West Virginia man kills new neighbor without warning, thinking it's his property

[Rebecca Jo 1,962]

Wow .You know him quite well don't you. Pissed off old white man with rage issues listing to Fox, out of Xanax.

Nice little racist tirade..Good job.

I will repeat.. Anybody that shoots two unarmed men on their own property for no reason, with no warning has mental problems

NB - I'm telling you. I know guys like him. They are all retired and hang out at Hardee's or Panera Bread in the morning (different classes of haters). The TV sets are switched onto Fox and they huddle up around them. They think the blond waitress from South Africa is an anomoly and that the black waitress from the local area has "ugly big lips". They call Martin Luther King Day "Robert E. Lee Day". They had pictures of JFK in their houses when they were young men and now they vote GOP.

You are living in la-la land if you don't think they are out there.

But yeah, you are right. Mental problems.

But are they "mental problems" that can put this guy in a category (legally) where he would not be allowed to own a weapon? I mean - isn't that what responsible gun owners tell us needs done? Take care of the mental health issues instead of taking guns away from responsible people? How are you going to tell who is responsible and who is not? Who gets locked up and who doesn't? Who gets their weapons removed from their home (our shooter supposedly had about 50 different weapons) and who gets to keep theirs?

Anger management problems could be considered "mental issues"

But that won't get you committed.

[spookyturtle 9,466]

Anger management problems could be considered "mental issues"

They certainly are.

[Rebecca Jo 1,962]

They certainly are.

That's probably only going to be enough, legally, if there has ever been a protective order filed against the person.

[spookyturtle 9,466]

That's probably only going to be enough, legally, if there has ever been a protective order filed against the person.

I wasn't even referring to it in a legal sense. IMO, people who have anger/rage/violence/etc issues have mental health issues. I guess we all have some kind of issues, but some don't mix well with guns. It certainly isn't normal to shoot someone on your next door neighbors property. I don't think it's normal to open up your door or window and shoot someone simply for being on your own property. Perhaps standing there with a gun and first asking, may I help you would have been a bit more appropriate in this case. I've known a few whack jobs in my time and I don't think anyone of them would have done something like this.

[We Keep Receipts 9,238]

I wasn't even referring to it in a legal sense. IMO, people who have anger/rage/violence/etc issues have mental health issues. I guess we all have some kind of issues, but some don't mix well with guns. It certainly isn't normal to shoot someone on your next door neighbors property. I don't think it's normal to open up your door or window and shoot someone simply for being on your own property. Perhaps standing there with a gun and first asking, may I help you would have been a bit more appropriate in this case. I've known a few whack jobs in my time and I don't think anyone of them would have done something like this.

You have to remember, there are ticking time bombs out there. If what Jo says is correct, seeing two black men on what he thought was his property could have set him off. I hate to think that's what it is, but considering our history, it's not far fetched.

[Rebecca Jo 1,962]

I wasn't even referring to it in a legal sense. IMO, people who have anger/rage/violence/etc issues have mental health issues. I guess we all have some kind of issues, but some don't mix well with guns. It certainly isn't normal to shoot someone on your next door neighbors property. I don't think it's normal to open up your door or window and shoot someone simply for being on your own property. Perhaps standing there with a gun and first asking, may I help you would have been a bit more appropriate in this case. I've known a few whack jobs in my time and I don't think anyone of them would have done something like this.

I realize this is probably different from state to state - but would that be considered brandishing?

[spookyturtle 9,466]

I realize this is probably different from state to state - but would that be considered brandishing?

That's brandishing, but this guy would have been much better off doing that if he was suspicious of his new neighbors. A lot better than spending the rest of your life in prison for shooting them. I think the guy is nuts. That's not the actions of a rational person.

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

You have to remember, there are ticking time bombs out there. If what Jo says is correct, seeing two black men on what he thought was his property could have set him off. I hate to think that's what it is, but considering our history, it's not far fetched.

Poor black guys. Get shot in the city by other black guys and by crazy old white men in the sticks.

[Rebecca Jo 1,962]

Poor black guys. Get shot in the city by other black guys and by crazy old white men in the sticks.

It's a shame you have to take a productive discussion and reduce it to some sort of insult.

Peace out, people.

[We Keep Receipts 9,238]

Poor black guys. Get shot in the city by other black guys and by crazy old white men in the sticks.

Told you, endangered species. This is why if we move out of this house, we have to choose carefully. If we move in an area with all white people, they might think my running at night is suspect. If it's an all black area and nice, I might stand a chance, but that's hard to find, unless I move to ATL.

Edited February 4, 2014 by Su and Marvin

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

It's a shame you have to take a productive discussion and reduce it to some sort of insult.

Peace out, people.

Insult..?

Are all CABA women disoriented?

Told you, endangered species. This is why if we move out of this house, we have to choose carefully. If we move in an area with all white people, they might think my running at night is suspect. If it's an all black area and nice, I might stand a chance, but that's hard to find, unless I move to ATL.

Bawaa Most neighborhoods here, are now multi-racial or have at least a few blacks in them

[GandD 5,966]

That's brandishing, but this guy would have been much better off doing that if he was suspicious of his new neighbors. A lot better than spending the rest of your life in prison for shooting them. I think the guy is nuts. That's not the actions of a rational person.

This guy probably would have passed any metal health test he could have been given.

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

You have to remember, there are ticking time bombs out there. If what Jo says is correct, seeing two black men on what he thought was his property could have set him off. I hate to think that's what it is, but considering our history, it's not far fetched.

But these people are being inflamed by media sources like fox news and conservative radio personalities. These outlets are getting rich off of other people's fears, and stoke them to get more money. These people are being fed a message that this country is getting worse and worse, and it's just a matter of time before you need to use your guns. (Generally speaking conservatives tend more toward the sort of thinking that things are getting worse every day and these outlets play off of that perception). This guy might have gotten riled up, just waiting for that time when he needs to use his gun, because he has been told that one day would come where he would need it. I can just imagine him thinking "this is it! I knew this was going to happen" and shooting. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy.

I think the fairness doctrine needs to be reintroduced for tv news.

Edited February 4, 2014 by Harpa Timsah

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

But these people are being inflamed by media sources like fox news and conservative radio personalities. These outlets are getting rich off of other people's fears, and stoke them to get more money. These people are being fed a message that this country is getting worse and worse, and it's just a matter of time before you need to use your guns. (Generally speaking conservatives tend more toward the sort of thinking that things are getting worse every day and these outlets play off of that perception). This guy might have gotten riled up, just waiting for that time when he needs to use his gun, because he has been told that one day would come where he would need it. I can just imagine him thinking "this is it! I knew this was going to happen" and shooting. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy.

I think the fairness doctrine needs to be reintroduced for tv news.

I see it's the fault of Fox News

Yup Paranoid people and Fox News

HUGE FACE PALM

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

But these people are being inflamed by media sources like fox news and conservative radio personalities. These outlets are getting rich off of other people's fears, and stoke them to get more money. These people are being fed a message that this country is getting worse and worse, and it's just a matter of time before you need to use your guns. (Generally speaking conservatives tend more toward the sort of thinking that things are getting worse every day and these outlets play off of that perception). This guy might have gotten riled up, just waiting for that time when he needs to use his gun, because he has been told that one day would come where he would need it. I can just imagine him thinking "this is it! I knew this was going to happen" and shooting. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy.

I think the fairness doctrine needs to be reintroduced for tv news.

It's amazing to me how elements of the media can present fringe viewpoints as mainstream and noone seems willing to connect that to violent acts committed by extremists.

The problem is that when you provide a platform for views like this (via the media), it creates the impression that they are somehow legitimate. The whole Birther phenomenon for example is the result of ignorance and racism, fuelled by elements of the media that push conspiracy theory as fact.

Does anyone remember James Von Brunn? He was the old (white) guy who shot and killed the (black) security guard at the DC holocaust memorial. He was a birther and had previously attempted to perform a citizens arrest on a group of Federal Reserve executives back in the 80s. Was he crazy? Deluded certainly - but crazy in a clinical sense? I doubt it. Sadly, if you have spent any time watching US news media, views like this are not uncommon. We even have posters here who regularly refer to Obama as the Kenyan because not only do they not recognise him as their elected leader, but they don't consider him to be a true American. Is it wrong to see parallels here?

Unfortunately there are a worrying number of people in the US - poorly educated, poorly travelled, often highly religious for whom the media is their sole (possibly their only) window on the world. For some that means little more than opposing abortion or gay rights because their Bible says it isn't right, but for the militant 'take back your government' types who see immigrants, blacks and liberals as being part of some great anti-American conspiracy the media surely has a responsibility to not give credence to their extremist ideas.