On the Dallas Shooting

Just saw that this morning, and first thing I thought of was Gchiaren and Michael. You guys doing okay? I can't help but feel like a dominoe effect is happening with these shootings.

Yeah, we're fine. Safe and sound in Austin. Thanks for the kind thoughts.

I'm personally in shock at the state of my nation though. Just my opinion, but it is disgusting how Americans are treating each other these days, and the polarization of media and politics is abhorrent. It seems this is perhaps more of a global phenomenon than isolated here. We all have some serious issues to work through.

I choose to be an optimist, and think this is only a temporary blip on a trend toward generally more peaceful and prosperous times, but I do get really angry at times.

Anyway, sorry for the rant, and I sincerely appreciate the thoughts. :) Sending good vibes everyone's way!

its everywhere in the world and its symptoms of social strain caused by an exploding population and dwindling resources...

I was at work when it started and we followed all the videos and such through the night. Dallas is pretty far away from all of us though.

The only way to fix this sort of thing is to clamp down on your fkn crazy gun laws! The rest of the world just seem to marvel at how lax it is. In Britain we tied all the knots on our gun laws twenty years ago, after a mass shooting at a primary school in Scotland, that nearly killed Andy Murray, and I'm grateful for that, endlessly. How do you guys manage to feel safe, day to day?

The idea that I would not be allowed to protect myself in a world where criminals will always have firearms scares me more. The only people that will follow a gun ban would be lawful citizens. These shootings are not done by lawful citizens. Having firearms is a defense mechanism against tyrannical government, foreign invasion, and general robbery and such.

The first firearm I ever bought was bought out of needing protection. A meth gang bought 9 apartments in our area, the apartment next to us at that time was one of the leaders. We started getting death threats for calling the police "which always took longer than a pizza to get to us". One night, the gang tried to scare by surround our place, pounding on all the doors and walls, and threatening us. All I had on the other side was a hammer and a kitchen knife. Thinking that at any minute those scum bags could come in and hurt my mother and I was the last straw for me. I became a responsible gun owner the next day. Those gang members had all likely been to prison before and probably weren't allowed to own firearms, certainly not meth. That did not stop them from having them though. Having that first firearm brought a sense of security that only our gun laws could. If those guys decided to come into the house the next time, they would be met with lethal force. If I survived the encounter, our gun laws as well as Texas'es self defense laws would protect me and my family. We are hoping that the law changes soon to get rid of gun-free zones. These criminals generally attack gun-free zones. Schools and such. It's what we refer to as soft targets. They know that the chances of someone having a firearm in these areas and being able to shoot back are low, and that's what attracts them.

These shootings aren't often performed by people like me, owning firearms for protection, no criminal record, no mental health record. Eugenics makes more logic than a gun ban. Both are extraordinarily horrible though.

You know the Orlando shooter got his guns legally. Most of the blame has to be left on the FBI following him. They dropped him from watchlists back in 2012 and that allowed him legal access to firearms.

Hell, most of these shooters have normal backgrounds. It's not a problem with our gun laws. If anything, it's just that all these people seem safe. It's kind of like people joining ISIS in America. It's not isolated to one group, it's a diverse group joining. People with extreme differences in education, race, etc. That's to say even those with a PhD most likely have joined ISIS. It's not something you can filter to one group. Alternatively, our gun laws only filtre the maniacs that we caught first.

Omar Mateen had passed charges involving drugs and battery. That particular shooter was also religiously motivated, which would allow for more normal people to be involved. I think the fact that the FBI had already looked at him a few times for suspicion of joining a terrorist organization already illuminates him as a law abiding citizen.

these are issues people have been struggling with since the birth of non-autocratic forms of government in ancient Greece...

basically in America the debate is always reframed as 2 compass points regarding government control and personal freedoms: partially or entirely disarming the populace VS constant surveillance of the same with increasing infringement on the privacy of individuals who act suspiciously or merely do not conform

neither option fits my definition of a free society... I don't want to own a fire arm and feel uncomfortable with them in the hands of my fellow citizens (even though most own them with the best of intentions, shit happens and a mistake with a bullet generally has permanent consequences), but I don't want the government preventing those same people from owning them just because I feel uneasy... I am even more uncomfortable with government watchlists, particularly ones comprised of people who have never committed a crime, no matter how nutty they sound on the internet! There are lots of people that may scare me with their words but few who turn their words toa ction and knowing the difference is usually a product of hindsight. Disarming everyone and/or spying on people at the fringes of society is just not something I want to cosign in order to feel a little safer when I leave my house. How much safer will it really make me? How much will I notice the erosion of my privacy and personal libierties? Tough to say, lets not find out....

living is dangerous, I accept it and if freedom comes with 'grave responsibility' then a coralary is that with freedom comes an unpredictable element of daily, personal risk

there's so much fingerpointing, if as Americans we must constantly assign blame, why not blame the perpetrator and leave it be? These are allt erribly incidents that should not have happened, but I feel that creating a more open and cring society in which mental illness is better treated and less stigmatized will go further in preventing marginalized people from perpetrating acts of senseless violence than taking yet another step towards a police state.

Education, guys.... and not just the 3 Rs. Although I can suggest a 4th R that would help; redistribution of wealth. But that's beyond the scope of this reponse.

Sorry if I've offended anyone who disagrees with me. Its a free country (mostly, for now) and we are all entitled to our opinions and yours are no less valid than my own (heck, even if your opinion is moronic you are entitled to it).... just please don't try to convert me with your reply. I am not trying to debat anyone, just lay out my own anachronistic platform for consideration.

I for one am not offended. I enjoy casual, comfortable discussion. I only raise an eyebrow when we start name calling and shaming. I think most of us are mature enough not to do that. The day we all start closing out other people's views and ideas, we've lost.

interestinly, I experienced a less publicized random shooting like this when I lived outside DC. I was in Laurel and the local mall was the next township over in Columbia MD. The day of this mall shooting I was actually pulling into the parking lot with my then-wife who was pregnant with my son (a pregnant woman's need for gourmet cupcakes is insatiable) when we were turned away by the police and FBI who ahd cordoned off the area to track down the shooter. So I have had a very close brush with this sort of thing and while I was very shaken by it (especially given the proximity of my unborn child to the danger), the insanity in my community that followed only served to entrench my opinions.

even more interestingly, that particular incident was not publicized to the extent that most are these days.... some suggested it was not a major national news item because the casualties were relatively low and most of the victims survived, but I suspect that Columbia's proximity to the Capitol was the real reason ;-)

Dallas is pretty far away from all of us though.

people who have not been to Texas don't get that its larger than most Europen countried and that the communities are pretty spread out compared to the urban areas on the east and west coast

Good God, I had no idea, that's a bit mad. I looked up, and you're right, with the exception of European Russia, Texas is larger than every European country. England goes in 5.36 times approximately!