwife::madwife::madwife:

Also considering his front door is a giant glass window, I imagine they could've broken in very easily.
 
I love to travel, but I have to say the United States is the only country that I go to where I modify my behaviour, put my head down, and try to just go about my business without getting noticed. You just never know who has anger management issues and a gun. You want to cut me off on the highway? Sure, go ahead, I'll just smile at you.

I did the same when I visited. I agree that it's probably due to media coverage... but I felt much safer walking the streets of Thailand alone at 2am than the States.
 
I know right! Stupid old fuck shouldn't have investigated strange noises and strange people on HIS OWN PROPERTY.

Also considering his front door is a giant glass window, I imagine they could've broken in very easily.

Investigate? What is there to investigate? You can see silhouettes, any intelligent person, especially someone who's apparently trained doesn't just open the door and say can I help you? Yeah, of course they can break the glass but you have a gun aimed at them, you have the element of surprise. You open the door, and they happened to be armed, you're dead.

You're in law enforcement, correct? Please tell me you wouldn't be opening the door unless you planned on shooting first.

I don't buy this story, not the way it's told in the video.
 
You're in law enforcement, correct? Please tell me you wouldn't be opening the door unless you planned on shooting first.

They wouldn't have gotten to my front door cause I would've smelled them coming and picked them off from the 2nd floor window with my military-style high-powered assault weapon. :wink:

Or I would've just shot the bat out of his hand, cause us law enforcement are trained in cowboy-action accuracy like that.
 
No I can tell the difference between Girl Scouts and criminals. That's part of our training. Criminals have different scents than normal people.

As long as they aren't up-wind, then I'm fucked.
 
They wouldn't have gotten to my front door cause I would've smelled them coming and picked them off from the 2nd floor window with my military-style high-powered assault weapon. :wink:

Or I would've just shot the bat out of his hand, cause us law enforcement are trained in cowboy-action accuracy like that.

I'll take this as acceptance that the video is pure bullshit.
 
Well I'll admit it's embellished a little bit. :D

Yes he could have taken more steps to prevent the shooting, MAYBE. Again, they could've just barged in anyway if he hadn't gone to the door. However, I'm glad him and his wife are OK and I'm not too sad that there is one less low-life in the world because of him.

On a serious note, personally I would have waited inside and if they came through into the house they would have gotten a lead-sandwich with extra toppings as soon as they stepped foot inside. No way am I gonna hide and cower inside my house like a scarred rabbit and wait for 911 if someone breaks inside. However, once you go outside and engage people the self defense part becomes a little blurred.
 
Well I'll admit it's embellished a little bit. :D

On a serious note, personally I would have waited inside and if they came through into the house they would have gotten a lead-sandwich with extra toppings as soon as they stepped foot inside. No way am I gonna hide and cower inside my house like a scarred rabbit and wait for 911 if someone breaks inside. However, once you go outside and engage people the self defense part becomes a little blurred.

I think this is what most intelligent folks would and should do. The video is a crock.
 
stupid Stand Your Ground law

I'm curious as to what is so "stupid" about it. So people who are in situations where they are legitimately in fear of death or serious-bodily harm should not be allowed to defend themselves without fear of prosecution or civil suit? Or be forced to run away, which might not be an option or may make things worse, instead of defending themselves from a legitimate threat? Or run from someone breaking into your home (where you have every right to be) instead of defending yourself?
 
I'm curious as to what is so "stupid" about it. So people who are in situations where they are legitimately in fear of death or serious-bodily harm should not be allowed to defend themselves without fear of prosecution or civil suit? Or be forced to run away, which might not be an option or may make things worse, instead of defending themselves from a legitimate threat? Or run from someone breaking into your home (where you have every right to be) instead of defending yourself?
Define legitimate.
 
Define legitimate.

Isn't that what dictionaries are for?

I think any reasonable person would be afraid for their life if someone forcefully entered their home with a weapon, or pulled a weapon on them somewhere out on the street.

Getting popcorn thrown at you shouldn't qualify though. Even I will admit that.
 
I think the definition of "legitimate" is circumstances where a reasonable person would be in fear of death/serious bodily injury, and their actions would be justified to a reasonable person also based on the situation and circumstances.

I imagine this is the standard most police depts. and courts go by when they decide to press charges or not. :shrug:
 
Shooting at a mall in Maryland.

Three dead, which includes the shooter.

If you're going to kill yourself, I'm not sure the argument of eliminating "gun free zones" is a real deterrent.

But since we refuse to do anything regarding guns, this is just how life is. If you go anywhere, there's a chance you can get shot.
 
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