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IDemo

(16,926 posts)
Fri Oct 2, 2015, 08:55 AM Oct 2015

‘No Way To Prevent This,’ Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens

October 1, 2015 ROSEBURG, OR—In the hours following a violent rampage in southwestern Oregon in which a lone attacker killed 10 individuals and seriously injured seven others, citizens living in the only country where this kind of mass killing routinely occurs reportedly concluded Thursday that there was no way to prevent the massacre from taking place. “This was a terrible tragedy, but sometimes these things just happen and there’s nothing anyone can do to stop them,” said Ohio resident Lindsay Bennett, echoing sentiments expressed by tens of millions of individuals who reside in a nation where over half of the world’s deadliest mass shootings have occurred in the past 50 years and whose citizens are 20 times more likely to die of gun violence than those of other developed nations. “It’s a shame, but what can we do? There really wasn’t anything that was going to keep this guy from snapping and killing a lot of people if that’s what he really wanted.” At press time, residents of the only economically advanced nation in the world where roughly two mass shootings have occurred every month for the past six years were referring to themselves and their situation as “helpless.”

http://www.theonion.com/article/no-way-prevent-says-only-nation-where-regularly-ha-51444

31 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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‘No Way To Prevent This,’ Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens (Original Post) IDemo Oct 2015 OP
It may be the Onion.... daleanime Oct 2015 #1
Much of satire isn't meant to be funny, but to make a statement IDemo Oct 2015 #2
What did I here from a Co-worker yesterday? Punx Oct 2015 #3
"People kill people, but the gun sure helps, doesn't it?" - Eddie Izzard HughBeaumont Oct 2015 #4
I agree Punx Oct 2015 #7
The ONLY thing a gun is designed to do is kill. ananda Oct 2015 #8
"Guns don't kill people." Zoonart Oct 2015 #5
Our owners won't be happy until we're as miserable as the average Russian. valerief Oct 2015 #6
We need Google Guns!! snort Oct 2015 #11
Message auto-removed Name removed Oct 2015 #9
Let's start with registration, insurance, background checks and psyche screenings brush Oct 2015 #10
Excellent post. Octafish Oct 2015 #14
Australia never had a problem with mass killings. JohnnyRingo Oct 2015 #25
IMFO: Mass killings are a sign of alienation in a time where might makes right. Octafish Oct 2015 #29
I support this, but I think the psych screenings should be regular to own guns. Deadshot Oct 2015 #16
Agreed. Reoccuring testing strengthens it even more. brush Oct 2015 #20
Currently, Snobblevitch Oct 2015 #18
In other countries we call the perpetrators "ISIS" and Taliban Bad Thoughts Oct 2015 #12
Now we are being compared with ISIS awoke_in_2003 Oct 2015 #31
The Onion always posts this after an event like this. iandhr Oct 2015 #13
That is basically what Trump said countingbluecars Oct 2015 #15
As Michael Moore put it years ago... JohnnyRingo Oct 2015 #17
That's funny. This Onion article was written yesterday and Donald Trump said basically the same Deadshot Oct 2015 #19
They did not write it yesterday. Glassunion Oct 2015 #22
Ah. Deadshot Oct 2015 #23
Sadly, they just hange the date and the photo... Glassunion Oct 2015 #28
The sad thing is that the Onion has posted this several times. They actually copy and paste it Glassunion Oct 2015 #21
we have become the nation of NO olddots Oct 2015 #24
I thought the Onion was supposed to do satire. Crunchy Frog Oct 2015 #26
A large percentage of Onion and Borowitz articles speak straight to the truth IDemo Oct 2015 #27
America is the Can't Do It Country Dems to Win Oct 2015 #30

IDemo

(16,926 posts)
2. Much of satire isn't meant to be funny, but to make a statement
Fri Oct 2, 2015, 09:09 AM
Oct 2015

I would say that the bulk of Mark Twain's writings pointed to the weaknesses and treachery of humans, and not always in a funny way.

Punx

(446 posts)
3. What did I here from a Co-worker yesterday?
Fri Oct 2, 2015, 09:50 AM
Oct 2015

"Guns don't kill people"

And on Facebook, "We can't do anything about this, might as well enjoy the nice fall weather." or something along those lines.


This is way too close to the truth.

Zoonart

(11,750 posts)
5. "Guns don't kill people."
Fri Oct 2, 2015, 10:11 AM
Oct 2015

That is exactly correct. Guns don't kill people; PEOPLE WITH GUNS KILL PEOPLE. Correct me if I am wrong but the active component for death by gunshot is people and without people to manipulate the gun hardware, the guns are themselves passive. So- in the relationship of gun ownership, the weapon is passive, but under control of the owner. That owner activates the passive deadly hardware, just as a driver of a car activates the deadly hardware which is a car. Permits with full background checks and mandatory training should be required before purchase of a gun is allowed.

I have been an active part of this struggle since 1981 when I was the state rep. for the National Coalition To Ban Handguns. It was a Quixotic quest in the state of Pennsylvania and after two years we ceased operation in the state where hunting is a religion.

In my opinion, we crossed the bridge of no return when, as a nation , we allowed the murder of little children in Newton to go unanswered with meaningful legislation.
I do not know what it will take to move this nation to meaningful action on this issue.

valerief

(53,235 posts)
6. Our owners won't be happy until we're as miserable as the average Russian.
Fri Oct 2, 2015, 10:30 AM
Oct 2015

Look at Russia. That's our future.

And why do we have owners at all, despite our "Constitution" rhetoric? We can thank religion for that.

Response to IDemo (Original post)

brush

(53,475 posts)
10. Let's start with registration, insurance, background checks and psyche screenings
Fri Oct 2, 2015, 11:01 AM
Oct 2015

This should begin immediately will all new gun purchases

As for the huge backlog of existing guns in the country, legislation should be passed that all gun owners register their guns and get insurance or sell or surrender them for a tax credit.

After a reasonable grace period, if anyone is subsequently caught in possession of an unregistered/uninsured weapon, there will be substantial legal consequences.

This is a workable, reasonable solution that could actually increase revenue for strapped local/state governments and provide some jobs.

And we could go even further: Ban handguns and assault rifles altogether as they are designed for nothing but to SHOOT PEOPLE. Shotguns and rifles would suffice for home protection and pellet guns can be used for target shooting enthusiasts. There is a precedent, Australia did something similar in the '90s and their mass killings stopped.

Let's get it done, America. We are better than this.

Octafish

(55,745 posts)
14. Excellent post.
Fri Oct 2, 2015, 11:13 AM
Oct 2015

About Australia...

The paper also estimated that buying back 3,500 guns per 100,000 people results in a 35 to 50 percent decline in the homicide rate, but because of the low number of homicides in Australia normally, this finding isn't statistically significant.

What is significant is the decline the laws caused in the firearm suicide rate, which Leigh and Neill estimate at a 74 percent reduction for a buyback of that size. This is even higher than the overall decline in the suicide rate, because the gun buybacks' speed varied from state to state. In states with quick buybacks, the fall in the suicide rate far exceeded the fall in states with slower buybacks:

SOURCE: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonkblog/wp/2012/08/02/did-gun-control-work-in-australia/

JohnnyRingo

(18,581 posts)
25. Australia never had a problem with mass killings.
Fri Oct 2, 2015, 11:34 AM
Oct 2015

While their murder rate of individuals declined, they never had what is a uniquely American phenomenon. Until we find out what in our culture causes someone to lash out against groups of innocent civilians, the killings will continue.

Anyone in Australia or Canada can still put their hands on a gun and stocks of ammo in an hour's time, but they don't go on shooting rampages. Why then do we do it? Kids in Australia and Canada watch the same Mad Max movies, play the same violent video games we do, but they don't feel a perverse need to attack their neighbors where they congregate.

Many Middle Eastern countries celebrate the journey to manhood by gifting a boy with a full auto AK47 on his 16th birthday, but even they don't go on self motivated mass killing sprees.

I admit I don't get it. What is wrong with us? As Michael Moore put it: "Guns don't kill people, Americans kill people".

Octafish

(55,745 posts)
29. IMFO: Mass killings are a sign of alienation in a time where might makes right.
Fri Oct 2, 2015, 12:04 PM
Oct 2015

Going from memory:

People in communities who know one another, respect one another. Consider the indigenous cultures of the world. There is near-zero crime. When the communities grow larger, some people will do things like lie, cheat, steal, kill thinking that no one knows who I am, so why care?

That's why strangers are so scary to monolithic cultures. The Other may be bringing in something dangerous, like a gun or knife or idea like Democracy.

Throw in a culture which glorifies winning at all costs; denigrates as useless untermenschen the undesirable losers like asshole boys and girls who don't look like they were in Victoria's Secret; and solves problems, like inconvenient politicians or ownership of oilfields, with gunfire, and the nation becomes the very recipe for disaster after disaster after disaster.

Deadshot

(384 posts)
16. I support this, but I think the psych screenings should be regular to own guns.
Fri Oct 2, 2015, 11:18 AM
Oct 2015

People can change and flip out rather quickly. Annual psych evals would catch those people.

Snobblevitch

(1,958 posts)
18. Currently,
Fri Oct 2, 2015, 11:20 AM
Oct 2015

a federal gun registry is illegal.

An insurance mandate would certainly be welcomed by the NRA. The insurance would not cover illegal use or negligent use of firearms.

Bad Thoughts

(2,514 posts)
12. In other countries we call the perpetrators "ISIS" and Taliban
Fri Oct 2, 2015, 11:05 AM
Oct 2015

And there love of gun culture is completely visible.

iandhr

(6,852 posts)
13. The Onion always posts this after an event like this.
Fri Oct 2, 2015, 11:09 AM
Oct 2015

The fact that a satire news agency which often post stories that are close to reality and a template ready to go for shootings speaks volumes.

JohnnyRingo

(18,581 posts)
17. As Michael Moore put it years ago...
Fri Oct 2, 2015, 11:19 AM
Oct 2015

"Guns don't kill people, Americans kill people".

Because of a sporting culture, anyone in Canada can put their hands on a gun, but they don't go on shooting rampages. The kids there play the same violent video games and young adults watch the same gory movies we see, but they don't have mass murders.

Many children in Middle Eastern countries receive a full auto AK47 for their 16th birthday, and warlike as their culture is, even they don't go on senseless mass killing sprees of fellow civilians, so why do we?

Why do Americans feel a need to grab a van full of guns and attack our neighbors where they congregate? No other country on Earth has this peculiar social problem, regardless the ready availability of weapons.

 

olddots

(10,237 posts)
24. we have become the nation of NO
Fri Oct 2, 2015, 11:33 AM
Oct 2015

we can't have equality , peace and prosperity for all and we can't stop barbaric mobsters from making this country worse than we could ever imagine.

IDemo

(16,926 posts)
27. A large percentage of Onion and Borowitz articles speak straight to the truth
Fri Oct 2, 2015, 11:48 AM
Oct 2015

Satire as a concept becomes increasingly irrelevant when a culture approaches the utterly ludicrous.

 

Dems to Win

(2,161 posts)
30. America is the Can't Do It Country
Fri Oct 2, 2015, 02:04 PM
Oct 2015

High speed rail? Oh, we can't do that

Universal health care? Oh, we can't do that

Paid parental leave? Oh, we can't do that

Reliable, verifiable voting technology? Oh, we can't do that

End homelessness? Oh, we can't do that

End mass shootings? Oh, we can't do that

Even the military Can't Do It. Couldn't prevent an attack on the Pentagon with 45 minutes notice. Can't prevent child abuse on our own military bases in Afghanistan!

Pathetic helpless giant, we are.

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