Gun Violence Part 2: Thoughts and Prayers STILL Don't Work

[onekidanddone]

Word

 

 

[onekidanddone]

In all the frenzy of Ryan and Trump's lawyer I didn't want these young adults to go unnoticed. Strong strong wonderful kids who are kids no longer. They are voters.

 

[AmazonGrace]

 

How many teachers will forget their guns somewhere that 5yos can find them?

[AmazonGrace]

 

[fraurosena]

Ted Lieu is absolutely awesome.

 

[GreyhoundFan]

I will definitely be ordering this book:

 

[fraurosena]

Where were the teachers? The school principle? Any grown-up? How can this racist shit happen school, and why was it necessary for a student to do something about it?

 

[fraurosena]

Wow. Barack Obama recommends the Parkland students Cameron Kasky, Jaclyn Coryn, David Hogg, Emma Gonzalez and Alex Wind for Time's Most Influential People.

Here's Obama's recommendation:

Quote

America’s response to mass shootings has long followed a predictable pattern. We mourn. Offer thoughts and prayers. Speculate about the motives. And then—even as no developed country endures a homicide rate like ours, a difference explained largely by pervasive accessibility to guns; even as the majority of gun owners support commonsense reforms—the political debate spirals into acrimony and paralysis.

This time, something different is happening. This time, our children are calling us to account.

The Parkland, Fla., students don’t have the kind of lobbyists or big budgets for attack ads that their opponents do. Most of them can’t even vote yet.

But they have the power so often inherent in youth: to see the world anew; to reject the old constraints, outdated conventions and cowardice too often dressed up as wisdom.

The power to insist that America can be better.

Seared by memories of seeing their friends murdered at a place they believed to be safe, these young leaders don’t intimidate easily. They see the NRA and its allies—whether mealymouthed politicians or mendacious commentators peddling conspiracy theories—as mere shills for those who make money selling weapons of war to whoever can pay. They’re as comfortable speaking truth to power as they are dismissive of platitudes and punditry. And they live to mobilize their peers.

Already, they’ve had some success persuading statehouses and some of the biggest gun retailers to change. Now it gets harder. A Republican Congress remains unmoved. NRA scare tactics still sway much of the country. Progress will be slow and frustrating.

But by bearing witness to carnage, by asking tough questions and demanding real answers, the Parkland students are shaking us out of our complacency. The NRA’s favored candidates are starting to fear they might lose. Law-abiding gun owners are starting to speak out. As these young leaders make common cause with African Americans and Latinos—the disproportionate victims of gun violence—and reach voting age, the possibilities of meaningful change will steadily grow.

Our history is defined by the youthful push to make America more just, more compassionate, more equal under the law. This generation—of Parkland, of Dreamers, of Black Lives Matter—embraces that duty. If they make their elders uncomfortable, that’s how it should be. Our kids now show us what we’ve told them America is all about, even if we haven’t always believed it ourselves: that our future isn’t written for us, but by us.

 

[GreyhoundFan]

"The ground is shifting on gun control. Vermont is a sign."

Spoiler

THE DAY after the Parkland school shooting focused renewed attention on the issue of gun violence, Vermont Gov. Phil Scott (R) reiterated his opposition to any new restrictions on gun ownership. But just 24 hours later, Mr. Scott announced a change of heart. Now he has signed major gun violence prevention legislation. It is a notable step for a state that historically has had some of the weakest gun laws in the country, and another encouraging sign of how the ground is shifting on gun control.

What accounted for Mr. Scott’s about-face was his realization of just how close Vermont came to adding its name to the tragic roster of school shootings. The day after 17 people were gunned down at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida in February, police in Vermont arrested an 18-year-old who allegedly plotted a mass murder at Fair Haven Union High School in Rutland County. “Now, you know that I’m generally steady and measured, and I realize this is often viewed as lacking emotion,” Mr. Scott said at a news conference. “But quite honestly, in the aftermath of Florida, this situation in Fair Haven has jolted me. . . . Only by the grace of God — and the courage of a young woman who spoke up — did we avert a horrific outcome.”

Mr. Scott posed the question of whether “we are doing everything we can to protect our kids.” The result was the legislature’s passage of a raft of gun-control measures that includes background checks on all gun sales, a prohibition on bump stocks and the sale of high-capacity magazines, an increase in the minimum age to purchase firearms, new protections for domestic-violence victims and a “red flag” law that allows courts to remove access to weapons from people who pose an imminent danger to themselves or others.

That Mr. Scott is facing reelection in November makes his swivel in support of these gun-control measures all the more noteworthy. He, like Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R), who is making a bid for the Senate, seems to have made the political calculation that crossing the national gun lobby runs less risk than opposing laws supported by the public on gun violence prevention. There is movement in other states to enact gun violence prevention bills; seven states now ban bump stocks, and Maryland is on track to become the eighth state with a red-flag law. So it’s about time for Congress and the White House to ask the question posed by Mr. Scott: Are they doing everything they can to protect our kids?

 

[GreyhoundFan]

"Waffle House shooting: Authorities seized suspect’s AR-15 after arrest near White House last year"

Spoiler

Months before Travis Reinking became the target of a manhunt in Tennessee for a shooting rampage that killed four people, he tried to go to the White House to meet with President Trump.

Reinking, federal officials say, tried to cross a security barrier at the White House complex — an incident that resulted in his arrest and later led to the confiscation of his guns and revocation of his firearms license in Illinois, his home state. But the weapons, all four of them, would end up back in Reinking’s possession after authorities returned them to his father, officials said.

Early on Sunday morning, armed with one of those weapons, an AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle — and wearing nothing but a green jacket — Reinking opened fire at a Waffle House restaurant near Nashville, police said. Four people were killed and several others were injured. The suspect, wanted for murder and feared to be armed, has not been found.

The shooting rattled the working-class neighborhood in Antioch, Tenn., just months after a masked gunman opened fire at a church there, killing one woman and wounding several others. It also comes at a time of intensified debate over guns and a swirling controversy about the AR-15, a type of weapon used in many major mass shootings recently and dubbed “America’s rifle” by the National Rifle Association.

As the frantic search for Reinking continued Sunday, law enforcement and local leaders are, again, confronted with questions about gun control and people’s right to legally own guns.

“You balance the rights of people to have this privacy, but on the other hand, there needs to be a coordinated effort, especially in terms of mental health issues, to make sure that weapons don’t fall into their hands,” Metro Nashville Police Chief Steve Anderson told reporters at a news conference Sunday, adding that police suspect psychological issues may have played a role in the shooting, though the motive remains unknown.

“He’s murdered four times with no apparent reason and no apparent motive,” Anderson said. “So we’re very concerned.”

Nashville Mayor David Briley (D) seized on the moment to renew calls for stricter gun laws.

“For a moment, let’s be honest about what happened. Last night, innocent Nashvillians were terrorized by a man with an AR-15. Let’s be honest. Some people see these weapons as having a purpose of terrorizing other people. It’s happening too much,” Briley said.

The rampage began just before 3:30 a.m. Reinking sat in his pickup truck, looking around, for a few minutes before he got out and immediately began shooting at customers at the parking lot, police spokesman Don Aaron said. He kept shooting as he walked inside, shattering the restaurant’s glass windows. At one point, he stopped, presumably to reload. That’s when police said a customer, James Shaw Jr., lunged at Reinking, wrestled the weapon away from him and tossed it over the counter.

Shaw said he grabbed the rifle’s barrel, which was still hot, and pulled the weapon away.

“You have to reach or you’re going to fold … That’s all I wanted to do, I just wanted to live,” a teary Shaw Jr. told reporters.

Reinking then ran away, cursing as he did so, according to Shaw. Police said he took off the only article of clothing he was wearing less than a block from the restaurant. Two magazines were found in the jacket’s pocket.

“He clearly came armed with a lot of firepower intended to devastate the south Nashville area,” Aaron said.

Investigators believe Reinking went to his apartment, located less than a mile away, put on a pair of pants and left. He was last seen in a wooded area near the apartment complex wearing only black pants, Aaron said.

A total of six people were shot. Two remain in critical condition at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, hospital spokeswoman Jennifer Wetzel said. TriStar Southern Hills Medical Center treated two other people who suffered minor injuries from the shooting. Hospital spokeswoman Katie Radel said the two had been released and she can’t say how they were injured.

Police said Reinking, a 29-year-old from Morton, Ill., moved to the area last fall and worked in the construction industry. He was fired from a job about three weeks ago, and was later hired by another employer, Aaron said. Reinking had not been to work since last Monday.

Reinking was arrested on July 7, 2017 near the White House and was charged in D.C. Superior Court with unlawful entry, a misdemeanor, according to officials. Federal agents interviewed Reinking and those who knew him. Officials said he did not make any threats and while investigators saw him as someone with mental health issues, there was not much evidence at the time that he posed a danger to the public.

On July 26, Reinking entered into a deferred-prosecution agreement with the U.S. attorney’s office. He was ordered to do 32 hours of community service and to stay away from the White House for four months. The case against him was dismissed in November after Reinking met the conditions of the agreement.

After an investigation by the FBI office in Springfield, Ill., state and local officials confiscated Reinking’s guns and revoked his firearm license, officials said. The guns, however, were later returned to Reinking’s father, who gave the weapons back to his son. Two of those weapons, a long gun and a handgun, remain missing after police searched Reinking’s apartment.

Under Illinois law, the guns can be released to a family member, but Reinking could not lawfully possess the weapons in that state, Anderson, the police chief, said. It’s unclear if possessing the weapons was illegal in Tennessee.

A relative of Reinking’s said the family has no comment.

By Sunday afternoon, the usually quiet and sleepy gated apartment community was surrounded with nearly two dozen police cars, SWAT vans and other emergency vehicles.

Resident Dion Jones, who lives one building away from Reinking, said he never encountered him. He said he and his wife have lived at Discovery Mountain View apartments for nearly two years.

“Everyone comes and goes at different times and we just kind of keep to ourselves,” he said. “I specifically picked this apartment out of all the ones in Nashville because it was gated and seemed quiet.”

Jones, a regular at the nearby Waffle House, said he’s worried for the employees whom he’d befriended on late-night trips there.

Other residents remain on edge.

“I just don’t even know what to say because it’s like these shootings happen all the time anymore but one in your area, at a restaurant you’ve ate at, is a different thing,” said Alexis Reid.

Phillip Simmons said he’s disturbed by the thought of a loose gunman wandering around.

“I’ve got kids in the area and the thought that they could have been there, and the fact that the cops haven’t found this guy who is armed … I don’t even know how to deal with it,” he said. “What can I do? What can anyone do about this stuff?”

Among the victims who died was 29-year-old Taurean C. Sanderlin, of Goodlettsville, Tenn., an employee at the Waffle House who was fatally shot as he was standing outside. The others were customers: Joe R. Perez, 20, of Nashville; Deebony Groves, 21, of Gallatin, Tenn.; and Akilah Dasilva, 23, of Antioch.

Two others, Shanita Waggoner, 21, of Nashville, and Sharita Henderson, 24, of Antioch, remain hospitalized.

Shaw, the customer who police say disarmed Reinking, hardly sees himself as a hero.

“I want people to know that I did that completely out of a selfish act,” said Shaw, who was treated at a hospital after a bullet grazed his elbow. “I was completely doing it just to save myself … I did save other people, but I don’t want people to think that I was the Terminator or Superman or anybody like that.”

Others disagree.

“You’re a hero. You’re my hero … We’re forever in your debt,” Waffle House president and chief executive Walt Ehmer told Shaw.

 

[CTRLZero]

20 minutes ago, GreyhoundFan said:

But the weapons, all four of them, would end up back in Reinking’s possession after authorities returned them to his father, officials said.

Sigh...

I'm in Nashville right now, where there is obviously a lot of the usual discussion about guns is going on.  I can't believe that the father would return the weapons to the son, who (since he is wandering around naked) is clearly having some issues.  In these cases, I think the person who allows these weapons to be returned to a disturbed individual should be prosecuted.  I'll be interested in learning more about the background of this family.  Such a tragedy, which should have been prevented.

 

Edited April 23, 2018 by CTRLZero
Too much punctuation.

[fraurosena]

I really admire the fact that Ted Lieu is certainly not reticent about voicing his opinions.

 

[AmazonGrace]

Supposedly naked gunman fancied himself a sovcit 

 

[candygirl200413]

And the cycle goes:

White man shooter

History of mental illness and/or Domestic Violence

Thoughts of Prayers, repeating Never again

Another shooting happens.

Le sigh. I was actually shocked this time around because I didn't realize this shooter wasn't captured and is still on the run. 

[AmazonGrace]

I clicked on @GreyhoundFan s link and it now says he's been arrested. (He's white so he was taken alive.)

That pic that was in all the wanted posters must be a baby pic.

[onekidanddone]

I'm bitter and jaded enough to say if Trump does tweet it would be to say "There were good people on both sides of the shooting"

 

[AmazonGrace]

Murders 4 gets bond

 

[Botkinetti]

http://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/toronto-van-attack-the-cop-who-didnt-shoot/

I found this an interesting view on a police officer not shooting a suspect . For the record I believe the officer was brave in a chaotic situation.

For non-Canadians Macleans is Canada’s version of Time magazine.

[onekidanddone]

 

10 hours ago, AmazonGrace said:

Murders 4 gets bond

Cue the Inf***War** sponsored GoFundMe in five...four...GO

[fraurosena]

Sweet Rufus, they make me want to vomit. 

NRA attacks hero who stopped massacre because he didn’t kill anyone

Quote

NRA TV complained that James Shaw Jr., the citizen who heroically stopped the Waffle House shooter, was unarmed and could not completely incapacitate the assailant.

Shaw leapt to action during the shooting, knocking the gun out of the murderer’s hand and putting an end to the carnage.

But that wasn’t enough for the folks at NRA TV.

Host Grant Stinchfield did describe Shaw as a “hero.” But he couldn’t leave it at that.

“If someone was there with a gun, we wouldn’t be having a manhunt right now,” Stinchfield claimed.

It was a bizarre complaint he went back to later in the program. “Yes, a good guy with guts stopped a bad guy with a gun momentarily. But he didn’t stop him permanently. And this guy is still on the loose.”

[video of the exchange]

The shooter was apprehended by authorities after the NRA program was broadcast.

But Stinchfield’s comments reflect the single-minded gun mindset the propaganda network and its parent organization embraces. In every situation, the NRA demands that more and more guns be poured onto America’s streets.

The pause in the Waffle House shooting that allowed Shaw to act — either because the shooter was reloading, or his gun jammed — further highlights the NRA’s extremism. It has resisted efforts to limit high-capacity magazines, ignoring the destructive power such an accessory gives would-be mass murderers. The shooter might have killed even more than the four lives he took if given access to the firepower the NRA continues to support.

Similarly, the organization opposes proposals like assault weapons bans and enhanced background checks, wildly popular measures that would help reduce gun-related homicides.

In the NRA’s ideal world, those deaths would only increase, not decrease.

Yet the group still has the gall to criticize Shaw, who acted with courage when faced with a nightmare. NRA TV paid lip service to his heroic deed. But still, in the service of the gun, denigrated the end result of his actions.

Shaw’s resolution of the situation without being a “good guy with a gun” exposed the callous lie and stubborn myth on which the NRA’s continued existence and unhinged rhetoric relies.

 

[laPapessaGiovanna]

1 hour ago, fraurosena said:

Sweet Rufus, they make me want to vomit. 

NRA attacks hero who stopped massacre because he didn’t kill anyone

 

They sound like a bunch of disgusting bloodthirsty leeches.

[CTRLZero]

6 hours ago, fraurosena said:

Yet the group still has the gall to criticize Shaw, who acted with courage when faced with a nightmare.

Damn the NRA.  Don't forget, their heroic presidunce would have done exactly the same.  Uh huh.

(Quote from after the Parkland shooting):

Quote

 

"I really believe I'd run in there even if I didn't have a weapon, and I think most of the people in this room would have done that, too," Trump told a group of state governors gathered at the White House for talks on multiple issues.

Edited April 25, 2018 by CTRLZero
Formatting weirdness.

[AmazonGrace]

 

[fraurosena]

I should be used to it by now, but this still has the power to astound me. WTF!

 

[AmazonGrace]