Gabrielle Giffords Shot

[Coito ergo sum]

We might not be able to reduce the numbers of loonies per se, but surely the number of loonies with access to handguns can be reduced drastically, even if it means some curtailing of the American wild west fantasy...

As has been discussed to death before, the number of murders would not be reduced.

Why do we care especially about this murder? Because it was a high profile target, presumably; at least I hope it's not just because the victims were white and most murder victims are black.

Since we seem to care more about high profile murders, it makes sense to provide more protection to high profile targets. Certainly that's why the President has 24 hour secret service protection - or do you disagree with that, too?

Actually, the amount of "loonies" can be reduced. Better funded education and mental (and general) health care and reduction of poverty would go a long way.

Fully funded education and health care did not stop Jared Loughner from going postal.

He went to school for free from age 5 through age 18. He went to Pima Community college which, if he had no financial assistance, costs $802.50 for 15 credit hours (5 classes - a full load), per semester. He was a grown man in healthy physical shape and living at his parents' house. That's about as "fully funded" as you can get. Note the amount that they're being asked to pay in the United Kingdom now for their portion of the government provided college education....

He was, at his college age, able to be covered on his parents' insurance, and have any needed psychiatric treatment covered. His mom worked at a government job, which always have great insurance coverage.

So, please - what additional funding would have stopped Jared Loughner - he was fully funded, and he still went bat shit crazy.

[JimC]

CES wrote:

So, please - what additional funding would have stopped Jared Loughner - he was fully funded, and he still went bat shit crazy.

Fair point.

So, we are back to 2 possible types of action. Either existing hand-gun controls to keep them from people like him were not properly adhered to (in which case heads should roll, and the system properly applied), or (more likely), the existing Arizona gun controls were appallingly inadequate and should be modified. Given the current American ethos about the holy gun (particularly in Arizona), I won't hold my breath. Perhaps they need to start paying American politicians danger money.

[Gallstones]

There are always going to be people who do inexplicable things. Placing limits on and denying rights to the vast majority who do not, and never will do such things is not reasonable and will never stop people who do do inexplicable things.

By the time it gets to the point where a person is readying to do an inexplicable thing it is too fucking late. Way too fucking late.

[Coito ergo sum]

CES wrote:

So, please - what additional funding would have stopped Jared Loughner - he was fully funded, and he still went bat shit crazy.

Fair point.

So, we are back to 2 possible types of action. Either existing hand-gun controls to keep them from people like him were not properly adhered to (in which case heads should roll, and the system properly applied), or (more likely), the existing Arizona gun controls were appallingly inadequate and should be modified. Given the current American ethos about the holy gun (particularly in Arizona), I won't hold my breath. Perhaps they need to start paying American politicians danger money.

You see - the thing is - although this shooting is getting a lot of press, it's not as if this sort of thing happens more often in the US than anywhere else. Up the thread a bit, we discussed this very thing - and if you compare political assassinations - say, Europe to the US - the US doesn't have more political assassinations, even if we take the last 20-25 years as representative. We had Gabrielle Giffords, Europe had Anna Lindh (Sweden, Foreign Affairs Minister), Olaf Palme (prime minister of Sweden), Pim Fortuyn (Holland), Andre Cools (Belgium), Ian Gow (England) and others.

[Coito ergo sum]

The shooter has been held unfit to stand trial --- http://slatest.slate.com/posts/2011/05/ ... oting.html