Lone shooter kills 8 in central Virginia

When I lived in the US I personally liked having my gun, it made me feel safe because I lived near the inner city.

People that go crazy and shoot people usually have a history of violent or psychotic behavior that goes unchecked. Fix that and we fix a big part of the problem. But just changing one things doesn't fix everything. There are some areas that don't do background checks, so yeah there are places that need to pre-screen people before they sell guns to them.

And you can't generalize and say Americans don't value life and are all paranoid. You create this imagined community based on what you pick to read or see about Americans and it skews your view of them.

Madverts: Fertilizer bomb?

Takes special knowledge. Harder to pull off. Amassing the materials sets off red flags. Any ideas why you don't hear about them very often compared to gun rampages?

Nail gun?: Good like toting that compressor around while everybody runs like hell away from you. Again, why do hear about this sort of attack less?

Poison?: Sorry, not specific enough. Most poisons are easily detectable. It requires special knowledge and also difficult to amass. Its hard to arrange everyone taking it at the same time. You don't hear about this much either.

Nah, the nutters will find a way evebn if guns didn't exist.

Some will. Most won't. Why do think that making mass murder easy is going to result in no net increase? Kingergarten kids know better. The reason why guns are so often used this way in America is because they are easy to get and easy to use. The other things you mentioned are not. Come on! Stop being a serial contrarian. This is not rocket science.

The sad fact is, Americans place little value on human life. And all too many of them are only happy when force-feeding their own paranoia.

"So, in the absence of guns, what method do you imagine he could use to take out 8 people in so short a span of time?"

Fertilizer bomb?

Nail gun?

Poison?

Johnny Halliday played repeatedly over and over again?

Nah, the nutters will find a way evebn if guns didn't exist.

Dubya, so allowing every Tom, Dick and Harry to carry a gun is the answer? Just a matter of time until some loose canon opens fire and commits a massacre. The past mass shootings in the U.S. have involved people of questionable mental status - I'm sure you are not suggesting we should allow them to carry weapons?

Well Sabiwabi, it does sound the like the guy has been vetted and would have had a gun even in more restrictive societies. I am willing to call this one unpreventable even with the rules I would enforce. But I feel the need to emphasize the word "one". This is just one guy, but there are so many guns out there in the hands of people who have hardly been vetted at all.

And I have to wonder how many guns were floating around this guy's neighborhood and where the armed civilian hero was at the time. 8 people means at least 8 shots were fired and mostly likely not in the space of seconds but more like minutes...plenty of time to get the rifle out of the case, fetch some bullets, load it, and get to being the hero. Where was he?

Have a look at places where these incidents are not as common. What are they doing differently?

Prescribing less (or different) anti-depressants?

Anyway, this guy was a security guard, so I would suspect he would have had a gun even if stricter gun laws were in place.

BTW he received a concealed weapons permit three times between 1999 and last year.

sabiwabi: There are a number of such cases.

Two is a number. So is five. If we are talking about incidents in which the intent is to kill a bunch of people, I think it will be hard to find any cases where that was prevented by an armed citizen. You see, if someone intends to kill you, the odds are extremely high he will do so before you can get your gun out. I suppose the odds might increase if you are drawing on every JQP who reaches inside his jacket to take out his wallet, but I really don't think that will prevent as many deaths as it causes.

You know, its really stale repeating simple logic over an over again. Have a look at places where these incidents are not as common. What are they doing differently? If logic is too hard to understand, why not copy people with a better record wholesale? Pick one out of a hat. See if I care. All I can tell you is, the U.S. is as messed up as some of the crazy untested solutions and poorly thought out ideas people crap here.

Similar incidents have been prevented by gun carrying civilians

I have often read that assertion, but never have seen any facts reported about these 'incidents' prevented by gun-carrying civilians.

There are a number of such cases. But for obvious reasons, they do not make the big headlines. Anyway, they should have a serious look at the role of prescription drugs in such incidents. I don't know if this guy took them, but there are many cases of people taking things like anti-depressants and murdering many.

dontknockit at 09:30 AM JST - 21st January

Clearly, one of those arguments has to go.

Never bring a nail to a gun fight. Unless of course, its a nail gun fight.

Message for MichaelqTodd:

Virginia is not New Zealand. America is not New Zealand. I am in agreement with the post from Shonan.

The 2nd Amendment will never be repealed.

Gwenny: In the absence of guns, the insane find other ways to accomplish their ends.

So, in the absence of guns, what method do you imagine he could use to take out 8 people in so short a span of time? I think the gun is the weapon of choice, and short of getting his hands on a helicopter gunship, a tank, a nuke, or something wild like that, he would have been hard pressed to kill two people. He sure would not be grounding helicopters in pursuit either.

First of all, arguing that stricter gun control laws would have stopped this might be premature.

Police refused to speculate on a motive and would not say what type of weapon was used.

Many mass murders have been accomplished without the use of guns. Guns are a tool the insane use to commit violence. In the absence of guns, the insane find other ways to accomplish their ends. Guns bans are also fail. Look at the UK. They banned guns long ago. Then they started banning swords and hunting knives. Recently a study was released that suggested they also ban pointy KITCHEN KNIVES because they were being used as weapons. Where does it end?

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/01/20/virginia.shootings/index.html?hpt=T2

He's turned himself in. Jeez there's some cranks out there....

Why didn't they flush him out with a blackhawk helicopter and a mounted M-60 machine gun? That'd work.

To be perfectly honest the only thing I see coming out of any focused attempt to remove firearms from the hands of Americans is a series of very large, very unpleasant riots. The number of Americans in favor of tighter firearm legislation has actually dropped significantly from its height in the 80's. Many restrictive legislations have already been ruled unconstitutional and more are slated for review with the general concensus that such laws will also be thrown out as well.

Plus, I don't think I could ever part with my latest addition. A CZ 75 that was gifted to me by my brother, he knows me all to well.

dontknockit, yeah most certainly i would love a ban of guns. But I am very shocked at how this ban is working in Jland. I am being too cynical about it. But trust me, despite the ban, heavy taxes and fees, many many Jguys, who are not financially ok, not "mentally ok" are having guns. I was a little nervous when after practice,my friends with the licenses and dropped in at the local Gusto. Some of them behaved like teenagers and that made me kind of nervous.

By the way, dont knock what?

dolphingirl: 'we trust in the Lord to take care of us'--Hmm..Let's see...God versus lone-shooter on a rampage...think the shooter is gonna win that one.

The Lord helps those that helps themselves. They are locking their doors and not going out at night. Even cancelling events. I bet a whole lot more too. Actually, they are not trusting God much at all!

womanforwomen: I know a few japanese "lone shooters" who possess the license. So I am not sure how the ban in any country is going to work.

If the doctor tells you the life saving operation has a 14 percent chance of failure, do you turn down the operation? Is it always all or nothing with you? Look, no measure will elimate shootings completely. I can be idealistic but geez! I will gladly settle for a sharp reduction in this sort of thing. That is what all gun restrictions aim for.

hotncold: In the cases I witnessed no one was defending themselves, just trying to exert their authority using a gun.

You are not thinking 'merican style. First was defending his rights...of way. Second was defending his peace...of mind. Third was defending his liberty...to sleep with the window open. And no doubt the shooter in the article is also defending something, like his pursuit of happiness. Maybe all the people shot got in his way? LOL! Hotncold your exertion of (imagined) authority has a distinct ring of truth. Thank you for that. I have seen it over and over again, but I guess I have been too close to it to conceptualize it so well.

@ShonanMaruNo2 Why will the 2nd Amendment never be repealed. The majority of the Western world have long been fascinated by it.In New Zealand we also had to deal with aggressive and unfriendly natives when our pioneering ancestors came from Britain but now not even any Policemen have ready access to guns and they certainly do not carry them. We have the odd very isolated shooting but a mass one like you have had today in Virginia we have say only once every 15 years. Surely America would prefer to have it that way too?

During my travels I lived in Florida for 2 years in 1990s, in the first 2 weeks I saw instances where guns were pulled out over trivial stuff, the first I was passenger, our driver passed a car on the freeway that felt they had right of way, after an exchange of words a gun was pulled from the glove box and aimed at the other driver as we drove at 100km p/h, the second was a couple of guys were sitting under a tree in front of the car rental company I worked for, the company owner pulled a gun on them so they would move on and third was a some guys were in front of our apartment block late in the evening talking, a resident pointed a gun at them to move as he was trying to sleep. In the cases I witnessed no one was defending themselves, just trying to exert their authority using a gun.

I can see how an everyday situation turns into a gunfight, often one sided. Is it true that many gun owners in the USA get shot by their own weapon?

well americans who fight against reasonable gun laws I guess just accept that these types of shootings are an acceptable risk in order to keep their pea shooters, sad

The 2nd Amendment will never be repealed.

Not ever.

Similar incidents have been prevented by gun carrying civilians

I have often read that assertion, but never have seen any facts reported about these 'incidents' prevented by gun-carrying civilians.

The second amendment was enacted in the lawless days of the wild west. It was never intended by those who drafted and enacted it that it would last forever. It was a temporary solution. What part of that do the NRA not get?

On more example on the monumental pile of evidence that says to our beloved country, "Ban Guns!!!"

I wonder if any of the victims had guns. Similar incidents have been prevented by gun carrying civilians.

I wonder if this is another case of a guy taking antidepressants, as is very often the case with such big shootings.

It's the 2nd Amendment, why can't they amend it again?

Americans are armed to the teeth. From time to time one of them is going to freak out and start blasting away at his family members, co-workers or classmates. Then people will come on this site and extoll the wonderful liberties made possible by the Second Amendment. Bang! Splat! Ohhhh. Gyaaaa! "The Lord giveth, the Lord taketh away." Sigh. Here we go again.

I know a few japanese "lone shooters" who possess the license. So I am not sure how the ban in any country is going to work. Let us think of another way to curb this gun menace.

Chrisjap, you are on the wrong side of history. With the facsist tendencies of the current administration, gun sales are through the roof. More appropriate to this thread is that states in the U.S. are starting to realize that "guns save lives." Look at D.C., a total ban on guns was relaxed and voila, violent crime - including murder - went way down. Where guns have been banned, violent crime has gone up. Those are the facts.

'we trust in the Lord to take care of us'--Hmm..Let's see...God versus lone-shooter on a rampage...think the shooter is gonna win that one.

When is the U.S. going to wake up to itself and realise that maybe it's time we had seriously made some ammendments to the current gun laws.

dontknockit: you got it. give rednecks a proper education.

When people use this piece of news, along with all the others, to suggest tigher gun regulations, don't take it to heart because that might hurt. Instead, take your frustration at the truth of it and rage about upskirt photography on Tokyo escalators. No sense facing truth if you can use another country as a punching bag.

Ban guns, I agree. what good are they?

On more example on the monumental pile of evidence that says to our beloved country, "Ban Guns!!!"

Sounds like a domestic dispute, if seven of the dead were in a single house.

I'm sure he was only shooting in self defense.