Mass shooting in Las Vegas

[John T Smith]

Wife and I have friends/relatives in LV, so she was on the phone as soon as she woke up and turned the radio on... nobody we know was at the event, although one person had a flight delayed when the airport was shut down due to being in range of what was happening at the concert venue

Watching the news and listening to the discussion, we have to agree with what we're hearing... just how do you prevent this kind of thing with SO many places where people gather?

There are already people who complain that the US (the entire world) is becoming a police state with cameras everywhere and tracking of everything on the Internet... and then this happens and there are calls for even more surveillance

[Kat Gilbert]

How easy to stick one's head in the sand as the world seems to have gone crazy... but that is not an option for someone who wishes to connect and if necessary to share even in tragedy.

Somehow the thought that"big brother is watching" is becoming true but hopefully it will help to make the world a safer place.

Tragedy this is and pray that it will be a one event that is not repeated anytime now or later... As we all question---why!

[cindid43101592]

This is insane. I live in Mesquite, NV. No one here seems to know the guy and we are a small town of roughly 20,000 people.

[Nancy OShea]

I find it ironic that OJ Simpson who was paroled from a NV State prison only yesterday, served 9 years for bringing a handgun into a Las Vegas hotel/casino. Were it not for the gun, his sentence would have been a slap on the wrist.

If you live in Nevada, chances are you're a gun owner because there's a very big gun mentality in that state.  But the OJ Simpson case showed us that Nevada won't tolerate guns being brought onto resort properties because it's bad for business.  So why didn't Mandalay Bay security detect ANY of the several guns brought through their  hotel lobby since Thursday?

If Nevada wants to keep attracting millions of tourists each year, tighter gun security is essential.

The NRA maintains that guns don't kill people, people kill people.  Well all I can say to that is automatic weapons are not guns.  They are killing machines.  That's their only purpose.  And what the hell was this guy doing with one?   How did he get it and where did he buy it?  That's the $64,000 question that really needs to be answered.

Nancy

[John T Smith]

As well as how/where did he get an automatic weapon, I'm hoping that he left something behind that will help explain the why of what he did... the only reports, so far, are a traffic ticket and a lawsuit (settled out of court) against a different hotel due to a slip & fall

I'm sure the Police and/or FBI are trying to find any scrap of information on his computer (if he had one) or social media (if he had an account) or even any "radical"books or magazines where he lived... anything at all to help understand

If nothing is found, it will remain a mystery

Oh... about OJ... my understanding is that HE did not have a weapon, one of the men with him had the weapon... OJ was just the famous one, and was the reason for breaking into the room, so he got the big sentence

Added

Security everywhere is a concern... any location where there is a gathering could be the target of someone who wants to hurt lots of people

[Nancy OShea]

His reasons WHY are meaningless to me.  I will never understand it and I doubt any of us will.  This was a pre-meditated act.  It took careful planning either solo or with help from other people.  As I see it, understanding  HOW he obtained the automatic weapon & rounds and how he got it passed security detection holds far greater promise for preventing this type of thing from happening again.  

[John T Smith]

Update so far is that he bought weapons at several places, in at least two states, so nobody noticed anything unusual

Las Vegas shooting: Gunman used cameras to monitor police as he carried out rampage - The Washington...

[Cactus Cowboy]

I hate the media for browbeating us with innuendo and false speculation over and over again for days on end as if the world has stopped and nothing else matters. And here it goes again, gun this and gun that and let's blame that damn gun. No amount of gun laws would have prevented this from happening there's to DAMN many guns out there already. We are not the only country in the world that makes guns. It's not the gun that's to blame but the human mind that picks one up and use's it for whatever reason. We need more mental health clinics blame that.

[Trevor.Dennis]

What worries me is what appears to be a sort of league table of highest scores when it comes to mass shootings.  A person becomes full of hate, and blames everyone but themself for whatever state they find themself in, so they decide to commit suicide by cop, and take as many people with as they can manage.  They'll be gone from this cruel world, but at least they'll have their moment of fame.

So what is the situation regards fully automatic rifles in North America?  I have seen so many being fired on YouTube, I assumed that there were no restrictions.

[John T Smith]

Sadly, that chart is out of date... the current Las Vegas number is 59 (at least one news article said several people still in critical condition, so not known right now if any more will die)

I don't know the rules about fully automatic weapons, so not sure if there is a global ban at the Federal level or if each State has their own rules... I do know that there are places in Las Vegas where you can rent one for ON SITE firing

But, depending on the design of the specific weapon, I have also read articles that it is fairly simple to convert from semi to full automatic

Even a semi-automatic can fire as quickly as you can squeeze the trigger, and he had several in his hotel room

Added due to later news report

58 people murdered, 1 shooter suicide

[JR Boulay]

Everywhere else in the civilized world, selling war/automatic weapons to civilians is a crime in itself.

…

[Nancy OShea]

JR_Boulay  wrote

Everywhere else in the civilized world, selling war/automatic weapons to civilians is a crime in itself.

…

It is here, too, in California.  Different States have different restrictions.

Assault weapon - Wikipedia

[JR Boulay]

Yes, I know that there are also American states that are part of the civilized world.

[Nancy OShea]

JR_Boulay  wrote

Yes, I know that there are also American states that are part of the civilized world.

We all like to think we're civilized but I sometimes wonder . 

[Cactus Cowboy]

Just wondering Nancy, what are you gonna pen when and if President Trump should chose a pre-emptive strike on N. Korea with an opening salvo of nuclear weapons. You do know he's just crazy enough to do it too. A weapon that has been improved upon 100X's more powerful than those dropped at the end of WWII. I understand the United States has a right to defend itself and it's interest that's been made clear but just imagine how many human beings are going to die then. Here let me help...how 'bout "Let's ban all nuclear weapons" is that noval enough. How many times have we all heard that and yet nations keep making and improving on their insane capabilities to kill in un-godly numbers. All the laws banning weapons of all kinds and types won't stop man's desire to kill his fellow man unless he can ban killing from his heart.  

[Nancy OShea]

To be honest, I'm way more concerned about the potential threat from a dirty bomb falling into the wrong hands. 

[pziecina]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Cactus+Cowboy  wrote

All the laws banning weapons of all kinds and types won't stop man's desire to kill his fellow man unless he can ban killing from his heart. 

The trouble is that life is not that simple, a quick question for you, (and anyone else) -

You are in a signal box, and it is the late 1880's. On the main line a woman with a pram, (with baby in pram) is stuck trying to cross the track, on a spur line are 3 old men in their 60's working. You can see the main line express approaching in the distance, so what do you do.

a: you can switch the train to the spur line, thus saving the woman and baby, but killing the 3 men.

b: you can let the train continue on the main line, killing the woman and child.

No matter which you do, there is NO desire to kill anyone, but depending on what you do people will die.

[pziecina]

Even making the sale of weapons illegal, will not stop those intent on killing others from doing so.

Anyone intent on killing will always find a way to do so, be that using vehicles, ied's, knives, poision or whatever way they can think of. The problem for normal people is that we can never really understand why they do it, or what it was they were trying to prove.

[John T Smith]

Before this week I had never heard of a bump stock, but now it looks like Congress, with NRA support, is on the way to banning them

Las Vegas Shooting: N.R.A. Supports New Rules on ‘Bump Stock’ Devices - The New York Times

[Nancy OShea]

Am I dreaming?  The NRA and right-wing conservatives want tougher gun legislation???  OMG.

[John T Smith]

If this is true (always hard to tell in this day of fake or not well researched news) he tried to buy tracer rounds to improve his accuracy

Las Vegas shooter tried to buy tracer rounds, official says - CNN

[John T Smith]

Oh wow!!!

He tried to start a HUGE fire!

Las Vegas shooter fired 'incendiary' rounds at fuel tank - CNN

[P.M.B]

To try and stop violence we first have to understand what violence is even in it's subtlest forms.   The seeds of violence are pride & ambition.  When personal pride and ambition are reinforced violence is inevitable.    When compassion, service and personal sacrifice are reinforced, peace is inevitable

[John T Smith]

File this one in the "grasping at straws" folder (even says in the article that it won't prove anything)

Doctors prepare for microscopic study of Las Vegas shooter's brain - Chicago Tribune