Many Shootings

[irishbobcat]

I still favor a review of our current gun laws regarding the need for certain weapons and high power ammo....

[Why?Town]

 Generally machine guns that fire 100 rounds per second are mounted to military vehicles like helicopters. Hand held machine guns are usually around 25 rounds per second. Both of these types of weapons have been banned for many years outside of military use and as far as I know have never been used in a civilian mass shooting.

The benefit of a rifle over a handgun is greater long range accuracy. Not much help in a theater or classroom setting.

If these killers were capable of rational thought they wouldn't be shooting people. Since they are not capable of rational thought, they use "assault" rifles because they think it makes them look tough while shooting innocent and usually unarmed people.

[Rick Rowlands]

AH HA!  Thank you!  I had a hunch that you did not fully understand what the term assault weapon meant an you just proved it.  You think that a machine gun that can "spray 100 bullets per second" is what an assault weapon is.   But that is NOT what assault weapons that were subject to the 1994 ban are.  True FULLY AUTOMATIC machine guns were banned by a 1986 law an that law is still in effect.  The 1994 "assault weapons ban" classified weapons into a newly created classification called an assault weapon based solely on aesthetics.  A traditional hunting rifle will fire one shot each time the trigger is pulled.  But if you take that SAME RIFLE, add a pistol grip, flash deflector, barrel guard and paint it black it magically becomes an "assault rifle".  Now the assault rifle will fire the same bullets at the same velocity and at the same rate as the hunting rifle, but because it LOOKS repeat LOOKS like an M16 fully automatic machine gun the general public thinks they are one and the same.  Your typical handgun including a police service pistol also fires only one shot each time the trigger is pulled.   Even a revolver can be considered semiautomatic in the fact that it shoots one bullet each time the trigger is pulled, but instead of using the pressure from the fired bullet to move the next one into position a revolver uses a mechanical linkage actuated by the first half of the trigger pull.   So get the image of RAMBO spraying bullets around out of your head.  that is not it at all!

This is what I mean when I say to educate yourself about the issues.  Only through a greater understanding will you be able to make informed decisions.

[irishbobcat]

Thanks for the article, I will check out your statistics presented.

A person bent on committing a mass killing will use whatever weapon is available. My point is if an assault rifle is not used, the number of deaths would be fewer if the attacker can't spray 100 bullets per second.

My other question to you Rick is why does the average citizen need access to an assault rifle and massive clips?

[Rick Rowlands]

So what you are trying to get at is that if a semi automatic rifle was not available then somehow that would dissuade someone from committing a crime?  If you want to do something you use the best tool available for the job.  But if the best tool isn't available you go to the second best because you still want to get the job done.

"We tracked 62 mass shootings wherein 5 or more people were either shot or killed from the early 1980's to now; 41 times pistols were used, 12 times shotguns or some type of hunting-styled rifle was used, and 9 times semi-automatic rifles were used (14 percent)," Hunter told TheBlaze.
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/01/14/lets-set-the-record-straight-5-common-misconceptions-about-guns-mass-shootings/

It might do you good to read and understand the content of that article.  You do yourself a disservice by believing in propaganda and so readily dismissing the truth.

[irishbobcat]

Ricky, in all of the mass shootings since Columbine, please tell me how many gunmen used simple handguns......

I'm waiting........

[iwasthere]

The kid would have used handguns instead.

the kid would had to brk through the lock doors instead of shooting himself through the glass plated windows with an ak rifle. is it not against the law to own any guns if one has a mentally ill person in your household under the bradey law?

[Rick Rowlands]

The kid would have used handguns instead. 

[iwasthere]

I doubt that an assault weapons ban or a limit on size of clips would have prevented any of them.

the newton conn shootings would never occurred because the mother would never had them in her in her possession.

[irishbobcat]

But an assault weapons ban or a limit on size of clips will have an impact on future mass shootings like
Newtown.....

[jay]

On the TV news today

According to the Youngstown Police Chief, one third of the assult rifles stolen from a Market Street gun dealer are still on the streets of Youngstown.

[Rick Rowlands]

I doubt that an assault weapons ban or a limit on size of clips would have prevented any of them. 

[jay]

There have been many shootings in Youngstown in the first half of January.  So far, none have resulted in the deaths of the victims.

During January of 2012, Youngstown had 3 homicides.