Okay, I might be about to piss off a few people here, but I don't care because it needs to be said.
Some of you want guns to be made illegal. Do you have any idea how stupid that is? Whether or not the government makes it illegal to own a gun, people are still going to be murdered, be it with a gun, a knife, an axe, or whatever. And people (i.e. organized criminals and/or psychopaths) who want to own guns will get guns on the black market the same way they get drugs, kiddie porn, or any other illegal item that can be gotten.
The bottom line is, millions of people own guns. I've got a gun. It's never been fired before, but I have it for my own personal protection. If anyone ever breaks into my house, I'll blow their shit off without thinking twice. However, I'd never go out and murder someone with it. My dad owns a hunting rifle. The point I'm trying to make is, out of the millions of people who own guns, what percentage of them go out on murderous rampages? What percentage of Americans are criminals? Out of the percentage of those who are criminals, how many of them are violent criminals? Just think about that.
Plus, it's our constitutional right to bear arms. You argue that banning gay marriage is unconstitutional, but you think it's okay to take away our right to bear arms? Talk about a double standard. Or is it okay to be unconstitutional only when it suits your political agenda?
School Shooting
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Big Magilla
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I don't think anyoen has confirmed that the shooter was suffering from a mental disorder. Teh only thing I've heard is that he was on some kind of medication and had stopped taking his pills. They may have been for something that had nothing to do with mental illness.
Banning guns altogether is the answer, but it will probably be several more generations before that happens in this country if it happens at all.
Banning guns altogether is the answer, but it will probably be several more generations before that happens in this country if it happens at all.
Calm down. Having a mental illness does not automatically mean that you are a risk to others.
Of course not Heksagon but, in anonymous' defense, there IS a perception in our society that mental illness creates a situation where the afflicted person might do something risky that he or she wouldn't ordinarily do. It's the reason why patients in psych wards and mental hospitals aren't allowed to have or use anything that might serve as a weapon against themselves or other people. They're not even allowed to wear belts.
Anyway, I think anonymous was speaking on behalf of mental patients :p
Edited By Akash on 1203105989
anonymous wrote:Why the fucking hell would someone with a history of mental illness be allowed to legally own guns?
Calm down. Having a mental illness does not automatically mean that you are a risk to others.
Besides, if people perceive that being diagnosed with a mental illness will take away their legal privileges, they are less likely to seek medical treatment, and will try to hide their illnesses instead. That will not benefit anyone; I prefer my guns nuts medicated, thank you.
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OscarGuy
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Guns may not kill people, but people with guns kill people. Let's go back to cave-man days when we had to use our bear hands and crude tools to kill. It makes it a lot easier for humans to get away. 
Wesley Lovell
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." - Benjamin Franklin
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." - Benjamin Franklin
How many times do these kids turn out to be outstanding students? It's really sad, and something that America needs to explore.
BBC NEWS
Illinois student killer is named
Police have identified a gunman who killed five students when he opened fire at a university near Chicago as a former student Stephen Kazmierczak.
Head of police at Northern Illinois University, Don Grady, said Kazmierczak had studied sociology there in 2007.
Chief Grady said it was not known why Kazmierczak - who was armed with three handguns and a shotgun - opened fire in a crowded lecture hall.
Another 15 people were injured before Kazmierczak shot and killed himself.
Kazmierczak was described by the police chief as having been an "outstanding student" and he said there had been nothing to suggest he would commit such an act.
"Actually, there were no red flags. He was an outstanding student, he was an awarded student. He was someone that was revered by the faculty and staff and students alike," Chief Grady said.
"So we had no problems and we've had no indications at all that this would be the type of person that would engage in such activities," he added.
But Chief Grady did say that Kazmierczak, 27, had become erratic in recent weeks after he stopped taking some unspecified medication.
The police chief said it was still unclear how many shots had been fired, but 48 bullet casings had been found as well as six shotgun shells.
He praised the actions of the emergency services at the university, saying that police had been on the scene within minutes.
He said that the swift response had been thanks to excellent planning and teamwork.
The university's president, John Peters, echoed that view saying the police had rehearsed for such an eventuality.
Mr Peters said there had been an outpouring of support from around the United States and the world following the attack.
As the university tries to come to terms with killings, counsellors have been arriving from neighbouring colleges to assist in the grieving process. A candlelit vigil is planned for this evening on the campus.
It had been reported earlier that Kazmierczak had killed six students before committing suicide, but DeKalb County Coroner Rusty Miller has revised that figure, saying that five students, not six, were killed.
Mr Miller said there had been confusion about the status of a patient being treated in a different county.
The shooting comes 10 months after 32 students and staff were shot by a student at Virginia Tech University in one of the worst shootings ever at a US school.
BBC NEWS
Illinois student killer is named
Police have identified a gunman who killed five students when he opened fire at a university near Chicago as a former student Stephen Kazmierczak.
Head of police at Northern Illinois University, Don Grady, said Kazmierczak had studied sociology there in 2007.
Chief Grady said it was not known why Kazmierczak - who was armed with three handguns and a shotgun - opened fire in a crowded lecture hall.
Another 15 people were injured before Kazmierczak shot and killed himself.
Kazmierczak was described by the police chief as having been an "outstanding student" and he said there had been nothing to suggest he would commit such an act.
"Actually, there were no red flags. He was an outstanding student, he was an awarded student. He was someone that was revered by the faculty and staff and students alike," Chief Grady said.
"So we had no problems and we've had no indications at all that this would be the type of person that would engage in such activities," he added.
But Chief Grady did say that Kazmierczak, 27, had become erratic in recent weeks after he stopped taking some unspecified medication.
The police chief said it was still unclear how many shots had been fired, but 48 bullet casings had been found as well as six shotgun shells.
He praised the actions of the emergency services at the university, saying that police had been on the scene within minutes.
He said that the swift response had been thanks to excellent planning and teamwork.
The university's president, John Peters, echoed that view saying the police had rehearsed for such an eventuality.
Mr Peters said there had been an outpouring of support from around the United States and the world following the attack.
As the university tries to come to terms with killings, counsellors have been arriving from neighbouring colleges to assist in the grieving process. A candlelit vigil is planned for this evening on the campus.
It had been reported earlier that Kazmierczak had killed six students before committing suicide, but DeKalb County Coroner Rusty Miller has revised that figure, saying that five students, not six, were killed.
Mr Miller said there had been confusion about the status of a patient being treated in a different county.
The shooting comes 10 months after 32 students and staff were shot by a student at Virginia Tech University in one of the worst shootings ever at a US school.
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anonymous1980
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Typical, easy American solution: blame it on the meds. That way we don't actually have to confront some of the ingrained truths about our society.
NEW YORK TIMES
February 15, 2008
Gunman in Campus Attack Is Identified
By MIKE NIZZA
The man who opened fire on students in a lecture hall at Northern Illinois University was described by police on Friday as a 27-year-old former sociology student there who had been highly regarded, but they said he began to act erratic in recent weeks after he stopped taking medication.
Stephen Kazmierczak, who killed five and wounded 15 before turning the gun on himself, was “a very good student and a fairly normal, unstressed person” who lived in Champagne-Urbana, Ill., said Donald Grady, the chief of the college’s department of public safety.
But Mr. Grady said that those who knew the shooter said he had started acting erratic in recent weeks. “Apparently, he had been taking medication and he had stopped taking the medication in recent weeks,” Mr. Grady said.
“We had no indication at all that this would be the type of person to engage in this type of activity,” Mr. Grady said.
Mr. Kazmierczak bought two of the four guns used in the attack — a 12-gauge shotgun and a 9-millimeter Glock pistol — six days ago, and they were legally registered to him, authorities said. The two other pistols were being traced.
Mr. Kazmierczak parked near the lecture hall, and carried the shotgun in a guitar case and the pistols and ammunition strapped to his body, concealed by a coat, Mr. Grady said.
He proceeded through a side door to the lecture hall’s stage, and immediately opened fire without speaking. Forty eight casings and 6 shotgun shells were found at the scene, indicating more shots than initially estimated by witnesses.
The gunman had been a graduate student in sociology at the university in Spring 2007, Mr. Grady said. Records indicated that Mr. Kazmierczak, who had more recently attended a different state school, had no previous police contact, the authorities said.
“There were no red flags,” Mr. Grady said. “Unfortunately, these things happen.”
Mr. Grady also described the response to the attack as “remarkable,” saying that “we did everything we could to ensure the safety of the university.”
Two officers arrived in the area less than a minute after the shooting began and several other officers reached the scene two minutes later, he said.
But the gunman killed himself before officers entered the building, leaving behind a blood spattered hall with 21 victims, including the 5 dead and 7 critically wounded.
John G. Peters, the president of Northern Illinois University, announced that a candlelight vigil would be held Friday at 9 p.m. Central time. Speaking of the families of the victims, he said, “they will get through this, with our help.”
President Bush commented on the shooting Friday morning, saying it was “obviously a tragic situation on that campus.” He said he was asking citizens across the country to “offer their blessings — blessings of comfort and blessings of strength” to the families of the victims.
The coroner’s office in Dekalb county, Ill., gave the names of four of the victims as Daniel Parmenter, 20; Catalina Garcia, 20; Ryanne Mace, 19; and Julianna Gehant, 32.
Kishwaukee Community Hospital said on Friday morning that only two of the 18 patients admitted remained there, and they were in good or fair condition.
A 22-year-old male died, and seven others in critical condition were flown to other hospitals, the hospital said. The hospital planned a news conference for 11 a.m. central time.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008....=slogin
Edited By Akash on 1203097909
NEW YORK TIMES
February 15, 2008
Gunman in Campus Attack Is Identified
By MIKE NIZZA
The man who opened fire on students in a lecture hall at Northern Illinois University was described by police on Friday as a 27-year-old former sociology student there who had been highly regarded, but they said he began to act erratic in recent weeks after he stopped taking medication.
Stephen Kazmierczak, who killed five and wounded 15 before turning the gun on himself, was “a very good student and a fairly normal, unstressed person” who lived in Champagne-Urbana, Ill., said Donald Grady, the chief of the college’s department of public safety.
But Mr. Grady said that those who knew the shooter said he had started acting erratic in recent weeks. “Apparently, he had been taking medication and he had stopped taking the medication in recent weeks,” Mr. Grady said.
“We had no indication at all that this would be the type of person to engage in this type of activity,” Mr. Grady said.
Mr. Kazmierczak bought two of the four guns used in the attack — a 12-gauge shotgun and a 9-millimeter Glock pistol — six days ago, and they were legally registered to him, authorities said. The two other pistols were being traced.
Mr. Kazmierczak parked near the lecture hall, and carried the shotgun in a guitar case and the pistols and ammunition strapped to his body, concealed by a coat, Mr. Grady said.
He proceeded through a side door to the lecture hall’s stage, and immediately opened fire without speaking. Forty eight casings and 6 shotgun shells were found at the scene, indicating more shots than initially estimated by witnesses.
The gunman had been a graduate student in sociology at the university in Spring 2007, Mr. Grady said. Records indicated that Mr. Kazmierczak, who had more recently attended a different state school, had no previous police contact, the authorities said.
“There were no red flags,” Mr. Grady said. “Unfortunately, these things happen.”
Mr. Grady also described the response to the attack as “remarkable,” saying that “we did everything we could to ensure the safety of the university.”
Two officers arrived in the area less than a minute after the shooting began and several other officers reached the scene two minutes later, he said.
But the gunman killed himself before officers entered the building, leaving behind a blood spattered hall with 21 victims, including the 5 dead and 7 critically wounded.
John G. Peters, the president of Northern Illinois University, announced that a candlelight vigil would be held Friday at 9 p.m. Central time. Speaking of the families of the victims, he said, “they will get through this, with our help.”
President Bush commented on the shooting Friday morning, saying it was “obviously a tragic situation on that campus.” He said he was asking citizens across the country to “offer their blessings — blessings of comfort and blessings of strength” to the families of the victims.
The coroner’s office in Dekalb county, Ill., gave the names of four of the victims as Daniel Parmenter, 20; Catalina Garcia, 20; Ryanne Mace, 19; and Julianna Gehant, 32.
Kishwaukee Community Hospital said on Friday morning that only two of the 18 patients admitted remained there, and they were in good or fair condition.
A 22-year-old male died, and seven others in critical condition were flown to other hospitals, the hospital said. The hospital planned a news conference for 11 a.m. central time.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008....=slogin
Edited By Akash on 1203097909
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Big Magilla
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FilmFan720
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OscarGuy
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I've heard of a few instances in Europe, but it's most prevalent in the U.S.
It's because a lot of citizens have an utter disregard for life and guns make that disregard easier to handle. I also think it has a lot to do with the environment in which kids group up. We're taught from a young age that war is a good response when we feel vengeful. We're taught hurting others feels so good.
Actually, we're not specifically taught that, but we're a product of the times we're in. The school shootings have only increased during this time of war. The government says violence is ok. They say torture is ok. So, it's a great impression to give these youngsters.
Then, there's also the sexual frustration aspect. With sex taboo for most religions and drugs as well, while alcohol is highly favored, there's a problem. I think if all these folk would get laid more frequently, we might have less issues. After all, sexual frustration leads to aggressive behavior, at least as far as I've noticed.
How many of these school shooters aren't sexually frustrated?
It's because a lot of citizens have an utter disregard for life and guns make that disregard easier to handle. I also think it has a lot to do with the environment in which kids group up. We're taught from a young age that war is a good response when we feel vengeful. We're taught hurting others feels so good.
Actually, we're not specifically taught that, but we're a product of the times we're in. The school shootings have only increased during this time of war. The government says violence is ok. They say torture is ok. So, it's a great impression to give these youngsters.
Then, there's also the sexual frustration aspect. With sex taboo for most religions and drugs as well, while alcohol is highly favored, there's a problem. I think if all these folk would get laid more frequently, we might have less issues. After all, sexual frustration leads to aggressive behavior, at least as far as I've noticed.
How many of these school shooters aren't sexually frustrated?
Wesley Lovell
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." - Benjamin Franklin
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." - Benjamin Franklin