Gunman kills 4, including child, in Phoenix suburb; commits suicide

Ah, the US and guns! Add the right mixture of crazy (I should say 'crazier', given the gun laws there are nuts!) and you get this on a near daily basis. But hey, the apologists will show up soon and talk about how the guy could have done the same thing with a ping-pong paddle or a water noodle.

kurumazaka: "Crazy is any attempt by the US Government to disarm gun owners."

Well, yes and no. Literally trying to do it would indeed be crazy, but then if you wiped out the nutters by 'out right war' it'd be easier to implement gun laws, no? In terms of law and passing such laws it's not all that crazy at all. I agree with you, though, that it'll never change -- but what does that say about the mentality of such people? Sticking to a concept that makes no sense only because it's a concept or tradition isn't exactly a sign of shining intelligence. So, we'll see another story like this within the week. The worst part is for the surviving families (aside from the murderer), who beg the question 'why' or 'how could this happen' when they believe in the weapons that allowed it to occur -- until their kids died, of course.

As for Ready, I think I've heard about him before a few years back -- some self-proclaimed border guard who rode around with a group of 'like-minded' morons packing machine guns. If that's the case, my guess is he's killed a whole lot more than just in this case; the circumstances are just different. Anyway, good riddance to bad rubbish... just said he took innocent people with him, especially the child.

Ah, the US and guns! Add the right mixture of crazy (I should say 'crazier', given the gun laws there are nuts!) and you get this on a near daily basis. But hey, the apologists will show up soon and talk about how the guy could have done the same thing with a ping-pong paddle or a water noodle.

Considering this happens on a near daily basis in Japan where a man or a women kills their elderly parents and then there sibling or their kids and then themselves.......I don't think you really got a leg to stand on. This guy could have done it with just a knife, he killed his ex wife, her boyfriend and his children. This person had easy and regular access to his victims, not to mention the fact that his victims were not fearful of him, that leaves them wide open for an attack, especially with a blunt object or a bladed object.

As for Ready, I think I've heard about him before a few years back -- some self-proclaimed border guard who rode around with a group of 'like-minded' morons packing machine guns.

I highly doubt they were packing machine guns considering the average one in the US goes for around $15-20,000 dollars. Most likely they had semi-automatic firearms.

The worst part is for the surviving families (aside from the murderer), who beg the question 'why' or 'how could this happen' when they believe in the weapons that allowed it to occur -- until their kids died, of course.

Do you honestly believe that one of these people would still be alive today if he had used a hatchet or a knife or a chainsaw? Or heck just using his vehicle and running them off of a bridge.

another day... another senseless killing. no matter where you go death will follow =(

R.I.P innocent people who got killed

This guy could have done it with just a knife, he killed his ex wife, her boyfriend and his children. This person had easy and regular access to his victims, not to mention the fact that his victims were not fearful of him, that leaves them wide open for an attack, especially with a blunt object or a bladed object.

In Japan, it is easy to kill someone with a "blunt instrument" due to the fact that people here are not ready for an attack of any kind and are very docile by nature. In the U.S., people (as myself) grow up used to the fact that we always need to be aware and be ready to protect ourselves, locking everything, never walking alone at night, etc. Had this killer not had access to guns and used a knife instead, I seriously doubt he would be able to get to killing all 5 people. One man against two grown men, two grown women, and a child ... a gun really ups the advantage in the attacker's favor.

Yes, people will die by other means, but the most telling fact is that I've always felt safer walking around and living in Japan, than when I used to live in the U.S. Knowing that other people could easily be packing a gun on them was one factor in always being wary and never really feeling safe. Then again, growing up in the U.S., it just seemed like second nature to feel like that.

Had this killer not had access to guns and used a knife instead, I seriously doubt he would be able to get to killing all 5 people. One man against two grown men, two grown women, and a child ... a gun really ups the advantage in the attacker's favor.

The killer was among the two grown men. A gun ups the advantage when it is a ranged killing and when the victims know they are going to be attacked.

I disagree, with a knife it is very easy to kill, seeing as the victims knew the attacker they were not on their guard. You approach the two people outside casually, or better yet isolate them, and then stab their throats, particularly the jugular vein or their heart. This will either kill them instantly or very quickly and if you stab them in their throats they most likely won't be able to scream because of the blood going down their throats choking them. You then wipe the blade(s) off on the victims outside. You walk into the house the grown male victim won't know whats coming because of they very quiet kills that occurred outside, the grown male just like the two outside the house has his guard down because he knows the attacker, the attacker might ask for a glass of water when the victims turns around the attacker strikes from behind particularly the throat.

Considering the child is essentially an infant even if it was to raise the alarm it wouldn't get very far and then finally the attacker kills himself.

There is a reason why murders primarily occur between family and friends not between strangers, in fact homicides that occur where the victim didn't know the attacker are quiet rare.

In the U.S., people (as myself) grow up used to the fact that we always need to be aware and be ready to protect ourselves, locking everything, never walking alone at night, etc.

I live in the US, more specifically the state of Minnesota. Most of those feelings your talking about all have to do with perception of crime. Americans for example think crime is getting worse even though crime has been falling for the past several years. As Michael Moore's documentary Bowling for Columbine explains, the reason why Americans do that is because the media, more specifically the news media, purposely tries to create fear in their viewers as a way to get ratings. This type of news coverage creates a paranoid society.

I'm with you smith.

But to get rid of guns would mean getting rid of a huge source of government revenue. Quite sad that people in the US still waffle on about the "right to bear arms" based on a document 200 years old! Just like its addiction to oil, the US needs to wean itself off its addiction to deadly weapons. If people don't give up their weapons, they should just be shot. Oh, hang on.......

Sticking to a concept that makes no sense only because it's a concept or tradition isn't exactly a sign of shining intelligence. So, we'll see another story like this within the week.

What concept makes no sense to you? You'll will see another story like this in every single country within the week, the only difference will be who, what and when.

Why are you so afraid of legal gun owners that you know the odds are so heavily favored that they will never ever hurt anyone. You know as well as I do smith that the odds of being murdered by a gun owner are less than you falling to your death in the US.

Noliving

The sad thing is that people think there needs to be "legal gun owners." This brainwashing for years and years needs to stop.

Nothing says "freedom" like a Neo-Nazi, right-wing extremist given the right to possess firearms.

Noliving

The sad thing is that people think there needs to be "legal gun owners." This brainwashing for years and years needs to stop.

The sad thing is that people think there needs to be law enforcement. There is nothing sad about people who own firearms and enjoy collecting them or target shooting them.

with a knife it is very easy to kill

I disagree. You can't kill someone from afar with a knife. You need to be in really close range. It's true that with careful planning (and possibly a military background in covert ops) and a bit of luck, you can kill several people with a knife and get cleanly away. A gun just takes away that professional killer factor and allows average nutters to kill indiscriminantely a large number of people. Knife killings without blood trails and intimate evidence left by the attacker rarely happen and only occur in the movies. I've also never heard of a "stray knife" killing someone, but have heard of several stories of stray bullets killing innocent bystanders far away. I've taken martial arts training where they offered defensive maneuvers against knives, but as for guns, the best advice was to run away.

There is nothing sad about people who own firearms and enjoy collecting them or target shooting them.

There is something very, very sad and sick about people who own firearms and use them to target shoot their own family. This Ready person was apparently a neo-nazi gun-slinging vigilante white-supremacist nutter who ran his own 'militia', had already had a number of aggressive run-ins with the police and was marked as a potentially dangerous gang member. How on earth does this kind of nutcase become a 'legal' gun-owner?.

disagree. You can't kill someone from afar with a knife.

If you throw it hard enough yes you can, think if it like a throwing axe.

It's true that with careful planning (and possibly a military background in covert ops) and a bit of luck, you can kill several people with a knife and get cleanly away.

Your over thinking it dude, you don't need a military background in covert ops all you need is the trust of your victim(s). Get them isolated and then when there back is turned stab them in the neck. You only need to know the anatomy of the human body.

Considering most people who kill with a gun don't get cleanly away that is a moot point.

Knife killings without blood trails and intimate evidence left by the attacker rarely happen and only occur in the movies.

Your point? Do you have any idea the amount of intimate evidence that is left behind by attackers that use guns. Do you honestly think shooting someone won't leave a blood trail or a blood splatter? Considering most people who shoot someone to death get caught......

I've also never heard of a "stray knife" killing someone, but have heard of several stories of stray bullets killing innocent bystanders far away. I've taken martial arts training where they offered defensive maneuvers against knives, but as for guns, the best advice was to run away.

That is because people generally don't throw knives into the air, if they did you would start hearing stories of them. Start throwing axes in the air, see what happens.

Well lets see here your using a melee weapon against a range weapon at a distance, your only options are to close the distance or to retreat, closing the distance would be the more dangerous of the two. I'm willing to bet that if the attacker had a gun and was point blank range you would in fact have defensive maneuvers against guns, and in fact would be similar to knives defenses. In fact at that point running away as a defense against a gun at point blank range is a very stupid thing to do. If the attacker has a rifle or a shotgun at pointblank range all you have to do is grab the barrel. If the person had a bow and arrow or a flamethrower they would recommend the same thing, to run away if there is a range or distance between you and the attacker.

There is something very, very sad and sick about people who own firearms and use them to target shoot their own family.

I don't think he was using his gun to target shoot his family cleo I think he was using it to kill them.

Civilians don't need to have guns. In fact, none of my close friends or family members own one and have never needed to. The one person I do know who owned one actually got himself hurt (accidentally shooting his own foot). Of course he's an idiot, but it just proves the point that a gun (whose primary purpose is a weapon) can actually do more damage to the wielder. However, I wouldn't want to take away the right of gun ownership to Americans, since in America, there are enough nut cases (believe me, I've come across a number when I used to live there) and people without morals with easy access to guns, to merit the ownership by those living in fear of them. People say that guns don't kill, and that is true. It's just sad that in the U.S. there are enough people with thoughts of killing without a concience which use guns in the wrong way.