5 students stabbed, suspect killed on California university campus

[Sousuke 1,214]

Either way, the comparison is still silly, who cares? Let's find one subset of firearms that kills the fewest amount of people and compare it to knife deaths. Foolishness.

Actually I get the comparison. Politicians spend more time trying to regulate AR15s than any other firearm out there.

[Ban Hammer 13,333]

Thanks Sousuke.

LIB, this chart was in the article you posted. I would imagine that AR-15's would fall into the "Other guns not listed" category, which is around 2000 per year and it is slightly more than knives.

the ar-15 is a rifle and should be listed into that category

[Teddy B 17,252]

Actually I get the comparison. Politicians spend more time trying to regulate AR15s than any other firearm out there.

Because it used frequently in mass killings maybe?

[Ban Hammer 13,333]

Actually I get the comparison. Politicians spend more time trying to regulate AR15s than any other firearm out there.

it's because of that shoulder thing that goes up.

[Sousuke 1,214]

Because it used frequently in mass killings maybe?

If you use the definition of 4 people hit, then no. If you are referring to the larger media covered shootings that happen every 3-4 months or so then maybe.

[lostinblue 1,989]

AR-15s are rifles. So they would be a subset of the 285.

The AR-15 is a rifle ..In the laws view a rifle is not a firearm unless modified . firearms fit this description

^] Regarding the definition of "firearm," the language of the statute as originally enacted was as follows:

The term "firearm" means a shotgun or rifle having a barrel of less than eighteen inches in length, or any other weapon, except a pistol or revolver, from which a shot is discharged by an explosive if such weapon is capable of being concealed on the person, or a machine gun, and includes a muffler or silencer for any firearm whether or not such firearm is included within the foregoing definition.^[6]

[Teddy B 17,252]

I don't claim to have any extensive knowledge of firearms, other than some skeet shooting once in my 20's and target shooting with a .22 as a kid I have none. So I'm prone to mislabeling them from time to time.

One thing I found on the same page as LIBS definition of a rifle was the definition of the "other" category which is pretty interesting. It includes modified weapons such as pens, cigarrete lighters or modified shotguns.

Any other weapon (AOW)

Firearms meeting the definition of "any other weapon" or AOW are weapons or devices capable of being concealed on the person from which a shot can be discharged through the energy of an explosive. Many AOWs are disguised devices such as pens, cigarette lighters, knives, cane guns and umbrella guns. AOWs can be pistols and revolvers having smooth bore barrels (e.g., H&R Handy-Gun, Serbu Super-Shorty) designed or redesigned to fire a fixed shotgun shell. While the above weapons are similar in appearance to weapons made from shotguns, they were originally manufactured in the illustrated configuration and are not modified from existing shotguns. As a result, these weapons do not fit within the definition of shotgun or weapons made from a shotgun.

The AOW definition includes specifically described weapons with combination shotgun and rifle barrels 12 inches or more but less than 18 inches in length from which only a single discharge can be made from either barrel without manual reloading.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Firearms_Act#cite_note-Carter2002-5

Edited November 4, 2015 by Teddy B

[lostinblue 1,989]

I don't claim to have any extensive knowledge of firearms, other than some skeet shooting once in my 20's and target shooting with a .22 as a kid I have none. So I'm prone to mislabeling them from time to time.

One thing I found on the same page as LIBS definition of a rifle was the definition of the "other" category which is pretty interesting. It includes modified weapons such as pens, cigarrete lighters or modified shotguns.

We will give you that famous "pass " another poster throws around on here once in a while .

[lostinblue 1,989]

If only he had a gun, instead of stabbing mere five people, he could have killed tens... Just where the heck is the NRA when you need them!

[X Factor 1,112]

Something is wrong here. Why are so many young people so violent that they try to kill people at schools, movie theaters or other soft targets using any available weapon?

[Sousuke 1,214]

Something is wrong here. Why are so many young people so violent that they try to kill people at schools, movie theaters or other soft targets using any available weapon?

Its a bit like a mental pathogen that spreads with media attention. You will notice that attacks with cars are increasing as well. I think we have had three mass car killings in the last 18 months.

[Voice of Reason 10,298]

Something is wrong here. Why are so many young people so violent that they try to kill people at schools, movie theaters or other soft targets using any available weapon?

FPS video games?

[Sousuke 1,214]

FPS video games?

There is no evidence that video games cause violence. Besides video games are as much protected by the 1st amendment as firearms are by the 2nd.

[GandD 5,966]

There is no evidence that video games cause violence. Besides video games are as much protected by the 1st amendment as firearms are by the 2nd.

Absolutely.

[lostinblue 1,989]

Something is wrong here. Why are so many young people so violent that they try to kill people at schools, movie theaters or other soft targets using any available weapon?

The Media Can Prevent Mass Murderers From Becoming Famous

The person who perpetrated the murder spree in Santa Barbara knew that his name, his photograph, the video he made before he acted, and his written manifesto would be national news. He expected posthumous fame and an audience of millions.

He got it.

Like Zeynep Tufekci, who wrote about this phenomena two years ago in The Atlantic, "I am increasingly concerned that the tornado of media coverage that swirls around each such mass killing and the acute interest in the identity and characteristics of the shooter...may be creating a vicious cycle of copycat effects..."

Ezra Klein has the same concern.

"Mass murderers want glory and fame," he wrote at Vox. "Somehow, we need to stop giving it to them." That sounds doable. By custom, the U.S. media doesn't report troop movements or the names of underage rape victims. Outlets follow certain practices when reporting on suicide, too. There's no reason that better practices can't develop around mass shootings. They needn't be adhered to by everyone to work.

Would be fame seekers should also know that their photo won't be plastered across the screen on CNN or the local NBC affiliate or any other prominent outlet, if their crime seemed motivated in part by a desire to get just that kind of attention.

Coverage that self-censored the perpetrator's name and photograph wouldn't eliminate all perverse incentives. But it would deny a significant amount of notoriety. And the cost to the public would be low. No substantive conversation about the crime and its implications would suffer for lack of a specific name or photo. Tentatively speaking, creating this norm would seem to be a low-cost, high-benefit change. Agree? Disagree? I'd love input on this suggestion, and any other thoughts about the norms that ought to shape coverage of these sorts of events.

http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/05/mass-murder-should-not-be-a-ticket-to-fame/371599/

This is common factor with most mass shooters. Perhaps not so with this attack . .. We shall see.