DPChallenge: A Digital Photography Contest You are not logged in. (log in or register
 

DPChallenge Forums >> Rant >> Another school shooting
Pages:   ... ...
Showing posts 926 - 950 of 1205, (reverse)
AuthorThread
12/20/2012 09:54:53 PM · #926
Originally posted by Spork99:

Originally posted by GeneralE:


What hunter or target shooter needs a 50-caliber sniper rifle, complete with armor-piercing (that's penetrating 1" steel at 1000 yards) ammunition? (One of the items supposedly available to the US public.)


For one, .50 BMG rifles run about $10,000 and ammo is about $6 every pull of the trigger, so it's way beyond what most people are willing to spend. Second, there's a whole subculture of specialist long range target shooters and that's exactly what they do; shoot little targets from 1000, 2000m and beyond. It's extremely difficult and requires a great deal of skill and familiarity with themselves and gun. Also, these guns are huge and heavy, most weighing in around 30lb, To fire the thing, you set the gun down and lay down behind it. It's not something you can fire from any position other than prone and certainly not something someone is going to use to knock of a liquor store or hold up a bank


I would love to be able to afford a Barrett .50 cal. I looked at one a while back that was $8000 and was a single shot not a semi...Sweet weapon
12/20/2012 11:01:49 PM · #927
Originally posted by cowboy221977:

Originally posted by Spork99:

Originally posted by GeneralE:


What hunter or target shooter needs a 50-caliber sniper rifle, complete with armor-piercing (that's penetrating 1" steel at 1000 yards) ammunition? (One of the items supposedly available to the US public.)


For one, .50 BMG rifles run about $10,000 and ammo is about $6 every pull of the trigger, so it's way beyond what most people are willing to spend. Second, there's a whole subculture of specialist long range target shooters and that's exactly what they do; shoot little targets from 1000, 2000m and beyond. It's extremely difficult and requires a great deal of skill and familiarity with themselves and gun. Also, these guns are huge and heavy, most weighing in around 30lb, To fire the thing, you set the gun down and lay down behind it. It's not something you can fire from any position other than prone and certainly not something someone is going to use to knock of a liquor store or hold up a bank


I would love to be able to afford a Barrett .50 cal. I looked at one a while back that was $8000 and was a single shot not a semi...Sweet weapon


Sweet.
12/20/2012 11:40:44 PM · #928
US Census abotrion data select 102

From 1990 to 2007, there were between 1.2 million and 1.6 million babies aborted each year in the US according to the link above. Over 20 million babies terminated in their mothers womb. It is called "pro choice". This President made "women's rights" a cornerstone of his re-election campaign. Many here supported him and that platform.

The insane killing in the Connecticut school, moved the President to tears and has enraged a nation. Unless you are equally outraged at the sheer volume of babies aborted in the last 18 years, then please forgive my suspicion when you demand restrictions/abolishment of guns.
12/20/2012 11:47:25 PM · #929
Anyone else see the terminal irony of being anti-abortion/pro-life (which, among other things, means more people get born) while at the same time being anti gun-control (which means, among other things, that more people get killed)?
12/20/2012 11:52:22 PM · #930
I'm dialing this back a bit to some earlier points, but this video is spot on.
12/21/2012 12:29:25 AM · #931
Originally posted by Bear_Music:

Anyone else see the terminal irony of being anti-abortion/pro-life (which, among other things, means more people get born) while at the same time being anti gun-control (which means, among other things, that more people get killed)?


You don't see the hipocracy in tearing up over 20 children while completely ignoring 20 million others? All while feverishly fighting for "reproductive rights"! C'mon Bear.
12/21/2012 12:33:09 AM · #932
Perhaps we can overcome our biology. Perhaps not.

But it would seem that our very nature is deeply rooted in effective violence.
12/21/2012 02:09:40 AM · #933
Originally posted by Flash:

You don't see the hipocracy in tearing up over 20 children while completely ignoring 20 million others?

Not really. The people in favor of gun control to reduce homicides are generally the same ones in favor of sex education and contraception to reduce unwanted pregnancies... and against strong conservative opposition in both cases.
12/21/2012 02:22:19 AM · #934
Originally posted by scalvert:

Originally posted by Flash:

You don't see the hipocracy in tearing up over 20 children while completely ignoring 20 million others?

Not really.


'nough said.

12/21/2012 03:00:59 AM · #935
Apparently no screening of any sort could prevent random episodes like this.
12/21/2012 07:30:37 AM · #936
Originally posted by Bear_Music:

Anyone else see the terminal irony of being anti-abortion/pro-life (which, among other things, means more people get born) while at the same time being anti gun-control (which means, among other things, that more people get killed)?


or like Vensor pointed out, the same group who are hanging onto gun rights are the same group that supported the erosion of our civil liberties post 9/11.
12/21/2012 07:44:10 AM · #937
Originally posted by scalvert:

Originally posted by Flash:

You don't see the hipocracy in tearing up over 20 children while completely ignoring 20 million others?

Not really. The people in favor of gun control to reduce homicides are generally the same ones in favor of sex education and contraception to reduce unwanted pregnancies... and against strong conservative opposition in both cases.

Correct. And pro-death penalty, as well... Though that's another can of worms altogether.
12/21/2012 01:02:52 PM · #938
I can't find an online source to post, but the morning paper had an interesting article. A number of the witnesses at our mall shooting in Oregon had concealed guns on them, but in the heat of the moment, none of them were able to stop the killer. One person did draw their weapon and target the shooter, but didn't fire in fear of hitting bystanders.

Stories like this make me wonder how anyone could say adding more guns will solve the problem. Guns "in the hands of the good guys" did nothing to stop the killer.
12/21/2012 01:23:10 PM · #939
"We have become the targets"
12/21/2012 02:28:29 PM · #940
Originally posted by Cory:

Apparently no screening of any sort could prevent random episodes like this.


What is the "random episode" you're referring to? Her illness? She didn't shoot someone, did she? And isn't the whole point of this discussion to try to figure out how someone like that would not have easy access to firearms?
12/21/2012 02:34:03 PM · #941
This just in, courtesy of the NRA:

Originally posted by Associated Press:

WASHINGTON (AP) ΓΆ€” The nation's largest gun-rights lobby called Friday for armed police officers to be posted in every American school to stop the next killer "waiting in the wings."

The National Rifle Association broke its silence on last week's shooting rampage at a Connecticut elementary school that left 26 children and staff dead.

"The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun," the group's top lobbyist, Wayne LaPierre, said at a Washington news conference.

LaPierre said "the next Adam Lanza," the man responsible for last week's mayhem, is planning an attack on another school.

"How many more copycats are waiting in the wings for their moment of fame from a national media machine that rewards them with wall-to-wall attention and a sense of identity that they crave, while provoking others to try to make their mark," LaPierre said. "A dozen more killers, a hundred more? How can we possibly even guess how many, given our nation's refusal to create an active national database of the mentally ill?"

He blamed video games, movies and music videos for exposing children to a violent culture day in and day out. "In a race to the bottom, many conglomerates compete with one another to shock, violate, and offend every standard of civilized society, by bringing an even more toxic mix of reckless behavior and criminal cruelty right into our homes," LaPierre said.

He refused to take any questions after speaking. Though security was tight, two protesters were able to interrupt LaPierre's speech, holding up signs that blamed the NRA for killing children. Both were escorted out, shouting that guns in schools are not the answer.

LaPierre announced that former Rep. Asa Hutchison, R-Ark., will lead an NRA program that will develop a model security plan for schools that relies on armed volunteers.


Apparently it's got nothing to do with the guns. Good to know.

Message edited by author 2012-12-21 14:34:41.
12/21/2012 02:35:42 PM · #942
Originally posted by blindjustice:

"We have become the targets"


From linked article: "Look, there will always be madmen. But why do we insist on making mass murder so easy for them? Adam Lanza killed every person he aimed at but two, and in an estimated eight minutes or less. We'll never stop people from going crazy, but we need to make it harder for them to murder rooms full of our kids when they do."

That's the point right there. If we can't do something to ameliorate this situation even a little bit, I'm afraid this country is lost.
12/21/2012 02:41:25 PM · #943
Originally posted by Judith Polakoff:

Originally posted by Cory:

Apparently no screening of any sort could prevent random episodes like this.


What is the "random episode" you're referring to? Her illness? She didn't shoot someone, did she? And isn't the whole point of this discussion to try to figure out how someone like that would not have easy access to firearms?


Yes - apparently (and I am surprised by this) it would seem there are medical reasons why people just go batshit crazy and get suddenly violent.

Frankly it's scary - just imagine if she had easy access to a gun, or had a car. God forbid she snapped on a bus on the interstate - could have killed dozens.

It's probably best that we recognize the severe threat to everyone that is represented by this sort of random medical episode. Clearly leaving other people roaming about, just waiting to snap and kill other people is completely unacceptable.

So, until we can eventually develop the technology to instantly alert authorities whenever someone starts to feel angry, it's probably best if we remove any weapon that can kill someone from accessibility by the general public.

While I couldn't support a ban of important items like forks, despite their obvious dangers - I think we will all need to get used to the idea of chewing again - since knives should absolutely be banned, they are clearly more useful for killing and cutting meat than anything else (really, I mean WHAT else do you do with your knives?) - besides, we don't even need knives - we have teeth for exactly that reason.

Although - as the article I posted earlier pointed out - our hands have evolved specifically to be very dangerous weapons themselves. Have you ever seen the damage a trained person can do with their hands? I mean, any civilian can go get the SAME or BETTER training in hand to hand combat techniques as that which is provided to our MILITARY - it's truly insane.

Perhaps it's best that we think about the serious need for either genetic modification to reduce the ability of the hands to be used as weapons, or perhaps forced amputations would be more effective. I mean, we're developing robots, and hands are used in EVERY MURDER that is ever committed. If you program a robot correctly, it will never hurt a human, and if you remove everyone's hands, so that the robots must do everything for us, then by necessity then no one would ever hurt anyone again. It's just common sense really.

Of course, guns and other things like cars are beyond even discussing, since it's obvious that without hands, and with the robots that we must develop quickly, we won't have any real need for any such primitive objects in such a wonderfully advanced society.

I hope you'll join me in my support of this most admirable cause.
12/21/2012 02:42:06 PM · #944
Originally posted by Bear_Music:

He blamed video games, movies and music videos for exposing children to a violent culture day in and day out. "In a race to the bottom, many conglomerates compete with one another to shock, violate, and offend every standard of civilized society, by bringing an even more toxic mix of reckless behavior and criminal cruelty right into our homes," LaPierre said.
All of which have been shown to have zero correlation with violence in people. Glad to know facts don't in the way of this assholes agenda.
12/21/2012 02:43:07 PM · #945
Originally posted by Venser:

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

He blamed video games, movies and music videos for exposing children to a violent culture day in and day out. "In a race to the bottom, many conglomerates compete with one another to shock, violate, and offend every standard of civilized society, by bringing an even more toxic mix of reckless behavior and criminal cruelty right into our homes," LaPierre said.

All of which have been shown to have zero correlation with violence in people. Glad to know facts don't in the way of this assholes agenda.

Right. It makes me want to puke.
12/21/2012 02:43:51 PM · #946
Originally posted by Venser:

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

He blamed video games, movies and music videos for exposing children to a violent culture day in and day out. "In a race to the bottom, many conglomerates compete with one another to shock, violate, and offend every standard of civilized society, by bringing an even more toxic mix of reckless behavior and criminal cruelty right into our homes," LaPierre said.
All of which have been shown to have zero correlation with violence in people. Glad to know facts don't in the way of this assholes agenda.


Well, surely, if you're going to argue that guns are not necessary, then you have to also recognize that the culture of violence is at least equally, if not more, useless.

I wouldn't at all mind if glorified violence was outlawed.
12/21/2012 02:54:30 PM · #947
"Democratic congressman and senator-elect Chris Murphy, whose congressional district includes Newtown, tweeted a sharp reaction from Connecticut after the group's comments: 'Walking out of another funeral and was handed the NRA transcript. The most revolting, tone deaf statement I've ever seen.'"
12/21/2012 02:57:18 PM · #948
Originally posted by Cory:

Well, surely, if you're going to argue that guns are not necessary, then you have to also recognize that the culture of violence is at least equally, if not more, useless.

A TV or video game fantasy doesn't kill people. Guns do.

Guns killed four more people and injured three PA state troopers in another mass shooting a few hours ago. No word on whether Wreckit Ralph has been implicated.

Message edited by author 2012-12-21 15:01:13.
12/21/2012 03:04:03 PM · #949
Wait. Let's work with this. An armed, one would assume high-trained guard at each school. There are 130,000 schools in the US. Let's assume the high training and possible danger is going to mean a decent wage, but we'll scrimp because it's a 9-month year. $50,000/year? Seems barely adequate, but let's go with it. (leaving out medical insurance, etc).

The NRA dude said this wouldn't be expensive and congress should immediately appropriate funding. $6.5 billion is probably considered "slightly expensive", but we could pay for it with a tax on every gun sold. There are 10 million guns sold a year in the US. That comes out to $650/gun.

I actually think we may be onto something here...
12/21/2012 03:08:11 PM · #950
Originally posted by scalvert:

Originally posted by Cory:

Well, surely, if you're going to argue that guns are not necessary, then you have to also recognize that the culture of violence is at least equally, if not more, useless.

A TV or video game fantasy doesn't kill people. Guns do.

Guns killed four more people and injured three PA state troopers in another mass shooting a few hours ago. No word on whether Wreckit Ralph has been implicated.


ROFL, did you really just argue that culture has nothing to do with this? Surely you're not that thick.
Pages:   ... ...
Current Server Time: 07/18/2025 04:17:56 PM

Please log in or register to post to the forums.


Home - Challenges - Community - League - Photos - Cameras - Lenses - Learn - Help - Terms of Use - Privacy - Top ^
DPChallenge, and website content and design, Copyright © 2001-2025 Challenging Technologies, LLC.
All digital photo copyrights belong to the photographers and may not be used without permission.
Current Server Time: 07/18/2025 04:17:56 PM EDT.