Massive Shooting At Connecticut School: 27 dead

[BLADE]

Crack dealers have less agency and are often victims of societal circumstances. Wayne LaPierre is a rich old white douche. The sort of douche who still is entrenched in the American power structure. To compare him to a crack dealer is to do a disservice to said crack dealer.

Not really surprising, though a comparatively inept showing by the NRA (even though there will be no new gun laws, save perhaps for a very watered-down assault weapons ban.)

Not-so-fun-fact: There was a mass shooting (four dead, including three state troopers --hm... more armed people needed maybe?) in rural Pennsylvania at the same time as this press conference was held. Hm.

 

[Saul]

Don't feel like making a new subject for this.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/12/19/sd-teen-dies-in-shooting-after-paintball-argument/

Seriously, what the ****?

First degree murder? Good luck with that one, mister prosecutor.

 

[Brandon Rhea]

First degree murder? Good luck with that one, mister prosecutor.

Read the full story.

Pre-meditation doesn't require days and days of planning or anything like that. If the account is accurate, he willingly walked over to get a gun. It doesn't strike me as the heat of the moment.

 

[Saul]

I think they're just charging him with 1st degree in order to get a plea out of him. South Dakota does have a weak castle law, which could be used as a potential defense and might leave the prosecution flailing their arms about.

 

[BLADE]

Premeditated design to effect the death defined. The term, premeditated design to effect the death, means an intention, purpose, or determination to kill or take the life of the person killed, distinctly formed and existing in the mind of the perpetrator before committing the act resulting in the death of the person killed. A premeditated design to effect death sufficient to constitute murder may be formed instantly before committing the act.

And there you have it. Time as a factor in killings applies more saliently to concurrent crimes like conspiracy to commit murder, etc. Modern psychology about fugue states, passion, emotional and behavioral triggers, etc. are generally more heavily weighed when considering murder taxonomy.

Saul: Only if the defense can prove that there was a felony or threat of violence about to be committed, which is unlikely since (as one of the components, often unstated of the Castle Doctrine) the dead adolescent was presumably invited in.

 

[Saul]

I wouldn't be surprised if the defense construed the victim as a potential assailant (the wrestling bit).

Also, man that law is one hell of a strict one, essentially any murder could be murder 1. Rough times. Well, S. Dakota is nothing but ranchers and Indians anyways *randomly dismisses part of U.S.*

What I find amusing is that, while every other news agency has moved on to broadcasting news about victims and outrage at the NRA, FOX focuses on more gun violence. There was no mention of the incident on MSNBC. Which goes back to that one video a couple pages back that critiqued British media, essentially saying that the media perpetuates this stuff.

 

[Saul]

Since we're on about gun violence in the media, here's another one that made headlines for ABC news:
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/da-dead-including-gunman-rural-pa-road-18037249#.UNUn-W9u8mU

 

[Brandon Rhea]

FOX and ABC aren’t doing it improperly, though. It’s news whether we like it or not, so what matters is how we report it. Those stories are being reported as local issues pertaining to one group of people. It becomes a problem (in terms of inspiring further violence) when it’s on at all hours of the day, when the killer is being talked about at great lengths, and when it’s spoken of as a national issue.

 

[Brand]

We do need to seriously have a talk about some form of gun control in this country. I suggested a license and concurrent mental/training checks and mandates. I think that's where we as a country need to go.

agreed.

 

[Matt]

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_...wn_sandy_hook_shooting.html?wpisrc=most_viral

 

[Ping]

The shooting in Pennsylvania happened in the area of the state I live in (different county, though). I would think something like that happening right after Newtown would make people go "Ok, we have a problem." Also, did anyone see LaPierre's interview on Meet the Press? He proved himself to be an absolute idiot, saying that getting rid of high-capacity magazines wouldn't change anything.

 

[Saul]

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_...wn_sandy_hook_shooting.html?wpisrc=most_viral

Man, the map they have is bloody awful. And the statistics don't distinguish between multiple homicide and spree kills and single homicide... Also, the last paragraph about suicides being gun violence suggests to me those few suicides that were reported are listed. Christmas time (the time being covered by @GunDeaths) is the highest rate of suicide in the year. I'm not suggesting that stopping guns will not lower homicide, though (because I ma have subtely deflected the significance of gun violence by critiquing the inclusion of suicide deaths - idk, I have trouble reading how people will interpret what I say sometimes). Just saying that the data on that site is misleading.

This article summarizes my feelings about this whole Newtown, gun control, etc. thing: http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/15/world/asia/china-us-school-attack/index.html (yes, it's old, but I was going over old news and saw it and thought it good)

 

[Saul]

The shooting in Pennsylvania happened in the area of the state I live in (different county, though). I would think something like that happening right after Newtown would make people go "Ok, we have a problem." Also, did anyone see LaPierre's interview on Meet the Press? He proved himself to be an absolute idiot, saying that getting rid of high-capacity magazines wouldn't change anything.

Most gun violence occurs with standard sized clips. By that, I mean to say guns used in home burgs, suicides, corner store robberies, etc. The big clips are typically used for the mass violence and spree kills. Why people want to renew a ban on assault weapons when assault weapons haven't been used in any shooting so far is beyond me. (AR-15 has non-assault variants and can easily be modified to be full auto illegally)

 

[Wing]

I am surprised people are not blaming violent video games as a cause.

 

[Horizon]

I am surprised people are not blaming violent video games as a cause.

Mass Effect was supposedly a good example this time.

 

[Brandon Rhea]

I am surprised people are not blaming violent video games as a cause.

The NRA blamed Mortal Kombat.

I wish I was kidding.

 

[Wing]

The NRA blamed Mortal Kombat.

I wish I was kidding.

Wow. The NRA is lower than usual.

 

[Brandon Rhea]

At this point, the only way the NRA could actually sink any lower is if Wayne LaPierre physically arms a mass murderer.

 

[Ping]

The NRA blamed Mortal Kombat.

I wish I was kidding.

That game doesn't even have guns...

 

[Nameless]

That game doesn't even have guns...

Stryker has pistols.