26 replies to this topic

[Bingo]

(CNN)WDBJ reporter Alison Parker was interviewing a woman about a local story out of Franklin County, Virginia, at approximately 6:45 a.m. Wednesday when the shots rang out and both women screamed.

As the camera fell to the ground, the audience got the briefest glimpse of a man who appeared to pointing a gun toward the downed cameraman.

The station cut away to a shocked anchor, Kimberly McBroom, back in the studio.

The reporter, Alison Parker, 24, and photographer Adam Ward, 27, were both killed in the shooting at Bridgewater Plaza near Moneta, the station reported later 

http://www.cnn.com/2...wdbj/index.html

 

 

[sebberry]

CNN reporting that the shooter has posted video of the shooting to his Facebook page.

 

Disgusting.

[Mike K.]

Suspect was a former employee of the TV station.

 

Police confirm he has killed himself.

[Mike K.]

LIVELEAK is DOWN!!!!

 

I've never seen Liveleak go down. Crazy.

[sebberry]

Suspect was a former employee of the TV station.

 

Police confirm he has killed himself.

 

CNN stating that there's no confirmation if he's dead or alive.  But he has shot himself.

 

EDIT: WDBJ stating that he's killed himself.

[sebberry]

Further update:  The suspect is NOT dead.

[Mike K.]

Yup, apparently a very weak pulse has been detected.

 

Crazy.

[North Shore]

This is going to sound heartless, and perhaps it is..

 

Meh.  Another two casualties.  If the Americans can't get their gun culture under control, then this is what they are going to keep on getting.  Many years ago I went by NAS Whidbey Island, and there was a sign at the side of the road saying: "Please excuse the noise, it's the sound of freedom!"  Same thing in this case - please excuse the casualties, it's the cost of freedom...

[nagel]

This is going to sound heartless, and perhaps it is..

 

Meh.  Another two casualties.  If the Americans can't get their gun culture under control, then this is what they are going to keep on getting.  Many years ago I went by NAS Whidbey Island, and there was a sign at the side of the road saying: "Please excuse the noise, it's the sound of freedom!"  Same thing in this case - please excuse the casualties, it's the cost of freedom...

I don't know you, but I doubt you mean "meh".  

 

I think what you mean is you aren't surprised by what happened today, and you see no reason why these events will stop happening given their complete inability to make any sorts of changes in the direction of gun control.

[Bingo]

I don't know you, but I doubt you mean "meh".  

 

I think what you mean is you aren't surprised by what happened today, and you see no reason why these events will stop happening given their complete inability to make any sorts of changes in the direction of gun control.

 

Like the gun control we have here in Canada when some nut case kills a soldier standing by a war memorial in Ottawa.

[Nparker]

Like the gun control we have here in Canada when some nut case kills a soldier standing by a war memorial in Ottawa.

https://en.wikipedia...ated_death_rate

[Mike K.]

So it was the gun that caused the motive for the crime?

 

Let's not kid ourselves. This was a deeply disturbed individual who just happened to have used a gun. He could have just as easily used a car to mow them down. This has nothing to do with gun culture.

[gumgum]

Oh please Mike, it can be both a mental issue and a gun culture ya know.

[Mike K.]

You can't just make a causal link because it fits a narrative you support.

 

We've had plenty disgruntled employee murders with guns right here in our own part of Canada. One happened recently in Nanaimo and another just weeks ago in Vancouver. Or are you saying America's gun culture was to blame?

[North Shore]

I don't know you, but I doubt you mean "meh".  

 

I think what you mean is you aren't surprised by what happened today, and you see no reason why these events will stop happening given their complete inability to make any sorts of changes in the direction of gun control.

 

Thanks, nagel - a bit more articulate than I was.

[gumgum]

You can't just make a causal link because it fits a narrative you support.

 

We've had plenty disgruntled employee murders with guns right here in our own part of Canada. One happened recently in Nanaimo and another just weeks ago in Vancouver. Or are you saying America's gun culture was to blame?

You're making a definitive claim that gun culture has nothing to do with it. Aren't you making a claim that fits your narrative?

[jklymak]

You can't just make a causal link because it fits a narrative you support.

 

We've had plenty disgruntled employee murders with guns right here in our own part of Canada. One happened recently in Nanaimo and another just weeks ago in Vancouver. Or are you saying America's gun culture was to blame?

 

I agree that you can't make a causal link because who knows what this individual would have done if they had not had ready access to a gun.  However guns are an easy way to kill people, and having them easily available makes it easier to kill others.  Given the murder rate differential between Canada and the US you can either believe Americans are more prone to murder than we are, or you can believe that easy access to guns makes it easier to kill people.  Its probably some of both, but its hard to deny that if you banned all guns in the US and somehow enforced it, you'd have a lot fewer murders.  Its just not as easy to kill people with knives or bludgeons.  Sure you can do it, but it takes proximity, time, and either skill or luck.  

[pherthyl]

News is news because it's rare. The fact that this is a massive story shows how much safer our society is these days. 100 years this would have been run of the mill and hit maybe the local news at best.

[gumgum]

^So we're good. Phew.

[Mike K.]

I agree that you can't make a causal link because who knows what this individual would have done if they had not had ready access to a gun.  However guns are an easy way to kill people, and having them easily available makes it easier to kill others.  Given the murder rate differential between Canada and the US you can either believe Americans are more prone to murder than we are, or you can believe that easy access to guns makes it easier to kill people.  Its probably some of both, but its hard to deny that if you banned all guns in the US and somehow enforced it, you'd have a lot fewer murders.  Its just not as easy to kill people with knives or bludgeons.  Sure you can do it, but it takes proximity, time, and either skill or luck.  

 

All of which is very poignant and true, but it doesn't necessarily imply that this man did what he did because of a gun culture.

 

We have no way of knowing what role America's "gun culture" played here. As I've stated before, Canada is not immune to disgruntled employees gaining access to weapons and going on a shooting spree. It happens and it happens far too often despite Canada not having a gun culture.