Gun Violence 4: It's Getting Worse

[GreyhoundFan]

The latest mass shooting was at a shopping center in Texas. One of the victims was a child whose face was literally blown off. The shooter apparently had proudly displayed Nazi tattoos on a Russian social media site. Rethuglikans offer the same tired "thoughts and prayers".  I'm so tired.

 

Continued from here:

 

[GreyhoundFan]

This is insane:

 

[Ozlsn]

I'm starting to think most of these men are too emotional and immature to own firearms.

I have never fired a gun (or been hunting) and yet somehow I still know you should identify your effing target before pulling the trigger. Don't fire at the "deer" that turns out to be a fellow hunter; don't fire at the shadow that is a child.

[GreyhoundFan]

I can't believe this is where we are:

 

[Becky]

I am shocked that this is legal behavior! 

[Xan]

9 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

I can't believe this is where we are:

 

This.  There aren't always two sides.  Sometimes there are three.  Sometimes there is only one.  Not letting idiots walk around with assault rifles near a school should be non-debatable.  

As an aside, I was out yesterday at my local Target.  There was a guy walking around with the type of outfit that the Proud Boys wear -- khaki pants, polo shirt, gaiter mask up to his eyes, and a baseball cap.  I didn't see an obvious weapon but it honestly made me nervous.  I finished and skedaddled home.  I think the men with guns and/or outfits just want us to find them scary.  They're just scared themselves -- puny little people with tiny little d*cks.

[GreyhoundFan]

Compensating much?

 

[47of74]

Michigan's Governor signed red flag laws yesterday

Quote

Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan signed legislation Monday that will make it easier for authorities to seize firearms from people who are believed to be a danger to themselves or others, commonly known as “red flag” laws.

“Extreme risk protection orders have been proven to reduce suicides, save lives, and keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers and violent criminals,” Whitmer said in a statement Monday.

Of the bills signed Monday, Senate Bill 83, allows certain individuals to file an “extreme risk protection order” with the circuit court if “evidence supports that a respondent poses a significant risk of self-injury or injury to others by possessing a firearm,” according to a legislative analysis of the bill published by the Michigan House of Representatives.

House Bill 4146, also signed by Whitmer on Monday, states that an individual who is subject to an extreme risk protection order cannot obtain a license to carry a concealed pistol.

 

[GreyhoundFan]

This is appalling:

 

[Ozlsn]

On 5/19/2023 at 9:52 PM, Xan said:

Not letting idiots walk around with assault rifles near a school should be non-debatable. 

I can't see any good reason why they need to walk around with them at all tbh. Definitely in populated areas they should be carried unloaded, in bags.

[Ozlsn]

16 minutes ago, GreyhoundFan said:

This is appalling:

 

It is appalling. Still don't think 14 and 15 year olds should be being charged as adults.  Would be interested to know where they got the firearms.

[Ozlsn]

So there was an incident on Wednesday in Western Australia where a a 15 year old brought a rifle to school and shots were fired. 

Police are now investigating his access to the rifle, and the Premier of WA has responded.

Text in spoiler:

Spoiler

"This is the thing you see on television in the United States," the premier said.

"We are moving as quickly as we can to dramatically reform gun laws."

He said there are currently 360,000 licenced firearms in the state, and that the number had "increased in recent years".

"That's far too many," McGowan added.

"We need to stop ourselves falling into that terrible abyss that America has fallen into."

McGowan did not disclose what reforms would be made, but said licences should only be held by people with "legitimate reasons". 

...

"You never think this would happen here, in Western Australia, in Two Rocks of all places," McGowan said.

"In my view, the problem with America is the prevalence of guns and they have no appetite to deal with it - but we're going to deal with it."

So far in 2023 alone, there have been more than 200 mass shootings across the US, including 23 at schools that resulted in injuries or deaths.

"If kids can get access to keys to access firearms that's not good enough," McGowan said.

"They should not be able to get access to any firearms."

...

The premier also thanked first police responders, "who reacted very quickly" and "arrived on the scene to what could have been a very, very difficult situation".

He acknowledged reforms may not please everyone, but that he remains determined to reduce the number of guns in the state despite criticim. ate.

"Some people will be very angry about it, but we have to make sure there are fewer guns," he said

Yeah thoughts and prayers are nice, but action also works. 

[fraurosena]

 

[47of74]

The judge in the Nikolas Cruz case might be facing a reprimand

Quote

A Florida commission that oversees the conduct of the state’s judges recommended a formal reprimand for the judge who oversaw the death penalty trial of the Parkland school shooter, writing her conduct at times made it appear she favored the prosecution.

Judge Elizabeth Scherer did not contest the findings and recommendations of the Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission and agreed to a reprimand, according to a stipulation filed with the state Supreme Court. The court has the final say about whether to reprimand the judge, Alexander Williams, general counsel for the commission, told CNN.

Tensions between Scherer and public defenders for the gunman were apparent throughout last year’s trial, with several fiery confrontations between her and members of the defense team. A notice of formal charges notes Scherer scolded and admonished the defense team and, after sentencing the shooter to life in prison without parole, hugged prosecutors and members of the victims’ families.

Scherer recognized “her conduct created the perception of a bias against one party,” the commission’s report said, adding that even the “appearance of bias tarnishes public confidence in the fairness and impartiality of the judiciary.”

I think that's for the best.  A judge has to be impartial and avoid even appearing to be otherwise.  When I saw the videos of her going off on the defense I cringed a bit because I felt that it was giving the defense some material to work with if they wanted to appeal down the line.

[47of74]

Then this happened in Cedar Rapids today 

Quote

Cedar Rapids Police are investigating a shots-fired incident at Noelridge Pool on Wednesday night and are asking for witnesses to come forward.

Police received a report of a shots-fired in the 4000 block of Richmond Road NE around 4:41 p.m.

Upon arrival, officers said witnesses described that three minors were involved in an altercation that ended in a gunshot being fired. They fled the scene before officers arrived.

No injuries or property damage were reported. Police say they believe this was a targeted incident and that there is no threat to the public.

These minors, their parents, their friends, PDs, prosecutors, Jacob Frey, the Minneapolis city council, et Al should get on their goddamn knees and start praying to almighty GOD I don’t become a judge. Because after two bike thefts and all the other bullshit in Minneapolis I’m way past fucking done. 

[GreyhoundFan]

This would be great. Too bad it won't ever happen.

 

[GreyhoundFan]

 

[47of74]

A CNN article said that 11am on Sundays is fast becoming one of the most dangerous hours for Americans as religious institutions face lethal violence.

Quote

Churches have long been concerned about losing members as church attendance plummets across denominations. Now they have a new worry: protecting those members that remain.

A house of worship, though, is traditionally the last place someone would expect to see lethal violence. Churches are called sanctuaries for a reason. A sanctuary is defined as a place of refuge and safety “set apart from the profane, ordinary world.”

But church and security officials say houses of worship are placed in a uniquely dangerous position every Sunday morning. Congregations are traditionally unprotected and are expected to welcome “the stranger” no matter how dangerous they may look. Houses of faith are one of the few public communal spaces in the country that were created to embrace all comers, including broken or disturbed people on the fringes of society.

And then there are the less lethal acts of violence that don’t make the news. Those are hard to quantify, but a church security firm released a report in 2019 that estimated some 480 incidents of serious violence take place at communities of worship in the US each year. The report also said that two-thirds of the assailants had no affiliation with the congregation.

The church I go to now up in St. Paul had an issue with Reich wing protesters back in 2018.  These protesters had been very careful to stay on public property but had been harassing churches with female and/or LGBTQ clergy.  They did mace a church member but refrained from violence.  Church decided to just ignore these people as much as possible.  There was and still is definite concern about future protests and violent acts from people. 

Ugh.  Getting shot is something Americans should not have to worry about when going to church but as long as the GQP refuses to do anything about gun violence nothing will change.

[smittykins]

My priest said that our parish vestry has considered locking the doors during services.

[GreyhoundFan]

You couldn’t make this up:

 

[Ozlsn]

Man who wanted to kill gay people when he opened fire sentenced to 18 years.

I mean... good. Wish any type of shooting incident was attracting this level of sentence.

[CTRLZero]

1 hour ago, Ozlsn said:

Man who wanted to kill gay people when he opened fire sentenced to 18 years.

I mean... good. Wish any type of shooting incident was attracting this level of sentence.

It’s fortunate no one was hurt.  Interesting note from the sentencing memorandum:

His attorneys argued in a sentencing memorandum that at the time, Howald had been suffering from emotional trauma, he was very drunk and “he had long struggled with his own sexuality.”

[Ozlsn]

Just store your guns safely and securely, for crying out loud here. That poor toddler.

[GreyhoundFan]

Too many people have guns. "Man helping deer cross a busy street shot, killed by ‘scared’ driver"

Quote

A man who was trying to slow traffic in his neighborhood because deer were crossing the street was shot and killed by another man who was driving past, authorities in western Washington state said.

Dan Spaeth of Snohomish, Wash., was outside his home with his wife on the evening of Sept. 7, trying to alert passing cars to deer that were crossing the road, Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office Det. Kendra Conley wrote in an affidavit of probable cause filed in court.

He was shot once by a man driving by, who later told authorities that seeing Spaeth and his wife in the street made him afraid and he fired the shot to scare the couple, according to the affidavit.

After a search for the car, police detained Dylan Picard, 22, of Lake Stevens, Wash. He is charged with second-degree murder. Picard told detectives he did not know Spaeth or his wife.

Spaeth, 37, was a correctional officer with the state Department of Corrections, said spokesman Chris Wright. He had a 7-year-old son and was married to his teenage sweetheart, Alissa, said friend Jeff Perkins, who spoke to The Washington Post on behalf of the family.

Spaeth enjoyed playing outdoors with his son, helping his wife with her horses and shooting at gun ranges. He was a military history buff and appreciated antiques at the gun shows he frequented. The couple hosted a Fourth of July celebration every year, and Spaeth was “an amazing grill master,” Perkins said.

“Everybody loved Dan like a brother,” Perkins said. “If you needed money, he’d help you. If you needed a ride, if you needed anything, he was there, and a lot of times you didn’t even have to ask.”

Spaeth grew up in the Snohomish area and traveled with his wife to support her hobby of showing horses and participating in rodeos, Perkins said, describing his wife as “his world.”

“If he wasn’t at work, he was playing with his son; if he wasn’t playing with his son, he was making his wife happy cleaning out the horse stalls,” Perkins said.

Spaeth’s death is another in a growing list of killings by Americans who have shot people in seemingly innocuous situations, from a 9-year-old killed by a neighbor while riding her scooter to a woman fatally shot by a homeowner for pulling into the wrong driveway.

The suspect allegedly fired his gun “in response to a routine situation with no reasonable indications that he was in danger,” the detective wrote in the court filing.

The Post could not immediately determine whether Picard, who was jailed in Snohomish County, had a lawyer.

According to the affidavit, Picard told investigators that he was driving on the road past Spaeth’s house when the Jeep in front of him slowed down. He said he saw a man and woman in the street and said the man appeared to yell at the Jeep and hit the car with his hands.

Picard said he became “scared,” according to the affidavit, and grabbed the loaded gun he had in the car. When the Jeep drove on and Spaeth approached his car, he said he thought he saw Spaeth’s wife reach into a bag. He said he fired one shot out of the open passenger window “to scare the male and female,” the affidavit said, and said he didn’t know whether he had hit someone. He drove away.

There was no indication in body-camera footage or in interviews with Spaeth’s wife that she had a bag with her, authorities said. Picard allegedly “acknowledged he could have” driven around the couple instead of firing his gun, according to the affidavit.

Spaeth had been a correctional officer for about a year and a half. He worked in construction before joining Perkins, also an officer, at the Department of Corrections. Wright, the spokesman, said the department had been shocked by the loss.

“Dan has been described as someone always willing to do whatever it took to get the job done in what can often be a challenging work environment,” Wright said. “He was killed in what appears to be a senseless act of violence. It’s tough to make sense of.”

 

[Ozlsn]

Another mass shooting, this time in Maine.

A bar and a bowling alley.