But gun nuts put their fantasy fetish objects and their silly daydreams of how powerful and heroic they are over the plain and obvious reality of gun violence in this country. It hurts people far more often than it saves anyone, and when it is used to save, there are so very often better means to accomplish the same end.
THIS is the essence of our gun culture; people armed to the teeth doing what they think is right instead of relying on law enforcement and courts to more sanely, more peacefully, and less emotionally resolve conflicts. I have no doubt every domestic abuser believes he is right, every person who wrongly shoots someone believes they were doing something important and necessary. Guns in the hands of people kill people, and without guns in their hands, fewer people succeed at killing other people.
From NBC.com and the wire services by way of MSNBC.com:
2 dead, 3 wounded during fire, shooting at Los Angeles home
Patrick T. Fallon / APFirefighters battled a fire in the East Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles on Thursday afternoon at a house where two people were shot and killed and three were wounded.A gunman and one of his victims were found dead inside the smoldering remains of a Los Angeles house on Thursday. Three other gunshot victims were rescued from the burning home earlier that afternoon by police and firefighters, authorities said.
The bodies of the gunman and victim were found after the fire was out and authorities were able to search the house, a 1917 single-story rambler in LA's East Hollywood neighborhood, the Associated Press reported.
The three other victims – two 38-year-old women and a 34-year-old man – had been shot by the time police and firefighters arrived. They were transported in serious condition to an undisclosed hospital and were expected to survive.
Read more at NBCLosAngeles.com
The incident began shortly before 1 p.m. when emergency personnel responded to the home. Firefighters did not enter the home because they worried the gunman was still at large, fire Capt. Jaime Moore told the AP.
Authorities said the shooting was called "domestically motivated" and said the gunman had a relationship with one of the surviving victims, the AP reported.
Authorities cordoned off the block and nearby residents were evacuated, said Los Angeles Police Department Commander Andrew Smith. Some neighbors were concerned that gusty winds could spread the flames in the dense East Hollywood neighborhood.
It took about 150 firefighters and two and a half hours to fight the blaze, according to the Los Angeles Times. When the fire was out, cadaver dogs combed the scene for other possible bodies.
Neighbor Angelica De Paz, speaking in Spanish, told the AP that she was about to run errands when she saw a man kick in the front door of the house where the incident took place. The man was in his 20s or 30s, she said, and he wore a black shirt and blue jeans.
About five minutes later, De Paz said, she received a call from a neighbor who said the house was on fire.
"I thought it was a joke," De Paz said.
Another neighbor, Darwin Urbina, told the AP that he saw a man of the same description sitting on a curb outside the house shortly before he heard shots.
"He had this intent look," Urbina said. "He just stared at me for a while."
Urbina, who has lived in the neighborhood for a decade, described it as marked by gangs and drugs.
Mike Meadows / APFirefighters battle a blaze at a Los Angeles home on Thursday afternoon. A 34-year-old man and two 38-year-old women were shot; police removed them from the home and sent them to the hospital. They were in serious condition but were expected to survive, officials said.
Once again from the Brady's favorite state, more gun control FAIL.
ReplyDeleteAnd once again, we have Dog Gone's observation that every person believes himself or herself to be acting wisely and sanely. How is that evidence of anything?
ReplyDeleteWait, WHAT? Neighbor Angelica De Paz, speaking in Spanish, told the AP that she was about to run errands when she saw a man kick in the front door of the house where the incident took place. The man was in his 20s or 30s, she said, and he wore a black shirt and blue jeans.
ReplyDeleteAbout five minutes later, De Paz said, she received a call from a neighbor who said the house was on fire.
So the neighbor witnessed a home invasion and failed to call the police?
They really should pass a law against killing and arson, that would have prevented this whole tragedy.
OR, B3, you could come back to reality and recognize that because of the stupid 'papers please' laws and other hostilities and antagonism by authorities, many residents of hispanic communities are reluctant to call the police.
DeleteClearly a better solution to prevent this kind of tragedy would be more effective deterrence of gang violence, fewer firearms that would be used in domestic violence, and wiser, more effective ethnic and race relations between hispanic communities and law enforcement.
But hey - by all means go for the stupid interpretation B3, rather than be reality based or thoughtful.
Clearly a better solution to prevent this kind of tragedy would be more effective deterrence of gang violence
Delete^^this^^
According to the FBI, 48% - 90% of violent crime is gang-related but you want to disarm the entire population and restrict Peace Officers from taking their duty weapon home. How would disarming the law abiding going to effect violent crime? It would certainly make being a criminal a safer career choice.
You're either ignorant or being disingenuous B3.
DeleteFewer guns overall consistently results in fewer guns in the hands of criminals and less violence.
As to disarming Police officers - in the UK, fewer guns also means fewer law enforcement officers who have to work armed.
Pleae be precise; I specifically suggested restricting those Police Officers from taking their firearms home with them where domestic violence is a problem.
Being a career criminal would NOT be a safer choice, and you are simply promoting a particularly pernicious piece of propaganda by repeating that nonsense.
Dog Gone, you consistently miss our points. You also insist that because criminals misuse guns, we who follow the law must be disarmed. Do you fantasize about having a magical looking glass and wand? Those are the only tools that would make possible your dreams.
DeleteFewer guns overall consistently results in fewer guns in the hands of criminals and less violence.
DeleteNo, dog gone, it doesn't. Certainly, no guns would result in no guns in the hands of criminals (until they start making their own) but it does not lead to less violence.
Violent crime rate 2010
US 403.6
CA 899
AU 1024.3 (2007)
NZ 1152.68
I specifically suggested restricting those Police Officers from taking their firearms home with them where domestic violence is a problem.
Again, the firearm is not the problem, the domestic abuser is the problem. If a LEO is involved in DA, LEO needs to be put in the system.
Being a career criminal would NOT be a safer choice
Please explain to me how it would not be safer for criminals if every household was disarmed.
The violence that occurs without guns is less often fatal, frequently less injurious than violence with a gun, and nearly always involves fewer people.
DeleteCheck the stats, you'll see it is true, and it is true not only nationally, but internationally.
As to being a career criminal being no more safe, the criminals also have fewer guns, and are at greater risk from having to engage their victims at closer quarters. They are also more likely to be surveilled and recorded, to be stopped by other means like security systems, and to be subdued by non-lethal means like stun guns and pepper spray as alternatives by the home owner.
Your notions about the heroic home owner shooting all the bad guys is just that - fiction, myth, a silly fantasy. Far more often either your damn guns are stolen because no one was home to stop the robbery, OR, your lot does something stupid and violent that harms someone other than bad guys.
Tell it to the mother in Oklahoma. Then look at your comment. You want increased monitoring. What, cameras everywhere? Do you really trust the government that much?
DeleteWhat we know, is that in the countries who's gun regulations you support, the violent crime rate is two to three times that of the US. While the murder rate may be lower, rape, robbery and other violent acts are much higher. Does this mean that more guns equals less crime? Not necessarily, but it certainly doesn't indicate that less guns equals less crime.
DeleteCriminals will not have fewer guns. The only way to monitor all firearms transactions would be with a registration system (which is against federal law). Even if there was a federal registration system, SCOTUS has ruled that criminals cannot be prosecuted for not registering their firearms, as it would be a violation of their 5A rights to self incrimination.
I have no fantasies about home owners shooting all the bad guys, but I also have no delusions that disarming the law abiding citizen will also disarm the criminals or reduce violent crime.
"the violent crime rate is two to three times that of the US."
ReplyDeleteBill, please calm down, I think you're really losing it now.
You say, "Criminals will not have fewer guns." But, that's exactly what would happen. All guns in criminal hands started out the legal property of people just like you. Stricter gun control would help to keep the guns where they belong.