‘America is killing itself’: world reacts with horror and incomprehension to Texas shooting

[KhunLA]

Along with most of the rest of the countries.  One thing humans excel at, making things worse.

[richard_smith237]

55 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Cancun Cruz owned

 

 

When at the end Cruz states 'America is the freest, most prosperous, safest country on earth’..

 

I think of this...  (which is from Newsroom - Jeff Daniels).

 

 

[candide]

10 hours ago, 2 is 1 said:

In USA guns are so "holy" that even innocent kids dead dont matter nothing! Republicans answear to problem is "we need armed security in schools" or give guns to teachers! So more guns! Republicans get so much money from guns lobbyist , they decide they opinion! Constitutional right to get killed in school, church or any other place where lunatic gunman decide to start shooting! Texas they sell over 1,6 million weapon in 2021 and if you are over 21 you can carry gun whit you almost in any place! How crazy is that! 

I am surprised the Republicans did not already propose to give guns to pupils! Well, sometimes It's difficult to distinguish between fiction and reality...????

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/unwitting-gop-lawmakers-endorse-arming-young-children-sacha/story?id=56619878

Edited May 26, 2022 by candide

[richard_smith237]

2 minutes ago, candide said:

I am surprised the Republicans did not already propose to give guns to pupils! Well, sometimes It's difficult to distinguish between fiction and reality...????

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/unwitting-gop-lawmakers-endorse-arming-young-children-sacha/story?id=56619878

Some would go for it.... 

 

 

 

[ozimoron]

4 minutes ago, candide said:

I am surprised the Republicans did not already propose to give guns to pupils! Well, sometimes It's difficult to distinguish between fiction and reality...????

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/unwitting-gop-lawmakers-endorse-arming-young-children-sacha/story?id=56619878

They came close, they want to arm teachers.

 

https://www.npr.org/2018/03/02/590308832/who-wants-to-arm-teachers-republican-men

[Scott]

3 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Cancun Cruz owned

 

 

This may also be of interest to some of our members:

Senate GOP blocks domestic terrorism bill, gun policy debate

 

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats’ first attempt at responding to the back-to-back mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde, Texas, failed in the Senate Thursday as Republicans blocked a domestic terrorism bill that would have opened debate on difficult questions surrounding hate crimes and gun safety.

 

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. tried to nudge Republicans into taking up a domestic terrorism bill that had cleared the House quickly last week after mass shootings at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York, and a church in Southern California targeting people of color. He said it could become the basis for negotiation.

 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/senate-gop-blocks-domestic-terrorism-162726802.html

[Jingthing]

American exceptionalism indeed!

 

French Newspaper Names What America Truly Excels At In Damning Editorial | HuffPost Latest News

Quote

 

French Newspaper Names What America Truly Excels At In Damning Editorial

"America is killing itself and the Republican Party is looking the other way," Le Monde wrote in a scathing editorial.

 

France’s Le Monde newspaper described the United States as a country “trapped in madness” after yet another mass shooting at a school claimed the lives of 19 children and two teachers in Texas earlier this week.

The newspaper called it a cycle of despair that keeps repeating.

 

 

[cdemundo]

Tragic.

 

Many gun weirdos come out from under their rocks after these events.

The only comfort I find is knowing that a large number of these miserable creeps will leave this vale of tears by blowing their own brains out with their beloved guns.

Just wish they would do it sooner rather than later.

[Mac Mickmanus]

1 minute ago, cdemundo said:

Tragic.

 

Many gun weirdos come out from under their rocks after these events.

The only comfort I find is knowing that a large number of these miserable creeps will leave this vale of tears by blowing their own brains out with their beloved guns.

Just wish they would do it sooner rather than later.

Phew , already earlier posted that  they wished a persons mum would have had an abortion rather than giving birth and now a post hoping a group of people all commit suicide by blowing their brains out . 

  Thats rather unpleasant things to say , but no doubt it will all be their fault as to why you are so nasty

[SunnyinBangrak]

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

American exceptionalism indeed!

 

French Newspaper Names What America Truly Excels At In Damning Editorial | HuffPost Latest News

 

Particularly ironic given that France seems to have a worse mass shooting problem per capita than the USA. Glass houses and stones come to mind.

 

Mass Shootings by Country 2022.html

 

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/mass-shootings-by-country

[Bkk Brian]

12 minutes ago, SunnyinBangrak said:

Particularly ironic given that France seems to have a worse mass shooting problem per capita than the USA. Glass houses and stones come to mind.

 

Mass Shootings by Country 2022.html 52.37 kB · 2 downloads

 

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/mass-shootings-by-country

In a study carried out by the pro-gun nonprofit Crime Prevention Research Center.

 

If you read further down you will discover that the stats and use of them were fact checked and a more appropriate method was conducted with the better alternative to the CPRC mass shooter report. 

 

The result of that one was USA at #1

 

From your own link

[SunnyinBangrak]

19 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

In a study carried out by the pro-gun nonprofit Crime Prevention Research Center.

 

If you read further down you will discover that the stats and use of them were fact checked and a more appropriate method was conducted with the better alternative to the CPRC mass shooter report. 

 

The result of that one was USA at #1

 

From your own link

not a "more appropriate method" as you say. Snopes chief concern was "A more important oversight, again according to snopes, was the report's use of average deaths per capita instead of a more stable metric. " So they take exception to the raw data presented and want only to use medians not averages. I can see the merits of both methods, neither right or wrong. 

At any rate as we see from the data, France and other countries also have a mass shooting problem. France also has extremely tight gun laws which scuttles the argument that by banning guns you will end these terrible events.

[Bkk Brian]

28 minutes ago, SunnyinBangrak said:

not a "more appropriate method" as you say. Snopes chief concern was "A more important oversight, again according to snopes, was the report's use of average deaths per capita instead of a more stable metric. " So they take exception to the raw data presented and want only to use medians not averages. I can see the merits of both methods, neither right or wrong. 

At any rate as we see from the data, France and other countries also have a mass shooting problem. France also has extremely tight gun laws which scuttles the argument that by banning guns you will end these terrible events.

I'm not seeing that data about France anywhere else and keep in mind that CPRC study did not distinguish the terror related attacks that have happened in France which have been many and nothing to do with gun laws.

 

From the same website more accurate data is available:

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/gun-deaths-by-country

[KhunLA]

Do people still think Snopes or fact checkers aren't bias, and manipulate any info to fit their spin.  Too many fact checkers have been disproven by counter fact checking to take them all at face value.

 

That's my opinion anyway, and surely we'll just have to A2D, as quite hard to verify studies & polls used in any fact finding.  They seem to fit the agenda of those paying for the study.

 

Ask a question 3 ways, you get 3 answers.  What's the average, what's the median, and what variables were in instituted along with source used to arrive at any conclusion.

[Bkk Brian]

25 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Do people still think Snopes or fact checkers aren't bias, and manipulate any info to fit their spin.  Too many fact checkers have been disproven by counter fact checking to take them all at face value.

 

That's my opinion anyway, and surely we'll just have to A2D, as quite hard to verify studies & polls used in any fact finding.  They seem to fit the agenda of those paying for the study.

 

Ask a question 3 ways, you get 3 answers.  What's the average, what's the median, and what variables were in instituted along with source used to arrive at any conclusion.

Well that really is a question of whether you believe the study carried out by pro-gun Crime Prevention Research Center headed by a discredited John Lott who also wrote the book "More Guns Less Crime" is factual and non bias and contains all relevant data.

 

Taking into consideration it differs in its results from all other "real life" statistics that are published.

 

His previous studies have also been equally debunked by academics and peer reviews.

 

In the American Journal of Public Health, Daniel Webster et al. also raised concerns about other flaws in the study, such as misclassification of laws and endogeneity of predictor variables, which they said rendered the study's conclusions "insupportable".

[JCauto]

22 hours ago, PoodThaiMaiDai said:

Where was this ever reported?

Any further questions? Got anything to say about your beloved "Blue Line"? ACAB. 

[steven100]

Switzerland has a stunningly high rate of gun ownership — here's why it doesn't have mass shootings :

The Swiss have strict rules for who can get a gun, and take firearm training very seriously.

 

All men between the ages of 18 and 34 deemed "fit for service" are given a pistol or a rifle and trained.

After they've finished their service, the men can typically buy and keep their service weapons, but they have to get a permit for them.

Source : https://news.yahoo.com/switzerland-stunningly-high-rate-gun-221301534.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall

 

[PoodThaiMaiDai]

15 minutes ago, JCauto said:

Any further questions? Got anything to say about your beloved "Blue Line"? ACAB. 

Definitely tragic.

 

Cops are humans and make mistakes.

 

It is obvious they were not trained properly on handling an Active Shooter.

 

Due to staffing shortages across the nation many are working 60+ hours a week.  

 

There are annual training requirements with each state but when there are staffing shortages some of the training is pushed aside.

[spidermike007]

23 hours ago, Isaan sailor said:

America is a gun owning culture, that goes way back.  A colonial era church in New England, where I grew up had a defensive construction.  Instead of parishioners entering from the back of the church facing the pulpit, people entered from the front of the church bringing their guns into the pews.  That way, they could (and did) shoot attacking Indians.

Perhaps we don’t need AR-15s for home invasion defense.  On the other hand, no country could ever overrun America—with so many guns in our homes.

While no country could over run the US with a likely land invasion, China could bring the US to its knees financially, or with cyber attacks. As easily as Putin was able to influence the election of a proxy Trump govt, through Facebook and other forms of hijacked media, think of how vulnerable the US is to cyber attacks. What would the pentagon be able to do without its satellites? 

[spidermike007]

10 hours ago, chubby said:

https://twitter.com/radleybalko/status/1529679652154920960#m

 

Uvalde is a town of just 16,000 people. But it apparently has a SWAT team.

We’re regularly told small towns need SWAT teams so they can quickly respond to events just like this. The killer was in the building for an hour.
--
I found the Facebook page of the Uvalde Police Department. It is very interesting and does not conjure a feeling of safety or wellness. facebook.com/uvaldepd/photos…

Many American cities have police departments which are highly militarized and way over the top. Many have lost the ability to be friendly with their constituents. Some like the LAPD are downright hostile and obnoxious. 

 

Is all that necessary? Just another symptom of the rapid decline in the quality of life in the US. I am thrilled to not be living there, and every time I visit I am reminded of the dozen reasons I left. 

[bbko]

I'm a born and raised American/24 year military retiree and can say with 100% confidence, Americans are stupid.

 

 

[KhunLA]

3 hours ago, bbko said:

I'm a born and raised American/24 year military retiree and can say with 100% confidence, Americans are stupid.

Certainly not unique to Americans, as I don't have a very high opinion of human intelligence, worldwide.  Amazed we as a species have lasted this long.  Pretty impressive really, considering the ability to think and reason has failed overall.

 

While other species thrive on just instinct.  Just a matter of time before the human species is reset back to non industrial age.  Prep now, and if in a big city / metro area ... you're screwed.????

 

Image your life without electricity from the grid, as that's what I envision the future to be.  Maybe another generation or so, if not a major oops soon.  Never know, as one of those fear mongering scenarios might actually come true, whether natural, or some idiot pushed the wrong button while looking for their TV or AC remote.

 

Will next generation end us, or save us.  What's trending ... oh c r a p ????

Timeless:

 

 

[superal]

13 hours ago, OJAS said:

And yet the UK FCDO advice for Brits intending to travel to the States downplays the risks which they run on account of lax gun controls through just a passing reference to terrorism near the end.

 

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/usa

 

Whereas the State Department advice for Americans intending to travel to the UK, on the other hand, does not pull its punches about the perceived risks which they supposedly run through terrorism!

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/united-kingdom-travel-advisory.html

 

It strikes me that American nationals are in much less physical danger in the UK than they are in their home country! But, of course, we can't have the UK FCDO rocking the boat as regards the so-called "special relationship" between the USA and UK with travel advice for Brits planning to travel to the States, which is franker in tone and more on a par with the bleak State Department advice to Americans planning to travel to Blighty, can we?

 

 

After the school massacre in Dunblane Scotland 1996 when 16 children were killed and previously the Hungerford shootings 1988 of 16 dead the UK government introduced new legislation , namely the Firearms Act 1988 . Sales of firearms came under strict scrutiny with annual police inspections of gun cabinets and doctor reports of each gun owner . There were also national amnesties where privately owned firearms were destroyed . It took about 10 - 15 years for gun crimes to have a significant reduction  . There are few gun crimes in the UK and even unauthorised possession carries a jail sentence . Hate to  say this but quite often there is sometimes a similar mass copy cat shooting that follows . America , the leader of the free world should be setting an example of firearms control but instead refuses to disarm because of politics and ignorant selfish gun owners .  

[KhunLA]

Just now, superal said:

After the school massacre in Dunblane Scotland 1996 when 16 children were killed and previously the Hungerford shootings 1988 of 16 dead the UK government introduced new legislation , namely the Firearms Act 1988 . Sales of firearms came under strict scrutiny with annual police inspections of gun cabinets and doctor reports of each gun owner . There were also national amnesties where privately owned firearms were destroyed . It took about 10 - 15 years for gun crimes to have a significant reduction  . There are few gun crimes in the UK and even unauthorised possession carries a jail sentence . Hate to  say this but quite often there is sometimes a similar mass copy cat shooting that follows . America , the leader of the free world should be setting an example of firearms control but instead refuses to disarm because of politics and ignorant selfish gun owners .  

Did y'all have 300+ million firearms, with many, 10s of millions in the hands of criminals, with wide open borders, impossible to stop the influx of more.

 

Or live on a small or large island easy to control illegal imports.  Taking guns away from registered owners if fine, if you don't have 10s of millions of criminals in possession of firearms.

 

Your scenarios don't and won't work for the USA.

[superal]

2 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Did y'all have 300+ million firearms, with many, 10s of millions in the hands of criminals, with wide open borders, impossible to stop the influx of more.

 

Or live on a small or large island easy to control illegal imports.  Taking guns away from registered owners if fine, if you don't have 10s of millions of criminals in possession of firearms.

 

Your scenarios don't and won't work for the USA.

OK , so what is the answer to mitigate gun crimes in America ?  Or will it just carry on as usual ?

[KanchanaburiGuy]

Hmmm, interesting. 

 

It has been suggested that Australia does a much better job at controlling guns. They've bragged about "no mass shootings" for 25 years. But I wonder........... is that just a matter of presenting the best example, rather than telling the whole truth? 

 

And then I scrolled down only a few places in the "World News" forum at AseanNow, and found THIS............. 

 

Whaddya know! Even with their stern gun restrictions, "bad guys" are still killing people freely in Sydney! And from what it sounds like........... it sounds like they might be doing it with guns they're not supposed to have! 

 

Yes, America is still worse. It would be foolish to suggest otherwise. 

 

But it appears the presentation of Australia as this huge success............ was a sham! 

 

????????????

 

Cheers! 

 

 

• World News

‘Everyday life now’: Sydney reels from organised crime turf war

By webfact,

Yesterday at 08:33 AM in World News

 

ADVERTISEMENT

webfact 131518

Posted yesterday at 08:33 AM

Sydney has been shocked by a series of assassinations and drive-by shootings amid a turf war between two organised crime gangs – the Alameddine Family and the Hamzy clan. Mejid Hamzy, brother of Bassam Hamzy – the leader of the Brothers 4 Life gang, was shot outside a house in the city’s west in October 2020 [File: AAP Australia via EPA]

 

Police swoop on drug gangs in Australia’s biggest city but lawyers fear controversial law changes will leave minorities vulnerable.

 

By Ian Lloyd Neubauer

 

Last week, a home in Sydney’s southwest was sprayed with bullets during a drive-by shooting.

 

No one was injured, although it was the second time in six months the house had been targeted and came after three assassinations over three weeks and a total of 13 in two years.

 

“What can you do? It’s everyday life now,” a neighbour who heard the shots told a local TV station.

 

Full story: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/26/sydney-reels-from-organised-crime-turf-war

[KhunLA]

2 minutes ago, superal said:

OK , so what is the answer to mitigate gun crimes in America ?  Or will it just carry on as usual ?

Personally, I don't think it can be fixed.  As long as parents aren't being parents, and parents aren't being responsible.  Along with a legal system, that is nothing more than a revolving door of incarnation and storage of criminals, short term, and profitable for the private sector.   Legal system being a billion $$$ business, nothing more, nothing less.

 

OT w/school shootings ... Previous thoughts I've had; raise the age to purchase, to maybe 25 yrs old, hopefully more mature and out of murdering school age from being bullied & rage.   Apparently won't make much of a difference, if reading link below.   

 

Along with making the parents of shooter, responsible for their firearms, as when was the last time, or any time, an owner of a weapon used in a school shooting prosecuted for allowing access to their firearms, if shooter didn't buy it themselves.

https://www.newsnationnow.com/us-news/report-7-in-10-school-shootings-carried-out-by-people-under-18/

 

You could price the guns out of the market for stupid people.  $5000 permit fee to buy, $1000 yearly fee to keep.  Along with mandatory steel lock safe to keep in before allowed to purchase.

 

But the lawyers would fight that, saying it's racist, and deprives the poor to firearms access and they will be left out.

 

I have no solutions, except if living in the USA, I'd carry a firearm, and hope they'd start placing violent criminals in jail for life, no parole.  Never happen.  USA ... Love it or Leave it.

 

I chose the latter.

 

 

[SatEng]

14 minutes ago, KanchanaburiGuy said:

Hmmm, interesting. 

 

It has been suggested that Australia does a much better job at controlling guns. They've bragged about "no mass shootings" for 25 years. But I wonder........... is that just a matter of presenting the best example, rather than telling the whole truth? 

 

And then I scrolled down only a few places in the "World News" forum at AseanNow, and found THIS............. 

 

Whaddya know! Even with their stern gun restrictions, "bad guys" are still killing people freely in Sydney! And from what it sounds like........... it sounds like they might be doing it with guns they're not supposed to have! 

 

Yes, America is still worse. It would be foolish to suggest otherwise. 

 

But it appears the presentation of Australia as this huge success............ was a sham! 

 

????????????

 

Cheers! 

 

 

• World News

‘Everyday life now’: Sydney reels from organised crime turf war

By webfact,

Yesterday at 08:33 AM in World News

 

ADVERTISEMENT

webfact 131518

Posted yesterday at 08:33 AM

Sydney has been shocked by a series of assassinations and drive-by shootings amid a turf war between two organised crime gangs – the Alameddine Family and the Hamzy clan. Mejid Hamzy, brother of Bassam Hamzy – the leader of the Brothers 4 Life gang, was shot outside a house in the city’s west in October 2020 [File: AAP Australia via EPA]

 

Police swoop on drug gangs in Australia’s biggest city but lawyers fear controversial law changes will leave minorities vulnerable.

 

By Ian Lloyd Neubauer

 

Last week, a home in Sydney’s southwest was sprayed with bullets during a drive-by shooting.

 

No one was injured, although it was the second time in six months the house had been targeted and came after three assassinations over three weeks and a total of 13 in two years.

 

“What can you do? It’s everyday life now,” a neighbour who heard the shots told a local TV station.

 

Full story: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/26/sydney-reels-from-organised-crime-turf-war

The difference here is that in the UK and Australia after the gun bans the guns are now mainly being used on gang wars and inter criminal activities - not mass shootings in schools by any crazed idiot - not for 25 years.

Yes, criminals still get hold of guns but it is hard for them to do so, they cannot just walk into a walmart and buy an AK57 assault rifle an hundreds of rounds of ammunition. 

Your post proves exactly this point

[xylophone]

3 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Previous thoughts I've had; raise the age to purchase, to maybe 25 yrs old, hopefully more mature and out of murdering school age from being bullied & rage.   

You make some good points in your post, and the one I have quoted above, IMO, should be one that is implemented because of the reason you state.

 

I heard a woman on the news yesterday rolling out the same old, same old, "guns don't kill people, people kill people". I would have loved someone to have answered, "guns are the instruments which people use to kill people, so take away the instruments and the deaths should fall".

 

And many quote the Second Amendment, however laws could be introduced which do not change that, however change the rules and regulations around it.

 

Having said that, the US seems to have more than its fair share of nutters, even electing a corrupt orange one as president – – so perhaps there isn't any hope!

[JCauto]

1 hour ago, PoodThaiMaiDai said:

Definitely tragic.

 

Cops are humans and make mistakes.

 

It is obvious they were not trained properly on handling an Active Shooter.

 

Due to staffing shortages across the nation many are working 60+ hours a week.  

 

There are annual training requirements with each state but when there are staffing shortages some of the training is pushed aside.

Stop the BS. The cops have been specifically told by the Supreme Court that they do not have to protect people. Not surprisingly, they literally were afraid to go in because there was a guy with a gun there and it was dangerous. Come on, you're saying, that can't be true. That's LITERALLY what the police lieutenant interviewed on CNN said directly. There have been 8 mass shootings in Texas in the last 13 years and they "were not trained properly"? Come on.

Oh the poor dears are working 60+ hours a week racking up massive overtime and getting paid an average of over $100,000 per year for a job that requires a high school degree and a couple of months of training. But won't go into danger to protect the citizens paying their bills even when it's a kid and the cops have far superior body armor and numbers. ALL. COPS. ARE. BAD. ACAB.