Utah teen guns down people randomly

[Darth Rotor]

Actually, could I recommend a well-placed head shot? It's usually instantly incapacitating, especially if it involves the brain stem.

Center of mass is an easier hit than a head on an animated target. Center of mass is less likely to result in rounds passing beyond the target and hitting someone you did not want to hit.

DR

 

[Tony]

lights, camera, cue up 8 page gun control thread and......action!

I blame Mormonism.

 

[Sir Robin Goodfellow]

Center of mass is an easier hit than a head on an animated target. Center of mass is less likely to result in rounds passing beyond the target and hitting someone you did not want to hit.

DR

Indeed, and probably why peace officers are trained to fire at the largest available target area. Still, seems to me even a direct shot through the heart might take a couple minutes to render a subject unconscious, and in that time he is still an armed threat. I seem to recall seeing a documentary on Navy SEALS in training, and they went for head shots.(I suspect they, however, are far, far better marksmen than pretty much anyone else.) You are retired military, are you not? Therefore, I defer to your judgement on the matter.


Hey, I just talked shootin' guns with the Darth Rotor. It's like a brush with celebrity, sort of like when you see the mayor in the grocery store.

 

[Ian Osborne]

Now all we need is RichardG to make a comeback and tell us how the lack of guns is the problem

And for the people who advocate gutshots or kneecapping, remember he's armed and dangerous, and can shoot from the floor as easily as standing up.

 

[Quad4_72]

Indeed, and probably why peace officers are trained to fire at the largest available target area. Still, seems to me even a direct shot through the heart might take a couple minutes to render a subject unconscious, and in that time he is still an armed threat. I seem to recall seeing a documentary on Navy SEALS in training, and they went for head shots.(I suspect they, however, are far, far better marksmen than pretty much anyone else.) You are retired military, are you not? Therefore, I defer to your judgement on the matter.


Hey, I just talked shootin' guns with the Darth Rotor. It's like a brush with celebrity, sort of like when you see the mayor in the grocery store.

Hmmm. I am pretty familiar with Navy SEALS training and I don't recall them ever being trained for headshots with a hand gun. On a moving target in a combat environment, this would be EXTREMELY hard and if you have ever had any handgun training, you would understand why. It is much better to aim center mass and either disable, or kill your target than try to set up a headshot on them.

Ever heard of the North Hollywood Shootout? There is a reason why those two bank robbers lasted as long as they did. They were wearing heavy body armor and the only things left unprotected were their heads and parts of their legs. Nobody out of the 350 officers called to the scene were able to get a headshot. The robbers were eventually gunned down by assault rifles.

 

[bigred]

No, it wouldn't help, it would just make shopping malls too costly to operate. And again, guy-wanting-to-kill-people would just find some other public space.

Yeah, maybe so.

sigh

 

[bigred]

Is no one else in outrage at the actual story?

um I thought expressing desire to blow out his kneecaps and toss him in a dumpster made mine pretty clear.

 

[bigred]

Now all we need is RichardG to make a comeback and tell us how the lack of guns is the problem

And for the people who advocate gutshots or kneecapping, remember he's armed and dangerous, and can shoot from the floor as easily as standing up.

OK OK, blow off his arms (or at least the one on the trigger), THEN the kneecaps.

 

[Quad4_72]

um I thought expressing desire to blow out his kneecaps and toss him in a dumpster made mine pretty clear.

Yeah I was not questioning your outrage big red. It just seems that everyone went to discussing mall security right away.

 

[PogoPedant]

I wanna crunch more numbers

Going by Cleon's lowball number of 2.24 million dollars per year per mall, and looking at http://www.icsc.org/srch/about/impactofshoppingcenters/briefhistory.html , I'm guessing about 20,000 malls in the US. That's a rough 45 billion dollars in added expenses per year. On account of how many shooting incidences?

The term "overreaction" comes to mind...

 

[Marquis de Carabas]

Man, I could have gotten some serious looting in...

 

[Skibum]

Sounds like he could just set up outside a mall and get all those people lined up to pass security to go shopping.

Fish in a barrel.

If a shooter really wanted to be brazen, they could go through the background check then buy the gun and ammo at one of the sporting goods stores in the mall, then commence shooting inside the mall.

 

[bigred]

Yeah I was not questioning your outrage big red. It just seems that everyone went to discussing mall security right away.

Well that's a valid part of the discussion IMO...

The term "overreaction" comes to mind...

Talk to the victims' families and get back to me.

That's kinda like saying "Hey we only lost thousands of people in 9/11 one time, let's not take stricter terrorist measures." And FYI this is not exactly the first time some loon walked into a croweded public area and started shooting people up.

Anyway, it may not be logistically feasible, just a thought.

 

[Badger]

Outrage at the story? No. Well, yes, and no.

"Nutball kills a bunch of people"

"90 blown up in market in Iraq"

"Darfur still hell on earth"

The litany of human tragedy can go on and on.

Unnecessary tragedies make me feel sad, but I see no need to get outraged at this PARTICULAR one any more than any of the others.

My 2 cents, anyway.

 

[HarryKeogh]

Outrage at the story? No. Well, yes, and no.

"Nutball kills a bunch of people"

"90 blown up in market in Iraq"

"Darfur still hell on earth"

The litany of human tragedy can go on and on.

Unnecessary tragedies make me feel sad, but I see no need to get outraged at this PARTICULAR one any more than any of the others.

My 2 cents, anyway.

Don't forget the passing of Anna Nicole Smith.

 

[Badger]

Don't forget the passing of Anna Nicole Smith.

I sob into my pillow at night about that, in particular.

 

[patchbunny]

Ever heard of the North Hollywood Shootout? There is a reason why those two bank robbers lasted as long as they did. They were wearing heavy body armor and the only things left unprotected were their heads and parts of their legs. Nobody out of the 350 officers called to the scene were able to get a headshot. The robbers were eventually gunned down by assault rifles.

Well, credit where credit is due. Robber Larry Phillips managed a head shot with a handgun, but then he was rather close.

 

[mollyblack]

I sob into my pillow at night about that, in particular.

You and me both.

Honestly, one mall out of how many thousands? Fear-mongering is not the way to live a life. I'm saddened to read about this, but not shocked. There's more to be shocked about going on around the world every single day anyway.



But statistics don't matter to those who want to raise fear levels.

 

[Luke T.]

Ha! Ha! Ha! Head shot!

Hoo boy.

Anyway, about metal detectors in malls. No thanks. I don't feel like being strip searched every time I bring a stroller into the mall, or if my belt buckle sets one off.

"Please place all metal objects in the available plastic tub. Keys, your watch, pocket change, etc. Place your laptop in a separate tub. And thank you for shopping at Sears!"

Yeah, right.

 

[Luke T.]

Cost of X-Ray machines x number of entrances x number of malls in America = GNP of France.

"Freeze, motherf****! Drop the diaper bag NOW and put it on the conveyor belt!"