Gun Legislation, Crime, and Events

[1984Echoes]

6 hours ago, 1984Echoes said:

I think we first need to address our violent fascist White Trash Bigoted Hate-Everybody-And-Armed-Up in order to go on a Murder-Rampage problem.

I know you're sad about this G2...

But it's essentially correct.

Corroborative Theories:

13 minutes ago, chasfh said:

I agree that it's something more than just the proliferation of guns leading to our mass shooting situation. Lack of effective gun regulations is a big part of it, but...

... I think it also has to do with a few other things we have that other nations generally don't: the rhetoric around guns as a political and social right; the rhetoric around divisive politics leading to irrational hatreds of entire groups of people; the recent right of civilians to obtain and own firearms which are essentially tools of war. I think all of those factor into it.

But also, maybe, it has to do with a hypothesis I've noodled over the past several years: the sense of expectations people have about living in the US, with ... And, finally, the crushing disappointment and anger when all of that expectation evaporates and leaves people with nothing. ... Not everybody who's disappointed with their life is going to engage in a mass shooting. But too many people do...

[1984Echoes]

In other words:

It's right-wing sociological problems within White Trash America.

Their sense of entitlement.

Their sense of violent hatred towards anyone who is not just like them (ethnicity/ religion/ ideology/ whatever...).

And their military grade weaponry that they've armed themselves with.

They've been lashing out for over 20+ years.

Mass murders. Cultural rampages.

Some with mental issues, many without, only burning hatreds instead.

We're on the verge of losing this country to violent fascists that Trump is trying to cajole into action.

We're almost there.

[Motor City Sonics]

23 minutes ago, chasfh said:

I don't even want to seriously address the idea the fascist Democrats are purposely trying to stoke mass shootings by forcing certain medications onto the people, as a pretext to take away everyone's guns, because that's just to ignorant to give another second's thought to.

Like the Democratic Party could even pull that off anyway.  Give me a break.  

[chasfh]

5 minutes ago, Motor City Sonics said:

Like the Democratic Party could even pull that off anyway.  Give me a break.  

According to much of the right wing media, they most certainly are right now.

[MIguy]

50 minutes ago, Motor City Sonics said:

where are you seeing this? 

I was flipping around the TV and happened to see it on Fox News.

 

 

[oblong]

The new speaker once said mass shootings are the result of no fault divorce and teaching evolution in schools. 

[smr-nj]

7 minutes ago, oblong said:

The new speaker once said mass shootings are the result of no fault divorce and teaching evolution in schools. 

Yeah, he’s actually an adherent to even further right leaning beliefs than most GOP congressmen.  
He is a horror. He is no friend to women in this country And he certainly can be classified as an enemy to any LGBTQ citizen.

And let’s also recognize that the legitimacy of the 2024 certification of the upcoming Presidential election in his hands as speaker is likely in more danger than it was in 2020.  Can you wrap your head around that one??

[Dan Gilmore]

I’m modestly hopeful that enough voters see the GOP clown show, are turned off by stringent abortion laws and other crap, plus Drumpf’s negative coattails lead to Blue wave. Perhaps not a big wave, but enough to take bake the House and have the speakership.

[smr-nj]

48 minutes ago, Dan Gilmore said:

I’m modestly hopeful that enough voters see the GOP clown show, are turned off by stringent abortion laws and other crap, plus Drumpf’s negative coattails lead to Blue wave. Perhaps not a big wave, but enough to take bake the House and have the speakership.

I wish I shared your optimism, Dan, but I just see so many self-absorbed people who  seem to be mind-numbingly (is that even a word??🤪) complacent, and I don’t see them coming out to vote in THIS November election cycle.

 I really want to scream at times.  We are all so close to the precipice.  
 

edit to add:  and the stuff that’s going on at state level governments aren’t even ON any ballot…..  scary ****.  So scary, that some districts have been gerrymandered beyond all recognition.

And state level laws that are straight out of Handmaid’s Tale.

(then I wonder why I can’t sleep at night. I have got to stop reading some of these things past six or 7 o’clock as opposed to reading past one in the morning. I’m losing my mind ….what was left of it anyway)

edit again to mention that I’m starting 8 weeks of physical therapy, 2-3x a week.  Perhaps the pain & exhaustion will smack me outta the doldrums. 😁

[1984Echoes]

58 minutes ago, Dan Gilmore said:

I’m modestly hopeful that enough voters see the GOP clown show, are turned off by stringent abortion laws and other crap, plus Drumpf’s negative coattails lead to Blue wave. Perhaps not a big wave, but enough to take bake the House and have the speakership.

North Carolina just gerrymandered their House seats to dump 3 Dem districts and replace them with MAGA.

There are these, and other headwinds against Dems saving our democracy from the MAGA Fascist ****wad Faction.

[mtutiger]

Amazing how it's never time to talk about doing anything...

[chasfh]

3 minutes ago, mtutiger said:

Amazing how it's never time to talk about doing anything...

Legislatures have been legislating against the human heart since legislatures started legislating.

[Jim Cowan]

2 hours ago, chasfh said:

 

But also, maybe, it has to do with a hypothesis I've noodled over the past several years: the sense of expectations people have about living in the US, with its seemingly unlimited freedom and liberty and wealth, instilled in them by the adults and society around them starting when they are little kids. The ideas that we can be millionaires, that we can be president of the United States, that basically we can control our own destiny in any way we want without having to regard anybody else along the way, if only we work hard enough at it. And, finally, the crushing disappointment and anger when all of that expectation evaporates and leaves people with nothing. Those are ideas embedded into the DNA of the American people starting back a couple of centuries, and which are unique to us (or as Agent Orange would say, US). Not everybody who's disappointed with their life is going to engage in a mass shooting. But too many people do.

 

An outsider looking in would say that this is very important. An outsider looking in would add that what needs to be included with that thought is the glorification of violence throughout the origin stories of the United States.  That is what is truly unique, compared to other countries. 

[ewsieg]

Chuck, I hope that very last paragraph isn't directed at me as you are right, that would not be a serious idea.

As for your post, I feel like we're really close on our thoughts, we might just have some disagreement on how we interpret/define certain words.   When I believe we're facing mental illness issues, I'm not saying we have more sociopaths, psychopaths, or schizo's than other countries, I'm including what you've hypothesized in recent years.  That isn't mental health in the traditional sense, but it absolutely affects a person's mental health and that's exactly what i'm thinking about when i'm talking mental health as the reason why people choose to do this, add in an ease in finding the tools to carry it out and that's why we're exponentially outpacing the world. 

[ewsieg]

3 hours ago, chasfh said:

 don't even want to seriously address the idea the fascist Democrats are purposely trying to stoke mass shootings by forcing certain medications onto the people, as a pretext to take away everyone's guns, because that's just to ignorant to give another second's thought to.

I would like to say in regards to this and what Edman posted earlier.  I think the socio-economic issues are driving up the depression medications.   I do think in some individual cases, this makes it worse, not better. 
 

As I’ve mentioned here, my wife was damaged by the Covid (+flu) shot.  I am still a proponent of them, but I feel it’s important to tell people so they can educate people that taking them together if you already have an auto-immune disease.  I worry when I say it people are rolling their eyes and I’m losing credibility with them.

[ewsieg]

4 hours ago, 1984Echoes said:

In other words:

It's right-wing sociological problems within White Trash America.

Their sense of entitlement.

Their sense of violent hatred towards anyone who is not just like them (ethnicity/ religion/ ideology/ whatever...).

And their military grade weaponry that they've armed themselves with.

They've been lashing out for over 20+ years.

Mass murders. Cultural rampages.

Some with mental issues, many without, only burning hatreds instead.

We're on the verge of losing this country to violent fascists that Trump is trying to cajole into action.

We're almost there.

Please understand this, YOU are part of the problem.

[1984Echoes]

Yeah, go ahead and explain that.

[gehringer_2]

4 hours ago, Dan Gilmore said:

I’m modestly hopeful that enough voters see the GOP clown show, are turned off by stringent abortion laws and other crap, plus Drumpf’s negative coattails lead to Blue wave. Perhaps not a big wave, but enough to take bake the House and have the speakership.

It's not showing up in the polling, but OTOH, the Dems success in recent special elections has been good. One can only hope that what we are seeing in polling data is just the continuing collapse in the efficacy of telephone based polling.

[casimir]

9 hours ago, mtutiger said:

Amazing how it's never time to talk about doing anything...

This smug MF should have been bowling in Maine the other night.

[pfife]

NPR going comedy?   They just asked if congress was going to do anything in response to the latest shooting. 

[casimir]

2 minutes ago, pfife said:

NPR going comedy?   They just asked if congress was going to do anything in response to the latest shooting. 

Nothing will happen until they are directly involved.  And even they are directly involved (Janaury 6), they'll still drag their feet to do anything worthwhile.  The best anyone can hope for is to be lucky enough to never be involved in one of these situations.  That's all we have in defense of mass shootings.  Hope and luck.

[pfife]

They didn't even do anything after Scalise was shot.   It's a damn joke.  A really bad and deadly one.

[chasfh]

9 hours ago, ewsieg said:

Chuck, I hope that very last paragraph isn't directed at me as you are right, that would not be a serious idea.

As for your post, I feel like we're really close on our thoughts, we might just have some disagreement on how we interpret/define certain words.   When I believe we're facing mental illness issues, I'm not saying we have more sociopaths, psychopaths, or schizo's than other countries, I'm including what you've hypothesized in recent years.  That isn't mental health in the traditional sense, but it absolutely affects a person's mental health and that's exactly what i'm thinking about when i'm talking mental health as the reason why people choose to do this, add in an ease in finding the tools to carry it out and that's why we're exponentially outpacing the world. 

It’s not about you, Eric. Did you even touch on that? I don’t even know.

The mental health commentary was a counter to the idea expressed by many on the right, at least on the twitter thing, that it’s not about guns, it’s about mental health. Examples: 

 

[pfife]

Does the speaker of the house know the difference between a heart and a mind?

[ewsieg]

I do agree with republicans that mental illness (in a holistic view) is the root of the problem and until that is properly cared for you will continue to see deaths due to someone 'snapping'.  Guns are just a more efficient way for these folks to rack up a body count.

My problem with republicans isn't that they are incorrect on the root of the problem, it's that they refuse to put a band-aid on it (common sense gun laws) and offer no solutions on the mental illness portion outside of 'go find God'.   The democratic solution of focusing on the guns, IMO, doesn't address the root of the problem, but it definitely would save lives while we all work to correct the root of the problem.