Shooting in Las Vegas, 58 killed, 515 wounded

[ganbaru]

Gunman kills at least 50, wounds 200 in Las Vegas concert attack
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-us...-idUSKCN1C70FU

[MeoTwister5]

BBC article here.

On deaths alone this is numerically the biggest mass shooting in American history.

[Obelisk ze Tormentor]

I've seen some videos of it. It's a very disturbing and horrific watch. These people were gunned down from above. Many of the survivors who were in the open field were very lucky the shooter didn't aim at their direction (or when he ran out of bullets giving them some opening to run away).

[monir]

Originally Posted by MeoTwister5

On deaths alone this is numerically the biggest mass shooting in American history.

For now. I'm also certain someone is already planning to beat the final tally in the next mass shooting.

[TinyRedLeaf]

It's tragic.

But the truth is, I'm numb to this by now. It's just another mass-shooting in America. The US made a choice, and Americans chose not to hold their representatives responsible when there was a chance to make a meaningful difference.

It doesn't help that the US now has a government that has gone to unprecedented lengths to normalise the inexcusable.

It's sad that innocents and police officers died. But this is America's problem, and the rest of the world has other things to worry about now that the US is determined to surrender any semblance of moral leadership.

[ganbaru]

It would be pretty much useless, as the shooter is already dead, but will this be treated as a ''regular'' shooting or a ''act of terrorism''?

[TinyRedLeaf]

I don't know how such distinctions make any difference other than to politicise a problem that's already highly contentious in American society.

To me, it's a regular mass-shooting, as such crimes have always been.

This desire to label it as terrorism is a much more recent phenomenon, inspired unfortunately by increasingly polarised views over race and social class.

I would prefer that terrorism isn't brought up, because I do see them as different things. And that's my point of view as a foreigner looking in. Clearly, for Americans, it's a different matter altogether.

[Anh_Minh]

It may make a difference in hunting down possible accomplices.

[Akito Kinomoto]

I'm surprised America doesn't have Mass Shooting Bingo at this point. "Deadliest in U.S. History" can be the Free Space

[coded321]

i know i'm desensitized to these shootings when i realized i was more emotionally upset after reading the latest chapter of tokyo ghoul re this week

[SeijiSensei]

This guy managed to bring something like nine weapons including an AK-47 style assault rifle into a hotel. I know this is Nevada, but really, has the hotel no policy on weapons in its rooms? I can understand hunters bringing rifles on a hunting trip, but can't the hotel require that they be stored in the hotel's vault? I'm waiting to hear their explanation about how a guest managed to carry a small arsenal into their hotel.

Under current laws, you can't stop people from carrying handguns into hotels, but no handgun could have caused a slaughter of this scale.

[shadow1296]

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

This guy managed to bring something like nine weapons including an AK-47 style assault rifle into a hotel. I know this is Nevada, but really, has the hotel no policy on weapons in its rooms? I can understand hunters bringing rifles on a hunting trip, but can't the hotel require that they be stored in the hotel's vault? I'm waiting to hear their explanation about how a guest managed to carry a small arsenal into their hotel.

Under current laws, you can't stop people from carrying handguns into hotels, but no handgun could have caused a slaughter of this scale.

you really don't understand how hotels work, rooms have zero camera's in the rooms because it would be an invasion of guests privacy and it's not an airport the have no reason to check a persons luggage upon entering a hotel and again it's goes against guests privacy, when you take those into account you can understand how he brought his weapons into the hotel

[SeijiSensei]

Hotels could have rules abouts no guns in their rooms. They choose not to pay attention. Yes, enforcement would be difficult, but at least the hotel would have a policy to enforce. They might lose some business, but I bet that would be made up for by people like me who would prefer to sleep in a hotel knowing that's unlikely someone has an assault rifle in the next room. After all, twice as many households in America do not have a gun as those that do.

[barcode120x]

Tally is up to 58 now with 515 injured. Had a few coworkers there but they are fine.

Regardless if this is a mass shooting or a terrorist act, people are dead and injured.

@TinyReadLeaf
Gun laws, politicians, cameras, rules, none of that matters. People will get a weapon if they're desperate. It doesn't matter if you live in America or not. Just give your condolences, but if you don't care, then you have no reason to be blaming the country and the government on the act of an individual. People can and will get what they want.

[Key Board]

I'm pretty sure there's a correlation
https://i.imgur.com/X5hzeYF.jpg

Also
https://twitter.com/Calebkeeter/stat...72808110510080

As for the motivation?
I suspect this is another Andreas Lubitz
some jilted boyfriend committing mass murder

[TinyRedLeaf]

Originally Posted by barcode120x

R
@TinyReadLeaf
Gun laws, politicians, cameras, rules, none of that matters. People will get a weapon if they're desperate. It doesn't matter if you live in America or not. Just give your condolences, but if you don't care, then you have no reason to be blaming the country and the government on the act of an individual. People can and will get what they want.

Yes, you can continue to delude yourself that your politicians — and by association, the citizens who vote that them into power — aren't to blame for this epidemic. And, yes, I'm calling it an epidemic, because that is indeed what it is.

Key Board has linked a couple of points for you to consider. But, of course, you can continue to insist that people who want to kill will continue to find means to do so. Which is true, I grant you that. But that alone won't explain why mass shootings of this scale happen so regularly in the US. The proliferation of small arms is a problem. We can argue whether it is the cause. But it would be incredibly delusional to not even consider that there is, at the very least, a correlation.

But, I don't want to turn this into another inevitable gun debate, because I know how that will end. As I said, Americans made a choice. They'll have to live with it.

[Anh_Minh]

Originally Posted by Key Board

I'm pretty sure there's a correlation
https://i.imgur.com/X5hzeYF.jpg

Hard to see a correlation without a corresponding firearm ownership graph. And what you're correlating is questionable to start with - sure, maybe, probably, in places with guns, people will murder each other with guns. That's not the same as saying they'll murder each other more.

(To be clear, I'm all for gun control. I'm just saying that graph doesn't actually say much.)

[Key Board]

How about

https://i.imgur.com/Es1Jg88.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/wmUHYSD.jpg

[ganbaru]

Las Vegas gunman described as well-off gambler and a loner
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-us...-idUSKCN1C721O

[Anh_Minh]

Originally Posted by Key Board

How about

https://i.imgur.com/Es1Jg88.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/wmUHYSD.jpg

Better, but it doesn't answer the question of whether Americans murder each other a lot, or if it's just that murderers will use guns if available.

I mean, for example, a medieval war zone would have plenty of homicides, but zero gun deaths.

If you do look at the homicide rate (by whatever means), the US isn't at the top, but it does keep company with much poorer, more politically unstable countries. Is it the guns' fault? Are the guns a symptom? Who knows?



And to get back a bit on topic, I came across a pretty depressing tweet. "In retrospect Sandy Hook marked the end of the US gun control debate. Once America decided killing children was bearable, it was over." So, yeah. Sandy Hook didn't change anything, this won't either.