Vegas gunman kills 58, wounds 515 during outdoor music concert

[turok]

"LAS VEGAS (AP) — A gunman on the 32nd floor of a Las Vegas hotel-casino rained heavy fire down on a crowd of over 22,000 at an outdoor country music festival, turning the expanse into a killing ground from which there was little escape. At least 58 people died."


"It was the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. In addition to the dead, at least 515 people were injured, authorities said."

"Investigators gave few details on the weapons used, but police during the attack reported over the radio that it was fully automatic fire."

https://www.apnews.com/4eeaef2efced...led-as-gunman-opens-fire-at-Las-Vegas-concert



We Murkins just keep upping the ante for the deadliest mass-shootings ever, every single year.


NRA statement in 3-2-1....

 

[Michchamp]

if you read the statements of idiots (like Trump) or gun industry reps, the current focus-group vetted PR solution for this one seems to be that it was just "evil." And "evil" exists in the world, like in the Biblical sense or something, and there is nothing we can do about it. so don't even try.

well, nothing we can do about it, except to buy guns of our own, of course, preferably from American manufacturers that support the NRA.

of course in this situation, the shooter was firing from the 32nd floor of a nearby hotel, so handguns would not help; everyone should carry sniper rifles af all times, in addition to handguns. and that's a perfectly reasonable thing, and not at all a sign of a sick, fucked up, with some serious issues.

 

[turok]

Mandatory arming and armoring the entirety of the US population to the teeth is obviously the only plausible solution that the GOP, ammosexuals, and the NRA would come up with.

Decided not to post this topic in the Politics forum, given that the suicided gunman's possible motivations for plotting and executing his killing/wounding rampage have not as yet been revealed.

 

[turok]

"Alleged Las Vegas concert gunman Stephen Paddock was a wealthy former accountant who seemed to be living a quiet retirement in a desert community."

"The 64-year-old, of Mesquite, Nevada, had a pilot's and hunting licence and no criminal record, said authorities."


"But one former neighbour said the suspect was a professional gambler and "weird".
There was reason to believe Paddock had a history of psychological problems, a US official told Reuters news agency."


"Paddock opened fire from the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino on Sunday night, killing at least 58 people and wounding more than 500 others, before turning the gun on himself as police closed in, said officials."


"Nineteen rifles were found in the 32nd-floor hotel room that Paddock checked into last Thursday, along with hundreds of rounds of ammunition, US media report."




http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41472462

 

[tinselwolverine]

if you read the statements of idiots (like Trump) or gun industry reps, the current focus-group vetted PR solution for this one seems to be that it was just "evil." And "evil" exists in the world, like in the Biblical sense or something, and there is nothing we can do about it. so don't even try.

well, nothing we can do about it, except to buy guns of our own, of course, preferably from American manufacturers that support the NRA.

of course in this situation, the shooter was firing from the 32nd floor of a nearby hotel, so handguns would not help; everyone should carry sniper rifles af all times, in addition to handguns. and that's a perfectly reasonable thing, and not at all a sign of a sick, fucked up, with some serious issues.

I thought I had understood that he was using a fully automatic weapon, which I also believe I understand are not lawful for civilians to have as it stands.

 

[Thumb]

I thought I had understood that he was using a fully automatic weapon, which I also believe I understand are not lawful for civilians to have as it stands.

There are many, many, loopholes.

 

[Spartanmack]

I thought I had understood that he was using a fully automatic weapon, which I also believe I understand are not lawful for civilians to have as it stands.

that's my understanding as well. I believe certain automatic weapons pre 1986 are legal and Nevada is one state that hasn't enacted restrictions to further limit or control them. but those permits are extremely difficult and expensive to get and the guns themselves are outrageously expensive. I haven't heard any reports that this shooter had such a license. i don't really get why some people think making all guns illegal will prevent criminals and crazy people from getting their hands on guns that are already illegal.

interestingly, many of these same people are also the ones most adamenetly opposed to policies like stop and frisk. there's no plan to get illegal guns out of bad guys hands but how about we take legal guns out of innocent peoples' hands. as long as we do something, dummies will vote for us, even if it actually makes law abiding citizens less safe.

 

[Spartanmack]

There are many, many, loopholes.

no, there aren't and that's why there really haven't been any cases of the use of automatic weapons in mass shootings or murders in general. articles I read indicate it's been since at least 1982 - as stated above these guns have been illegal for civilians to possess since 1986.

Slate even published the fact that use of these weapons even prior to the ban was extremely rare.

 

[biggunsbob]

Lions safety Mikes Killebrew had 6 Friends injured at the shooting one still in the hospital.

http://www.freep.com/story/sports/n...-nfl-detroit-lions-miles-killebrew/725313001/

 

[mhughes0021]

A friend's daughter was at the concert. Her boyfriend covered her and died. Terrible.

 

[TheVictors]

I'm so sick and tired of this. I hate what our country is now and the vile, reprehensible lack of civility.

Sick of it.

 

[sggatecl]

https://www.nraila.org/gun-laws/state-gun-laws/nevada/?page=1&state=1568&startDate=&endDate=&search=&contributor=0&contentBuckets=8166%2c8176%2c8177%2c8178%2c8195%2c8180%2c8188%2c8190%2c8189%2c8181%2c8183%2c8185%2c8191%2c8182%2c8186%2c8192%2c8194%2c8187&geo=1568#latest-news

Nevada Gun Laws

Machine Guns
It is lawful to possess, purchase or sell a machine gun or silencer that is legally registered and possessed in compliance with all federal laws and regulations.

It is unlawful to possess, manufacture, or dispose of a rifle with a barrel under 16 inches in length, a shotgun with a barrel under 18 inches, or a rifle or shotgun with an overall length under 26 inches. Peace officers and persons licensed by the United States Department of the Treasury as importers, manufacturers, collectors or dealers are exempt.

My cousin owns several high end weapons in Virginia where there are also lax gun laws. While there are rules, he's always said as long as you have the cash it's not very difficult to procure these types of weapons.

 

[Michchamp]

https://www.nraila.org/gun-laws/state-gun-laws/nevada/?page=1&state=1568&startDate=&endDate=&search=&contributor=0&contentBuckets=8166%2c8176%2c8177%2c8178%2c8195%2c8180%2c8188%2c8190%2c8189%2c8181%2c8183%2c8185%2c8191%2c8182%2c8186%2c8192%2c8194%2c8187&geo=1568#latest-news



My cousin owns several high end weapons in Virginia where there are also lax gun laws. While there are rules, he's always said as long as you have the cash it's not very difficult to procure these types of weapons.

to me, that's a sign that dealers and "collectors" know jack shit is being done to enforce gun laws. this is not a new thing under Trump, but I have no hope he'll do jack shit about it.

 

[Michchamp]

this shooting is particularly strange. not clear what his motivation was.

no prior arrests... no documented history of mental illness or odd behavior.

the news reports his dad was a career criminal and described as "psychotic" by the feds, but I don't know that matters; the shooter was 64, and that seems a little late to develop a psychotic personality.

shooter here just sounded like a lifelong mediocrity. they reported he had a bunch of "large transactions" at casinos recently, but aren't saying if they are wins or losses. I guess they might not have a way of knowing for sure they were losses. do casinos track that sort of thing, or would they just be able to see if he redeemed any chips?

 

[turok]

this shooting is particularly strange. not clear what his motivation was.

no prior arrests... no documented history of mental illness or odd behavior.

the news reports his dad was a career criminal and described as "psychotic" by the feds, but I don't know that matters; the shooter was 64, and that seems a little late to develop a psychotic personality.

shooter here just sounded like a lifelong mediocrity. they reported he had a bunch of "large transactions" at casinos recently, but aren't saying if they are wins or losses. I guess they might not have a way of knowing for sure they were losses. do casinos track that sort of thing, or would they just be able to see if he redeemed any chips?

Someone who traveled to Vegas with a cache of 19 rifles and hundreds of rounds of ammo, had a planned death wish while taking out as many unsuspecting innocent people as he could mow down until found and surrounded. Whether he won or lost thousands prior to opening fire likely no longer mattered. He was intent upon etching his name and deed into US infamy. Rather than dying in a close-quarters shootout with LEOs, he took the cowardly way out.

 

[Michchamp]

LA Times reported he was using a legally purchased modification that allowed him to fire almost full auto. link.

devices to "legally" modify assault rifles to fire close to full auto seem like reasonable things to allow civilians to own, no? sure they COULD be used to massacre 50+ innocent people with no warning, sowing chaos, devastation, and anguish among us, but on the other hand, what if a guy wants to form a well-regulated militia to oppose tyranny? this is just the price we pay for freedom.

 

[turok]

No one needs even a semi-auto weapon to defend themselves and their homestead, and it appears that most are owned by those living in exurban/rural areas of the US. Odds of surprise are still in any invaders' favor, along with superior numbers and sheer sacrificial desperation. Their cache of firearms and ammo potentially/inevitably being used against them.

A "well regulated" militia nowadays isn't well regulated, and who do not use loose gunpowder, flints, tamp, and ball to single fire from muskets.

I have lived and worked gun-free in some of the more crime-prone areas of metro-Detroit over the past 60 years.

 

[Thumb]

no, there aren't and that's why there really haven't been any cases of the use of automatic weapons in mass shootings or murders in general. articles I read indicate it's been since at least 1982 - as stated above these guns have been illegal for civilians to possess since 1986.

Slate even published the fact that use of these weapons even prior to the ban was extremely rare.

Yes, there are, and someone has already posted proof in this thread.

I personally know more than one person with a permit for a fully automatic firearm.

 

[Michchamp]

...

I personally know more than one person with a permit for a fully automatic firearm.

you personally know more than one PATRIOT is what youre saying. I wish I knew someone who owned a full auto rifle. I'd thank them for our freedom everyday.

 

[biggunsbob]

Has to be something we can all come together and agree on . Thankfully everyone I know out in Vegas was safe. Nothing will get done until we change the campaign finance laws probably. NRA, and the gun control lobby just another powerful lobby that some politicians by the balls sadly.