Originally Posted by Silas Sydenham

The Governor says: "this is a safe city, in a safe state, in a safe country". Yeah, right. This man is as delusional as the gunman.

Aurora Colorado, a place I have personally lived, is by no means safe. Colfax Avenue between Quebec and Peoria Avenues, is a high crime, high gang activity part of the city, though it is not limited to just that neighborhood. People here call Aurora "Saudi Aurora" as it sometime looks, and feels, like a Middle Eastern battlefield. He is, as you say, quite delusional, to say the least. Colorado, for the most part, is a fairly safe state, when compared to others, like California, Texas, and New York, but it isnt all that safe as the gov. would have people believe.

I think they rush to use this word "safe" because when confronted with total insanity like that, you rush to find some kind of comfort in a comfortless world. To assure people that all is not madmen and mayhem. We know that, it's just that even one of these freaks lessens the world so very much and really shoves your face into the reality of what human beings are capable of in a way that is very, very hard to wrap your mind around.

Originally Posted by YMIHere

Except that he didn't make a hand made bomb, he brought a gun. Bought 4 of them and SIX THOUSAND ROUNDS?!? And this country this is OKAAAAYYYYYY!!!!

And that kind of chaos that must have broken out, I'm sure gun toting citizens in a crowded movie theater would have saved the day. I'm not saying they couldn't have minimized the damage, however, a bunch of civilians armed to the teeth is hardly a panacea for these kind of issues. With cross fire and whatnot, there's no saying that they would have helped at ALL.

Where is gooddog? We need to find a peaceful Utopia.

(sad chuckle)
It's so sad that these broken minds that walk among us have the power to create such suffering. I know there's mental illness involved but still I say: it starts with the individual.

You can never say that the actions of one person don't matter. They matter. For the awful or for the good.

Originally Posted by Silas Sydenham

Perhaps that is possible in the USA, but if gun gontrol is adequate, as it is in Australia, it is extremely difficult to acquire a gun. Thugs and criminals who think they need a gun have to go offshore to get one, and then risk being caught at customs.

I used to agree 100% thinking they should do as we do, and make guns illegal unless you are in the profession to have one....however, look at how many shootings we've had here in Australia, especially in Sydney?! Off the top of my head, in the past few months we've reached over 50 shootings haven't we country wide? If someone is desperate enough to get a gun, they'll find a way.

50-odd shootings - not all of them fatal - in six months, within a population of 20-odd million is actually a pretty good statistic.

The murder-weapon of choice over the past months seems to be the fist. I live in the boxing Mecca of Australia, having Jeff Fenech, Nader Hamdan and Rev. Fr Dave Smith as neighbours.
boxing vicar.jpg
Perhaps we should look at boxing gyms and martial arts studios with the same scrutiny that we attend on biker clubhouses?

Originally Posted by Silas Sydenham

50-odd shootings - not all of them fatal - in six months, within a population of 20-odd million is actually a pretty good statistic.

The murder-weapon of choice over the past months seems to be the fist. I live in the boxing Mecca of Australia, having Jeff Fenech, Nader Hamdan and Rev. Fr Dave Smith as neighbours.
boxing vicar.jpg
Perhaps we should look at boxing gyms and martial arts studios with the same scrutiny that we attend on biker clubhouses?

Totally OT, but a girl who used to work with me is "starring" in a 2-girl martial arts spectacular in Australia in September, it's called Brace or something like that.

I have to ask though, where are all these willing citizens who can step into the frey Charles Bronson-like and save the day when some unstable individual starts shooting into a crowded space? They seem to be inconspicuous by their absense. I'm starting to wonder which of us is living in a Utopia here.

Another stat from the BBC this morning: the UK had 880 gun-related deaths last year, and in the US in 2009 (closest comparable figures I could find) there were 31,347 gun-related deaths.

Some have suggested that if there had been armed citizens (sane ones) present, in that theater, they could have shot back and ended it. But, who would they shoot at? The murderer, or some other defender? As others have suggested, it would have looked like the shoot-out at the OK corral, with many more dead.

I have a tendency to side with Silas' assement on gun control (I think). I see no problem with sane citizens having a rifle or shotgun for hunting, recreation or simply protection against robbers, et al. However, the big problem (as I see it) is that the insane perpetrators are buying AK-47s and other automatic weapons, which are specifically designed to kill people . . lots of people . . as in a war. I find it sickeningly awesome that this Holmes guy was able to buy 6,000 rounds of ammunition. To me, that should have been a red flag for someone.

Point 1 : When one looks at a breakdown of statistics on gun-deaths in the USA, about a third of the deaths are accidental or heat-of-the-moment situations which would not have happened if there hadn't been such easy access to a firearm.

Point 2 : If you are coming around to the idea that tighter gun control is a good idea, white a letter to your congressperson, sign a petition, do something about it.

There are lots of other online petitions if you google, but here's one for starters:

Gun Control in America | Petition to Sign Today

Originally Posted by YMIHere

Except that he didn't make a hand made bomb, he brought a gun. Bought 4 of them and SIX THOUSAND ROUNDS?!? And this country this is OKAAAAYYYYYY!!!!

And that kind of chaos that must have broken out, I'm sure gun toting citizens in a crowded movie theater would have saved the day. I'm not saying they couldn't have minimized the damage, however, a bunch of civilians armed to the teeth is hardly a panacea for these kind of issues. With cross fire and whatnot, there's no saying that they would have helped at ALL.

Where is gooddog? We need to find a peaceful Utopia.

But he does have the apartment wired to explode still (bomb), that he had hoped would take out that building, which would also take out the apartment complex next to it. He has it wired for music to turn on loud, so othere would complain and when the door to his apartment is open will set off the explosion....I call that a hand made bomb ..

Also many have the misconseption we are all armed in theaters, malls which is false, as someone here posted these crazies go to malls, schools, where they are "not armed" ..

I do agree we need controls on the sale of guns like AR-15's to the public which are only meant to take out many, fully automatic.



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