ENOUGH WITH THE THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS ALREADY!!!!!

[nctarheel]

Yet another multiple murder using an assault rifle to kill as many people as possible as quickly as possible has occurred. It has become such an everyday occurrence that the news is no longer following the story even though it is only hours after the event. It is time for the citizens of this country to call for the banning of all semi-automatic assault weapons. Other countries have done it. The grief and anguish caused by this daily onslaught of multiple deaths is affecting the psyche of the country as a whole.

[WebWiseWoman]

Just read opinion piece that to me is something we might act on...

"Opinion: America’s grandparents have the answer to gun violence" by Anne Byrn 

Thanks for reading.

[RickB411511]

Is AARP doing anything to reach out to Congress about gun violence?

[nctarheel]

I would think there would be more people with strong feelings about how the scourge of semi-automatic weapons of war have killed 100's of people without any legitimate movement by Congress to prevent these deaths, even in a small way. Their total inaction puts all our lives at risk.

We all go to malls, some of us go to school, some go to church, some go to festivals, some go to concerts..... all these venues have been targets in the past.

I am disappointed at the lack of response.

Are we relegated to the fact that death by assault rifle is now a normal "fact of life"?

[Frozenoem]

The last time a bill passed in Congress for ban on automatic weapons it was done by a Democratic Congress, that won’t happen easily with a R majority.

There are laws in the books banning AR’s and large clips in some states.10 or 11 . CA, MA,WA,Hi,MD,NY,NJ, CT,DE are amongst the ones I can think of. DC wants a ban but, there not a state.

I think that there are 1-2 bills in Senate , that went to Congress on outlawing AR-15’s nationwide, one was by Diane Feinstein in 2022-2023.and there is another out there. Can’t remember.

Think it’s S.25

Had momentary hit email

Senate #25 

Maybe do a google I can’t , in an unfriendly place for wifi.Call your Congresspeople and tell them to get off the pot. Passing is debatable due to deep pockets and NRA $$$$$$ donations to some.

Froze

[DaveMcK]

Recent high-profile mass shootings in the United States

•  

 

•  

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@nctarheel wrote:

Yet another multiple murder using an assault rifle to kill as many people as possible as quickly as possible has occurred. It has become such an everyday occurrence that the news is no longer following the story even though it is only hours after the event. It is time for the citizens of this country to call for the banning of all semi-automatic assault weapons. Other countries have done it. The grief and anguish caused by this daily onslaught of multiple deaths is affecting the psyche of the country as a whole.

---

Updated: 7:43 AM CDT May 8, 2023

Associated Press

The latest high-profile mass shooting in the United States happened Saturday in Allen, Texas, where eight people were killed and seven were wounded at a busy outdoor shopping center before police killed the gunman.

The attack is the country's 22nd mass killing – in which four or more people died, not including the assailant – of 2023, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University.

[ChasKy53]

More and more guns = more and more gun deaths. Yes, it is a true statement. In most mass murders (which is what this topic is about), semi-automatic assault style weapons are used. Why in the world would anyone want to distract from this by bringing up individual handgun deaths in the home? Stop it, please. Countries with assault weapons bans have far less gun deaths, and most especially, mass murders. It's time to ban assault style weapons.

[TanviraliK598764]

Dear to kill someone is the worst sin,it is equal to killing humanity.The one who kills never get sleep and even sleep becomes hell for him.We have become soul less creatures.

[nctarheel]

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@TanviraliK598764 wrote:

We have become soul less creatures.

---

@TanviraliK598764,

I am not sure I understand the intent of your comment. Could you explain what you mean by "we have become soulless creatures"?

[Rebecca2004]

Sorry but, blasphemy is the worst sin.

[GailL1]

Let’s see - 
Allen, Texas - 05/06/2023 - gun deaths (8)

All other places in the country - 05/06/2023 - gun deaths (54). And I am not sure if this includes suicides by gun.

Gun Violence Archives\ Last 72 Hours

@ChasKy53 wrote

Why in the world would anyone want to distract from this by bringing up individual handgun deaths in the home?

===============================

Because all lives have meaning and all of these deaths involve guns and what is in the hearts and minds of the people who use them to harm others or themselves.

Don’t look at this problem thru such narrow binders - 

[postman29]

Well stated! Elections matter! The NRA shouldn't!

[DaveMcK]

From my perspective they go hand and grip. To have a shooting you must have both a gun and a person.

Temporary insanity or insanity are a cop-out and puts shooters back on the street at some point more often than not.

Sorry but better the shooter goes to jail than my daughter's the teacher's or my grandchildren get shot or killed.

[TanviraliK598764]

Dear those who kill one day they have to pay back in the same coins.As you Sow So Shall you Reap..It is fault of the parents or manufacturing fault.

[nctarheel]

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@TanviraliK598764 wrote:

It is fault of the parents or manufacturing fault.

---

@TanviraliK598764 

Again, I am not sure of the intent of your comment. Could you explain what you mean by "It is the fault of the parents or manufacturing fault."???

[GailL1]

@nctarheel 

Would that be all semi-s? 

Seems to me, it isn’t the gun so much as the person behind the gun and their sick action.

Focusing on the gun or even the type of gun, doesn’t do much to uplift the “psyche of the country as a whole”.

What would you do?  What could be done legally and would stand up in court?

[nctarheel]

---

@GailL1 wrote:

@nctarheel 

Would that be all semi-s? 

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@GailL1,

Why are you defending the ownership of semi-automatic military style weapons? Their sole purpose is to kill the most amount of people in the shortest amount of time. They have no other purpose.

[TanviraliK598764]

Gods Computer is without errors.

[nctarheel]

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@TanviraliK598764 wrote:

Gods Computer is without errors.

---

@TanviraliK598764,

Again, I am not sure of the intent of your comment. Can you explain further what you mean by "God's computer is without errors."????

[nctarheel]

---

@GailL1 wrote:

Seems to me, it isn’t the gun so much as the person behind the gun and their sick action.

---

As a fellow HONORED SOCIAL BUTTERFLY, I respect your point of view regarding this subject but the statistics just DO NOT back you up.

Gun deaths are the #1 cause of death in youth now, surpassing automobile accidents.

The "person behind the gun" argument is but a diversion from the real problem..... that military style weapons are on the streets, weapons made to kill as many people as possible, as quickly as possible.

As long as those weapons are legal, no amount of POLICING can get to an active shooter situation prior to multiple deaths.

Our country, as far as its peers, is in a category all by itself as far as multiple murder situations. Multiple murders usually committed with semi-automatic military style weapons.

Many countries have banned this type weapon and have experienced a notable reduction in mass murder. Even this country banned them for a period of time and had a noted reduction in this type of crime.

It is time to address the REAL problem.... not gun safety training......not mental health screenings......not gang violence....... it is time to ban MILITARY STYLE WEAPONRY.

[GailL1]

Guns deaths come from all kinds of guns - The kids in Atlanta being killed by others about their same age, in their neighborhoods, sometimes within their own homes or even  in their own beds aren’t killed by what you call military style weapons.  

And normally one does not use a “military style weapons” or even a semi-automatic to commit suicide by gun which still is a lot of deaths.

I think I already asked you if you are talking about all semi’s or just the ones that are long guns?

Pew Research Center 04/26/2023 - What the data says about gun deaths in the U.S.

From the link ~

More Americans died of gun-related injuries in 2021 than in any other year on record, according to the latest available statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That included record numbers of both gun murders and gun suicides. Despite the increase in such fatalities, the rate of gun deaths – a statistic that accounts for the nation’s growing population – remained below the levels of earlier decades.

. . . . The gun death rate in the U.S. is much higher than in most other nations, particularly developed nations. But it is still far below the rates in several Latin American countries, according to a 2018 study of 195 countries and territories by researchers at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.

. . . . the rate in the U.S. was much lower than in El Salvador (39.2 per 100,000 people), Venezuela (38.7), Guatemala (32.3), Colombia (25.9) and Honduras (22.5), the study found.

Type of guns used:

In 2020, the most recent year for which the FBI has published data, handguns were involved in 59% of the 13,620 U.S. gun murders and non-negligent manslaughters for which data is available. Rifles – the category that includes guns sometimes referred to as “assault weapons” – were involved in 3% of firearm murders. Shotguns were involved in 1%. The remainder of gun homicides and non-negligent manslaughters (36%) involved other kinds of firearms or those classified as “type not stated.”

More available at the link ~. It is very interesting; even different from what one may have thought from what we hear and see from the MSM and our leaders.

You know, @nctarheel, yes, it is bad and alarming to see all this happening repeatedly - but my view of what we need to do to fix it or try is far from you views.  The gun is the instrument - the actions come from the heart, mind of the people who take this action against themselves or others.

[nctarheel]

---

@GailL1 wrote:

The kids in Atlanta being killed by others about their same age, in their neighborhoods, sometimes within their own homes or even  in their own beds aren’t killed by what you call military style weapons.

And normally one does not use a “military style weapons” or even a semi-automatic to commit suicide by gun which still is a lot of deaths.

But it is still far below the rates in several Latin American countries

. . . . the rate in the U.S. was much lower than Venezuela (38.7), Guatemala (32.3)

You know, @nctarheel, yes, it is bad and alarming to see all this happening repeatedly - but my view of what we need to do to fix it or try is far from you views. 

---

Once again, @GailL1 , you are creating a diversion.

From your selection of a city where the population is majority African American, to citing information regarding suicides, to making comparisons between the United States, Venezuela and Guatemala, does not change one statistic.

That statistic is that OVER 85% OF ALL MASS KILLINGS, that being where 4 or more people are killed, the weapon of choice has been an assault military style rifle, a weapon designed to kill as many people as possible in the shortest amount of time.

THIS INSTRUMENT OF DEATH NEEDS TO BE BANNED.

[GailL1]

@nctarheel 

I am not creating a diversion - I am viewing the total scope of the problem as well as the common link/ the link that has to be there regardless of type of gun - THE common link - the people who perpetrate such harm on others.

Of course, we need to stop access to any gun by people who should not have them - with all of our technology, it seems that this shouldn’t be so hard in most circumstances.  

MOST guns are not used in crimes or murders.

MOST people do not use a gun to cause harm to others or themselves 

The definition of a “mass killing” based on some number has been concocted by somebody -  The real truth is

Allen, Texas. 05/06/2023.  (8) killed

Other Parts of the US. 05/06/2023. (54) killed

Gun Violence Archives \ Last 72 Hours

Which is the most “mass” number?  

@nctarheel wrote

From your selection of a city where the population is majority African American, to citing information regarding suicides, to making comparisons between the United States, Venezuela and Guatemala . … . 

I live where I live ( metro Atlanta) - remember you are the one that brought in ethnicity / race into your post - In Atlanta, we have LOTS of different ethnicities / races especially where I live -  they , no matter their ethnicity/race. also believe that gun violence is a major problem and more than just a problem with a specific type gun.  

Don’t focus on the narrow - 

[nctarheel]

---

@GailL1 wrote:

@nctarheel 

I am not creating a diversion.

Don’t focus on the narrow

---

@GailL1,

You are most assuredly creating a diversion. You have taken this discussion from my original comment relating to the use of semi-automatic military style weapons, used in over 85% of all mass shootings and have tried to DIVERT the discussion to everything else under the sun.....from urban crime to suicides to comparing us with other countries. While you are right that gun violence is a major problem, this thread is about military grade assault weapons that are used in 85% of mass shootings because these weapons are designed to kill as many people as possible in the shortest amount of time. The first step to addressing the gun violence issue IS to focus on the narrow. It is to get these weapons of war off the streets.

[WebWiseWoman]

TY @nctarheel; well written and just as a Vet and retired police officer, Steven Spainhouer, said "

"I have guns, I've been around guns, I love my guns, but those automatic rifles that are on the streets need to come off the streets."

As many of you know, my two youngest Daughters were at 1-Oct, saved by very caring and attentive staff, experiencing the worst event of their lives. Yet, here we are, 4.5 years later facing the same DEMON: ARs

And further back in our illustrious history in 1999, 24 years ago, a semi-automatic was used to assassinate 13 people. At that time I wondered why would anyone need a semi? If you used one to hunt, there would be no meat to harvest for the meals hunting is used for, would there?

We so need to once and for all address this, please? Personal arms, okay by me with qualifications. Semi or Automatic: WHY? 

#StaySafe

[Frozenoem]

I really don’t know when there will be a total ban on AR’s, Bump stocks, large mag guns semi or full auto with a little filing.

I hope it will be sooner than later, violence did go down during the 1994 Assault Weapon Ban but, expired in 2004.

A close pass to renew came with House Bill 1808 Assault Weapons Ban of 2022 — that would make it a crime to “knowingly import, sell, manufacture, transfer, or possess a semiautomatic assault weapon (SAW) or large capacity ammunition feeding device (LCAFD).” Though the bill would ban some 200-plus types of semi-automatic rifles like AR-15s, the restrictions wouldn’t necessarily apply to other models.

But, it failed to pass I won’t say why, it’s probably a nono to suggest even why.

personal opinion only it’ll take a few more Spainhouer’s before another Assault Weapon’s Ban is passed in this country. If you witness what an AR does to flesh in real life you change your mind rapidly my turning point was a Mac10 and BPD ride along.

You want change in laws it starts in a voting booth, can’t get much simpler than that.

Froze

[WebWiseWoman]

@Frozenoem what a great informative post! Thank you for this reply!

Here's what I want to ask: why wait for elections; can't we, as a people drive legislation?

If you and others like (and including) Spainhouer drive focus to legislating bans either state or country-wide?

We've tried since 1-Oct but that only resulted in ammo-dealer being sentenced to report for confinement 1-OCT!

There must be some people who can recognize, as you have, that this will not stop until we, the people, stop it. We cannot wait or rely on elections. This must start NOW and not ever stop until we know we can safely go to school, work, shopping, celebrations, life-affirming events.

MASSACRES MUST STOP, PLEASE! 

[Frozenoem]

@WebWiseWoman 

I live in an open carry state PD trained, Gave up on NRA 50-60 years back, maybe when they went Charlton Heston crazy . I sign petitions, call my Senators, congresspeople, etc during non-election cycle , Everytime another mass shooting happens or a 5+ year old brings a gun to school in a backpack.

Everytime I see an AR or other semi with a clip hanging past the butt and a tactical vest, is being carried, I drop a dime, no reason to hunt with  large capacity magazine. Yes, hunting is big in this state Maine. We don’t have wild boars just large cats and moose, etc.

Made my grand sit through hours of how to survive a school shooting, work, etc. Also had her tuning into FBI.gov videos, Run,hide, fight” on how to survive an active shooter scenario. 

Go to Fbi.gov website and watch their videos on how to survive active shooters, I removed my link to webpage.

She automatically looks for exits everywhere, same as her mother.It’s not the greatest way to go to HS, college or work but, survivability is improved.

Spent a lovely night in 1982 in Northeastern U with my GF on the floor of her dorm, lights out, window covered, and plywood against the window, for an occasional sniper .It wasn’t an AR but, it was hunting rifle with large clip and scope.

Keep voting out the # of politicians who think large mag’s are greatest idea since sliced bread and AR’s are the same. That’s the easiest solution. 

Froze

[WebWiseWoman]

TY Froze! My daughters also went through thorough escape "training" post-Columbine, as one of my co-worker's daughters were there, one wounded with what could have been permanent disability were it not for her incredible strength of character.

I guess for me it's a question of how many must we lose before this madness stops in the US? Will the number have to surpass the lives lost to Hitler's madness? I just don't want this to be our legacy: the nation who murdered more for no other reason than they were humans...

TY again, for your post; it is heartening to read your activities to address this issue!

#StaySafe

[jonibee]

How many must die needlessly until a manadatory gun law is put into place..It's about time the issue is put forth once and for all ..too much blood shed to innocents. It's getting so that one is afraid to venture out of their homes and that isn't a safe haven anymore ..Driving is as bad as if someone cuts you off and you respond you don't know what the consequences will be...Guns in the wrong hands needs to be addresse NOW not shelved again....