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[Ernest]

Bear in mind that Nevada is an "open carry" state so he could have just carried the guns right up to his hotel room openly and there's nothing anybody could have done.

 

[cordy]

More perspective from this absolutely insane, but true stat:


Number of Americans killed on battlefields in all wars in history:

1,396,733

Killed by firearms in the US since 1968:

1,516,863

Christ.

 

[Widdle Puppy]

Why not? People are packed in like sardines. All it takes is a slight idea as to where to hoister.

it seems unreal how powerful they are especially from a distance.

 

[Sinfamy]

I'm not going to pretend like these mass shootings and terrorist attacks in dense areas aren't effective me.
Call me paranoid, but I avoid the shit out of any event these days.

 

[Kinyou]

Bear in mind that Nevada is an "open carry" state so he could have just carried the guns right up to his hotel room openly and there's nothing anybody could have done.

Can't private businesses declare their building a gun free zone?

Considering how angry people in a casino can get it would be pretty crazy if they allow open carry

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

Bear in mind that Nevada is an "open carry" state so he could have just carried the guns right up to his hotel room openly and there's nothing anybody could have done.

I believe that private businesses can bar weapons, and that the casinos do.

 

[Betty]

yea but you can only shoot one at a time

Which is why we hear him empty the gun/magazine and then grab a new one to continue firing.

Repeatedly.

 

[Steel]

How? Why? This is beyond bizarre.

Apparently he was shooting at people 12 football fields away? 1000+ yards.

I practice shooting a few times a month, and have been a shooter since I was very little. Only Prone, or on a bench, can I hit a target 700 yards away. And that is with a high mag scope firing very slowly. At that distance rapid fire shots would spray everywhere, there would be people hit or dead that were not anywhere near the concert. This keeps getting stranger.

I could wrap my head around it if this guy was a seal sniper maybe. Even then its insanity.
.

He didn't need to be accurate. The space between people out there was less than a foot.

 

[mike6467]

Can't private businesses declare their building a gun free zone?

I've seen this at every place I've worked. I have no idea if they're enforceable though, I've had coworkers imply they weren't.

"Open carry" only applies to public places. A private business can restrict an individual carrying weapons on its property.

This is good to know.

 

[sflufan]

Bear in mind that Nevada is an "open carry" state so he could have just carried the guns right up to his hotel room openly and there's nothing anybody could have done.

"Open carry" only applies to public places. A private business can restrict an individual carrying weapons on its property.

 

[Fancyarcher]

Kinda crazy, just heard the CEO of the company I work for, who is a hard core Trump supporter, say "I'm not a gun control guy but maybe it's time we do something about this"

I'm sure he's in the minority but it's kinda encouraging to think that maybe some minds will change on gun control.

That's good to hear, but until I start hearing more support, and more people stop voting GOP, I doubt anything happens. Would be good though, of course.

 

[opticalmace]

I dreaded waking up this morning after following the story last night. I saw it when it was 20 dead and 100 injured. It's now over 500 injured ????? Fucking insane.

actually can a mod update the title to reflect the injured count please?

 

[Ozigizo]

https://twitter.com/ZekeJMiller/status/914916772079456256
https://twitter.com/ZekeJMiller/status/914917105316896769
https://twitter.com/ZekeJMiller/status/914917751453618176

Protip: there will never be a right time to discuss gun control. Too many politicians in the NRA pocket.

 

[Vilix]

Our dear leader recognizing a moment of silence.

 

[NullPointer]

Kinda crazy, just heard the CEO of the company I work for, who is a hard core Trump supporter, say "I'm not a gun control guy but maybe it's time we do something about this"

I'm sure he's in the minority but it's kinda encouraging to think that maybe some minds will change on gun control.

The problem isn't public support - its the NRA's stranglehold on politicians.

Here is a breakdown of polling shortly after Sandy Hook:

Johns Hopkins' Bloomberg School of Public Health: A national survey of 2,703 respondents found 89 percent support universal background checks; 69 percent support banning the sale of semiautomatic assault weapons; 68 percent support banning the sale of large-capacity ammunition magazines.

Fox News: The conservative news network asked 1,008 registered voters about various policies, finding that 91 percent favored universal background checks on all gun purchases; 54 percent supported banning assault weapons; while 56 percent supported banning the sale of high-capacity magazines.

Gallup: 1,021 Americans were asked if they would want their member of Congress to vote for or against President Obama's slate of favored gun legislation -- 53 percent said "for," 41 percent said "against."

Gallup: A separate poll of 1,013 Americans were asked about specific gun policies. Ninety-one percent favored universal background checks; 60 percent favored reinstating the assault weapons ban; 54 percent favored prohibiting the sale of high-capacity magazines.

Pew: The organization asked 1,006 Americans if they thought "Obama's proposals on guns go too far, not far enough or are about right." While 31 percent said they went too far, 39 percent said they were about right and 13 percent said they didn't go far enough. That gives Obama's proposal a 21 point edge.

Washington Post/ABC News: Unlike most other polls, this survey of 1,001 adults found greater support for a ban on high-capacity magazines (65 percent) than reinstating the assault weapons ban (58 percent), though solid majorities supported both. Meanwhile, 88 percent supported universal background checks, and 71 percent supported the creation of a federal database to track gun sales.

Washington Post/ABC News: A separate poll of 1,033 Americans found that 53 percent had a "favorable" view of Obama's gun control proposals, while 41 percent had an "unfavorable" view.

CNN/ORC: A national poll of 602 Americans found that 95 percent favored universal background checks, while 62 percent favored a ban on the sale of both assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.

Public Religion Research Institute: The think tank asked 1,033 Americans if they favored "stricter gun control" -- 36 percent strongly supported it, while 24 favored it. Just 14 percent opposed and 23 percent strongly opposed it, giving those who favor stricter laws a 23 point edge overall.

NBC News/Wall Street Journal: Asked 1,000 adults, "In general, do you feel that the laws covering the sale of firearms should be made more strict, less strict, or kept as they are now?" Fifty-six percent said "more strict," while just 7 percent said they should be "less strict."

New York Times/CBS News: The national poll of 1,110 Americans found that 92 percent favor universal background checks on all gun purchases; 58 percent favor a ban on assault weapons; and 63 percent favor a ban on high-capacity magazines.

AP/GfK: Of the 1,004 adults surveyed, 84 percent favored universal background checks for all gun sales, 55 percent favored a ban on "military-style" assault weapons, 51 percent favored a ban on high-capacity magazines.

The vast majority of Americans support further regulation, and yet, nothing could get passed.

 

[tearsintherain]

Bear in mind that Nevada is an "open carry" state so he could have just carried the guns right up to his hotel room openly and there's nothing anybody could have done.

Open carry does not mean you can carry guns on private property. All hotels, starbucks, shops, schools, hospitals, etc in Nevada have signs "guns are not allowed" and he would have been stopped and sent away entering any strip hotel open carrying a gun. It just means you can walk around a gun in the desert or public lands but any private business can turn you away.

 

[ResidentWeevil13]

From reading the wapo article detailing his life and interactions with people, it sounds like he was just a real selfish and lonely sonofabitch, who wanted to make the world burn with him when he decided it was time to die. Looks like the woman he was with left him, probably because of how shitty a person he was. Hope there's a hell he's burning in.

Reading through the article you posted, and this jumped out to me.

Their father was once on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list. He was a fugitive bank robber and rarely around for either son. “I was born on the run,” said Eric Paddock.

How bizarre.

 

[sflufan]

I've seen this at every place I've worked. I have no idea if they're enforceable though, I've had coworkers imply they weren't.

Your co-workers have no goddamned idea what they're talking about. A private institution can totally restrict an individual from carrying a weapon on to its property.

 

[TheContact]

Correct. If I wasn't carrying, even then I'd still respond to the threat. When I'm armed, at least there is a better chance than being without.

How many hours of gun and situational awareness training do you have? If the answer is “barely any” or “none” then trying to respond to a threat with a firearm with no training makes you extremely dangerous to the people around you. It’s easy to sit back and say, “if I had a gun..” but you have likely never been in a situation where you’re being shot at and mass panic around you.

 

[Shpeshal Nick]

I can't believe a single gun can kill so many people from so far away like this.

That’s why at first I assumed it was multiple shooters. I couldn’t understand how 1 guy with 1 gun high up in a hotel window could do that cause that much carnage.

 

[Temeculan3000]

Can't private businesses declare their building a gun free zone?

Considering how angry peopoe in a casino can get it woukd be pretty crazy if they allow open carry

Yes they can restrict guns on private property, but apparently with the popularity of concealed carry in Nevada, a lot of Casinos don't ban guns.

I don't know Mandalay Bay's policy though.

 

[RoadHazard]

Bear in mind that Nevada is an "open carry" state so he could have just carried the guns right up to his hotel room openly and there's nothing anybody could have done.

How do some Americans (by which I mean like half the population) not see how fucking insane this is in a supposedly developed, modern society?

EDIT:

Open carry does not mean you can carry guns on private property. All hotels, starbucks, shops, schools, hospitals, etc in Nevada have signs "guns are not allowed" and he would have been stopped and sent away entering any strip hotel open carrying a gun. It just means you can walk around a gun in the desert or public lands but any private business can turn you away.

Fine. But still.

 

[UnObtainium17]

I'm not going to pretend like these mass shootings and terrorist attacks in dense areas aren't effective me.
Call me paranoid, but I avoid the shit out of any event these days.

Honestly.. I’m flying in 3 days for a10day vacation.. I’m worried too. I don’t let fear get to me but you just can’t help but think about it because fucked up shit been happening everywhere and often.

 

[Cranster]

RIP to the victims.

The sad thing is there was a suspected ISIS attack in Edmenton saturday and not a single fatality. Two Canadians are comfirmed to be casualties in this shooting though which could have been prevented by common sense gun laws.

 

[Seganomics]

Your username is extremely fitting.

A nation of social shut-ins scared to death of their fellow man, consuming brain-dead media that reinforces and fuels their paranoia further.
Luckily you can buy something to simply project lethal force wherever you point it towards. No solutions, just further escalation.

Well put

 

[TheCthultist]

I can't believe a single gun can kill so many people from so far away like this.

Automatic/semi-automatic fire, from an elevated position, down into an incredibly tightly-packed group of people, in a wide open venue. Its, unfortunately, very easy to believe.

 

[RedRum]

I can't believe a single gun can kill so many people from so far away like this.

Marines are taught to hit a small circle target with a semi-auto rifle (used to be no scopes or sights) at 500 yards. It doubt it would take much to just shoot down with an automatic weapon, 30-something floors up at an area full of people. Surprised this nut job didn't kill more people.

 

[DrForester]

Nearly 600 people killed or injured by one person on a rampage. And republicans and their supporters want nothing done. Even a defense force in this thread. Its sickening.



Do we know how long he was firing on people? That 600 people were killed or injured is kind of mind boggling. I don't fault the first responders for taking so long to find him, given he was in a hotel room well above the venue. Just curious how long this lasted for.

 

[Catdaddy]

Bear in mind that Nevada is an "open carry" state so he could have just carried the guns right up to his hotel room openly and there's nothing anybody could have done.

Considering when you check into a hotel most of the stuff you have is “concealed” in your luggage – he was there since Thursday sure there were multiple trips with the same bag and no one was the wiser.

 

[Temeculan3000]

Nearly 600 people killed or injured by one person on a rampage. And republicans and their supporters want nothing done. Even a defense force in this thread. Its sickening.



Do we know how long he was firing on people? That 600 people were killed or injured is kind of mind boggling. I don't fault the first responders for taking so long to find him, given he was in a hotel room well above the venue. Just curious how long this lasted for.

I heard on the radio this morning some people said it went on for 20 minutes.

 

[Steel]

Nearly 600 people killed or injured by one person on a rampage. And republicans and their supporters want nothing done. Even a defense force in this thread. Its sickening.



Do we know how long he was firing on people? That 600 people were killed or injured is kind of mind boggling. I don't fault the first responders for taking so long to find him, given he was in a hotel room well above the venue. Just curious how long this lasted for.

15 minutes or so.

 

[spazchicken]

Ah yes, the old, empty call to "come together."

Sure, I'll come together with people who understand we need stricter gun control and its role in reducing the chances for things like this.

The people shrugging their shoulders and saying, "Well, doesn't mean we need more gun control"? They can fuck right off.

Fucking lol.

"Shhhh, no talk of gun control now (or ever). Only thoughts and prayers."

To be fair, at least one of the guns he used was already illegal so I'm not sure what exactly gun control would have done to prevent this from happening.

 

[iJack]

Open carry is insanity. The fact that ANYTHING other than firearms are commercialized is crazy. The fact that you people think carrying a freaking semi-automatic in open air is not only legal but normal is insane. Get your shit together, USA.

 

[NullPointer]

Do we know how long he was firing on people?

I've read witness accounts anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes.

 

[Steel]

To be fair, at least one of the guns he used was already illegal so I'm not sure what exactly gun control would have done to prevent this from happening.

Do we actually know that?

 

[Ovid]

Nearly 600 people killed or injured by one person on a rampage. And republicans and their supporters want nothing done. Even a defense force in this thread. Its sickening.



Do we know how long he was firing on people? That 600 people were killed or injured is kind of mind boggling. I don't fault the first responders for taking so long to find him, given he was in a hotel room well above the venue. Just curious how long this lasted for.

Yeah, that number is crazy to me. That's a type of number you see for natural disasters.

 

[BlackGoku03]

What do you suppose is the minimum acceptable effort when responding to an information-free concern troll from an alt account? I presume the poster was banned for good reason. I've offered a more thoughtful opinion elsewhere in the thread & feel that this thread is large enough for both approaches. I live in Arkansas, btw, people say all kinds of stuff in real life here, too.

Not saying you have to put the kids gloves on, just that we owe it to ourselves to shoot dumb dumb comments like that down with reason and not just hot takes. I'm sure he didn't read your comments anyway.

But it's a non-issue. He was banned when I posted that.


And I lived in Little Rock in the early 90s when it was bad. I know how Arkansas can be... I once couldn't rent a pool tire at an outdoor pool because I was black.

 

[Randolph Freelander]

https://twitter.com/ZekeJMiller/status/914916772079456256
https://twitter.com/ZekeJMiller/status/914917105316896769
https://twitter.com/ZekeJMiller/status/914917751453618176

477 days since Orlando.
670 days since San Bernardino.
1279 days since Ft. Hood.
1753 days since Sandy Hook.
1900 days since Aurora.
6740 days since Columbine.

How many of those days have the GOP been willing to discuss sensible gun control?

 

[Catdaddy]

Nearly 600 people killed or injured by one person on a rampage. And republicans and their supporters want nothing done. Even a defense force in this thread. Its sickening.



Do we know how long he was firing on people? That 600 people were killed or injured is kind of mind boggling. I don't fault the first responders for taking so long to find him, given he was in a hotel room well above the venue. Just curious how long this lasted for.

At least some of the injuries were from the panicked crowd. I’m sure at some point they will know how many are gun related and crowd related.

 

[spazchicken]

Do we actually know that?

They say he used a fully automatic weapon. They are very rare and expensive to own legally.

 

[NEO0MJ]

I've read witness accounts anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes.

And considering how crowded the area is...shit.

 

[Wolfgunblood Garopa]

There's never a right time to talk about enacting positive change for the people unless it's the current item on the conservative agenda that they're trying to pass that is intended to enact negative change for the people.

 

[RoadHazard]

To be fair, at least one of the guns he used was already illegal so I'm not sure what exactly gun control would have done to prevent this from happening.

It's not just about the legality of these particular rifles. It's about the greater gun culture issue, about attitudes, and the insane situation America (as the only developed nation) is in with regards to gun violence.

 

[Ethelwulf]

Seriously, why are people so irrationally passionate about guns? I get the enthusiasm, but why would people want automatic rifles. These are killing machines.

 

[ronco2000]

15 minutes or so.

15 minutes would have felt like eternity to the people being shot at.

 

[Steel]

They say he used a fully automatic weapon. They are very rare and expensive to own legally.

It's possible to modify weapons that are semi-auto to be full auto.

 

[Oersted]

477 days since Orlando.
670 days since San Bernardino.
1279 days since Ft. Hood.
1753 days since Sandy Hook.
1900 days since Aurora.
6740 days since Columbine.

How many of those days have the GOP been willing to discuss sensible gun control?

Republicans are pro-life.

Except when the life is ended with a gun.

 

[brawly]

https://twitter.com/ZekeJMiller/status/914916772079456256
https://twitter.com/ZekeJMiller/status/914917105316896769
https://twitter.com/ZekeJMiller/status/914917751453618176

"Coming together as a country" means what? Mourn the victims for a few days and wait till the next one comes around?

I don't understand how so many people can shrug this off when the problem is clear as day.

 

[lenovox1]

Bear in mind that Nevada is an "open carry" state so he could have just carried the guns right up to his hotel room openly and there's nothing anybody could have done.

No. The Mandalay Bay and all MGM Resorts and Casinos prohibit firearms. He would have been asked to leave if he was brazenly carrying additional and semiautomatic rifles.

 

[RedRum]

The same fucking people that are saying "Now is not the time for debate, but we need to come together" are the same fucking people that are outraged about kneeling for the anthem.

I'm mean.. WHAT?