If we had more guns, the Omaha mall shooting may not have happened

[Darius871]

Originally posted by Alinestra Covelia


This is ringing a faint bell. Is this... Switzerland?

*goes to Wikipedia*

Yep, there even used to be a regular poster here who talked about having his SG 550 assault rifle right in his home at all times like nearly all non-civilian conscripts. Some can apply for weaponless service if they so choose, but these are rare. Yet somehow gun-toting postal maniacs haven't been turning that place into swiss cheese (pardon the pun).

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by Alinestra Covelia
It doesn't take brains to be a law student.

A well developed taste for masochism?

[Wiglaf]

Originally posted by Alinestra Covelia



*goes to Wikipedia*

[Darius871]

Originally posted by DinoDoc
I well developed taste for masochism?

http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?postid=5089993#post5089993

Here's just about where Ali and I are at right now:

[Kontiki]

Originally posted by Rufus T. Firefly
...and (2) the people returning fire will be the kinds of macho fantasists and/or skittish paranoids who would take a gun along while running out to pick up Tickle Me Elmo.

In other words, Texans.

[Wezil]

Originally posted by Blake
Switzerland and Finland are the main ones I refer to.

Switzerland and Finland are grown up (Pekka excepted of course).

[Elok]

Blake, you plainly implied that being crazy made them less likely to be professional in their bloody rampages ("...but we're talking about crazy people here"). That's all I'm criticizing. Are you retracting that statement?

[Alinestra Covelia]

Originally posted by DinoDoc
A well developed taste for masochism?

http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?postid=5108427#post5108427

And also http://apolyton.net/forums/showthrea...33#post5108433

Pictures from my birthday party in November.

"True words often spoken in jest" and all that.

[DinoDoc]

Why do we not have thse annoying threads when someone goes crazy shooting people in Europe?

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by Alinestra Covelia

http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?postid=5108427#post5108427

And also http://apolyton.net/forums/showthrea...33#post5108433

Pictures from my birthday party in November.

"True words often spoken in jest" and all that.

Jon Miller has a gift for understatement.

[Blake]

Originally posted by Elok
Blake, you plainly implied that being crazy made them less likely to be professional in their bloody rampages ("...but we're talking about crazy people here"). That's all I'm criticizing. Are you retracting that statement?

No.

The first time you neglected the inclusion of "less likely", you turned what I said into an absolute; "incapable".

[Elok]

Okay then, can you provide evidence of a significant negative correlation between nuttiness and competence with firearms? Particularly the kinds of instability that usually drive people to shoot up public places, e.g. severe anxiety, depression or paranoid schizo-type disorders with minimal hallucinatory components? The kinds of lunacy that would make you less effective with firearms would all, to my way of thinking, make you less likely to shoot up a place at all. Those sorts of nut tend to drool and moan a lot, or so I thought. Correct me if I'm wrong.

(Yeah, it's not a big deal, but Vesayen's not back spouting NRA talking points yet and he got me in a good argumentative mood)

[Blake]

Putting it broadly, there are two main types of killers:

Gun nuts who flip out and want to kill people
Nuts who go crazy and decide they want to kill people, and suddenly need a gun in order to do that.

Gun control makes life difficult for the second type. Because of tight gun control, they are less likely to have used guns "for giggles" in the past, they are more likely to be inexperienced.

Gun control means that the average spherical killer (whether gun nut or not), will be using a less potent weapon.

Gun control means there are fewer gun nuts, the hobby has more barriers to entry.


You can see how, through those three factors, gun control leads to fewer and less potent killers.


The definition of competent I'm using, basically is "adequate for the task".
For example, the task at hand is killing class mates.

An emokid armed with a long rifle is not competent - whether or not he is skilled with using the rifle, he will not likely complete the task - people will be like "WTF!!?!!!" when they see him lugging the rifle around.

Emokid armed with an automatic or semi-automatic pistol is competent, again regardless of skill. He can sneak that weapon into the school and use it at close range to kill a bunch of people, he completes the task.

[Dis]

you are saying a pistol is a better killer than a long rifle? I disagree.

[Blake]

Originally posted by Dis
you are saying a pistol is a better killer than a long rifle? I disagree.

You must not be experienced in using long rifles then...

Or in walking around town with a long rifle .


I admit I'm not experienced at the latter, but I have shot things with a rifle. To the point, I've MISSED a lot of things with a rifle.

A rifle is more deadly in the hands of an experienced gunman in a concealed position. It's not more deadly in the hands of a novice...

edit:

To explain the basic issue.

A non-close, moving target is not going to get hit by an inexperienced marksman (tracking evasive targets takes experience). When you shoot one person, what usually happens, is everyone else screams and runs away. If you want to shoot more than one person, you either need to be VERY close to them or a good marksman.


The semi-automatic pistol is better on three counts.
1) You can get much closer before the screaming starts.
2) You can shoot multiple people before people are running, this is due to no reload time and ease of acquiring new targets (a rifle needs to be swung around and steadied, a pistol is just point and shoot).
3) You can fire more shots before the targets have cleared the area, either because it fires faster (no reload time) or you can run-and-shoot, keeping up with the fleeing targets (try running and shooting with a rifle!)

The rifle is better for killing people at long range, mainly, it's better if you don't want to end your killing spree with suicide or in police custody, there is some chance you can kill a few people then abandon the rifle and "blend in".

The type to flip out, usually wants to get close and personal to their victims though...