A photo of the woman now released. Wearing a head covering, but face visible.
^^That’s a hijab.
Some of the problems with violence in our society is deep rooted and for a long period of time, and hence is not easy to address such as the widespread availability of firearms. However, there are other areas that lead to terrorism such as Islamists who hate our society, but fortunately there numbers here are low. In places such as Pakistan or the Middle East a significant percent of the population hate America for what it stands for and things like support of Israel. We may have one in a hundred thousand here who wants to kill us, and it may be a hundred times higher there.
In places like France they are just realizing what a monster they have allowed to be created and are trying to close mosques and deport imams - several articles such as:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/france-interior-minister-dissolution-mosques_564915a0e4b045bf3defa464
http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-11-17/meet-france-s-hardline-moderate-imam
The question is why do we even want to go down this route by getting people from there, create a huge problem like in Europe, and then try to take the steps they are. In this country it may not even be possible to shut down radical mosques as one of their imams is suggesting in the articles. There is so little to be gained by getting people who hate us into our society and so much to lose. After all if a bunch of Nazis were being discriminated and treated badly somewhere else, would we be opening our arms wide asking them to come here? Tall fences sometimes make much better neighbors.
The dude romani was writing about, that shot a 7-year-old girl to death at her soccer game, had a concealed carry permit.
Nice vetting there. I feel so confident about concealed carry permit holders.
CardinalFang, if you were a dictator and could make whatever gun law that you chose, what would that be? (I’m not calling you a dictator, just giving you the hypothetical power to do whatever you think best!)
I’d close the gun show loophole, so that everyone who bought a gun, even from a private seller, had to go through a background check.
I’ve heard that it is possible to make ammunition that can be traced to a gun, or a buyer, or something like that; if that is technically feasible, I’d mandate it.
I’d require that guns be on the owner’s person or securely stored, unloaded, in a locked safe, and I’d impose heavy penalties to the gun owner for damage, injury or death caused by a gun owned by them that was not stored safely. Those would include both possible criminal penalties and possible civil penalties.
If it’s technically possible, I’d require all guns to have some kind of lock such that only the owner would be able to fire them.
I’d tax ammunition heavily. Maybe put the same restrictions on buying ammunition that I put on buying guns.
I’d require training to be able to buy a gun, and periodic recertification.
And I’d remove the barriers to research gun violence, so that we could, perhaps, find other ways to reduce gun violence.
I’d like to deny guns to mentally unstable people, but I think that’s easier said than done. And this paranoid guy who shot the 7-year-old is a good example of this. The guy had a concealed carry permit. Crazy people should not have guns, let alone concealed carry permits, but he had both. What is the mechanism supposed to be to get that gun out of that nut’s hands?
I want to be positive for a moment. A friend is coming over who is an expert on energy. She says in 15 to 20 years alternative energy is going to be dominant. Battery storage technology is advancing. That is going to have many benefits.
Is expressing support for ISIS on social media against the law? Because if it ain’t, and those homegrown violent extremists haven’t been convicted of any crimes, there’s nothing to prevent them from buying all the guns and ammo they want. That’s really worrying."
But guns don’t kill people so nothing to worry about.
Frankly, I’m amazed so many are gun lovers are cowering in fear of radical Islamists. Wusses.
And for some lovely holiday spirit, here’s Nevada Assemblywoman Michele Fiore’s Christmas card. Sadly, it’s not an Onion spoof.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/michele-fiore-christmas-card-guns_566217d9e4b08e945fefa597
“The question is why do we even want to go down this route by getting people from there, create a huge problem like in Europe, and then try to take the steps they are. In this country it may not even be possible to shut down radical mosques as one of their imams is suggesting in the articles. There is so little to be gained by getting people who hate us into our society and so much to lose.”
You do bring up a good point. Why do we want to go down this road? You see how some of the European countries are having terrible problems with assimilation. There is poverty and resentment, even when tremendous social benefits are provided. It seems that many of the problems of failed societies come along with the population when they relocate. So why would we pursue accepting people here that come from countries that actively suppress women, do not believe in freedom, certainly not freedom of religion?
I don’t know why there’s such a big uproar over the illegal immigration from the south. At least people from those cultures share our values of freedom, and equality for women.
I’m not. The chances that I’m going to be killed in a mass shooting – despite the increased number – are still pretty small. And the chance that the mass shooter will be a terrorist inspired by ISIS is even smaller. I’m not going to stay home forever just because of the increased number of shootings. The NY Times had an article about all these people who constantly think about mass shootings – one woman said she was going to homeschool her kid – sorry, I don’t live that way. Heck, I have tickets to see the new Star Wars movie on opening night in a major metro area that would be a prime terrorist target, and I intend to go.
I hate guns. I believe that guns kill people – I will not and never will buy the NRA argument that people kill people. I have not studied gun public policy, so I can’t make recommendations, but other democratic countries manage just fine without permissive gun laws. If it were up to me, no one would own a gun – especially assault weapons, military weapons. Call me unAmerican, but that’s what I feel.
OMG, the family’s lawyer is awful. I feel sorry for the family if they didn’t know what was going on, but the lawyer thy hired is suggesting the shooting didn’t actually take place, and it was all faked up so the government could introduce gun control. I assume that gun control supporters and gun control opponents can get together and say this kind of talk is deeply horrible and offensive and terrible and awful.
"I’ve heard that it is possible to make ammunition that can be traced to a gun, or a buyer, or something like that; if that is technically feasible, I’d mandate it.
I’d require that guns be on the owner’s person or securely stored, unloaded, in a locked safe, and I’d impose heavy penalties to the gun owner for damage, injury or death caused by a gun owned by them that was not stored safely. Those would include both possible criminal penalties and possible civil penalties.
If it’s technically possible, I’d require all guns to have some kind of lock such that only the owner would be able to fire them.
I’d tax ammunition heavily. Maybe put the same restrictions on buying ammunition that I put on buying guns.
I’d require training to be able to buy a gun, and periodic recertification.
And I’d remove the barriers to research gun violence, so that we could, perhaps, find other ways to reduce gun violence.
I’d like to deny guns to mentally unstable people, but I think that’s easier said than done. And this paranoid guy who shot the 7-year-old is a good example of this. The guy had a concealed carry permit. Crazy people should not have guns, let alone concealed carry permits, but he had both. What is the mechanism supposed to be to get that gun out of that nut’s hands?"
I totally agree with this. Common sense sort of things, to at least attempt to control that responsible people are the only ones with access to weapons, and accountability for those weapons.
^^ I agree completely with controlling ammunition very tightly and taxing it heavily.
Or the money is spent buying the oil and ends up helping fund the various combatant forces in the various wars, or ends up being used to export and promote ultraconservative religious fanaticism that is the basis (or veneer) of the ideology of some of these groups.
"Frankly, I’m amazed so many are gun lovers are cowering in fear of radical Islamists. Wusses. "
Really? What gun lovers do you know who are cowering in fear? Who? Name one? Even someone who you don’t personally know.
I suspect that gun lovers are not cowering, but stocking up on guns and ammunition. Apparently gun sale numbers have shot up, since this incident. That doesn’t sound like cowering to me, but getting ready to protect themselves and others.
CF, thank you for answering so thoughtfully. It’s funny how when people talk to each other without snark and name calling , common ground can be found. I support everything you suggested.
Edited to add: I am aware that you took action in your real life about something I am passionate about, so I am going to write to my representative and offer your suggestions as common sense measures that both sides could support in your honor.
I’ve been gone all day. Miss anything? @-)
" I hate guns. I believe that guns kill people – I will not and never will buy the NRA argument that people kill people. I have not studied gun public policy, so I can’t make recommendations, but other democratic countries manage just fine without permissive gun laws. If it were up to me, no one would own a gun – especially assault weapons, military weapons. Call me unAmerican, but that’s what I feel."
Here’s the thing. I think the NRA is kind of like the pro choice groups (which I guess, includes me). They think if you manage to pass one tiny restriction, it’s just one more step on the road to getting rid of guns (abortion) entirely. Even common sense things, they don’t want to give an inch, because they think it will end up giving the all of the rights, in the end. One little piece at a time.
The NRA is also useful as a bogeyman the way Planned Parenthood, the Kochs and George Soros are.