American Public Shootings: What's going on?

[Dear Mami]

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It's like Kenyan boarding schools and fire. Something is going on. Is it just the gun laws? Surely something else is the matter, on top of this. It's not like those laws just happened. Yet it seems these incidents are on the rise. Before Columbine, I don't think these were common. What has happened in the last 20 years?

[Kim Jong-Un's Pajama Pants]

The guns.  If you look at comparable countries, like Australia, they had one or two mass shootings, introduced draconian proper gun laws, and gun violence went down. 

Australia. 0 mass shootings since gun control law in 1996. 400 lives a year saved. America put a man on the 🌖 but this issue is too complex? pic.twitter.com/LZsRYLv3Vl

— Jeff Grace (@jeffgrace) October 2, 2017

There are of course explanations related to personalities involved in the shootings, but the crux of the matter is it does not happen if they have trouble getting their hands on guns.  Most of the shooters are usually people who lack the resourcefulness to navigate a byzantine requirement to get their hands on a weapon in the first place.

[Githunguri]

Even us don't know..find that something and tell us this is not an exam room

[RV Heavy Hitter!]

The problem is too many guns, I believe! My garage is full of all kinds of guns, and so as neighbors, and everyone else. An average person in the US has more guns than a Kenyan police station. The problem is there is hardly anyone coming to rob or hurt you to warrant using them. If you go crazy due to mental illness you can easily do so much damage because of access to many big guns. I believe mental status should be a requirement to own guns. That, alone, will save lives!

[Nowayhaha]

Its just a culture thing.
The Music and Movies are premised on Violence , guns and shooting.
Children get introduced to gun culture through video games and cartoons
Substantial number of people a veterans with combat experience and suffering from PTSD.
A lot of drugs in abudance , whenever there are drugs there is violence now coupled with easy access in getting guns leads to gun violence.
The laws are pro guns owning.
Most people enjoy shooting practice as a form of hobby passing time.
Majority of people suffer from one form of mental illness . Take for example Kenyanplato , Kadudu, Termie and Robina. Once the brains show them something they will just pick up a gun and start rioting.

[Dear Mami]

The guns.  If you look at comparable countries, like Australia, they had one or two mass shootings, introduced draconian proper gun laws, and gun violence went down. 

There are of course explanations related to personalities involved in the shootings, but the crux of the matter is it does not happen if they have trouble getting their hands on guns.  Most of the shooters are usually people who lack the resourcefulness to navigate a byzantine requirement to get their hands on a weapon in the first place.

Sure. I get that strict rules could curb them now, and I'm all for them. American gun "rights" crowd are nuts! But aren't you curious why they are on the rise in the first place? This wasn't a thing in the 80s and 90s like it has become in the 2000s. Probably just a few, rare cases. It's like something has happened to affect mental health even more than it was. Best thing about Europe, in my opinion, was the ability to leave the office at 2 pm due to deadlines, and feel safe to walk up the street to my place. Never LIVED in the US, though: Is it the same? These shootings make me think that'd be unsafe to do in many places.

[Dear Mami]

The problem is too many guns, I believe! My garage is full of all kinds of guns, and so as neighbors, and everyone else. An average person in the US has more guns than a Kenyan police station. The problem is there is hardly anyone coming to rob or hurt you to warrant using them. If you go crazy due to mental illness you can easily do so much damage because of access to many big guns. I believe mental status should be a requirement to own guns. That, alone, will save lives!

I don't think I'll ever understand the love for guns. I don't even want to be in a house where something like that is present.

[Kim Jong-Un's Pajama Pants]

The guns.  If you look at comparable countries, like Australia, they had one or two mass shootings, introduced draconian proper gun laws, and gun violence went down. 

There are of course explanations related to personalities involved in the shootings, but the crux of the matter is it does not happen if they have trouble getting their hands on guns.  Most of the shooters are usually people who lack the resourcefulness to navigate a byzantine requirement to get their hands on a weapon in the first place.

Sure. I get that strict rules could curb them now, and I'm all for them. American gun "rights" crowd are nuts! But aren't you curious why they are on the rise in the first place? This wasn't a thing in the 80s and 90s like it has become in the 2000s. Probably just a few, rare cases. It's like something has happened to affect mental health even more than it was. Best thing about Europe, in my opinion, was the ability to leave the office at 2 pm due to deadlines, and feel safe to walk up the street to my place. Never LIVED in the US, though: Is it the same? These shootings make me think that'd be unsafe to do in many places.

[Dear Mami]

The guns.  If you look at comparable countries, like Australia, they had one or two mass shootings, introduced draconian proper gun laws, and gun violence went down. 

There are of course explanations related to personalities involved in the shootings, but the crux of the matter is it does not happen if they have trouble getting their hands on guns.  Most of the shooters are usually people who lack the resourcefulness to navigate a byzantine requirement to get their hands on a weapon in the first place.

Sure. I get that strict rules could curb them now, and I'm all for them. American gun "rights" crowd are nuts! But aren't you curious why they are on the rise in the first place? This wasn't a thing in the 80s and 90s like it has become in the 2000s. Probably just a few, rare cases. It's like something has happened to affect mental health even more than it was. Best thing about Europe, in my opinion, was the ability to leave the office at 2 pm due to deadlines, and feel safe to walk up the street to my place. Never LIVED in the US, though: Is it the same? These shootings make me think that'd be unsafe to do in many places.

Lol, I meant 2 am, not 2 pm. Usiku wa maanane.

[Kim Jong-Un's Pajama Pants]

The guns.  If you look at comparable countries, like Australia, they had one or two mass shootings, introduced draconian proper gun laws, and gun violence went down. 

There are of course explanations related to personalities involved in the shootings, but the crux of the matter is it does not happen if they have trouble getting their hands on guns.  Most of the shooters are usually people who lack the resourcefulness to navigate a byzantine requirement to get their hands on a weapon in the first place.

Sure. I get that strict rules could curb them now, and I'm all for them. American gun "rights" crowd are nuts! But aren't you curious why they are on the rise in the first place? This wasn't a thing in the 80s and 90s like it has become in the 2000s. Probably just a few, rare cases. It's like something has happened to affect mental health even more than it was. Best thing about Europe, in my opinion, was the ability to leave the office at 2 pm due to deadlines, and feel safe to walk up the street to my place. Never LIVED in the US, though: Is it the same? These shootings make me think that'd be unsafe to do in many places.

Lol, I meant 2 am, not 2 pm. Usiku wa maanane.

Yep 2pm is safe.  I have done all nighters and walked home through the streets of Chicago and never once thought about being mugged or such things.  It could happen, but the expectation is for it not to happen.

As mass shootings, they have a long history.  There might be a spike currently, along with an increase in crime statistics in general.  I know there was an uptick after Covid-19 restrictions were lifted, as if to take care of an artificial "backlog" because potential shooters were also subject to the same restrictions.  I also noticed also an uptick in police shootings of blacks, right after Covid-19 restrictions were lifted, as things "went back to normal".

[RV Heavy Hitter!]

The problem is too many guns, I believe! My garage is full of all kinds of guns, and so as neighbors, and everyone else. An average person in the US has more guns than a Kenyan police station. The problem is there is hardly anyone coming to rob or hurt you to warrant using them. If you go crazy due to mental illness you can easily do so much damage because of access to many big guns. I believe mental status should be a requirement to own guns. That, alone, will save lives!

I don't think I'll ever understand the love for guns. I don't even want to be in a house where something like that is present.

It keeps the country safe because this is a place you can leave the door unlocked and go to Kenya for a month and come back to find everything the same way you left. With cameras in 95% of households and businesses, violent crime is rare. The suspect is always caught 100% of the time if it happens. I think the US is one of the safest places globally despite what you hear about guns. People die here by firearms for the most part, but knives, fists, urogi, etc. are a no no. I'm sure more people die in Kenya daily than in the US, but if a mass shooting happens here, the whole world will know.

[Dear Mami]

It keeps the country safe . . .

RVHH, my general view in life is that making things best for everyone, from local to global actors, is the best strategy for almost all social problems. Everyone owning a gun doesn't have to be how to keep a country safe.

Look at the countries with the best statistics crimewise. A better, long-term strategy is to take care of everyone's basics. Make sure the kind of people who make such desperate decisions as breaking into homes etc are as few as possible. Meaning, they all have good healthcare, decent education all the way to University, decent salary, work-life balance. When people have that, crime REALLY has to promise a massive incentive to entice them into it, and most crime doesn't. This is better than all the guns in the world.

Rich people in those social democracies long realized it's safer (and cheaper) for them and their wealth if everything is decent for everybody and not just those with at least 100,000 a year salaries; when there are very few desperate people in their society, everyone is better off (especially the wealthy!)

Then you need less investments in guns and military-like police. Keep them only to manage the few crazies influenced by stomfront and similar. Problem in the US and third-world countries like our own .ke is police are used essentially as a way to manage the poor.

[RV Heavy Hitter!]

It keeps the country safe . . .

RVHH, my general view in life is that making things best for everyone, from local to global actors, is the best strategy for almost all social problems. Everyone owning a gun doesn't have to be how to keep a country safe.

Look at the countries with the best statistics crimewise. A better, long-term strategy is to take care of everyone's basics. Make sure the kind of people who make such desperate decisions as breaking into homes etc are as few as possible. Meaning, they all have good healthcare, decent education all the way to University, decent salary, work-life balance. When people have that, crime REALLY has to promise a massive incentive to entice them into it, and most crime doesn't. This is better than all the guns in the world.

Rich people in those social democracies long realized it's safer (and cheaper) for them and their wealth if everything is decent for everybody and not just those with at least 100,000 a year salaries; when there are very few desperate people in their society, everyone is better off (especially the wealthy!)

Then you need less investments in guns and military-like police. Keep them only to manage the few crazies influenced by stomfront and similar. The problem in the US and third-world countries like our own .ke is police are used essentially as a way to manage the poor.

I agree somewhat, but the US story is always not told properly. Negative news spread very fast. I think the US has a large population than those countries with "good statistics" that live in peace and thrive on all fronts- economically being at the forefront. I think by large, over 200 million people in the US live and have a good life than any other group around the globe. Those 200 million have a great education, health, safety, and everything than their global peers. The bottom or around 20 million people are messing it for all of us. If you look at high crime rates, poor education, poor health, and the other parameters, it is confined to smaller populations in silos, but is always magnified by often biased media to reflect the entire thriving US. America's middle class, upper class to wealthy are the safest of any group despite what you hear and read. In my house, like most US households dialing 911 takes less than 7 minutes for first responders to arrive. My address is 3 minutes for the fire department, 5 minutes for the police, and about 6 minutes for the EMT team. That is an unprecedented level of safety for the overall US population. Now with millions of sane people with guns, their safety is even on another level. I just think that the few poor people and the mentally challenged should be treated better than throwing them in jail or gunning them down left right and center whenever they act out. Also, stricter gun laws, especially for mentally sick people be the norm. I have lived in the US for 20 years and there is nowhere I feel safe in the world than the streets of America. As long as you are sane and not starting anything it is guaranteed nothing will touch you in the US, but if you are mentally challenged, or the kind of person who starts shit, guarantee you will get something at some point. Don't start shit and there won't be shit, DMX- That is very true of US. You keep it to yourself, and you wont to catch a case EVER. There was a statistic that showed 99% of US gun owners (not hunters) go their entire life without firing it; that, Kadame, shows the place is secure. Insane and poor people are perennial problems and are sure it is the same case worldwide. I agree work-life balance here is not good and may be that is what is driving loose cannons to the edge. There are more jobs and opportunities than people and in a capitalistic world where the dollar is the king, people overwork. With overworking, stress and other ills follow!

[veritas]

Australians would own guns despite the law if considered on the map for arms traders. It's virtually impossible to ship anything to Oz. The government has a monopoly on guns. Oz is a police state and have gunned down many a civilians, more than the US for sure.

When the attorney general came to give a lecture at my law school, first thing he said was the police is your enemy, half his speech was about police brutality and corruption.

[Dear Mami]

Another one; tots this time. That country is cursed. Even banana countries like us don't deal with this level of madness.

[RV Heavy Hitter!]

Another one; tots this time. That country is cursed. Even banana countries like us don't deal with this level of madness.

That is the one on the news. Usually, there are 3-4 shootings per day, but it is not widely televised because under 4 people die. I think the above 4 are classified as mass shootings. When it happens, no matter what, everyone in the world, even in Chebarbar Uasin Gishu, will know about it.

[Arcadian_Dreamer]

The guns.  If you look at comparable countries, like Australia, they had one or two mass shootings, introduced draconian proper gun laws, and gun violence went down. 

There are of course explanations related to personalities involved in the shootings, but the crux of the matter is it does not happen if they have trouble getting their hands on guns.  Most of the shooters are usually people who lack the resourcefulness to navigate a byzantine requirement to get their hands on a weapon in the first place.

You want to ban and confiscate all guns? The problem is high powered rifles, most of the mass casualty incidents are due to AR 15. A hand gun for personal protection is fine. As RVHH alluded to, there is a high degree of personal safety in this country largely thanks to citizens owning firearms. Tafakari hayo, instead of reflexively calling for gun ban.

[Kim Jong-Un's Pajama Pants]

The guns.  If you look at comparable countries, like Australia, they had one or two mass shootings, introduced draconian proper gun laws, and gun violence went down. 

There are of course explanations related to personalities involved in the shootings, but the crux of the matter is it does not happen if they have trouble getting their hands on guns.  Most of the shooters are usually people who lack the resourcefulness to navigate a byzantine requirement to get their hands on a weapon in the first place.

You want to ban and confiscate all guns? The problem is high powered rifles, most of the mass casualty incidents are due to AR 15. A hand gun for personal protection is fine. As RVHH alluded to, there is a high degree of personal safety in this country largely thanks to citizens owning firearms. Tafakari hayo, instead of reflexively calling for gun ban.

[Arcadian_Dreamer]

I meant ordinary peoples' right to bear arms is what scares potential criminals and contributes to security in this country. I'm not saying every citizen is armed. Kenyans are like lambs waiting for slaughter by comparison, no functioning police, no firearms, no community policing, nothing...just praying criminals terrorize them. That vulnerability is what inspired framers to include self protection laws in to the US constitution.

You want to side step the issue of high powered rifles which are responsible for all of the mass murders, they ought to be banned. A handgun or a pistol is not a weapon of mass murder, it is for personal defense. I'm not defending the gangsterism of the second amendment maximalists, there is an intelligent middle ground you have to thread. I understand this is Hamerica however every issue devolves into extremes and posturing. Look at Switzerland for example, they have the most liberal firearms laws in the world with non of the attendant downsides people imagine. America is a sick place with its own unique pathologies.

[Kim Jong-Un's Pajama Pants]

I meant ordinary peoples' right to bear arms is what scares potential criminals and contributes to security in this country. I'm not saying every citizen is armed. Kenyans are like lambs waiting for slaughter by comparison, no functioning police, no firearms, no community policing, nothing...just praying criminals terrorize them. That vulnerability is what inspired framers to include self protection laws in to the US constitution.

You want to side step the issue of high powered rifles which are responsible for all of the mass murders, they ought to be banned. A handgun or a pistol is not a weapon of mass murder, it is for personal defense. I'm not defending the gangsterism of the second amendment maximalists, there is an intelligent middle ground you have to thread. I understand this is Hamerica however every issue devolves into extremes and posturing. Look at Switzerland for example, they have the most liberal firearms laws in the world with non of the attendant downsides people imagine. America is a sick place with its own unique pathologies.

I don't deny that there are nuances to the question.  But studies show a correlation between firearms and homicides.  This list is just one such.

The framers are an ignorant bunch, as far as today's conditions go.  I would include Americans' reverence for these folks as another aspect of its current problem with gun violence.  As a result, it is the only developed nation that cannot seem to adapt fast enough with the times in many domains.