Virginia shootings

[bayonetbrant]

let's not politicize anything right now.  Prayers for the victims and love for their families, and if you feel the need to start a political rant, please put it in RPFW.  thanks.

[Centurion40]

I'm just glad the fucker is dead.

I wish that murderous lunatics like this would start with themselves, and leave the rest of us out of their evil madness.

[mirth]

It's an awful thing, made worse by the 15 minutes of fame that the psycho scumbag gets through social media. I made the mistake of watching one of the videos. It turned my stomach.

Thoughts and prayers for the victims and their families.

[Jarhead0331]

Just such a senseless tragedy. The video is terrible and people who post it should be ashamed.

This crazy animal was able to seek shelter in our culture that is obsessed with political correctness; hiding his lunacy behind the false veil of racism. Every time this guy's mental instability led to disciplinary action, he filed discrimination suits against his employers, often times leading to settlements. The system rewarded this behavior and therefore, in part, bears some culpability for the deaths of those two innocent people. Some day, this insanity will end...hopefully, without copious blood shed.

[Nefaro]

Just such a senseless tragedy. The video is terrible and people who post it should be ashamed.

This crazy animal was able to seek shelter in our culture that is obsessed with political correctness; hiding his lunacy behind the false veil of racism. Every time this guy's mental instability led to disciplinary action, he filed discrimination suits against his employers, often times leading to settlements. The system rewarded this behavior and therefore, in part, bears some culpability for the deaths of those two innocent people. Some day, this insanity will end...hopefully, without copious blood shed.

+1

[Gusington]

+2. Horrific.

[Boggit]

It's worrying that a mentally unstable individual was able to obtain a firearm. It's one thing sane people having access to firearms, but an altogether different matter that a nutcase was able to get one. Clearly there is a problem with the checks and balances, as this situation happens with a frightening regularity. I truly feel for the victims families.

[Centurion40]

It's worrying that a mentally unstable individual was able to obtain a firearm. It's one thing sane people having access to firearms, but an altogether different matter that a nutcase was able to get one. Clearly there is a problem with the checks and balances, as this situation happens with a frightening regularity. I truly feel for the victims families.

Agreed on all points.

[LongBlade]

It's worrying that a mentally unstable individual was able to obtain a firearm. It's one thing sane people having access to firearms, but an altogether different matter that a nutcase was able to get one. Clearly there is a problem with the checks and balances, as this situation happens with a frightening regularity. I truly feel for the victims families.

Agreed on all points.

Agreed.

The problem is that humans are fallible.

There are some very fine laws on the books which prohibit severely mentally ill people from gaining access to firearms. IIRC in the VA case he went through the system of background checks and they screwed up and gave him a green light.

So there are a number of questions - if he was this ill, why wasn't he institutionalized? There are almost always people who, in retrospect, knew he was deeply troubled.

Then there is the question of background checks. It's often suggested that they don't work. I haven't done any reading myself on the subject, though a number of authoritative sources suggest the checks don't work. In this case they certainly failed.

The bottom line is that there are already laws which range from soup to nuts (chalk to cheese for the Brits, unless I'm mistaken) which prohibit his actions. More laws about "gun control" won't fix the issue - it's already highly illegal. More importantly is identifying and handling those deeply disturbed individuals who are menace to themselves and/or others.

[Jarhead0331]

You guys are falling into the very trap the left and/or gun grabbers are hoping you will fall into. That is, they have you asking yourself, "how can someone with a history of mental illness obtain a firearm...something must be broken with the gun laws and the system for background checks."

Can someone point to me information establishing that Bryce Williams had a history of treatment for a diagnosed mental illness? I keep reading reports that state there was a history of violence indicative of mental illness, but no confirmed evidence that any mental illness had been specifically identified and treated. I am confident that had there been such, he would not have been able to legally purchase a firearm.

There is a tremendous difference here and it is not just semantics. The failure in the system was in not diagnosing his illness and getting him the necessary treatment. When there is no history of treatment, all the background checks in the world will make no difference.

Once again, this is a problem with diagnosing and treating mental illness, not with adding further laws that will only serve to keep guns out of the hands of law abiding citizens. Stay focused on the real issue.

[LongBlade]

You guys are falling into the very trap the left and/or gun grabbers are hoping you will fall into. That is, they have you asking yourself, "how can someone with a history of mental illness obtain a firearm...something must be broken with the gun laws and the system for background checks."

Can someone point to me information establishing that Bryce Williams had a history of treatment for a diagnosed mental illness? I keep reading reports that state there was a history of violence indicative of mental illness, but no confirmed evidence that any mental illness had been specifically identified and treated. I am confident that had there been such, he would not have been able to legally purchase a firearm.

There is a tremendous difference here and it is not just semantics. The failure in the system was in not diagnosing his illness and getting him the necessary treatment. When there is no history of treatment, all the background checks in the world will make no difference.

Once again, this is a problem with diagnosing and treating mental illness, not with adding further laws that will only serve to keep guns out of the hands of law abiding citizens. Stay focused on the real issue.

Sorry, that's what I thought I was trying to say. You said it better. :)

Except I thought it was established he had a problem. I stand corrected.

[Jarhead0331]

Yeah...I'm confused by your post because on the one hand you're saying more laws won't change anything, but on the other hand you're stating that the background checks don't work and failed in this case. The point I'm trying to make is that the system of background checks did not fail, as you suggest it did. It could not possibly have failed because there does not appear to have been any record for the checks to have detected.

Where there is a history of treatment, or even of violence, the background checks work. The fact of the matter is, here, nobody seems to have reported his unusual behavior.

[LongBlade]

Yeah...I'm confused by your post because on the one hand you're saying more laws won't change anything, but on the other hand you're stating that the background checks don't work and failed in this case. The point I'm trying to make is that the system of background checks did not fail, as you suggest it did. It could not possibly have failed because there does not appear to have been any record for the checks to have detected.

Maybe I'm confused on the circumstances.

No worries. My opinion on the matter won't changes things anyway. :)

[Jarhead0331]

No worries. My opinion on the matter won't changes things anyway. :)

Doesn't mean you're not entitled to it, or that we don't want to hear about it!

[LongBlade]

Doesn't mean you're not entitled to it

If I'm entitled to it......does that make me a Liberal?