Shooting Spree in England.

[feather240]

Is it this easy to shoot 25 people in a row? I didn't know cars turned gun wielding maniacs into anti-personal tanks. Couldn't the police have done something sooner?

Why didn't anyone shoot back? Oh wait....

This.

Agreed

 

[That One Six]

To all of you saying that we need tighter gun control, I'd have to disagree. You see, if everyone has a pistol on their belt, only a truly mentally unwell person would dare fire at another human being. Mutually assured destruction, you see. Take rural Texas, for example. Gun laws are very lax, and there is almost no crime, as compared to a place like Baltimore, Maryland.

As much as I like other people helping, you can't compare rural Texas to Baltimore since Baltimore has a larger population density. They're naturally going to have more murders.

No, you really can't. I just hate modern gun control and Baltimore.

Well that's perfectly fair. Also, I live in rural Texas. So there.

Lucky bastard. I live a few miles north of Baltimore.

Don't start throwing around the "lucky bastard", you have to be around the people.

The people in my area are all "wiggers", as it were, other than the fortunate few who were blessed with enough brainpower to get into the AP classes.

They exist here too. I actually do like the deep country folk, they're nice people (if a bit harsh on physical strength), but it's the kids who want to be in the suburbs or the inner city that get on my nerve.

'Tis unfortunate, is it not?

 

[crimson5pheonix]

To all of you saying that we need tighter gun control, I'd have to disagree. You see, if everyone has a pistol on their belt, only a truly mentally unwell person would dare fire at another human being. Mutually assured destruction, you see. Take rural Texas, for example. Gun laws are very lax, and there is almost no crime, as compared to a place like Baltimore, Maryland.

As much as I like other people helping, you can't compare rural Texas to Baltimore since Baltimore has a larger population density. They're naturally going to have more murders.

No, you really can't. I just hate modern gun control and Baltimore.

Well that's perfectly fair. Also, I live in rural Texas. So there.

Lucky bastard. I live a few miles north of Baltimore.

Don't start throwing around the "lucky bastard", you have to be around the people.

The people in my area are all "wiggers", as it were, other than the fortunate few who were blessed with enough brainpower to get into the AP classes.

They exist here too. I actually do like the deep country folk, they're nice people (if a bit harsh on physical strength), but it's the kids who want to be in the suburbs or the inner city that get on my nerve.

'Tis unfortunate, is it not?

You've no idea....

 

[That One Six]

To all of you saying that we need tighter gun control, I'd have to disagree. You see, if everyone has a pistol on their belt, only a truly mentally unwell person would dare fire at another human being. Mutually assured destruction, you see. Take rural Texas, for example. Gun laws are very lax, and there is almost no crime, as compared to a place like Baltimore, Maryland.

As much as I like other people helping, you can't compare rural Texas to Baltimore since Baltimore has a larger population density. They're naturally going to have more murders.

No, you really can't. I just hate modern gun control and Baltimore.

Well that's perfectly fair. Also, I live in rural Texas. So there.

Lucky bastard. I live a few miles north of Baltimore.

Don't start throwing around the "lucky bastard", you have to be around the people.

The people in my area are all "wiggers", as it were, other than the fortunate few who were blessed with enough brainpower to get into the AP classes.

They exist here too. I actually do like the deep country folk, they're nice people (if a bit harsh on physical strength), but it's the kids who want to be in the suburbs or the inner city that get on my nerve.

'Tis unfortunate, is it not?

You've no idea....

Ah well. My friend, it's been good talking to you, but I have a Terry Goodkind book to finish. Have a nice evening.

 

[IckleMissMayhem]

People aren't reading the story. This man drove about, seemingly at random, and fired at passers by. Someone carrying a gun could not have stopped him.

If anything we should be arguing for better equipped and more police, if a helicopter and armed response unit could have got to him after the first killing all the rest could have been prevented.

There were police helicopters from all over the place trying to find the guy from about 11am onwards, but the police on the ground were mainly caught up with dealing with the carnage this guy left behind him. Problem with Cumbria is there's soooooo many places to hide - and people in the UK - count how many silver people carriers/mpvs you see on the roads tomorrow. They're bloody common, so hard to find one in particular.

I think Cumbria Police did a fantastic job today - they were extremely helpful, understanding, and informative towards us. Muchly appreciated.

Hope the people in hospital recover soon, my thoughts and sympathies are with those affected by today's events.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Also the US isn't as accustomed to dealing with Bombs as we are, thanks to the IRA and others.

Doesn't it make you proud to be English?

Few nailbombs a year and a maniac once per decade, or 2564 deaths gun-deaths a year? (Texas/1996)

I think we get off quite light.

 

[redisforever]

Actually, I think some, not all, Americans are actually like what most people think they are, that is, gun nuts.

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/gangs/California+nabbed+with+weapons+cache+Canadian+border/3042664/story.html

 

[internetzealot1]

*sarcastic comment about gun control*

 

[Addendum_Forthcoming]

I've never understood the psychology behind people who say 'shooting rampages are proof gun control don't work' ... if anything they prove they do.

There are ticking timebombs in society whereby the control of guns makes it much harder for them to illicit harm on the populace.

But the biggest problem of guns is not the rampages, but the everyday crime. Handguns are the biggest concern in the US because they are the weapons of choice when it comes to armed robbery. They are easy to conceal, easy to use, and allow the unrestricted use of their other hand.

Does this rampage really tally all the deaths that happen EACH DAY in the US due to gun-related deaths? Of course not.

Point is are rampages going to stop if you eliminate guns? No ... because people will use other things to illicit mass carnage (explosives for one).

Will they create obstacles for certain criminal elements and their operations? Well yes, it won't stop gun related violence but it will hopefully curb it enough to start showing results in a reduced gun related death statistic.

Guns are pathetic... really. If there was an award for the pussiest of all weapons guns would take the award.

That is the biggest problem with modern culture is the idea (and transmission) of the idea that guns are somehow 'manly' and 'cool'. C'mon ... shooting another guy, who is unarmed, shouldn't be seen as cool. You're a fucking coward.

You want to fight? Fine ... put down the boomstick and we'll have it out as men. But the culture that gun = manly is a perverse and idiotic concept. How exactly is it 'manly' to own something which can kill someone at 100 paces? Saying it's 'manly' to shoot someone is like it's 'manly' to pick on a cripple.

People who join the army who do so to get their hands on a rifle are swiftly kicked out of the army. There's reasons no soldier should think themselves 'manly' cos they get a state sponsored boomstick to shoot someone with. They become soldiers because they recognise that said boomstick is a necessary EVIL.

A tool that brings misery, but with the proper training and philosophy can also end said misery.

The argument can be used for civilians too ... but if you start giving weapons out to civilians who also want to be vigilantes and soldiers, that's when you get a social problem larger than the crime that was used as the excuse to arm oneself.

 

[Hobow]

This is awful, yet kinda ironic for me at least. My parents managed to sway me from Nottingham uni this year by naming it as one of the cities in the UK which used to have a lot of gun crime. I chose Lancaster as my first choice university instead!
(I'm not thick enough to base my chocie solely on crime etc. there are good and bad parts to every city, but still...)
Kinda shocking tbh, this sort of this is always terrible. It seems like there's a murder or two on the news every other day now. Ofc, not all of them make the news, but it's a bit depressing.

 

[Bagaloo]

The scary thing is, this could happen anywhere at any time. Nothing to stop someone from doing this where I live; a case of wrong place, wrong time.

My initial reaction when I first found out was "What a dick move."

Fair enough if the man wants to kill himself, but gunning down 12 innocent people...it is at times like these that I wish I was a more religious man, for the dual purposes of peace for the victims and eternal damnation in the pit for the bastard gunman.

 

[quiet_samurai]

Well there goes my good day. Despite knowing that people are murdered across the globe every day, things like this still manage to shock and depress me. Though I think it has more to do with how a lot of people react to it. Nobody really seems to care about the people that get killed. They don't matter anymore. People just use events like this to advance their own political agendas, and the news just spreads this around. I can't really berate people for doing this, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't bother me. I just hate how people will use tragedies like this to forward their opinions. Like in this thread. Most of you are just using this to talk about gun control and whether or not it should be enforced.

The world really sucks sometimes. Fortunately there are a lot of things in it that will cheer you up.

This totally. It just goes to show that people are crazy everywhere, no matter the laws and regulations.

 

[Hydrus]

To all of you saying that we need tighter gun control, I'd have to disagree. You see, if everyone has a pistol on their belt, only a truly mentally unwell person would dare fire at another human being. Mutually assured destruction, you see. Take rural Texas, for example. Gun laws are very lax, and there is almost no crime, as compared to a place like Baltimore, Maryland.

This logic is counter intuitive. You think that if everyone had guns, no one would use them. Surely if no one had guns, no one would use them?


This is why nuclear weapons are pointless. We wish to 'deter' others from using them by making more of them for us. It dosen't make sense.

Also, I know that the allegory is a long stretch, but you brought up mutually assured destruction, so I went with it.

 

[Addendum_Forthcoming]

Not True. [http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_tot_cri-crime-total-crimes] In terms of raw numbers you're above us. In per capita terms you're on 80/1000, we're on 85/1000. Hardly surprising. That is likely due to the higher amounts of petty crime like shoplifting, which is probably less prevalent in the US because all the shops have people with guns guarding them. Crime also has a much broader definition here.

In terms of murders, [http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_mur_percap-crime-murders-per-capita] however, you are far, far ahead of us. 0.04/1000 compared to 0.01/1000. I really do think that's because guns make it easy to kill.

Where's Australia? D; No Australia in that Crime rate statistic and I reckon it's bullshit we wouldn't be up there given that 92% of Australians live in urbanised communities as compared to the 50-60% of US and England.

Us, England ... pffffh ... all of you PALE in comparison to OUR gun related rampages .... admittedly we've never really had one .... but when we DO they put all of you to shame casualty wise.

Port Arthur Massacre .... deadliest shooting rampage in the OECD. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Arthur_massacre_%28Australia%29

So far the US and England haven't topped 35 in one rampage.

That being said I think Australia is a pretty good example of Gun control done right. Admittedly we have no excuse for not having any illegal guns because we're a freaking island bordered by three oceans.

 

[Wadders]

Hmm, another gun control thread...

Must resist urge to start arguing!

 

[Hydrus]

People just use events like this to advance their own political agendas, and the news just spreads this around. I can't really berate people for doing this, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't bother me. I just hate how people will use tragedies like this to forward their opinions. Like in this thread. Most of you are just using this to talk about gun control and whether or not it should be enforced.

I'm not trying to further a political agenda, I'm trying to convince people to not let this tradgedy happen again.

 

[RJ Dalton]

12 people killed by one madman with a gun.

You see, if we legalised guns over here, this sort of thing would happen much more frequently.

EDIT: Yes, OK, if guns were legal over here, someone could have stopped him. But then there would be a lot more guns on the streets, and thugs with knives would become thugs with guns. You can outrun someone with a knife. Outrunning bullets is something much harder.

Owning firearms is illegal in Britain. This is just another example of how gun control laws don't work. They're a waste of time for legislation and a waste of money for enforcement. All they do is empower criminals because they're no longer afraid of their victims having defense. There's nothing easier for a criminal to get his hands on than contraband items. Hell, it's just as easy to get drugs in our prisons as it is to get them on the streets.

 

[Addendum_Forthcoming]

12 people killed by one madman with a gun.

You see, if we legalised guns over here, this sort of thing would happen much more frequently.

EDIT: Yes, OK, if guns were legal over here, someone could have stopped him. But then there would be a lot more guns on the streets, and thugs with knives would become thugs with guns. You can outrun someone with a knife. Outrunning bullets is something much harder.

Owning firearms is illegal in Britain. This is just another example of how gun control laws don't work. They're a waste of time for legislation and a waste of money for enforcement. All they do is empower criminals because they're no longer afraid of their victims having defense. There's nothing easier for a criminal to get his hands on than contraband items. Hell, it's just as easy to get drugs in our prisons as it is to get them on the streets.

I don't know, it's pretty subjective to say Gun Control 'doesn't work' because I think most Australians would beg to differ.

Gun control has lead to a reduction of gun-related deaths. So, by logic, gun control works. but the problem lies in cultural and social relationship to the aspect of gun related violence.

Somebody posted a crime rate statistic that didn't show Australia at all, but in the murder rates Australia ranks #43 by capita.

So the argument could be "Guns don't kill people. People kill people". But given that many of the 'murders' would be bnecause people were 'charged' with murder. For instance in Australian states there is a huge push (being implemented in many states) that 'drug related death' be classified as homicide.

So if you're drunk, you punch or glass a guy, they go down and die. You're in for murder. Which is good ... I reckon anyways. You should be behind bars for the rest of your life. But that being said many societies may reduce the sentence to 'manslaughter' rather than 'murder'.

 

[TheTim]

shows that even if guns are illegal, people will still get their hands on them if they really want to kill people.

 

[Infernai]

As a wise man once said, "It's the quiet ones you have to watch out for"

This is true, after all..I'm a quiet fellow, and I'm plotting world domination as we speak!

Seriously though, the fact this man went on a spree to kill innocents is a very sad situation