Tag: guns

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Trump Calls Out “Mentally Disturbed” Shooter, Fails To Mention He Revoked Gun Regulation For People With Mental Illness

In the painful aftermath of the high school gun shooting in Florida yesterday, Donald Trump took to Twitter today to shift the discussion from any meaningful gun control measures to the idea that the shooter was apparently mentally ill.

Trump wrote, “So many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed, even expelled from school for bad and erratic behavior. Neighbors and classmates knew he was a big problem. Must always report such instances to authorities, again and again!”

The Trumpster almost seems to be blaming the students and neighbors for not reporting the shooter.

According to CNN’s Jake Tapper, the shooter was “a client at a mental health clinic” though he had not been at the clinic in more than a year.

What Trump failed to include was that he signed a bill into law a year ago that rolled back Obama-era regulations that made it harder for those with a history of mental illness to obtain a gun.

Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel told reporters, “While people in this country with mental health issues are being treated they should not be able to buy, surround themselves, purchase or carry a hand gun. Those two things don’t mix.”

Sounds like a logical idea to me.

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Former FBI Agent Has Had Enough Of The Mass School Shootings

Just when you think we might grow immune to these mass shootings (like the GOP has), today we saw a tough, experienced former FBI agent break down in tears over today’s shooting in Florida.

Philip Mudd is about as tough as you can get. He’s interviewed terrorists without blinking.

“I have ten nieces and nephews,” Mudd said. “We’re talking about bump stocks, we’re talking about legislation. A child of god is dead. Can we not acknowledge in this country that we cannot accept this?”

“I can’t do it, Wolf,” he told CNN’s Wolff Blitzer. “I’m sorry, I can’t do it.” Blitzer mercifully moved on to another analyst.

I’ve never seen him get emotional in any way when explaining the whys and wherefores of terrorist events.

This is rough. America has had enough.

Thanks for the prayers and condolences, but can our lawmakers do SOMETHING?

(h/t JoeMyGod)

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Florida: Numerous Fatalities Reported At Broward County High School

From The New York Times:

Numerous fatalities were reported in a shooting on Wednesday afternoon at a high school about an hour northwest of Miami.

The authorities said there were 14 victims, but did not say if they were injured or dead. The Broward County Public Schools confirmed fatalities, but would not say how many. Television images showed students running away from the school, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High, and law enforcement officers around the building.

The Broward County sheriff’s office wrote on Twitter that the suspect is now in custody and the scene is still active.

“The shooter was not a current student,” Sheriff Scott Israel said on Twitter.

Senator Bill Nelson told MSNBC there were multiple fatalities. Two hospitals, Broward Health North in Pompano Beach and Broward Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, received multiple patients, according to Jennifer Smith, a spokeswoman for the hospitals.

“There are numerous fatalities. It is a horrific situation,” Robert W. Runcie, the Broward schools superintendent, told CNN. “It is a horrible day for us.”

Donald Trump and the Republicans have refused to take any consequential measures or enact any meaningful legislation in an effort to regulate guns, bullets, or accessories like “bump stocks” used in the nation’s deadliest mass shooting last year in Las Vegas.

This is the 19th school shooting this year.

The good news is Donald Trump just tweeted his “prayers and condolences” so everything should be just hunky dory. That’ll fix everything, right?

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New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie Bans “Bump Stocks” On Last Day In Office

Gov. Chris Christie

Color me surprised by outoing New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

From NJ.com:

New Jersey has now banned “bump stocks,” controversial firearm accessories allegedly used by the shooter in last year’s Las Vegas massacre.

The devices can be affixed to semiautomatic rifles to allow them to fire bullets, mimicking automatic weapons.

But under the new law — which takes effect immediately — anyone who owns one has 90 days to surrender them to authorities. Retailers have 30 days.

Christie, a Republican, signed the law even though he has long opposed new gun-control measures in the state.

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Viral Video: Driver Fails To Signal While Turning, Police Officer Approaches Car With Gun Drawn

This video has gone viral overnight with over 100K retweets.

Apparently, the driver was stopped for failing to signal at a turn. With a black man at the wheel, the police officer approached the car with his gun drawn.

He then pointed the gun at the driver.

For failing to signal???

I don’t know a single white person who’s been stopped for failing to signal and had a police officer draw a gun on them.

Clearly the officer repeats over and over “Ok” as his only response for legal reasons with the camera recording.

Americans need to have a discussion with our police offices. There needs to be a real dialogue.

If there was a reason to draw his gun, I’d have preferred the officer explain a rational reason. I’d have preferred he TALK with the driver. I’d have preferred he have a dialogue with the driver.

At least the officer kept calm.

Watch below.

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Washington: State Lawmakers Propose Bringing Guns Into Sports Stadiums

Because, what could possibly go wrong?

From The Guardian:

Conservative legislators in Washington state have proposed a bill that would allow fans to bring guns into stadiums. The bill was proposed by Republican representatives Matt Shea, David Taylor and Bob McCaslin and would prevent stadium operators from stopping members of the public with licenses to carry concealed firearms from entering their venues with weapons.

Stadiums affected would include the Seattle Mariners’ Safeco Field and CenturyLink Field, the home of the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks and MLS’s Seattle Sounders. The Sounders won their first MLS title on Saturday night with victory over Toronto FC.

On Sunday, the NFL told the Washington Post it would oppose the bill. “We haven’t seen the proposed legislation but we have a policy forbidding carrying a weapon into NFL stadiums,” Brian McCarthy, the NFL’s vice president of communications, said in a statement.

Although US sports do not have the same reputation for violence as some of the more dangerous parts of European and South American soccer, there would be obvious concerns about allow firearms into venues with alcohol and where passions can ignite.

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Trump: Disarm Hillary’s Bodyguards And “Let’s See What Happens To Her”

Donald Trump, during a campaign rally, told a crowd again (erroneously) that Hillary Clinton wants to take their 2nd Amendment rights away.

He followed that by saying the armed bodyguards she travels with should disarm if she hates guns so much, adding, “Let’s see what happens to her.”

Another physical threat?

Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut was not amused: