The Political Environment: Conn. Shooter Used Military-Grade Assault Rifle...

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Conn. Shooter Used Military-Grade Assault Rifle...

Similar to the weapon the DC snipers used some years ago: Second Amendment rights secure!

35 comments:

Reagan's Disciple said...: The "Bushmaster" is hardly a "military grade" AR. It is a cheap imitation of the Military AR's. Look at a Colt 6920 for example as a Military or LEO quality gun.

The Bushmaster is a .223 caliber rifle. Not much different in operation than any other semi-auto rifle other than it is black. In fact, it shoots a much smaller caliber than most all handguns.

What is really sad is that there was a tragedy such as this and you are using your blog to push a political anti-gun agenda rather than remembering the victims and praying for their families.; December 15, 2012 at 9:45 PM
Reagan's Disciple said...: Can you liberals list what gun laws you would like to see enacted, so as everyone will be safe. Please be specific.; December 15, 2012 at 9:59 PM
James Rowen said...: You are splitting hairs, RD. The Bushmaster fires a high-velocity cartridge that did near-historic damage. Ask Conn. which one of us they agree with.

This "tragedy" is a multiple homicide because these powerful weapons were allowed to fall into the wrong hands.; December 15, 2012 at 11:12 PM
James Rowen said...: To RD: So much for your "cheap imitation" weapon; just another semi-auto Rifle: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/16/nyregion/gunman-kills-20-children-at-school-in-connecticut-28-dead-in-all.html?hp&_r=0; December 15, 2012 at 11:17 PM
nonquixote said...: @RD above:

The real tragedy is that you are apparently of the small and sociopathic mindset, that people who you derogatorily define as liberals (whatever that means and I doubt you capable of actually defining the term), are incapable of grieving, recognizing the GUN problem, and pushing for action to attempt to prevent the next group of children from being so easily destroyed, all at the same time.

It does not surprise me that you seem incapable of, so either can't or won't make the clean and clear connection between the deaths of the people, Friday, and the firearms that were all too readily available to the person using them, to snuff out these lives. Bitter truth is hard pill to swallow RD?

That it is obviously and near schizophrenically tough for you to revere your god, the gun, and at the same time have to admit that the almost unregulated ability to possess this type of WMD by any citizen in this country IS THE PROBLEM. THESE WEAPONS ARE WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION which are DESIGNED FOR A SINGULAR PURPOSE, AND FOR NONE OTHER. Specific enough, RD?

Must be that because I am a, "conservative," on this issue, that enables me to easily see the problem at the same time I mourn for these innocents. No one is ever going to be totally safe, a pathetic try at distraction with your red herring there, RD, but public safety can be improved whether or not you can actually grasp the concept or the possibility or the obvious remedy needed, no demanded.

Seems like someone with an online alias like yours would be fighting to assure all children the RIGHT TO LIFE. So save your hypocritical tears, your disingenuous prayers and your whining excuses and apologies for WMD's, for fantastical less lethal and apparently not to be blamed, "much smaller," caliber bullets and certain more future gun mayhem, for yourself.

These families certainly don't want them or anything else from the likes of you, who's happiness is a warm gun.; December 16, 2012 at 4:58 AM
Anonymous said...: Liberals are always so angry. I think it might be because they think up these goofy ideas like they should be allowed to decide what kinds of guns other people should own, and they all think it is so brilliant that every one would agree; except that then the rest of the people in the world tell them that they are nuts, and this pisses them off.; December 16, 2012 at 5:14 AM
Anonymous said...: “the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed”
What part is it that the Liberals don’t you understand?; December 16, 2012 at 7:20 AM
Reagan's Disciple said...: James the point corrected was that the Bushmaster is NOT a military grade weapon as you claim.

It is a semi-automatic weapon that is available at most sporting goods stores.

What I was saying, and maybe this is your idea, but... If you object to this type of gun being sold, you really are in favor of banning the sale of all rifles. The Bushmaster shares many of the same characteristics as many hunting rifles, other than it is black instead of wood.; December 16, 2012 at 7:22 AM
Todd Endres said...: Agreed Jim....; December 16, 2012 at 7:53 AM
Anonymous said...: Gun/wing nuts are destroying this country. Just look at what passes for reasonable dialog at the NRA. You people are messed up.; December 16, 2012 at 7:56 AM
Todd Endres said...: rd...a gun is a gun...they can all fire lethal rounds...; December 16, 2012 at 7:56 AM
Gun Show dealer said...: The sad reality is: without this high capacity killing machine many of these children and adults would still be alive. It's time to ban these weapons of mass destruction.; December 16, 2012 at 9:38 AM
Having guns is a sexual thing isn't it... said...: Without this weapon of mass distraction this evil bastard would not have been able to shoot these children multiple times at close range.

The gunman in the Connecticut shooting blasted his way into the elementary school and then sprayed the children with bullets, first from a distance and then at close range, hitting some of them as many as 11 times, as he fired a semiautomatic rifle loaded with ammunition designed for maximum damage, officials said Saturday.

The state’s chief medical examiner, H. Wayne Carver II, said all of the 20 children and 6 adults gunned down at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., had been struck more than once in the fusillade.

He said their wounds were “all over, all over.”; December 16, 2012 at 9:45 AM
Gareth said...: What part of "well regulated militia" don't the gun fanatics understand?; December 16, 2012 at 10:55 AM
Anonymous said...: Liberals are so silly. Restricting ownership of guns will only mean that the only people that will have guns are criminals, the police, and the military. Besides being a really dumb idea, there is no way to implement it. Don’t you liberals have an actual solution that has a remote possibility of working? Obviously not. My prediction is that gun sales in the immediate future will rise due to the knowledge that only civilian gun ownership can prevent future tragedies and the fear that some gun sales may be restricted, which of course they won’t.; December 16, 2012 at 11:49 AM
zombie rotten mcdonald said...: There is no valid reason to have a high capacity semi automatic weapon.

News flash for the gun fetishists: Red Dawn was fiction. BOTH times.; December 16, 2012 at 12:13 PM
The bigger my gun the better said...: I thought conservatives were in favor of law and order. The laws against humanity have been severely breeched. There is no order in the conservative's world now.; December 16, 2012 at 2:11 PM
nonquixote said...: Calling other human beings silly while your suggestion that only more guns will solve the gun violence problem is really rich, Anony 11:49 AM today.

I'm sure all the Conn. families of those killed Friday, will undoubtedly agree that that particular, "civilian," armed with such lethal firepower at the school really worked in preventing that impending tragedy of those kids and adults having a future on this planet.

Could you be any more clueless with your, "logic," while calling other people silly? I'm sure you probably could, evidenced by your current statement. I'm guessing you were likely in charge of spelling on the infamous tea-party rally sign screaming something about MORANS, too.; December 16, 2012 at 2:18 PM
Laurette McGovern said...: Please explain to me, Mr. Disciple, with all these thousands of rounds od ammo and semi-automatic weapons, who are you planning to go into battle against? Wolves? Sandhill cranes? School children?

And please explain to me why you and your ilk aren't the lowest form of humanity.; December 16, 2012 at 4:26 PM
Reagan's Disciple said...: Please give some specific laws you would like to see enacted and then explain how they would have prevented this, or any other tragedy.

@Laurette - I figured the name calling would start sooner rather than later. Insinuating that I or anyone else here would shoot children based on following the 2nd amendment is simply disgusting in the wake of this tragedy.

In fact, I shouldn't even offer your the courtesy of a response given your disgusting rhetoric, but it had to be addressed.; December 16, 2012 at 5:15 PM
Reagan's Disciple said...: @nonquixote,

Please provide a specific law and then state how it would have prevented a tragedy like this.

Your talking points ring hollow when you don't offer solutions.; December 16, 2012 at 5:17 PM
Reagan's Disciple said...: @nonquixote,

Please provide a specific law and then please state how it would have prevented a tragedy like this.

Your talking points and inflammatory rhetoric ring hollow when you don't offer actual solutions.; December 16, 2012 at 5:22 PM
zombie rotten mcdonald said...: One law that would have prevented Newtown: guns stored in disassemble state in gun safe with trigger locks.

Here's another one: no storage or onwnership of firearms in a residence where anyone living there has a history of mental illness or disability.

OK, now go ahead and move the goalposts rather than answer the entirely reasonable question.; December 16, 2012 at 6:53 PM
Jake formerly of the LP said...: The SQUEALNG from the RWNJ pigs is telling. You know these type of guns serve no purpose being available to the general public, and they have no right to be out in public.

We also know you big talkers are exactly the type that would freeze and/or shoot up innocent people by mistake if you ever landed in the same room as the freak from Connecticut. Just shut it.

The majority opinion allows competent people without criminal histories to have hunting-type guns in their homes, and restricts it for most other circumstances. It is only due to NRA's lobbying power and plays to the fears of stupid white men that this common-sense position is not law in America.

But please, keep squealing, pigs. You finally giving the NRA the neutralizing that has been far overdue.; December 16, 2012 at 7:14 PM
nonquixote said...: Didn't think that you could figure it out RD. You, nor I nor any citizen of this country should be allowed to have personal possession of any WMD.

Your seriously redundant whining rhetoric about a specific law is ludicrous as you are obviously unable to justify on any grounds, that any US citizen should be allowed to possess a WMD. Now I suppose you'll tell me that 27 innocent people killed using, what, over a 100 rounds of ammunition is not mass destruction of human life.

I have now, three times defined the problem and the remedy. Your refusal to "see," that the remedy to the WMD problem can't be projected as being someone else's problem is something a professional counselor might be able to divine. NOT MY JOB.

It must really suck when you don't have any valid response to the answer you requested except for stalling. That shoe is fitting you to a tee, Cinderella, and midnight is fast approaching. We need to take your WMD from you. Plain enough? Save everyone some grief and volunteer to do the right thing.; December 16, 2012 at 9:35 PM
Reagan's Disciple said...: @zombie

One law that would have prevented Newtown: guns stored in disassemble state in gun safe with trigger locks.

How so? Do you know that they weren't stored that way? The guy killed his mother. What makes you think he couldn't have strong armed her to get them out of there in the first place? Plus, one of the most common reasons for owning a weapon is for home/self defense. This would kind of defeat that purpose wouldn't it? Hear intruder.... run to basement to safe... unlock safe... get out parts to gun... assemble gun... load bullets... head back upstairs to find burgler/killer/rapist. How long would that process take... Under pressure, I would give it a conservative 5 minutes at best... That is, if they don't come down and attack you first.

2) What is to be considered a mental illness or disability? Who determines the diagnosis? Are there any other constitutional rights you wish to abridge due to health issues of family members, relatives, friends or guests?

Would I need to get a mental health report for anyone that lives with me, what if a child has a sleepover, should we ask the parents about their kids mental stability and ask them for proof, or would they have to carry a mental disability card and show it to every prospective homeowner where they live, visit or sleep?

What about privacy rights, or do those not matter in certain cases anymore?

Maybe the initials MD for mental disorder should be tattooed on their forehead? That would ID them!

How would you propose enforcing or regulating this law to make sure people can use government/health records and resources to make sure they are in compliance?

Although your emotional response is certainly caring, it would really cross privacy issues don't you think? Or don't those matter?

I'm not merely disagreeing with you, but rather trying to show the impracticality of trying to implement such measures.

Any other ideas?; December 16, 2012 at 9:54 PM
zombie rotten mcdonald said...: So let's see, the argument is that mass killing shooters are, by defnition, a mental health issue, but there is no possible way to identify or treat them?

So you're just saying that the only solution is either to live with increasingly deadly occurrences that happen more often?

Or, of course, just give everybody more weapons. Which, although every single data point demonstrates doesn't work, is always the solution. Just like no matter what the economic problem, tax cuts are always the solution.

The arguments are predictable as they are false. And it does seem like people are starting to see through them a little bit.; December 17, 2012 at 12:09 AM
zombie rotten mcdonald said...: But in any case, let's go ahead and try my solutions. I don't see how these quibbles make them unworkable, the whole Act 10 thing was much more complicated and even Republicans managed to get that worked out just fine.

There are other good ideas, but we can start with a few.

How so? Do you know that they weren't stored that way? The guy killed his mother. What makes you think he couldn't have strong armed her to get them out of there in the first place? Plus, one of the most common reasons for owning a weapon is for home/self defense. This would kind of defeat that purpose wouldn't it? Hear intruder.... run to basement to safe... unlock safe... get out parts to gun... assemble gun... load bullets... head back upstairs to find burgler/killer/rapist. How long would that process take... Under pressure, I would give it a conservative 5 minutes at best... That is, if they don't come down and attack you first.

The funny thing about all this is that none of it actually disproves that a gun safe and trigger locks wouldn't have prevented the latest NRA slaughter.

I fully expected the "armed intruder" argument. Unfortunately, the only armed intruder this woman had to fear was her son. The fact that people SAY they bought a weapon for self defense in no way correlates to any actual occasions to USE them for self defense. In fact, the biggest correlation to having a family member shoot you? HAVING A GUN IN YOUR HOME.

Quibble on, my friend.; December 17, 2012 at 12:14 AM
Reagan's Disciple said...: So let's see, the argument is that mass killing shooters are, by definition, a mental health issue, but there is no possible way to identify or treat them?

I've given several options to ID them, (sarcastically of course) Mental ID cards, forehead tattoos... So, what are your real options to let everyone in the public know that someone has a mental health issue? Let's have some answers instead of talking points!

The fact that people SAY they bought a weapon for self defense in no way correlates to any actual occasions to USE them for self defense.

Sorry, there are thousands of cases where an armed citizens have prevented violent crimes from occurring to them or in their home.
Owning a weapon is not simply about using it, it is about knowing it is there in case you need.

I get it, you don't like guns. Your really have two choices... Amend the US constitution or move to the Netherlands or somewhere else where guns are banned... oh wait... the Netherlands just had a mass shooting as well. I guess that idea doesn't work either.; December 17, 2012 at 8:06 AM
RD said...: Also, your calling this an NRA slaughter.

So much for personal responsibility hey. In your eyes, everyone is at fault, but the shooter himself... The gun, the gun maker, the gun industry and now the NRA.

Should we ban cars? How many innocent people are killed everyday by drunk drivers? A lot more than by shootings. Which one is really more dangerous? But then again, is it really the drivers fault if they were mentally incapacitated?

When will you start blaming the fork industry for fat people?; December 17, 2012 at 8:17 AM
zombie rotten mcdonald said...: Let's have some answers instead of talking points!

LOL. Talking Points Master.

Owning a weapon is not simply about using it, it is about knowing it is there in case you need.

That's a very telling statement. So you finally admit that it is your own shortcomings that are being addressed by owning a gun.

Gary Wills had an article identifying firearms as America's Moloch. How do you reconcile your professed Christianity with your idolatry of guns, your own worship of America's Moloch?; December 17, 2012 at 12:15 PM
Reagan's Disciple said...: Sorry, Gary Willis does not tell me who or what to worship. It is really very simple, God comes 1st.

Even so, there is no reason to worship constitutional rights.

How about them forehead tattoo's, or please give another solution.

You have still failed to provide a sustainable and effective law that would have prohibited this tragedy.

You just need to understand that there is evil in this world. The biggest mass killing at a school was committed with explosives, not guns. Were there cries back then to outlaw TNT possession in schools?

Sounds pretty asinine doesn't it.; December 17, 2012 at 1:38 PM
nonquixote said...: Wow, ronny's disciple is also god's disciple. Ain't that serving two masters, RD. Looks like someone won't ever be knocking on heaven's door, now. The fiery pit doesn't have a door, but they saved the smoking section and there is no waiting to be seated. Walking a thinner line than you contemplated before.

Your puny jackass god would rather see his innocent children die than take control of guns from the hands of idiots and fools. And, you are claiming to know the definition of asinine and evil. Getting a bit uppity there, heh son?

Somebody answers your question and you ignore it and change the question. How convenient, you should start your own blog and then people could ignore you completely.

RD, look in the freaking mirror, takes evil to know it as they say, OH, and don't let me leave without telling you where you can holster your warm gun.

What did you do to help anybody today?
So easy to forget.; December 18, 2012 at 12:46 AM
Reagan's Disciple said...: @noq..

Your maturity really shows and you are apparently one troubled individual. You are not worthy of a further response because I don't feel the need to drop down to your level of name calling and questioning of my or anyone else's beliefs in God.

Have a nice, angry life.

Blessings,; December 18, 2012 at 11:32 AM
James Rowen said...: The initial comment on this thread really stuck in my craw because it dismissed the .223 ammo used in the mass murder as "a much smaller caliber than most all handguns."

Sophistry, as I pointed out two comments later.

But note the expert description in this shooters' magazine of the .223 load, in particular the bullet's "fragmentation" advantages.

In little kids?

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/newtown-massacre-bushmaster-223/story?id=18000884#.UNpniLYtdT5; December 25, 2012 at 9:00 PM