Friday, April 3, 2009

Binghamton NY - 12 Dead in Murder / Suicide

The New York Times reports on the rampage murder / suicide that took place in the Binghamton Immigration Services Center, where at least 12 people were killed.

According to several news reports, the police said the 42-year-old gunman then killed himself with a bullet to the head.

“While the situation is still developing and details are being gathered, we do know that a gunman entered the American Civic Association in Binghamton this morning and that there are fatalities,” Governor Paterson said in a statement Friday afternoon.

I'm sure sensible people everywhere will recognize that this has nothing to do with the availability of guns. This man certainly could have killed those 12 people and himself using any number of potentially dangerous implements. The fact is though, just like this one the other day and this one the day before that, he used a gun.

They're happening now faster than I can write about them.

What's your opinion? Do you buy that pro-gun idea that the gun is an inanimate object and the problem is the man who uses it wrongly? What about Vice-President Biden's ominous comments? Ominous for the gun lovers, I'd say.

“We’ve got to figure out a way to deal with this terrible, terrible violence,” Mr. Biden said.

What's your opinion? Please feel free to leave a comment.

20 comments:

  1. "One of the first questions is going to be, what motivated this?" he said. "What caused this to happen? What was the kind of person who did it?"

    One of the first questions is if the guns were legal. Many if the cops spent more time tracking down all the illegal guns and stop busting peoples balls for driving a little fast sometimes, than maybe the gun crime would go down.

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  2. They're happening now faster than I can write about them.

    A suggestion for your blog. Why not have a weekly tally of all the gun deaths each week or each month. While the media has a field day with these kinds of shootings, there is never a follow up story a year later like the Virgina Tech shooting or the Columbine shooting. Maybe if there was more follow up would people see the carnage more closely.
    I think you see the problem more mike because you are not in the society and looking at it from a distance. I do the same thing with my political analysis of the states.

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  3. I wouldn't say that, I would say if police weren't busy with bullshyt, and actually did their jobs, maybe real crime in general would go down, not just "gun crime".

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  4. I wish there had been an armed citizen there, so it could have been stopped before 12. That's pretty difficult in New York, since a license to merely have a handgun in your home is discretionary, and an unrestricted carry license is even less likely.

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  5. Yet another example of tragedy that could have been avoided.

    First, New York has some of the toughest handgun laws in the country and that is the problem in this case. An idiot walked in to a "gun free zone" and began shooting fish in a barrel. Had the state been more open to concealed carry, there is a chance that someone there could have fought back.

    I blame the state of New York and their excessive gun laws for this.

    I was in one bank and one credit union today. Had something this terrible happened, at least I would have had a fighting chance.

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  6. Mike, I'm on your side with the anit-gun stance...but this is an extremely sick individual. Guns or no guns, this guy is killing people.

    I'm not sure if I believe in the mantra "Guns don't kill people, etc...", but there is obviously something wrong with this guy where means don't care about exact reasons.

    Tragedy is all I can say. Tragedy.

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  7. You certainly are a vulture, Mike.

    Of course you aren't going to look at the Scores of laws in effect in NY (Assault Weapons Ban, Ban on normal capacity Magazines, Gun Registration, Permits and waiting periods for buying handguns, I'm pretty sure they have no private sales at gun shows ect)

    Oh and in case BobS didn't say it and it's just bogged down in your hypocrisy-watch The Man used a CAR to barricade the back exit and keep people from escaping him.

    Also the Police arrived within 3 mins of the 911 call.

    Seems EVERYTHING you propose didn't work. Hell the only ham-handed idea you propose to "Stop" (I won't even pretend to believe that's your real goal)is your blanket gun bans, which have also proven not to work simply by looking at other banned items.

    So instead you're a vulture, circling high overhead, looking to swoop down on any carnage to slake your hunger.

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  8. Sevesteen, I agree with you. I wish one of you guys had been blocked inside there, armed, and could have taken him out after the first or second killing. That would have been better, for sure. But, what is it you envision, a continually escalating balance of power in which the good guys are always far better armed than the bad guys? Should we open the floodgates so that Fat White Man can never blame a State again? Of course, these things happen in places like Alabama too, don't they?

    I maintain that fewer guns is the answer, of course maintaining the balance in favor of the good guys, but the fewer guns we have, it seems obvious to me, the fewer incidents like this we'll have in the future.

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  9. I said it before and I will say it again. When I was living in the USA, in New York State, on the island of Manhattan, if I wanted a gun, I could have had one in a few hours. Totally illegal of course, but I could have had access to a wide assortement, an veritable panopoly of pistols, shotguns or heck, a nice assault weapon.
    Yes, I knew "bad people", but we all know someone who is a "bad person" or could call a "bad person" to make a deal. I knew "bad People" because I lived in a bad neighborhood and to survive, some of these bad people had to be my friends.Some of those "bad peoples" were actually pretty nice guys but It's about money, it's the arms industry, it leaks and and the leakage is big bucks for a lot of people in the food chain.

    And all of you back yard Chuck Norris's who have it all rehearsed as to what you would do with your big gun if you were suddenly in the middle of a "situation", in real life, nothing is as elegantly choreographed as movie violence and there is no director to yell "CUT".

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  10. If you look at incidents where an armed good guy stopped a spree shooter, you'll find that firepower isn't the determining factor. Handgun vs. battle rifle, handgun vs. shotgun, single handgun vs. multiple guns--in almost every case the good guy is heavily outgunned, in almost every case the bad guy gets stopped anyway. Sometimes he's stopped, Dead Right There, sometimes merely prevented from taking more innocent life until police get there. Either way is a win for the good guys.

    The key is to have a defender on the scene wherever possible. It doesn't seem to matter much what kind of gun the defender is armed with, just that he or she is there and willing to defend.

    Gun control disproportionately disarms defenders.

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  11. MikeB,

    But, what is it you envision, a continually escalating balance of power in which the good guys are always far better armed than the bad guys?

    Show us where we've said that, implied that or desired that. Once again you are telling an untruth.

    We don't need an arms race, every study has shown people like this scum stop when confronted with armed resistance. What happens if they start learning that armed resistance is already there?
    I, in my opinion, believe we will see LESS not greater escalation because they want to make a statement. Having people there ready to resist lessens that statement.

    I wish one of you guys had been blocked inside there, armed, and could have taken him out after the first or second killing.

    If that is the case, why are you continuing your efforts to make it harder for people like us to be there?

    Continuing to post, continuing to call for restrictions just mean it is less likely someone will be there to stop a killer.

    If you truly believe that, welcome to the PRO-SECOND AMENDMENT CAMP.

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  12. WOW, Mike...going a little overboard aren't you?

    Moderation and WORD VERIFICATION?


    By the way Weer'd, didn't respond to this because I was occupied all night. Wife was doing the American Cancer Relay for Life walk...teams having someone on the track walking from 6:00 p.m yesterday to 6:00 a.m. today. I was support staff.

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  13. MikeB Said: "of course maintaining the balance in favor of the good guys"

    BULLSHIT Mike. Every proposition you have made will ONLY benefit those who are willing to violate the law, much like the people Micro speaks about.

    As for Micro, there's something deeply wrong with a person who will point out the ineffective nature of gun control laws, and then advocate for more controls.

    And of course your adorable slander at the end was both amusing and deeply ironic!

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  14. Microdot,

    And all of you back yard Chuck Norris's who have it all rehearsed as to what you would do with your big gun if you were suddenly in the middle of a "situation", in real life, nothing is as elegantly choreographed as movie violence and there is no director to yell "CUT".

    Then it should be easy to find statistics, evidence, something, anything that shows that people with Concealed Carry licenses are shooting up the place, missing their targets, killing innocents, etc.....right?

    Waiting for the evidence.......

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  15. Slander? hah, you guys crack me up, I never know when you're joking. I guess it's just that elusive sense of conservative irony that we liberals never seem to get. Pretty good one, Mr. Weerd. I'll have to use that line at the next FEMA Conservative Concentration Camp Planning Party....
    Oh jeez, I wasn't supposed to mention that...

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  16. Those who can't discuss the issues, don't discuss the issues.

    You guys are transparent.

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  17. Microdot,

    Still waiting for that evidence...shouldn't it be easier to find then this?

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  18. Wow like 3 verification cycles and no response.

    I'm sure Microdot was just saying potty words and had his comments screens.

    Of course he could find what Bob asked for....

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  19. Another day, still no response from Microdot.

    What's up with that Micro?

    Where is all the data showing that Concealed Carry holders are asking "for another take to get it right"?

    Where is all the information showing how CHLs are shooting the wrong person, missing the right person, etc?

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  20. Oh Come on, microdot knows that what he's spewing is 100% pure bullshit with no basis in fact.

    I feel sorry for him.

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