Gun Violence 4: It's Getting Worse

[Xan]

Wayne LaPierre has resigned as head of the NRA.

[fraurosena]

WTF?! He really is a sociopath.

 

[47of74]

Fuckstick DeathSatan had his dumbshit response to the Perry shooting.

Quote

Following a school shooting Thursday in Perry, Iowa, that injured at least five people, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis offered his support to Iowa but said that dealing with such shootings "is more of a local and state issue," declining to suggest any changes to federal law he'd support that would make them less frequent. 

The presidential candidate touted efforts in Florida to keep schools safe in a joint interview with NBC News and the Des Moines Register. “We obviously, you know, have a responsibility to create safe environments. The federal government is probably not going to be leading that effort,” DeSantis said.

DeSantis added: “I think it is more of a local and state issue. But we’ve shown how it’s done in Florida. The things that we’ve done have been very, very effective.”

He also pointed to mental health reforms in Florida as measures that could be expanded to prevent future shootings.

I fucking hate that fucking fuckstick.  Sorry for swearing so fucking much but it's either that or me having a fucking stroke trying to keep my feelings bottled up.  That fucker is basically shitting over the fifth amendment by saying the government will not act to ensure people are not deprived of their right to "life and liberty" and not have to live in fear of fucking losers  with metal goddamn penis extensions who want to unalive a bunch of people.  

Fuckers like DeathSatan and his backer CovidKim claim to be pro-life but don't give two shits about human life once it's born.   Hell, in cases they don't even fucking care about caring for the fetus while the mother is pregnant.  I'm just so fucking mad right now and they can both go to goddamn hell as far as I'm concerned. .  (This might be a record for the number of fucking swears I made in a single FJ post).

3 hours ago, fraurosena said:

WTF?! He really is a sociopath.

 

He's a sick fuck.  He really is.  Along with ALL other Republicans.

[47of74]

And fuckhead Ron DeathSatan doesn't want to do a goddamn thing about the gun crisis

Quote

Following a school shooting Thursday in Perry, Iowa, that injured at least five people, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis offered his support to Iowa but said that dealing with such shootings "is more of a local and state issue," declining to suggest any changes to federal law he'd support that would make them less frequent. 

The presidential candidate touted efforts in Florida to keep schools safe in a joint interview with NBC News and the Des Moines Register. “We obviously, you know, have a responsibility to create safe environments. The federal government is probably not going to be leading that effort,” DeSantis said.

DeSantis added: “I think it is more of a local and state issue. But we’ve shown how it’s done in Florida. The things that we’ve done have been very, very effective.”

He also pointed to mental health reforms in Florida as measures that could be expanded to prevent future shootings.

 

[47of74]

The Republican party mouth piece Dubuque Telegraph Herald did nothing to improve its standing with me today.  First, they had picture of Ron DeFuckstick coming to Iowa after the Perry, Iowa shootings, complete with one of his fucking psychopath stooges grinning in the background.  This whole thing makes me so angry because there is a way for my birthstate to get out all this, but the Trump-American Bund Media is too fucking cowardly to confront this head on.  In the meantime they post softball bullshit like this.

[Audrey2]

On 1/5/2024 at 2:59 PM, fraurosena said:

WTF?! He really is a sociopath.

 

You mean like you:be gotten over losing the election?

[47of74]

The principal of Perry High School died this morning from injuries he sustained

Quote

Dan Marburger passed away Sunday morning, according to an update on a GoFundMe page that had been set up to help with medical costs. He had been hospitalized for ten days after protecting staff and students during the Jan. 4 shooting.

Marburger had been Perry High’s principal since 1995.

The Iowa Department of Public Safety called his actions heroic, saying in a release Marburger “acted selflessly and placed himself in harm’s way in an apparent effort to protect his students.

 

[Alisamer]

Quote

https://www.wral.com/story/former-army-captain-charged-with-murder-of-two-women-dog-in-apex-shooting/21237824/

One of the victims in this shooting is the sister of one of my clients. She had just walked outside her own house, and was shot by a guy with an assault rifle. 

It's insane that someone can just walk out their own front door and boom. Dead. Shot by some random neighbor for no reason that's been revealed yet, if there is one.

[Ozlsn]

I was torn between the sad and wtf reactions - it is just so utterly insane and horrific that that happened. 

[47of74]

Fuck you Republicans.

Quote

Three weeks ago, Siouxland Christian School in Sioux City announced they were implementing a new policy, having selected armed staff members within the building for added security. Now, we are learning more about why the school felt the need to take this step.

Superintendent, Dr. Lindsay Laurich, says improving safety and security at Siouxland Christian School is paramount for the administration. “Schools now have become a place where we need to think about intruders coming in, unfortunately.”

18 months ago, the school board began looking into having some of their staff armed while on school grounds.

“Obviously, to take the step to have armed staff in our school is a big one,” said Dr. Laurich. “And it requires a lot of conversation with a lot of stakeholders. As the school board and administration, we came together and said, you know, what else can we do? What can we do above all the things that we’ve already been doing, the trainings, the practice drills, the emergency manuals that we have, what’s the next step we can take?

Yeah when that stinking shitpile CovidKim and her Branch Trumpvidian legislature won't do a fucking thing well I guess this is the Siouxland school can do at this point. 

[GreyhoundFan]

A mass shooting was averted.

 

[Ozlsn]

"When police searched his home, they found multiple firearms, explosives, RPGs, ghost guns, and equipment for manufacturing firearms and ammo. The father is described as a "doomsday prepper" and he was also arrested on multiple felony charges."

... where you you even go to buy an RPG? EBay?

[Audrey2]

6 hours ago, Ozlsn said:

"When police searched his home, they found multiple firearms, explosives, RPGs, ghost guns, and equipment for manufacturing firearms and ammo. The father is described as a "doomsday prepper" and he was also arrested on multiple felony charges."

... where you you even go to buy an RPG? EBay?

I am thinking the dark web. Or maybe I've just been watching too much TV.

[GreyhoundFan]

"2 injured, including child, after shooting at pastor Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church, Houston police say. Shooter is also down"

Quote

A woman in a trench coat armed with a long rifle – and accompanied by a young child – entered pastor Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church on Sunday afternoon and began firing, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said.

Two off-duty law enforcement officers – a Houston police officer and an agent with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission – engaged and struck the woman, who died on the scene, Finner said. The woman was roughly 30-35 years old, the chief said.

“Unfortunately a 5-year-old kid was hit and is in critical condition at our local hospital,” he added. The incident unfolded just before 2 p.m., the chief said. It was unclear who fired the shot that struck the child, the chief said, or what the child’s relationship to the shooter was.

A 57-year-old man – who authorities don’t believe was connected to the incident – was shot in the leg and is seeking treatment at a hospital, Finner said.

“I want to commend those officers. She had a long gun and it could have been a lot worse,” Finner said. “But they stepped up and they did their job, and I want to thank them for that.” An investigation will take place into the shooting and both law enforcement officers will be placed on administrative leave while the probe is ongoing.

The woman had also threatened she “had a bomb,” but authorities searched her vehicle and a backpack she was wearing and found no explosives, Finner said. “She was also spraying some type of substance on the ground,” the chief added.

Lakewood Church – a megachurch about 6 miles from downtown Houston – confirmed reports of “shots fired,” earlier, saying on X, “There is an active situation involving shots fired at Lakewood. Law enforcement is on the scene. That is all the information we have at this time. Please pray for Lakewood and our community.”

Speaking during the news conference, Osteen, the pastor, said the shooting took place “in between services,” noting the timing of the incident likely helped prevent further injuries and damage.

“I can only imagine if it would have happened during the 11 o’clock service,” he said.

“So, you know, if there’s anything good of it … (it’s) that she didn’t get in there and do a whole lot worse damage,” Osteen said of the shooter.

In a statement Sunday afternoon, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said, “Our hearts are with those impacted by today’s tragic shooting and the entire Lakewood Church community in Houston. Places of worship are sacred.”

The governor added he has been in contact with local and state officials to “help this community and help bring swift justice to the criminal who committed this heinous act.”

A Lakewood parishioner at the scene told CNN affiliate KPRC he was inside the church waiting for the Spanish language service to start when he heard multiple shots fired. The man was then instructed by a church usher to run, he told KPRC. The service was slated to begin at 3:00 p.m. ET, according to the church website.

CNN has reached out to Houston police and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office for more information.

Lakewood Church, now located in what used to be a sports arena, was founded by Osteen’s father in the 1950s.

The White House is tracking the shooting in Houston and working to obtain more information, according to a White House official.

 

[marmalade]

So some dumbasses thought it would be fun to shoot up a parade. One dead (so far), many injured including 11 children, all expected to survive. 

Too many people treating their guns like fucking toys. I'm sick of it and those who enable it.

[47of74]

The Adair, Iowa police chief was found guilty of lying to the ATF to buy machine guns under false pretenses.

Quote

A small-town Iowa police chief has been convicted of abusing his authority to buy or request demonstrations of dozens of federally regulated machine guns, a jury decided Wednesday.

Bradley Wendt, chief of the three-man Adair Police Department, was found guilty on 11 of 15 federal charges after a six-day trial. The jury began deliberating shortly after noon Tuesday, and the verdict was read Wednesday at 3:15 p.m.

The case centered on Wendt's dual status as both a police chief and owner of two Iowa gun stores. Under federal law, most machine guns cannot be sold or transferred unless for use by or demonstration to a law enforcement agency.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives requires a purchase order or authorization letter from a police agency before approving such a transfer.

The town only has about 800 people and the department only has 3 people, yet this corrupt SOB wanted 90 machine guns.  Turns out he was selling them through his store and the stores of conspiring gun stores at a profit.  Ugh

Edited February 15 by 47of74

[Ozlsn]

Interview with Emma Brown from Gabby Gifford's foundation. Titled "can there be a US without school shootings?".

Some of the stats she talks about are pretty bad.

"Giffords has also paid close attention to finding effective messengers in Black and Latino communities, which are disproportionately affected by gun violence. According to a report from the Johns Hopkins center for gun violence solutions, Black Americans were nearly 14 times more likely to die by gun homicide than their white counterparts in 2021. The same report found that Latino males were 2.8 times more likely to die by firearm homicide than white males, while Latino women were 1.3 times as likely to die by firearm homicide compared with their white counterparts.

Young Americans ages 15 to 24 also made up a large share of gun homicide victims, accounting for three out of every five deaths."

I know that's deaths across all categories but it's still pretty awful that 3 in 5 gun homicide deaths is so young.

Still, she sees hope:

"Brown believes gun owners are uniquely positioned to make the argument for more rigorous firearm regulations, given that research indicates gun owners support many proposed reforms. A 2022 study funded by 97Percent, a bipartisan group of gun owners and non-gun owners, found that 72.9% of gun owners support universal background checks and 69.2% support red-flag laws.

“We really believe that, in order to break through those political barriers that still exist, we have to expand our coalition beyond Democrats and ultimately beyond politics,” Brown said. “Gun owners are, we think, one of our best vehicles and messengers on this issue.”"

(and then of course you have the people commenting "all four parents are at fault here" in response to a twitter post by a woman whose 14 year old was shot by his 14 year old friend -apparently the logic was "well you should teach kids not to pick up guns and also gun safety rather than require gun owners to store guns safely" but it inspired an absolute WTAF response from me. Talk about blame the victim.)

[47of74]

Some news regarding Wayne

Quote

The longtime head of the National Rifle Association, Wayne LaPierre, misspent millions of dollars of the organization’s money, using the funds to pay for an extravagant lifestyle that included exotic getaways and trips on private planes and superyachts, a New York jury determined Friday.

The jury ordered LaPierre, 74, to repay almost $4.4 million to the powerful gun rights group that he led for three decades. It also ordered the NRA’s retired finance chief, Wilson Phillips, to pay back the group $2 million. Jurors additionally found that the NRA omitted or misrepresented information in its tax filings and violated New York law by failing to adopt a whistleblower policy.

New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat who campaigned on investigating the NRA’s not-for-profit status, declared the verdict a “major victory.”

“In New York, you cannot get away with corruption and greed, no matter how powerful or influential you think you may be,” James said in a post on X. “Everyone, even the NRA and Wayne LaPierre, must play by the same rules.”

I wish instead of going back to the NRA it instead would go to all the people hurt by the NRA and Wayne over the years.

[GreyhoundFan]

More of this, please. We need accountability. 

[47of74]

People are still bringing loaded weapons in carryon

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The Transportation Security Administration reports that its officers intercepted 1,503 firearms in carry-on bags at security checkpoints in US airports during the first quarter of 2024.

That number runs very close with TSA interceptions in the first quarter of 2023, in which 1,508 firearms were intercepted, the agency said in a news release.  Overall, 2023 set a record for the number of firearms uncovered by officers at security checkpoints.

Even though the number of firearms discovered was nearly steady, that average first quarter rate was lower in 2024 because some 15 million more passengers were screened than the comparable period last year. More people plus roughly same number of firearms equals a lower rate.

But there’s a shocking stat that has stayed the same – in both time periods, 93% of those intercepted firearms were loaded with ammo.

 

[Ozlsn]

There was a mass stabbing in a mall in Bondi yesterday, with 6 killed (5 women and a man) and another 12 (including a 9 month old) in hospital. The attacker was shot and killed by a policewoman, who chased him and fired when he turned to attack her. It is horrific and we are shocked.

And some Americans on twitter are trying to argue that this wouldn't have happened if Australia didn't have gun control laws, and all I can think is that this would have rivalled Port Arthur (35 killed, age range 3 to 72) if the attacker had had access to firearms.

Mostly though I am just so, so sad. You should be able to go to the mall, to school, to a Cafe, to a concert, to work, and come home safely.

[Becky]

@Ozlsn I am so very sorry this happened.  You are correct - this would have been so much worse had the attacker had free and unfettered access to firearms the way we have it in the US; and also that people should be able to go about life safely.  What a sad and stressful time for you all.

[Smee]

On 4/14/2024 at 6:10 PM, Ozlsn said:

There was a mass stabbing in a mall in Bondi yesterday, with 6 killed (5 women and a man) and another 12 (including a 9 month old) in hospital. The attacker was shot and killed by a policewoman, who chased him and fired when he turned to attack her. It is horrific and we are shocked.

And some Americans on twitter are trying to argue that this wouldn't have happened if Australia didn't have gun control laws, and all I can think is that this would have rivalled Port Arthur (35 killed, age range 3 to 72) if the attacker had had access to firearms.

Mostly though I am just so, so sad. You should be able to go to the mall, to school, to a Cafe, to a concert, to work, and come home safely.

Ugh, as soon as I saw the news I knew there would be some wankstains trying to use it to be like "see! Guns don't kill people, it's PEOPLE that are the problem" as if it wouldn't be a hundred times worse if that guy had been able to attack from a distance. 

Also, it seems pertinent to point out that in this situation the 'good guy' (police officer) did have a gun, she was trained in how to use it, did not accidentally shoot anybody else, and would have been required to meet ongoing licensing regulations, storage rules etc. So if you think tragedies can be averted or stopped faster by arming the 'good guys' that's fine but it's not a reason to stop the good guys from meeting licensing requirements.