Is that argument for gun control usually cite the firearm death numbers as if those numbers would be zero in the absence of guns. .When the actual effect is a complete unknown.

They would have still killed all these people, plus many more who were not as close to them.

Nearly all of the mass shootings that have occurred world wide have been at close range with people trapped and unable to escape. In a similar vein, a mass stabbing/slashing requires that they trap people into a small space. Incidents that have occurred in an open space where people can flee in many directions have resulted in far fewer deaths regardless of the range of the weapon. People who are fucked in the head and seek to do these things usually look for a cluster of people with few exits.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/least-27-dead-dozens-injured-china-knife-wielding-spree-n41966

At Least 27 Dead, Dozens Injured in China Knife-Wielding Spree

A group of knife-wielding men attacked a train station in southwestern China on Saturday, leaving at least 27 dead and more than 100 injured, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

Xinhua did not provide more details about the evening attack at the Kunming Railway Station in Yunnan province, and the attackers were not identified. Kunming city police said they did not have immediate information to release.

A local television station — citing eyewitnesses — reported that there was at least one death and several injuries in the attack. The TV station, K6, said that several of the attackers were shot by police and that victims were being transported to local hospitals.

The state-run Yunnan News said that the men were wearing uniforms when they stormed the railway station and that gunshots were heard after police arrived.

Photos circulating online showed scattered luggage and bodies lying on the floor in blood. The motive behind the attack was not immediately clear, but China has seen a number of mass stabbings and other attacks carried out by people bearing grudges against society.
— The Associated Press

Well, you lose your job, you have no social support network, you lose your mind, you have nothing else to lose.

.... sooner than you think.

shield and sword then.

Because I was wondering if it was an automatic knife.

China is still a Communist country and there really is no state religion. Buddhists, Christians are there, some Islamics.. but I don't think Religion has a part in this, unless its some wild cult, I have never heard of.

Religion plays a BIG part in this.

The Hui of Gansu are muslims too, but part of the East-Sino family of Ethnic Groups.

The Uyghurs have more in common with the Turkmen, Kazaks and Uzbeks than with East Asians. . .as a result, they are prepared to "rip a star from the Chinese flag."

People can vilify me, but this is accurate. Might be unpopular on DU, but it's true.

So don't get all hot and bothered with your NRA issued talking points, gungeoneers.

My heart goes out to the victims of this horrendous crime.
RIP to the slain victims.

the only thing possibly sadder are people trying to turn it into an American Gun issue.

Turning it into a gun issuer here is SADDER than all those poor folks dead and wounded in China? Pull it out, screwball. Ms Bigack

Such as this situation, we turn a horrible attack in China into something that redirects focus on the US domestic issue... In other situations we either tear down another country that does good, or use that same event to rip on the US. I know that people in other countries do the same at times, but not nearly as much as we do it.

AK-47s, supporting lone gunmen and American individualism! DIY, boys. Here in America, we kill without a socialistic GROUP.

One man. One gun. One hundred round clip.

Gender imbalance based attack sounds right.

Is a board of progressives has about 3 posts about concerns for the victims, a half dozen or so questions or updates and sixteen trying to make political hay for their pet cause...

I will think of the victims and hope for recovery for the survivors

the family members of the victims aren't likely going to be reading DU and let's face it, our sending our thoughts to the victims and families really doesn't do jack shit in helping them, but it can make the sender feel more benevolent, not that there is anything wrong with that at all.

This is a political site, so it's not shocking to see political viewpoints expressed on any given story. However, I often make the mistake of reading comments under our local news websites which victims friends and families are more likely to read, and the comments, from what I can only guess are far right wing conservatives, are peppered with blaming the victims, making sick, stupid jokes, blaming Obama and the worst, people stating how all problems would be solved by blowing someone away with their GUNS, Ahnold-style. Oh, and I live in one of the most liberal states in the country. So what I'm trying to say is that my experience with reading comments on stories like this make any comments here seem enlightened.

And that this is outside of the US changes the dynamic somewhat.

It seems though some here, and many in the general population, are less concerned that the numbers were living breathing human beings than being able to chime in how this "proves" the righteousness of their position.

I don't personally know a single person of the billion plus that live in China, but i will not trample their bodies to say what i believe would have made one whit of difference

Are they a death cult or something? Knives just aren't the preferred tool for terrorists to advance their political goals....

I'm just relieved it was knives and not guns. Kunming train station is one of the busiest in China. If guns were invlved, the death toll could have been in the hundreds.

In that case, there were claims of future attack warnings:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Tiananmen_Square_attack