Oscar Pistorius shoots girlfriend

Status
Not open for further replies.
anglolawyer said:
I take your self-selecting group point but I do believe, from newspapers and such as well as anecdotes, that SA has a major crime problem.
Click to expand...

South Africa does have a crime problem (which appears to be getting somewhat better recently).

All-in-all this is just a sad situation.

South Africans, especially Afrikaaners, are quite similar in terms of their attitude to Americans (in general of course). One regularly hears a firsthand account of someone chasing of a suspected burglar with a firearm, and hunting is still quite a big deal for those that can afford it.

This kind of gun culture, combined with improper firearms training and a distrust of the police, is what leads to these regrettable accidents in my opinion.
 
Rolfe said:
I've never been in SA, only talked to a few people, but it seems to me that SA really is the sort of society the US gun nuts think they live in. The sort of place where the odds of being violently attacked are genuinely disturbingly high, and where carrying a gun is arguably in the category of a sensible precaution.

Or is the USA really like that too?

Rolfe.
Click to expand...

In terms of trends, the long term trend over recent decades in the US has been toward less violent crime, a few spectacular mass shootings aside. Others in this thread have stated that the trend in SA has been the opposite, but I would like to see the statistics to be sure.

I recently read that the gun homicide rate in Brazil is 5 times that of the US. I don't know about SA.
 
Jings, the joke Duffy Moon edited out because he felt it was in bad taste was mild - and actually witty - compared to some of the dross that's getting posted now.

Rolfe.
 
From News 24.

There seems to be more to the burglar story.


"Police spokesperson Denise Beukes spoke to the media outside the country estate where Pistorius lives on Thursday.

She confirmed that there have "previously been allegations of a domestic nature at Mr Pistorius's home".

Beukes said there are witnesses and neighbours who claim to have heard things earlier on Wednesday evening and when the shooting took place.

Police also expressed "surprise" at reports that the shooting was an accident.

"The SA Police Service were just as surprised this morning to hear on the radio that allegations had been made that the deceased had been perceived to be a burglar," Beukes said.

"We were very surprised and those allegations did not come from us."

Beukes said police will reveal the reasons why they are opposing bail when he appears in court" http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Police-to-oppose-bail-for-Pistorius-20130214
 
I didn't buy the "thought it was a burglar" story when I heard it on Radio 5 this morning.
 
He's been charged with murder.

Looks like the accidental-shooting angle was just media speculation when reports first came out.

So now everyone will stop trying to turn this crime into spin for their side of the gun argument, right?

.... Right?

*sigh* :(
 
Cylinder said:
I was reading that as well. This is starting to sound a bit less like an accidental shooting.
Click to expand...
Is it an indication of my cynicism that when I saw the news report this morning, the first thing I thought was "That's the story he's giving the police...."?
 
Reeco said:
I didn't buy the "thought it was a burglar" story when I heard it on Radio 5 this morning.
Click to expand...


I did, when it was reported on Good Morning Scotland, because, well, SA and all that. It has happened. However, if the police are saying they didn't put out that story and they are opposing bail, well....

Rolfe.
 
Last edited:
Beukes said the home did not appear to show signs of forced entry and that Pistorius and the victim were the only two people at the time of the shooting.

She also said there had "previous incidents" at the home.

"Allegations of a domestic nature," Beukes said.

Police were alerted to the shooting by neighbors and that residents "heard things earlier," Buekes said.
Click to expand...

It sounds like he doesn't have a leg to stand on.
 
Cleon said:
He's been charged with murder.

Looks like the accidental-shooting angle was just media speculation when reports first came out.

So now everyone will stop trying to turn this crime into spin for their side of the gun argument, right?

.... Right?

*sigh* :(
Click to expand...

Of course not! A deliberate murder in South Africa speaks volumes about United States gun control. Somehow.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Back
Top Bottom