Thoughts and Prayers Break Out in Lewiston Maine

Never forget: The US had an assault weapons ban and it lapsed under GWB.

Since that time, technology brought more advanced weaponry into the population, with disastrous results. Mass shootings have become the norm.

While the vast majority of Americans support common sense gun laws (strict background checks, closing gun show loophole, red flag laws, license and training) our Congress is in gridlock, refusing to pass bills that America supports.

America's fetish with guns will sadly continue, and more people will die....just hope it isn't you or your loved one.

This recent mass shooting in ME is by a man who is former military, a weapons instructor at a nearby Army reserve, he had threatened to carry out a shooting at a training base in Saco, ME. and was treated for 2 weeks in early summer of 2023 at a mental health facility and he reported 'hearing voices.' The warnings were there....they were ignored....and he is still at large (12 noon EDT).

Another thought about those who would compare a mode of transportation to a firearm designed to kill several people in one incident: Not everyone legally has the privilege of driving a car, and that only causes harm when something goes wrong. Not when used for its intended purpose.
Killing is an assault weapon’s intended purpose.

@TheDisciplinarian says
However, anecdotes are NOT statistics.

* Guns are not used millions of times each year in self-defense
* Most purported self-defense gun uses are gun uses in escalating arguments, and are both socially undesirable and illegal
* Firearms are used far more often to intimidate than in self-defense
* Criminals who are shot are typically the victims of crime
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/hicrc/firearms-research/gun-threats-and-self-defense-gun-use-2/

Here's a survey of polling

What they're saying, in not so many words, is that guns are often used to intimidate. The guy who draws the gun may think he's preventing a crime. But putting another person in reasonable fear of bodily harm is the crime of assault (battery is when you make contact with the other person). So they're running these stories by judges, who say that many reported "defensive" gun uses are actually the offensive crime of assault, unknown to the gun user.

They also say "8. Criminals who are shot are typically the victims of crime; 9-10. Few criminals are shot by decent law-abiding citizens." i.e. they say it's almost impossible to find a criminal with a gun wound who was shot by a law abiding citizen.

And finally,

Tragic.

It will continue just so.long as:-

1. There is big money in selling guns

2. Enough people in the USA think they can only feel "free" and be a "real" man (or woman) just so long as they can carry a gun.

Knives and cars were not invented to kill .. guns were … and knives and cars were invented to provide comfort .. guns were invented to kill animals and human ..

I have seen reports that the shooter had recently been under care in a mental health facility, while other reports say he was a firearms instructor. What I would like to know is how can a person with these two convergent historical factors NOT be ringing alarm bells somewhere before this happened???😷

Maine Gun Laws:

No required background checks.

No permit required to carry.

No 'red flag' law.

No high capacity magazine ban.

Imagine if guns had as many rules surrounding their purchase and use as cars lol.

My sadness is turning into anger and disgust.

When is enough going to be ENOUGH?

Seems like people only care about unborn babies and taking away women's fundamental human rights. The hypocrisy is nauseating.

Report stated he may have been seeking his former girlfriend.....so it 'could' be seen as domestic violence too.

@TheDisciplinarian I will continue to call out enablers as well as those who commit heinous crimes. Unless we make changes other nations live just fine with, the carnage will not only continue but intensify.

Well, it was an assault weapon and the guy had been committed to a mental health facility in the summer. You'd like to think that's a combination to be avoided.

Would gun laws stop this? [media=https://youtu.be/8QZyAJGMbug]

For anyone who needs a reminder. This was accomplished by 1 guy with AR-15's from 1,000 ft away and safe and secure from being stopped until he killed 58 and injured more than 500.

Now tell me, and be honest, is there any, any, any weapon you can legally have that could accomplish this other than a Military Style Assault Rifle??


https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2017/national/las-vegas-shooting/

Stick them all at the bottom of the ocean......... id be fine with it......... people will find new and more innovative ways to kill......... where there is a will, there is a way.

Thoughts and prayers are cruel insults and dismissive of the life alterings of so many, that mass shootings do.

I Hear..even partly relate
To all those who say there are too many guns out there

Yet
Ifnthis guy Threatened to shot countless people
Whynthe Hell did he Simply get 2 weeks of basically Observation

This is a Failure partly due to medical staff
And or whatever Legal Authorities Enabled or Allowed him back on the streets

If ( as was said here)
He Openly Threatened and said he wanted to shoot dozens
Isn't that threat also a form of Professing Terrorism

I Still Believe in One's Rights to Defend oneself and family

Cars and trucks kill way more every day..month and year
Then guns do
Yet..people clearly can and do buy cars and trucks
Instead of relying or trusting mass transit

Im No Rambo
Yet to the Day i Die
I will Vote for the Nessesity of a Sane person's Right to Own and if Need be use a Gun in Protection

It’s the same story every time isn’t it. Things will not change when guns are more important than lives.

And as I tell such idiots, if there ever comes a time when assault weapons can also be used as transportation or for preparing food, that will be a legitimate analogy. Until that day, it’s just more ignorance from people who clearly don’t value lives. 🙄

@TheDisciplinarian Vegas. 58 killed and more than 500 injured from 1,000 ft away. What other kind of gun could do that? It was a siren song for all the gun nazi's, of which there are many in our country. The AR-15's sales were backlogged.

My issue is that they say "guns don't kill, people do" and then say we need to focus more on mental health, and then don't do anything about keeping guns away from a guy with more red flags than the chinese army.

If you want to focus on mental health and not guns - DO IT. If not, either admit you are okay with the status quo, or do something to limit guns.

The reason politicians do not offer anything more than "thoughts and prayers"is because they simply do not care. They WANT Americans to kill each other off.

At one time it was a proud thing to be an American. Not so much anymore.

I think it's too soon to joke, but I understand where you are coming from. 😞

Prayers to who?

I understand the call for tougher gun laws but gun laws are about as effective as drug laws. You could completely outlaw them and people would still get them. Same with drugs. Ask Tim McVeigh how necessary guns are to kill people. Well, he’s dead so you can’t really ask him. I’ve worked around felons for 33 years. None of them are worried about gun laws that are on the books and the ones that haven’t been passed yet. You could melt them all down and the next day some nut case will drive a plane into a building.

Shhh Don't upset the amosexuals

The gun fetishists will be more worried about the gun than they are about the people who were murdered so easily. Butt, mah gunz! Yewd bettah not take away mah gunz! ☹️

Here's a link to the article =
Maine shooting suspect Robert Card found dead of self-inflicted gunshot wound, Gov. Mills confirms
https://6abc.com/lewiston-maine-mass-shooting-shooter-robert-card-dead/13980715/

More mass shootings then days in murica the land of the do whatever you want to coz no one really gives a shit about people dying

The guy was a nut, no gun hed probably had a bomb.
As long as nuts run loose these things will happen

🤗

The guy is dead = suicide.