Gun range is a death trap if you think about it. Complete strangers with loaded guns standing just few feet from you discharging those weapons. If any of them is a nutjob you'll bite the dust before you know what hit you.
While it might deter "nutters like this freak", it would also deter people who wanted to practice or just shoot for fun, and could possibly reduce levels of shooters to the point of closing down several shooting ranges. And all because some lady happened to choose a shooting range for her murder/suicide, when she could have waited to borrow someone's gun/grab a knife from the kitchen/taken any number of other options to off herself and whoever else. I don't see why a lot of people should be treated like they're going to go on killing rampages because of one person/a small minority of people. You forget one thing: you're armed, too. People should always be aware of their surroundings, so if someone comes from behind you, you should sense that something's different, and be able to take some form of action, at the very least asking the stranger why they're behind them.
Is this where I put a smug "fixed" caption? And I hope people take note of Draven's location. I think having a screwdriver anywhere in public is a crime there. Don't forget all the closed circuit cameras constantly watching everyone and everything in London either.
why does it seem a lot of these stories I read on here happen to live in Florida? I really need to get out of this state..
Why would it deter them unless they also had something that would potentially bar them from using guns at the facility, like a criminal record or a history of mental illness ... in which case, they probably should be deterred? If there's really so many people that would be scared off by a background check that shooting ranges would have to close from a lack of business, then to me that says something kind of frightening about current clientele of shooting ranges (though really, I don't think that's the case). Now, I don't subscribe to the whole 'well, they shouldn't be concerned as long as they don't have anything to hide' notion, for various reasons. But, a background check (to my knowledge) isn't the same thing as, say, wiretapping somebody's phone without a warrant or random searches or whatever, this is (correct me if I'm wrong) information that is already publicly available to a certain extent. I mean, a potential employer can do the same thing, and all they're doing is trying to find out if you're suitable for employment. Certainly not a life-or-death situation in the sense that discharging a firearm is. That said, I think it might be overkill for a problem that really seems like something of an isolated incident. If there was an epidemic of this sort of thing, then I can see steps of that nature being necessary, but it really just sounds like one crazy who happened to choose a shooting range, as you said. As far as I know, this doesn't happen very often, if at all, and I would think that a shooting range would be the last place anyone would want to start firing at other people unless they were totally batshit insane (such as in this instance), in which case they're just a time bomb that will end up going off somewhere else instead, if barred from entry . Also, (unrelated to above quote) while it would certainly be nice if murder-suicides would just stick to suicide only (if they 'have' to happen at all), it seems kind of futile to sort of 'suggest' that they do so. It just comes off as kind of like telling serial killers not to kill people so many people, or remarking that a brutal tyrant really ought to be nicer to his people. I mean yeah, but...
Pro-tip #3: Guns are stupid. Wait, what? You're wearing earmuffs and focusing on a target, whilst discharging a suitably loud weapon. You're meant to know someone's behind you, how? And you're armed too? Hoorah! More injuries!!!
And that's a bad thing?? Also, why would it deter people who want to practice? Unless they have something to hide, they would pass the background check without hassle. And, for the sake of argument and greater understanding: Would someone please tell me (without getting pissed off) why it seems like Americans are extremely happy about their guns and the right to wear them? Not trying to talk anyone down or anything; I am actually genuinely interested in knowing Gun culture is very different here in Sweden, so please help me understand!
I think deterrance is the wrong thing to focus on. Whack jobs don't get deterred, they're crazy, they don't understand the concept. The point is that checking the background of someone's mental health before handing them a S&W, a box of jacketed hollow-point and a "have a nice day" would PREVENT nutters from having guns. And really, how is that a bad thing? Yes, the UK is crazy paranoid about anything that could be construed as a weapon. It is illegal to carry a fixed blade knife or any length, a folding knife with more than a three-inch blade or a locking knife of any length. Replica guns (including airsoft) are illegal unless you belong to an organisation that has good reason to use them (military reneactors, skirmish site, etc), or you don't mind them being slathered in orange paint. Bizarrely, deactivated firearms are totally legal. Someone get me out of this madhouse.
what's with all these cowards and pussies? eradicate a family, then escape by suicide? Not to sound like a crazed Sam Peckinpah or Tarantino fan, but what happened to the real killers in the world that didn't take the easy way out? i don't wish this on anyone. i swear, even the cold blooded in this country are becoming lame-ass pansies.
it is a historical, a traditional thing bigpete. We fought for independence with the very same guns that fed us, protected us from indian attacks or the criminals when this place was uncivilized wilderness with little or no outside protection. that continued through our history. civil war- families whose fathers and brothers were away from home kept guns to feed themselves or keep raiders at bay, The American West? Same thing. Quoting Quick Draw McGraw from an episode of Harvey Birdman, "They didn't enforce the law, they were the law." Justice had to be blunt and swift. You steal my cattle- my food, my income, my survival- and get caught, this gun took care of me by taking you out. The thing is that over the years, Americans have associated the ownership of firearms with the core values of this country. We value our self-reliance. respect the responsibilities and discipline that come with ownership. Guns give us that. Honestly, there are a lot of people in my state alone who believe that if they lost their job and income right now, could survive for as long as necessary just by owning that gun. yep, we got folks that would hunt for food like their ancestors and get by till things improved. In fact, there are charities that encourage hunters to donate their kills that are in turn processed and then handed over to food banks for the needy to eat. trying to avoid politics, but my last point, bigpete is that the real, honest to god, true gunowners see ownership as the one thing that keeps us from becoming a nanny state. It's about pride. they ask things like, Why do i need to go to the government for things? I got two hands, i can work, i can build and provide for myself, my family. taking away one's firearms deprives them of the ability to protect and care for their families. let's say you got a car you use to go to work. You use it drive 30 minutes to work each day. Government, for example outlaws the car for some reason. well, you lose your job because you can't get to work anymore. it affects you. you don't feel like the head of your household anymore because you can't do the main thing you are supposed to: provide. not to mention losing the car now means you lost the freedom to travel where you want, when you want. with one freedom lost, others fall with it. i know about the car issue- i can't drive anymore myself for medical reasons. and it makes me feel miserable having to rely on others or giving up on going to certain places anymore. i don't have mobility anymore, and for that, i feel helpless and less of a person. so it does get to you after a while. It is complicated, but that's IMO, what makes some of us happy to have guns. hope that helped, bigpete.
Yup, it sure did Thank you for that excellent summary We don't have any of those rights (or thoughts for that matter) over here. Only the military and police are allowed to have weapons, but not stored in their homes. Hunters can get a license for hunting weapons, but it's extremely regulated and involves a long process of psych evaluations, tests, and so on. For each and every weapon, no matter how many you own since before, and regardless of how long you've had a hunting license! I think there's a limit on how many rifles a hunter can own as well, and they must be locked away in a secure locker at all times when not in use. Same with knives; every blade more than two inches in length needs a license, and you can't carry them in public. Kitchen knives and other cutlery is permitted within the walls of your home, naturally. There's been a large increase of illegal firearms for the past 10 years or so, but still, most Swedes have no idea on how to get their hands on a gun. Crime is going up each year here now, and it's starting to get to the point where I'm actually wanting to have a gun for home protection, but alas, I cannot. In fact, were I to defend myself during a burglary and the burglar gets injured, I could go to jail for assault! On paper, we have a law that allows the use of physical force for the protection of ourselves and our loved ones, but not for property. And should I use the least bit of excessive force (which is decided on a case-to-case basis. I've read of cases where the home owner went to jail for pushing his assailant!), I'm done for. How's that for justice? Hah! But what can you expect from a country where life in prison is actually a maximum of 15 years?
Hmm. I don't know how anyone could possibly draw a link between these two trends. But still... I mean, come on! Escalation people. Put two and two together.
