Yet another shooting in USA

Dinahmo

NanaDana

Some have described American society as being sick. True, but so is ours. The difference is that they have the means to wound and to commit murder readily available to them. Their horrendous homicide rate is clearly directly related to their gun laws, which make approval of gun ownership a mere formality. I've no doubt that if the same laws applied here, we'd also have soaring homicide rates. Our knife crime is bad enough, but at least here you can't simply visit your local shopping mall, show your driving license, and buy an assault rifle. Will it ever change in the U.S.A? Frankly, I very much doubt it. Gun culture is so deeply ingrained there, and the "right to bear arms" has almost been enshrined as a so-called cornerstone of democracy. So as "American as apple pie... and gun crime". Sadly, the shootings will continue, for as long as the means to commit them is so readily available. Everyone knows this, but no-one appears to be capable of doing anything about it, other than to make a few minor changes around the edges of the law, which will have little or no effect on the continuing tragic outcome.

I don't think that many would in the UK would like similar gun laws to that in the US.

Remember Dunblane?

"Galvanized by a grassroots campaign led largely by the Dunblane students’ parents, U.K. leaders took decisive legislative action. By the end of 1997, Parliament had banned private ownership of most handguns, building on measures passed following the Hungerford killings, including a semi-automatic weapons ban and mandatory registration for shotgun owners."

The above was taken from an article by the Smithsonian magazine written in 2021. Since then there have been no school shootings in the UK and the only mass shooting between then and now was in 2010 in Cumbria when 12 people were killed.

Recently there have been some shootings which have horrified the population. These, however, were mostly committed by criminals, not people either mentally ill or with an axe to grind.

The Plymouth shootings in 2021 were horrendous.

A young man known to have MH problems had a legally-owned pump sction shotgun. He killed five people, injured others before killing himself.
His gun licence, having been revoked, was renewed a month before the shootings.

And now another one.

www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/crime/yarmouth-shooting-maine-interstate-295-b2322127.html?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=IND_Breaking_News%20shooting&utm_term=IND_Breaking_Newsletter

For anyone who has relatives living in the USA, this must be a constant worry - every time there's one of these "Breaking News" headlines.

My partner used to have to make frequent trips to the US - travelling around meeting prospective customers, I was always apprehensive, even though I - and he - were assured by work colleagues that it was highly unlikely he'd ever be involved in one of these incidents.

... more "prayers", candle light vigils - and more, "guns don't kill people, people kill people. And more calls for more 'good' citizens to be allowed to carry guns. In a 'shoot-out' if everyone's waving guns around - how do you know which one is the perpetrator?

I despair.

Apparently homeschooling is on the rise in the USA as parents are becoming scared to send their children to school.

They have released information on the suspect, he has been named.

Strangely, no information on the motive or the suspect has been released as of yet. Not even whether the suspect has been arrested or killed.

NanaDana

Some have described American society as being sick. True, but so is ours. The difference is that they have the means to wound and to commit murder readily available to them. Their horrendous homicide rate is clearly directly related to their gun laws, which make approval of gun ownership a mere formality. I've no doubt that if the same laws applied here, we'd also have soaring homicide rates. Our knife crime is bad enough, but at least here you can't simply visit your local shopping mall, show your driving license, and buy an assault rifle. Will it ever change in the U.S.A? Frankly, I very much doubt it. Gun culture is so deeply ingrained there, and the "right to bear arms" has almost been enshrined as a so-called cornerstone of democracy. So as "American as apple pie... and gun crime". Sadly, the shootings will continue, for as long as the means to commit them is so readily available. Everyone knows this, but no-one appears to be capable of doing anything about it, other than to make a few minor changes around the edges of the law, which will have little or no effect on the continuing tragic outcome.

I don't think that many would in the UK would like similar gun laws to that in the US.

Remember Dunblane?

"Galvanized by a grassroots campaign led largely by the Dunblane students’ parents, U.K. leaders took decisive legislative action. By the end of 1997, Parliament had banned private ownership of most handguns, building on measures passed following the Hungerford killings, including a semi-automatic weapons ban and mandatory registration for shotgun owners."

The above was taken from an article by the Smithsonian magazine written in 2021. Since then there have been no school shootings in the UK and the only mass shooting between then and now was in 2010 in Cumbria when 12 people were killed.

Recently there have been some shootings which have horrified the population. These, however, were mostly committed by criminals, not people either mentally ill or with an axe to grind.

I also think trying to understand it culturally is like trying to understand cultures where women arent allowed to work/be educated, it is so beyond our cultural understanding if you know what I mean.

It's all about money and the strength of the NRA maddyone

Maizie I do know you’re right, my son has said much the same thing. Would it be able to be legislated on if the government were majority Democrat? I don’t understand the mindset of anyone who wants to own a gun, nor the mindset of politicians who allow it to continue.

Some have described American society as being sick. True, but so is ours. The difference is that they have the means to wound and to commit murder readily available to them. Their horrendous homicide rate is clearly directly related to their gun laws, which make approval of gun ownership a mere formality. I've no doubt that if the same laws applied here, we'd also have soaring homicide rates. Our knife crime is bad enough, but at least here you can't simply visit your local shopping mall, show your driving license, and buy an assault rifle. Will it ever change in the U.S.A? Frankly, I very much doubt it. Gun culture is so deeply ingrained there, and the "right to bear arms" has almost been enshrined as a so-called cornerstone of democracy. So as "American as apple pie... and gun crime". Sadly, the shootings will continue, for as long as the means to commit them is so readily available. Everyone knows this, but no-one appears to be capable of doing anything about it, other than to make a few minor changes around the edges of the law, which will have little or no effect on the continuing tragic outcome.

I read about this earlier...there are no words really?!

www.thedailybeast.com/family-demands-justice-after-black-teen-ralph-yarl-shot-in-the-head-after-ringing-wrong-doorbell

maddyone

These shootings are terribly sad and absolutely unnecessary if only the government would do something about the gun laws. But neither party is interested in doing that. Biden was in Ireland last week pretending to care about the previous violence there. He should go home and do something about the violence in America.

Biden can't do much about the gun laws because of the peculiar US constitution. He does not control the majority party in the legislative assembly. Any legislation he wants to make can be voted down by the Republicans.

US Presidents only have power to change legislation if the majority party in the legislative assembly is their own party.

Back when you had a gun that took a few minutes to load at a time and only fired one shot, there was plenty of time for your victim to run away, you to change your mind and mass shooting was not possible... it seems daft to keep the same rules

Besides, they are called "assault" rifles not "protection" rfiles

While I can appreciate the historical reasons for bearing arms, I do not see how that has morphed into anyone, irrespective of their mental capacity, being able to buy an automatic weapon. I am afraid that this inability to face up to what is so obvious to non Americans makes me lose any sympathy when yet another mass shooting occurs. It also leads me to disregard the USA's opinion on any conflict elsewhere for they are evidently incapable of dealing with their own issues. I have a lot of family living in USA, and one in particular is a Trump supporter, when she comments on anything that is happening here, I am tempted to reply that 'well, at least I was able to send my children to school without fear of them being shot'. There are many things wrong with this country, but mass shootings (with the few awful exceptions) of school children are not one of them.

nanna8

And good old Donald is wanting them to be even more heavily armed. What is wrong with the man ?

Lots of things

Probably all of them

And good old Donald is wanting them to be even more heavily armed. What is wrong with the man ?

The majority of Americans want gun control

The problem is that those who do not want gun control have guns

Who is going to volunteer to take them away?

These shootings are terribly sad and absolutely unnecessary if only the government would do something about the gun laws. But neither party is interested in doing that. Biden was in Ireland last week pretending to care about the previous violence there. He should go home and do something about the violence in America.

I recently read/heard that the reason America is like it is, is because the country has not been in existence for as long as European countries and is therefore less civilized. There could be some truth in that.

The Small Arms Survey from 2017 cites the USA with 120.15 civilian firearms per 100 persons. the next highest is Yemen with 52.8 and the highest European country is Serbia with 39.1. Switzerland is 27.6, France 19.6 and England and Wales 4.6.

In a way these facts support my first sentence.

As I understand it, the majority of Americans support gun control of some sort. The problem is that the NRA is so powerful and can overwhelm anyone who is against them.

Two of my GC are American and it’s an ever-present fear in my mind for them.

I am afraid the USA is losing any respect it may have once had. I am not a fan of Piers Morgan by any means, but one of the reasons he gave up his job in the USA was due to a very difficult interview he had with a gun supporter. The right to bear arms - any arms it seems to me and often without police checks - is absolutely ingrained. After every mass shooting, they have the usual litany of prayers, more guns needed, now is not the time to talk about etc., etc. America get the government they deserve.