2013 America (and Friends!) Gun Violence Thread No Plows Allowed!

**Blubbartron** · 2013-02-19 23:59

Originally Posted by Nephlite

Doomsday Preppers to the max?

Better to have it and not need it than to have it and not need it. I think in the end a lot of the preparation scenario nuts feed off that reality because of the world we live in. Like you said, a lot of media and movie magic put ideas in to peoples brains that they need something for "x-scenario" without thinking about the costs or the ramifications of their actions.

The flip side to that would be a lot of the stuff we utilize today wouldn't have been developed unless a need was created for that particular item. Cell phones went from mobile telephones to mobile computers seemingly instantly because a need for the product developed. The need might not be "necessity" or "paramount to human survival", but damn if it doesn't make life easier.

I blame my time in the military and police for my paranoia. People who take it to a different extreme (say exclaiming they're going to murder people if they take their guns) because they stockpiled for the zombie apocalypse deserve to get their shit taken. Zombies are not real. A capital offense force large enough to take over the United States is not real. Yes, prepare yourself for home invasion; that shit is real. But don't go too far overboard and equate one less bullet to one less dead human because you know, killing people sucks. But then again, you break in to someone's house, you should read the disclaimer that the person's house you're breaking in to means you could get shot.

Prepare yourself for something that's so poorly documented there are *zero* credible statistics for how frequently it actually happens! Maybe if you live in a really shitty city with a ton of crime it's important to "be prepared", but I live in an area with over 200k people, and in 2010 there were roughly 9000 instances of generic "crime". Less than 1000 of those 9000 crimes were classified as violent. 1000 violent crimes for over 200k people. The odds of an individual becoming a victim of crime are very, very small here, and in reality, it's pretty damn small everywhere. The odds of being a victim in your own goddamn home are obviously going to be even smaller. People need to take a step back from their anecdotal evidence and look at reality objectively. I say with confidence that the average US citizen need not fear being victimized. Crime is an outlier in the statistics of day-to-day life effectively everywhere in the US (obvious exceptions are extremely urban, extremely poor areas).

http://www.cityrating.com/crime-stat...l#.USRVC2du5ls

**Pirian** · 2013-02-20 00:46

Originally Posted by Nephlite

I think in the end a lot of the preparation scenario nuts feed off that reality because of the world we live in.

You mean the most peaceful time in history? The only way your comment would make sense is if you meant the awareness of all the conflict in the world that we enjoy nowadays because of mass communication.

I know this isn't the first, second or even third time it's been posted, but I also know I can't expect people to be omnipresent for every thread, so here you go:

Europe’s murder rate was 30 times higher in the Middle Ages than it is today.

http://reason.com/archives/2012/01/1...ne-of-violence

**Ghost_Wheel22** · 2013-02-20 01:13

The odds of someone breaking into your home are so low, we're going to restrict your 2A rights to defend yourself!

I'm still not seeing how limiting magazine capacity, pistol grips, extendable stocks, and the color black helps protect me.

**kuronosan** · 2013-02-20 01:33

What?

**Tajin** · 2013-02-20 09:41

http://www.myabc7.com/wap/news/text....yewitness+News
Kills 3 and commits suicide or whatever.

**Eurell** · 2013-02-20 09:51

Originally Posted by Tajin

http://www.myabc7.com/wap/news/text....yewitness+News
Kills 3 and commits suicide or whatever.

Already posted yesterday lol

Originally Posted by Melena

Another shooting in California today. This time in Orange County. Looks like 4 dead

http://ktla.com/2013/02/19/2-dead-in...#axzz2LMDiG8nd

**Byrthnoth** · 2013-02-20 10:38

Is it worse if he's innocent or if he's guilty? - http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports...aring/1932019/

**Acevalefor** · 2013-02-20 11:47

Originally Posted by Byrthnoth

Is it worse if he's innocent or if he's guilty? - http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports...aring/1932019/

At one point in the story he says he thought his girlfriend was still in bed and heard noises from the bathroom. I can tell you with certainty that my first reaction to noises in the bathroom is to open fire....(/sarcasm for the dense people on this board)

How can one even try to justify that? I guess the burglar really had to piss so he took a break from robbing the guy to use the bathroom. Something like "Hey (girlfriend's name) is that you?" would have sufficed. I guess this is another tragic shooting that could have been avoided if guns were banned in Ameri.....oh wait, nevermind.

**Byrthnoth** · 2013-02-20 12:26

Sounds plausible enough for someone paranoid enough to carry around a loaded gun (including to a restaurant, if you read the article).

**noblemountain** · 2013-02-20 13:07

Originally Posted by Byrthnoth

Sounds plausible enough for someone paranoid enough to carry around a loaded gun (including to a restaurant, if you read the article).

If you lived in S Africa you would too. Don't be dense.

**Byrthnoth** · 2013-02-20 14:05

Originally Posted by Acevalefor

At one point in the story he says he thought his girlfriend was still in bed and heard noises from the bathroom. I can tell you with certainty that my first reaction to noises in the bathroom is to open fire....(/sarcasm for the dense people on this board)

Originally Posted by noblemountain

If you lived in S Africa you would too. Don't be dense.

Okay?

**noblemountain** · 2013-02-20 17:45

Originally Posted by Byrthnoth

Okay?

Are you purposefully being an idiot? You made a big deal about him carrying a firearm to a restaurant, I quoted that, so it should be easy to see what I'm addressing.

**Byrthnoth** · 2013-02-20 18:00

Yeah, the point is that it is reasonable to believe that he was paranoid enough to shoot through a closed door when he hears unexpected noises in the night if he's paranoid enough to take a loaded gun to a restaurant. You're saying that it's reasonable to be paranoid enough to take a loaded gun to a restaurant in South Africa, so apparently nothing about the story is unbelievable.

In contrast, Acevalefor was saying that it's totally ludicrous to shoot through a closed door in the middle of the night when you hear unexpected noises.

**noblemountain** · 2013-02-20 19:13

I was pointing out that it isn't paranoid to carry a gun everywhere you go in S Africa. It is pretty fucking smart. What he did was idiocy and there's very little chance it was accidental.

**archibaldcrane** · 2013-02-20 20:25

He lives in a posh gated community.

**noblemountain** · 2013-02-20 23:57

Shit might get interesting when the trial resumes tomorrow. This came out earlier...

http://deadspin.com/5985833/report-p...ium=socialflow

Cop that testified (terribly) today, was charged with getting drunk and shooting up a taxi with 7 people in it, killing them in 2009. The charges were dropped initially, but reinstated and ongoing now.

**Byrthnoth** · 2013-02-21 08:11

Honestly, nothing about this trial makes me think that he's guilty more than the defense's ambitious attempts to discredit the prosecution and change the narrative of the crime. They're pretty much doing this one totally by the book, and in the end they will have made it a question of whether or not the jury believes that murderous cops have proven that he didn't think his wife was a burglar when he shot her. The cops gave them far too much ammunition, but that doesn't make the guy innocent-by-cop-stupidity.

**noblemountain** · 2013-02-21 10:32

Kinda makes me wonder how many cops down there haven't got drunk and shot up a taxi. Quick google search of S African police charged with murder gets way too many hits. lol

**Scythiroth** · 2013-02-21 11:45

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_1...ng-gun-battle/

(CBS/AP) LAS VEGAS - Police are now looking for a black Range Rover with tinted windows and dark rims after a "rolling gun battle" set off a multi-car accident, killing three, reports CBS affiliate KLAS.

Sgt. John Sheahan said the people in the Range Rover were shooting at people in a Maserati, and the driver of the Maserati was hit by gunfire and killed. The Maserati reportedly then crashed into a taxi, causing it to burst into flames and explode, killing the driver and passenger.

"There was a loud bang and I hear two other booms. I looked out my window at Caesars Palace ... and could see a fireball," said one witness.

In all, five vehicles were involved in the dramatic crash around 4:30 a.m. Thursday at Flamingo and Las Vegas boulevards, a wide intersection surrounded by some of the most famous casinos on the Strip, including the Bellagio, Caesars Palace and the Paris.

Several people were taken to the hospital, including a passenger from the Maserati. Four were taken to University Medical Center. Hospital spokeswoman Danita Cohen said three were treated and released, while one person remained in the hospital. Their condition was not released.

The intersection is expected to be closed for hours as officers investigate.

More people may be hurt, Sheahan said.

It's the latest in a series of violent actions on the tourist corridor since the beginning of the year. Two people were critically wounded in a shooting at a parking garage Feb. 6, and a tourist was stabbed in an elevator at The Hotel at Mandalay Bay Feb. 16.

**archibaldcrane** · 2013-02-21 12:55

Holy shit.

Michael Bay is working for well-moneyed gangs in Vegas now?

Thread: 2013 America (and Friends!) Gun Violence Thread No Plows Allowed!

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