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World shocked at enduring racism, gun violence in U.S.

160 Comments
By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN

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a lot of our crime is due to the illegal ailens from their country and their drug business

It's your drug business. Where do you think the money that funds their black market cartels comes from? From the American drug market. If you want crime to stop from 'their' drug business, you need to stop your own war on drugs, and legalize them all, regulating them, and treating addiction as a mental health issue rather than a criminal issue.

And if you think I'm radical, consider that these guys agree: http://www.leap.cc/

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Mexico has a lot of nerve to comment....a lot of our crime is due to the illegal ailens from their country and their drug business

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The American Redneck culture is alive and well when it comes to guns and the lack of gun control. The National Rifle Association in America is largely responsible for this ... and all because they make money from every gun sold in the US. This is the definition of a "Redneck Conflict of Interest".

Rednecks are definitely not the only people that have guns, not even close.

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The American Redneck culture is alive and well when it comes to guns and the lack of gun control. The National Rifle Association in America is largely responsible for this ... and all because they make money from every gun sold in the US. This is the definition of a "Redneck Conflict of Interest".

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The income gap between the rich and poor in U.S. is at the widest level in thirty years. The growing wealth disparity that accompanied U.S. growth has increased the risk of social instability. Countries with high income inequality also have high murder rates. People are more likely to kill their fellow citizens as the gap between rich and poor increases. If blame lies anywhere for persistent income inequality, it most likely falls on government policies.

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There were lots people shot up @ sum party in Detroit. Black on Black shooting. Black gangbangers shooting other Black gangbangers is what plagues america. We see more of that than lone wolf racists like Dylan Roof.

This is what the world should be shocked about.

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John Michael White Jun. 25, 2015 - 12:07PM JST:

"While the rampant Black on white crime is largely ignored by the media."

So everyone should own guns, the more easily the better, thanks for that. Makes sense.

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While the rampant Black on white crime is largely ignored by the media.

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Guns should be banned for the people's safety sake at any cost. Surely, it'd be difficult to ban guns, considering all the processes there might be, but it seems that it is time to grapple with the problem anyway.

I'm not surprised at the fact that there's still hate crime in the USA since it's even more difficult to change how people think than banning guns. I think the abolition of firearms should be realized first to reduce the number of violent crimes.

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New Headline: 'Mystery of Gun Violence Solved!'

"You will never eradicate racism and gun violence with exchange it with something else." - comments

The world may well be shocked, but let them not be misinformed. A bold statement from the gun club.

You will never eradicate racism and gun violence with exchange it with something else. - comments

With that as a goal, racism and gun violence, forever; at leaste the interested reader has a better purchase on the gun club's 'philosophia vitae'.

They have decided there is nothing, nothing on the planet, they would exchange racism and gun violence for.

And so plainly a fact in their minds, no self edit, just 'that's that' kind of thinking. Amazing.

Promises made . . . New Headline: 'Mystery of Gun Violence Solved!' . . . promises kept.

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Let me make clear that the Violence Policy Center was countering assertions by the NRA and others who were claiming the necessity of guns in self-defense, meaning bang, bang. Here is a quote from the Japan Times: "Contrary to what the gun lobby argues, personal firearms in the United States are rarely used for self-defense, a gun control advocacy group said Wednesday. "In an analysis of FBI and other federal government data, the nonprofit Violence Policy Center said Americans are far more likely to hurt themselves or others when handling a lethal weapon. "In 2012, it said, only 259 'justifiable homicides' involving a private citizen were reported, compared to 8,342 criminal homicides committed with a gun."

@Kabukilover - Curious but don't you see the issue with only defining self-defense as killing the assailant? I mean by this definition the warning shot the Japanese police officer did would not be considered an act of self defense with a firearm.

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Really? Really? As long as the Government stays out of your way?

That would be a plus.

'World Shocked At Enduring Racism, Gun Violence In U.S.'

You will never eradicate racism and gun violence with exchange it with something else.

but - not after reading, the Government is in someones' way, and the Government had better get out of one's way. Now it all makes perfect sense.

It sure does

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I tend to worry about whats in the hearts and minds of the people rather than skin color, or however big their gun is because that's what matters the most. America is built off of people who believe in individual freedom, but its what you do with that freedom that makes the difference so don't be like this young man and throw it all away!

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@yamashi

Use some common sense. Read your own comment. God help us all if you were responsible to write an analysis of all countries. Or perhaps maybe you yourself are somewhat biased yourself. I am not American, do not live there, but have been there long enough, and have enough American family to realize their situation is unique to them and their relatively new country. Anyways, jumping to negative conclusions such as branding modern Americans as a bunch of "Indian slaughtering, slave-trading imbeciles" is just as silly as accusing your average Japanese of WW2 atrocities or my German friends of being Nazi's.

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@yamashi

First they came and killed almost all natives, seized their land.

Well "they" were the British, French, and Spanish. They started it. As for your 'killed almost all natives' observation, that is the history of most every nation. There are very few nations whose founding is not directly attributable to war and the seizure of other people's land. Ever heard of the Roman Empire, Genghis Khan, the Ottoman Empire, among many others throughout human history? Even the "natives" in the America's waged war on other "natives" slaughtering and enslaving them. Maybe even your country was founded on the obliteration of the native population. For example, the Japanese wiped out the native Ainu people.

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"We may have a gun problem, but as long as the government stays out of my way" - comments

Really? Really? As long as the Government stays out of your way?

'World Shocked At Enduring Racism, Gun Violence In U.S.'

but - not after reading, the Government is in someones' way, and the Government had better get out of one's way. Now it all makes perfect sense.
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As some have pointed out, this is an uncomfortable combinations of two things that run deep in the American psyche - race and guns.

I wonder how different history would have been if the Loyalist forces had prevailed over the separatist forces in the colonial conflict (aka War of Independence). Slavery would have been abolished much earlier and the right to bear arms would never have found its easy into the constitution. Today America would probably be a happier less violent society.

That's the problem with trying to run before you can walk. We ate still mopping up over 200 years later.

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if only trade agreements included human rights standards

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@thepersoniamnow "America is unique country".

Indeed. First they came and killed almost all natives, seized their land. Then shipped people from Africa and forced them to be slaves. Now they have brutal police system when policemen often shoot to death innocent bystanders. They still have violence based on plain racism here and there. And they have lots of illegal guns as well as huge amount of mentally unstabled folks. And they dare teach other countries, what to do. Really, a very unique country !

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As your discussion progresses, we note that human rights and racism and the possession of guns are related, but NOT the same issue. Therefore, China and others have a poor argument at best. And China especially has a way with "twisting" and "intertwining" often unrelated issues to create a secondary argument, detracting from what is being presented for consideration.

The media and the world hold USA to a much higher standard based upon "expectation" when compared to their own or other nations. After all USA has been for a while the "idealized" nation and society where many want to emulate or move to. And USA has been (based upon Christian principles and ideals upon which the country itself was founded) believing itself to be a fair representative of higher values of mankind, tries to live up to and help others achieve a similar standard.

Given that, the entire world forget to "compare" their own lot, themselves, to the standard set forth by USA and willingly criticize. To help them along the media for what ever reason only report that which happens without the supporting facts and data that can give proper "perspective" to what they report. After all, no one is able to keep up and know everything about every issue. Even that one person with the best access to more information than anyone else in the world, the President of the US, cannot absorb all and know all. So very often, his comments are misaligned from what is actually happening; something we can call "reality."

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Yes, killing defenceless furry things for the fun of it is a 'game'.

Yes, it really is as well as cooking them.

Well done, bass. Like I said, it obviously makes you feel big and strong and brave.

No, I'm just proud that I have the right to use a gun and do what I love and it gives me great joy when libs and Europeans can't do anything but shake their head and you know what, that's quite alright. You're happy without guns and I'm happy with them. We may have a gun problem, but as long as the government stays out of my way, they should instead worry about possible loons that seem to want to go on a murdering spree or hearing demons in their head telling them to go shoot up some establishment. Those are the people the government should be worrying about and not hunters or any responsible law-abiding American citizen"

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But I think differently, that's all that matters.

Hence why America will never get rid of guns. Too many people who only care about themselves, and not about the good of their country as a whole.

Who's going berserk? Once again you show a disconnect between what you think you're reading, and what is actually being written.

No, actually, it's the libs that think whining on JT will get people to just hand in their guns.

And once again a comment that doesn't match the quoted text.

Well, someone messed up, yes, it shouldn't have happened, I agree.

And there is the problem with legal guns. The only way it could work is if no one ever messed up. But reality shows us that so many people will. And therefore legal gun ownership means that people will use the guns to kill without justification.

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Treble? Are we talking about music now?

Every time you bash your keyboard you prove your lack of literacy and basic reading skills. Use a dictionary.

it helps me a lot when I shoot my game

Yes, killing defenceless furry things for the fun of it is a 'game'. Well done, bass. Like I said, it obviously makes you feel big and strong and brave.

You're afraid of bad people breaking into your home and hurting you.

Not at all

Then why all the over-the-top security?

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But it's not. I outlined it above earlier in a few words. That's about as simple as it gets

But I think differently, that's all that matters.

The primary applications of knives and cars have nothing to do with killing.

Please tell that to the people that were knifed like pigs.

Gang Violence has no practical applications whatsoever, and should be eradicated.

LOL!! good luck with that.

Who's going berserk? Once again you show a disconnect between what you think you're reading, and what is actually being written.

No, actually, it's the libs that think whining on JT will get people to just hand in their guns.

Anyways, you may not have shot anyone, but your demand for the right to own guns means that other people will be shot.

That would be on the perpetrators that would commit such a crime.

Tell that to the parents of the kids shot at Littleton. Those guns were legal, and yet 20 something kids were shot while at school.

Well, someone messed up, yes, it shouldn't have happened, I agree. If someone were to steal my gun and use it to commit a crime, I would be held responsible, but that would never happen.

What has that to do with you claiming that it's all relative to the size of the country. We are a nation with the 3rd largest population? In terms of crime rate, the size of the population has no bearing (except in smaller countries, where just a couple of crimes in a small population can double or treble the crime rate overnight). It isn't a question of what's good for you.

Treble? Are we talking about music now?

So why not just admit, you don't care about the facts and just have an emotional attachment to your lethal weapon because it makes you feel big and strong and brave.

No, but I will admit it helps me a lot when I shoot my game. Saves me less time chasing it on foot.

I have No reason to fear anyone

You're afraid of bad people breaking into your home and hurting you.

Not at all, but they should be very afraid, if not terrified if they are stupid enough to Waltz in my house.

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What may be good for you, might not be good for me and vice versa.

What has that to do with you claiming that it's all relative to the size of the country. We are a nation with the 3rd largest population? In terms of crime rate, the size of the population has no bearing (except in smaller countries, where just a couple of crimes in a small population can double or treble the crime rate overnight). It isn't a question of what's good for you.

Whatever's the figures show

So why not just admit, you don't care about the facts and just have an emotional attachment to your lethal weapon because it makes you feel big and strong and brave?

I have No reason to fear anyone

You're afraid of bad people breaking into your home and hurting you.

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Actually, it is. We are so diverse and there is a lot going on in terms of culture, religion, values etc. it's not something that can be solved so easily.

But it's not. I outlined it above earlier in a few words. That's about as simple as it gets.

So do knives, cars, gang violence...

The primary applications of knives and cars have nothing to do with killing. Gang Violence has no practical applications whatsoever, and should be eradicated.

I have never shot anyone and the majority of law-abiding citizens don't, so no reason to go berserk.

Who's going berserk? Once again you show a disconnect between what you think you're reading, and what is actually being written.

Anyways, you may not have shot anyone, but your demand for the right to own guns means that other people will be shot.

Illegal firearms, I will totally agree with you on that point.

Tell that to the parents of the kids shot at Littleton. Those guns were legal, and yet 20 something kids were shot while at school.

Thank God that will never happen.

I agree it will never happen. Americans as a group will never agree to giving up their rights as individuals for the greater good of the nation.

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Let me count the ways.... :-)

It's objective.

Actually yes it is. If you state that A is B and the figures show clearly that A is A and not B, then your statement is incorrect, i.e. you are wrong. It isn't rocket science.

But I'm not, that's a fact. What may be good for you, might not be good for me and vice versa. Whatever's the figures show, I still A. Won't give up my firearms and B. Feel less safe living in the US.

The fact that you feel the need to have multiple guard dogs plus security systems plus a direct line to the police plus guns for 'self-defence' plus you never sleep soundly, would suggest that yes, you are afraid.

Sorry, I'm not afraid. Cleo, you don't know me. I'm telling you, sorry, but you don't know my background. I have No reason to fear anyone. Being cautious doesn't mean or equate to being the same thing. I wear my seatbelt when I drive as well.not because I have to, but as a precautionary and safety measure.

But you've grown used to it and think it's normal. It isn't, not in the real world

That's your opinion and your entitle to it, but I don't share that same opinion, we just happen to disagree and it's ok.

It's obvious that this thread has become Americans vs the rest. The issue isn't at all that you are wrong and we are right. America is a unique country. I agree that less guns would mean less gun violence. But when you go to America you quickly realize that isn't the issue and that it's much more complicated.

110% agreed

But it's not really.

Actually, it is. We are so diverse and there is a lot going on in terms of culture, religion, values etc. it's not something that can be solved so easily.

People saying it's complicated creates apathy which in turn results in no one doing anything. It's a pretty straightforward thing though - guns equal deaths.

So do knives, cars, gang violence...

The right to bear arms results in more deaths.

I have never shot anyone and the majority of law-abiding citizens don't, so no reason to go berserk.

Removing guns results in less deaths.

Illegal firearms, I will totally agree with you on that point.

Therefore, to minimize the number of deaths, you need to remove the right to bear arms. It's not a hard concept at all.

Thank God that will never happen.

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when you go to America you quickly realize that isn't the issue and that it's much more complicated.

But it's not really. People saying it's complicated creates apathy which in turn results in no one doing anything. It's a pretty straightforward thing though - guns equal deaths. The right to bear arms results in more deaths. Removing guns results in less deaths. Therefore, to minimize the number of deaths, you need to remove the right to bear arms. It's not a hard concept at all.

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It's obvious that this thread has become Americans vs the rest. The issue isn't at all that you are wrong and we are right. America is a unique country. I agree that less guns would mean less gun violence. But when you go to America you quickly realize that isn't the issue and that it's much more complicated.

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I keep my safe next to the nightstand and I have a touch sensitive finger ID lock, so it takes about a second, get my clip, put one in the chamber and I'm ready to rock and roll.

wow.. it's a sad world that we live in.... for a normal family to have this sort of "security system".

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How can I be wrong?

Let me count the ways.... :-)

It's not about right or wrong

Actually yes it is. If you state that A is B and the figures show clearly that A is A and not B, then your statement is incorrect, i.e. you are wrong. It isn't rocket science.

Am I afraid of living in the US, NO.

The fact that you feel the need to have multiple guard dogs plus security systems plus a direct line to the police plus guns for 'self-defence' plus you never sleep soundly, would suggest that yes, you are afraid. But you've grown used to it and think it's normal. It isn't, not in the real world.

We do have decent gun laws in most states. The problem is we have a lot of ILLEGAL guns on the streets

You don't see the disconnect in those two sentences?

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The US government is run by lobbying and many people here have pointed out the NRA and their lobbyists. Money talks in Washingon. Gun violence will continue because the NRA will pay to ensure that guns never leave our society. For the NRA to claim it was the church's fault for not having guns in a peaceful house of worship is proof of their distorted logic. If I made this type of comment on Yahoo I would be verbally cut into pieces by the NRA's paid commenters.

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So, faced with the risk of their own death, they will of course shoot first.

Since there are no legal guns, and they are extremely difficult to get for criminals, robbers might either tie you up, or simply leave when they realize there's someone home. Not possible if there's guns involved, they would be shot when running away.

I really understand you're point and you might be right, but at the same time, put out the stats that racial attacks, assaults, knife attacks, anti-semitism, anti-muslim and anti-immigration is heavily on the rise and for many, many people they run the risk of being a victim of these crimes. That is one very disturbing fact and very scary. I do remember in Germany 20 years ago, when some Neo-Nazis burned down a refugee asylum home killing a bunch of people. You can make the same argument in many of those countries where you don't have a gun and someone enters in your home and whatever happens, you will have a very high chance of becoming a victim and be at the hands and mercy of the perpetrator(s) whereas, I would have the upper hand, even if the assailant is also carrying a firearm, we are matched and then it just boils down to other factors. So I am NOT saying your wrong, you make a good point, but at the same time, I know for a fact, I have a much clearer advantage having a gun, compared to NOT having one.

Now, you'll say they can just use knives. Sure, a couple percent of those homicide robberies will still end the same way with knives. However, it is a fact that it is easier to pull a trigger than to stab someone, and therefore, the end result will be fewer deaths.

I most definitely get your point, but I will tell you from what I heard and seen in the hospital, I really wouldn't want to get stabbed, nor shot either, but at least with a bullet, I'm not going to suffer most likely as to being stabbed. But that's just my opinion.

So once again it boils down to you saying: "My rights to be a complete and utter dipshit is more important than countless innocent lives lost every single year".

I don't see it quite like that, I already outlined my ideas for a possible and I think ideal solution.

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There's racism everywhere. It's not an American issue, it's a world issue.

But the thing this article doesn't touch on is the mental health issues we have in the U.S.

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Nothing unusual.

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@bass4funk

There is one critical thing that you and the other commenters arguing with you are forgetting. You claim that people will break into your home and you need a gun to protect yourself and your family. The ONLY reason why robberies end in death in the US in a much higher rate than in other relatively civilized countries is that criminals know you might have a gun. So, faced with the risk of their own death, they will of course shoot first. WE DO NOT HAVE THIS PROBLEM ELSEWHERE. Since there are no legal guns, and they are extremely difficult to get for criminals, robbers might either tie you up, or simply leave when they realize there's someone home. Not possible if there's guns involved, they would be shot when running away.

Now, you'll say they can just use knives. Sure, a couple percent of those homicide robberies will still end the same way with knives. However, it is a fact that it is easier to pull a trigger than to stab someone, and therefore, the end result will be fewer deaths. So once again it boils down to you saying: "My rights to be a complete and utter dipshit is more important than countless innocent lives lost every single year".

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I'm so sorry for the victims. The world is plenty of violence and racism, the future doesn't seem bright.

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...said the blind man.

I have perfect 20/20

it was you who brought up the point that it's all relative to the size of the country.

Yes, it was.

We are a nation with the 3rd largest population, so even though it seems like a lot of gun violence is going on its not, if you look at the entire picture. The fact that there is violence in other parts of the world, and that some loons kill without guns, doesn't change the fact that America has a higher rate of gun violence than either of the two countries that have larger populations than America and that by your logic should have more gun violence. Just be a grown-up and fess up that you were wrong.

How can I be wrong? It's not about right or wrong, the point is, NO matter where you go, you have the potential of encountering violence or someone violent. The US is a large nation with a lot of guns, but so what? Am I afraid of living in the US, NO. Am I scared to walk around and raise my kids there, NO. Have I in all my years living in one of the largest cities in the US seen people being shot or killed, NO. So regardless of the numbers you have, I don't feel less safe or danger or worried about violence, but I did encounter violence while I was in Europe and I have more reservations, but that's my experience and sorry, can't help it. We already went over why I love guns, mostly because I enjoy hunting, been doing so as a kid with my father and now as a father I take my kids. Also, I keep saying, I don't believe guns are the problem, it doesn't happen everyday that people are people are being shot by the thousands. When I go to the mall, which I do a lot, I don't see people dying there on a daily basis.

No one is saying that there is 'gun violence on every corner'. Just that there is way too much of it in America, and way more than in other comparable countries. And that there would be less gun violence if there were half-decent gun control laws.

We do have decent gun laws in most states. The problem is we have a lot of ILLEGAL guns on the streets, that is where the majority of homicides come from.

Heck, I often don't lock my door now, no worries.

You don't have bears either trying to get into your place do you now, we did.

So you're telling us again bass, that it isn't guns that are the problem, it's American people? Is that really what you mean to say?

For the most part yes and big chunk of them have mental problems, therefore, I do believe and I'm advocating to rebuild mental asylums to properly evaluate and if need be, lock up the people that show a high possibility of causing violence either to themselves or others. Then you would really see the gun violence go down.

But hang on, I nearly fell into the trap of taking you at your word there.

???

People die all the time in American prisons, do they? Killing each other without guns, are they? Let's look at some numbers, shall we?

The homicide rate in state prisons increased 24%, from 5 homicides per 100,000 state prisoners in 2011 to 7 per 100,000 in 2012. A total of 85 deaths by homicide, accounting for 2.5% of all deaths from all causes in state prisons in 2012. In contrast, in the same year there were 2953 deaths from illness and 205 suicides.

Which is still a lot and of course you have people being assaulted, raped, extorted, also gang violence and a lot that goes unreported, I know for a fact. The violence in California between the most notorious gangs is astounding, one of my good friends is a correctional officer a Pelican Bay and I'll take his word since he's been there for the past 6 years. There is a lot of bureaucratic and tweaking of the numbers as to the violence which is very high and now they are having problems with the prisons overcrowding which is causing more unrest and violence.

All the time, bass?

Seems that way from what I have been hearing. So I believe things I see with my own eyes or from people that have been there MORE than just looking at possible inflated numbers. For the record, I am NOT saying that report is wrong, but I do believe my friend because he works in one of the most famous and notorious prisons in the US. I know the violence is higher, because I know how these gangs operate, I interviewed a lot of these guys on a few occasions and these guys have an abundance of guns, ALL illegal. Very often they have to shoot someone as a final step for their gang initiation and if they can get into Pelican Bay, that is like a badge of honor for them, its like going to Harvard or Princeton, they can sharpen their skills and when they get out, they become better, lethal and more efficient killers, but most of the crimes are against OTHER gang members and personally if they shoot each other, I could care less. When you talk about moonbats killing people randomly on the streets, that just doesn't happen as often as you might think at least not in the general population and away from the infested gang neighborhoods.

So, you are living in L.A. and still there is a high probability that some group of thugs sooner or later assault your house, right ?

Where I live? Very, very unlikely, but you never know. I have an apartment in L.A. and house in Texas and I have a house in Japan, so I am usually 6 months in Japan and 6 months in the States mainly, but I travel a lot because of my job, but being in L.A. I feel safe because of where I live, I don't live anywhere near any gangs and in Texas I live in the countryside about an hour from Dallas, I know all my neighbors and do have my doors open, the only thing that I'm afraid of are pesky smelling skunks.

Are you going to insist that America is a perfect and safest place to live ?

Safest? No. Safer? Depending on where you live. Perfect? For me... Yes, indeed wouldn't trade it for the world!

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Wolfpack, I hope you're not basing this on him being half and half but identifying as African-American. Because half is more than one drop, last time I checked.

The one drop test meant that whether one had a distant relative that was black or if they were as much as half non-white then they were considered non-white. Why is Obama is agreeing with this racist policy from a long ago time? Due to inertia multi-racial people are still buying into the idea that they must pick a race. Jim Crowe died long ago yet multi-racial people are still under the sway of this racist policy. When a person is mixed race why do they have to reject part of their heritage? The shame for Obama is the branding of the parent that did not abandon him as a racist. America will soon be a nation with no racial majority. It's long past time to stop living in the past.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

@bass4funk"however, I have no idea what these people have when they break in. Pepper spray, knives, hack saws, clubs, bats, one, two or more people"

So, you are living in L.A. and still there is a high probability that some group of thugs sooner or later assault your house, right ? Are you going to insist that America is a perfect and safest place to live ?

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I see really no difference.

...said the blind man.

bass, it was you who brought up the point that it's all relative to the size of the country. We are a nation with the 3rd largest population, so even though it seems like a lot of gun violence is going on its not, if you look at the entire picture. The fact that there is violence in other parts of the world, and that some loons kill without guns, doesn't change the fact that America has a higher rate of gun violence than either of the two countries that have larger populations than America and that by your logic should have more gun violence. Just be a grown-up and fess up that you were wrong.

to even think that there is gun violence on every corner is a complete ruse and a fabricated lie

No one is saying that there is 'gun violence on every corner'. Just that there is way too much of it in America, and way more than in other comparable countries. And that there would be less gun violence if there were half-decent gun control laws.

We didn't even lock our doors until I was 17

Heck, I often don't lock my door now, no worries.

Just look at some of the prisons. They have NO guns and yet, people die all the time.

So you're telling us again bass, that it isn't guns that are the problem, it's American people? Is that really what you mean to say?

But hang on, I nearly fell into the trap of taking you at your word there. People die all the time in American prisons, do they? Killing each other without guns, are they? Let's look at some numbers, shall we?

http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/mljsp0012st.pdf

The homicide rate in state prisons increased 24%, from 5 homicides per 100,000 state prisoners in 2011 to 7 per 100,000 in 2012. A total of 85 deaths by homicide, accounting for 2.5% of all deaths from all causes in state prisons in 2012. In contrast, in the same year there were 2953 deaths from illness and 205 suicides.

All the time, bass?

6 ( +7 / -1 )

But if guns aren't necessary, and you don't need one, how does having one give you the upper hand?

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Why do you need them? In your own words, if you want to kill someone, you don't need a gun. But then you are saying you need a gun. Well which is it - do you need them or not

I don't need a gun per say, if it's person, I can handle myself very well, however, I have no idea what these people have when they break in. Pepper spray, knives, hack saws, clubs, bats, one, two or more people. I want the odds to be at all times in my favor, I want to have the upper hand and I want to be a bit on the safe side.

Hope that clarifies your confusion.

-6 ( +2 / -8 )

If you live in a country where you don't have a choice perhaps, but I do.

Why do you need them? In your own words, if you want to kill someone, you don't need a gun. But then you are saying you need a gun. Well which is it - do you need them or not?

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Then we don't need guns, right?

If you live in a country where you don't have a choice perhaps, but I do.

-6 ( +2 / -8 )

I knew a guy (american in CA) who didn't own a gun. But a glance at him & you'd think he had a few.

No. Instead he posted two signs on both sides of his property, "beware- gun owner". Plus he would periodically post a Confederate Flag near the front door and leave a couple empty beer cans there too. Believe me. NOBODY dared screw w/ him.

Then we don't need guns, right?

In some cases, no.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

if someone wants to kill you, they don't need a gun

Then we don't need guns, right?

6 ( +6 / -0 )

I'm a cautious person, maybe I do, maybe I don't, either way, I don't like taking any chances. You come into my house, you're not getting out, that's a promise.

Excellent comment bass. Glocks do the trick.

-6 ( +1 / -7 )

I don't understand the links you posted.

Then you need to look again. The point is, there is violence everywhere and you don't need a firearm to commit a violent act.

What do they have to do with the fact that, despite your claim that America only seems to have a lot of gun violence because it has a large population and as a percentage of the population it ain't really so bad, it in fact has a much larger rate of gun violence than the other two countries with larger populations?

I see really no difference. Violence is violence regardless what weapon you use to kill a person, the result is the same. The first time I ever saw a dead person was when I was in Iraq around 2004 and before that in Los Angeles, I never heard, seen anyone get shot or seen a dead body. So to even think that there is gun violence on every corner is a complete ruse and a fabricated lie. We didn't even lock our doors until I was 17. Again, I just believe the problem is something much deeper and I'm not buying the argument that NO guns or less guns will drop the murder rate. Just look at some of the prisons. They have NO guns and yet, people die all the time.

and the automatic call goes through to the police, you'll want to arm yourself with a fluffy cushion or the TV remote to deal with the intruder?

No, just my Glock, that'll be more than sufficient. If my dogs don't get him/them or if the cops don't come in a timely fashion.

Because you want to kill that intruder, right? And you don't need a gun to do it, right.

I'm a cautious person, maybe I do, maybe I don't, either way, I don't like taking any chances. You come into my house, you're not getting out, that's a promise.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

I like visiting the US, but I will always prefer to live in Japan, where there are no guns.

All the US bases in japan have armories. Oh my!! If you only knew all the "guns" that are in there. There are lots of guns in japan- but, always in the right hands. Not psycho's, libs and gangsters.

-5 ( +1 / -6 )

@bass, I don't understand the links you posted. What do they have to do with the fact that, despite your claim that America only seems to have a lot of gun violence because it has a large population and as a percentage of the population it ain't really so bad, it in fact has a much larger rate of gun violence than the other two countries with larger populations?

Basically it boils down the same thing, if someone wants to kill you, they don't need a gun

So... when your German Shepherds start barking and the automatic call goes through to the police, you'll want to arm yourself with a fluffy cushion or the TV remote to deal with the intruder? Because you want to kill that intruder, right? And you don't need a gun to do it, right?

2 ( +3 / -1 )

As a biracial person he has allowed himself to buy-in to the heinous one-drop rule whereby if you have any black ancestors you must reject the others and proclaim yourself black.

Wolfpack, I hope you're not basing this on him being half and half but identifying as African-American. Because half is more than one drop, last time I checked.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

bass4funkJUN. 21, 2015 - 03:13PM JSTWe are a nation with the 3rd largest population, so even though it seems like a lot of gun violence is going on its not, if you look at the entire picture.

Maybe you need to take Firearms 101 classes: compared with other industrialized nations, the U.S. has uniquely high mortality rates from firearm violence.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Taking the size of the population into account, the US does have a lot of gun violence going on. Nationmaster gives it an intentional homicide rate of 4.7, which does not compare favourably at all with India (large population, intentional homicide rate 2.8) or China (large population, intentional homicide rate 1.12).

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-27910099

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_terrorist_incidents,_2015

My favorite.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3093963/Violence-returned-Increase-knife-attacks-tourists-sees-Brazilian-police-step-patrols-Rio-Janeiro-fears-grow-hosting-2016-Olympics.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/20/world/europe/rise-of-far-right-party-in-denmark-reflects-europes-unease.html?_r=0

Basically it boils down the same thing, if someone wants to kill you, they don't need a gun, but as I constantly repeat myself, guns are for the most part not the issue, I think we have too many loons walking around. when I was growing up, we used to have mental institutions all over the place, we don't have that now. I really and truly believe, if we had mental asylums all over the country, gun deaths would go down dramatically. They could impose harsher and lengthier prison sentences for people possessing illegal firearms or make it mandatory 10 years if it's not registered and 10 years if you are caught carrying one and you don't have a license to carry. 20 years for shooting at someone other than an individual that wants to do you harm. There are many solutions that we can utilize without trying to take away guns from law abiding citizens.

Your dog barks loud enough to wake you up whenever anyone approaches the house? Your neighbours must love you.

I have 2 German Shepherds. My neighbors can't say anything, they have horses as well as dogs.

So you keep the ammunition with the weapon? I understand that isn't recommended.

Next to my gun in a safe.

Yes, we must remember you take pleasure in killing. An intruder would be a great excuse to take pot shots at a person instead of a bambi.

then the person shouldn't be fool and try to break into someone's house then they don't have to worry about being pumped up full of lead. If you do the crime, then you are willing to do the time, provided, you're not chewed up or shot up!

lol. I'd like to meet a person who can type 10 times faster than a professional typist without their fingers exploding.

It feels like that sometimes.

No need to apologise bass, I'm sure we've all noticed.

We all do. None of us are perfect.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

remember it's all relative to the size of the country. We are a nation with the 3rd largest population, so even though it seems like a lot of gun violence is going on its not, if you look at the entire picture

Taking the size of the population into account, the US does have a lot of gun violence going on. Nationmaster gives it an intentional homicide rate of 4.7, which does not compare favourably at all with India (large population, intentional homicide rate 2.8) or China (large population, intentional homicide rate 1.12).

not only do they know how to shoot and reload a Glock, they're also very good at using a rifle.

On their way to school??

I'm already up and ready, because I heard the barking.

Your dog barks loud enough to wake you up whenever anyone approaches the house? Your neighbours must love you.

it takes about a second, get my clip, put one in the chamber and I'm ready to rock and roll.

So you keep the ammunition with the weapon? I understand that isn't recommended.

I wil make sure, the cops find a dead person in my place

Yes, we must remember you take pleasure in killing. An intruder would be a great excuse to take pot shots at a person instead of a bambi.

I would love to meet a human that never, ever made a mistake while typing 576 WPM

lol. I'd like to meet a person who can type 10 times faster than a professional typist without their fingers exploding.

I do make mistakes

No need to apologise bass, I'm sure we've all noticed.

6 ( +8 / -2 )

Yes when you are at home in Texas but not the cases when you are in Japan or Europe. While the USA is the number one gun owning country Japan is 169 and Britain 60 something

That is true, but it happens nonetheless and remember it's all relative to the size of the country. We are a nation with the 3rd largest population, so even though it seems like a lot of gun violence is going on its not, if you look at the entire picture. If it were that bad, mass killings would be so bad you would probably hear 24 hours 7 days a week on the cycle news coverage, that's not the case.

Do your kids carry Glocks to school? If not, then they aren't protected at all. I hope you don't mind easy gun access for criminals.

They go to private schools and I'm talking about my residence. But yes, not only do they know how to shoot and reload a Glock, they're also very good at using a rifle.

They would first shoot or poison your poor dog.

By that time, I'm already up and ready, because I heard the barking.

If they had any sense they would come at night while you were sound asleep;

I'm a very light sleeper. I also have a very nice Home Secretary system.

the killing of the dog might wake you up, but you would still be groggy.

Honestly, I'm get so groggy and by the way, I forgot to mention, my wife also has a gun and is licensed. That's another obstacle for the criminals.

By the time you found your keys, unlocked the gun cupboard, loaded the gun with ammunition stored in a separate locked place (★) and taken aim, you'd long since be dead.

Ok, but on a serious note, I'm not that worried because by the time someone CAN/COULD bypass my alarm system, the police are automatically notified and on their way, but then I wil make sure, the cops find a dead person in my place, either way, he or they will have a difficult time leaving.

Coz remember, the perp has a gun, too. And he's wide awake from the start.

I keep my safe next to the nightstand and I have a touch sensitive finger ID lock, so it takes about a second, get my clip, put one in the chamber and I'm ready to rock and roll.

(★)You do keep the gun unloaded and locked away when not in use, to prevent accidents, don't you?

Yes, ma'am, I do.

Or are you one of those fools who keeps loaded guns lying around the house and then acts all surprised when a kid finds a gun and becomes yet another statistic by shooting either himself, a friend or a family member?

No, I do not.

And trying to impress the world with your knowledge of what kind of ammo you have kinda loses its edge when you get the spelling wrong. It's apparently Speer, not Spear.

I'm sorry, I keep forgetting, I'm supposed to be perfect and am not allowed to make any spelling mistakes. I would love to meet a human that never, ever made a mistake while typing 576 WPM. I'm very, good, but I do make mistakes. Thanks for focusing on that point and nothing else. By the way, I'm not trying to impress anyone with the ammo I use, I'm just saying, if anyone comes in, that's the present they will get.

Not every Journalist with very well-developed imagination to depict various scenarios of possible assault automatically becomes an expert of Guns and Ammo.

You'd be very surprised.

-6 ( +1 / -7 )

@cleo"It's apparently Speer, not Spear".

Not every Journalist with very well-developed imagination to depict various scenarios of possible assault automatically becomes an expert of Guns and Ammo.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I like visiting the US, but I will always prefer to live in Japan, where there are no guns.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

in my home if someone were to break in, they would have to get passed my dog and the second wall if they breached that would be met with some Hollow point 9mm CCI Spear 115. which should do the trick

They would first shoot or poison your poor dog. If they had any sense they would come at night while you were sound asleep; the killing of the dog might wake you up, but you would still be groggy. By the time you found your keys, unlocked the gun cupboard, loaded the gun with ammunition stored in a separate locked place (★) and taken aim, you'd long since be dead. Coz remember, the perp has a gun, too. And he's wide awake from the start.

(★)You do keep the gun unloaded and locked away when not in use, to prevent accidents, don't you? Or are you one of those fools who keeps loaded guns lying around the house and then acts all surprised when a kid finds a gun and becomes yet another statistic by shooting either himself, a friend or a family member?

And trying to impress the world with your knowledge of what kind of ammo you have kinda loses its edge when you get the spelling wrong. It's apparently Speer, not Spear.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

bass: I still have my Glock. I don't have to worry about being a victim in the states

Do your kids carry Glocks to school? If not, then they aren't protected at all. I hope you don't mind easy gun access for criminals.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

so you never leave the hotel room. You could be mugged anytime anywhere and don't think size helps. A 6' 6" friend, a giant of a man was mugged at the entrance to the subway.

This is very true, however, in my home if someone were to break in, they would have to get passed my dog and the second wall if they breached that would be met with some Hollow point 9mm CCI Spear 115. which should do the trick. Either way, the person would have a very bad day.

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

Exactly, that's what makes gun ownership not justifiable. Glad you agree.

meaning for clarification, you have assaults, knife attacks, extortion, intimidation, Neo nazi violence on the sharp rise and I'm saying, here in the states, I don't have to worry about someone physically harming me in the states, because people will usually think twice before hoping my fence. If my dog doesn't shred them to bits, I still have my Glock. I don't have to worry about being a victim in the states and it won't happen in Europe because I wouldn't put myself in any position to being mugged.

You actually think that response makes some sort of sense, don't you.

Yup!

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

If Europe had the same level of lax gun ownership as the US, a lot of the violence you saw in Europe would be a whole lot bloodier and a whole lot deadlier,

Come on! So that makes it justifiable? I really don't think so.

Exactly, that's what makes gun ownership not justifiable. Glad you agree.

Strangerland - Shame on you! You know it's cruel to mock the afflicted.

Don't be so harsh! It's not your fault, Cleo, my dear.

You actually think that response makes some sort of sense, don't you.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

If Europe had the same level of lax gun ownership as the US, a lot of the violence you saw in Europe would be a whole lot bloodier and a whole lot deadlier,

Come on! So that makes it justifiable? I really don't think so.

and likely way more than three people you know would be dead. Letting people have guns 'for self-defence' also makes them available for use in violent crimes. So your argument doesn't hold up.

Hmmm....I would say NOT EXACTLY to that argument. You are possibly right on the gun issue, but when it comes to street crimes, knife fights, attacks in immigrants and or racial attacks then the numbers move up. So actually in that sense, it's pretty much relative.

Strangerland - Shame on you! You know it's cruel to mock the afflicted.

Don't be so harsh! It's not your fault, Cleo, my dear.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

I lived in Europe for over 20 years, I have seen more than my share of violence and a lot of it I'll tell you this, had some of these people owned a gun at least 3 people I personally know would be alive today. So your argument doesn't hold up.

If Europe had the same level of lax gun ownership as the US, a lot of the violence you saw in Europe would be a whole lot bloodier and a whole lot deadlier, and likely way more than three people you know would be dead. Letting people have guns 'for self-defence' also makes them available for use in violent crimes. So your argument doesn't hold up.

Strangerland - Shame on you! You know it's cruel to mock the afflicted.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

Guns aren't really the problem it's the damned parrots.

Exactly.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

I'm crying from the irony

2 ( +4 / -2 )

BS means Broadcasting Satellite,

Sorry, I meant Bull S***.

As for Putin, I listened his speeches and statements, very-well translated on various languages, including English. You know, he looks up much more intelligent, educated and even sane by comparison to top persons of US Administration.

The same could be said about Obama with all the wizardry of cameras and a teleprompter.

And he is responsible for his actions. If missions in Crimea, Chechnya or Georgia were accomplished, they were really accomplished.

Crimea, Georgia?? You serious?

Name then any other country where people possess lots of legal and illegal firearms and where people time to time shoot to death innocent neighbors, bystanders including elderly persons, women, children?

Yes, but if we talk about other weapons used like knives and physical assaults then it goes back up. Don't even start, I lived in Europe for over 20 years, I have seen more than my share of violence and a lot of it I'll tell you this, had some of these people owned a gun at least 3 people I personally know would be alive today. So your argument doesn't hold up.

Even your policemen treat your countrymen much worse than wild animals.

Unlike Europe where often in protests people sit and attack cops, you think in America, the thugs should prevail and the cops should allow lawlessness and just let the people vent, allow rioting and looting and let the crowds do whatever they want? So if the police treat these thugs like animals, it's because they brought it on themselves and if they listen, do as they are told, disperse when ordered, they don't have to worry about anything. I covered enough riots in my career as a Journalist and I know for a fact, when I cop tells you something, you just do it, don't argue with them, because you will not win.

If you want the real source of polarization in our country look no further than the hate mongering -day in, day out, FOX news, Council of Conservative Citizens, Ann Coulter, Michelle Malkin, Rush Limbaugh,

So what you are saying, if these people point out liberal hypocrisy and shine the light on what liberals do as far as being hypocritical and use tactics like Race and false accusations of Racism and violence as an only conservative issue (which is complete insane nonsense) they are supposed to just let it go. Thank God for them, because if we didn't have these people, the country would run amok with one-sided liberal propaganda all day long just like back in the old days where the only place conservatives could say anything was on the old Crossfire on CNN that was it. Now thanks to Fox where you have both sides representing both views, at least the Libs that work at FOX aren't deep trenched in the Kool aid abyss. We can talk about firearms discuss the issue and politely disagree, that's the normal way to get through this issue. You guys on the other hand don't want to hear it. Just get rid of guns and if you own or like guns, you are a terrible person, a sell out, a violent person. Now you have a voice that can give two sides of POV to political and social issues and that is exactly what diversity is. You should embrace it. I sure as hell do!

and it's the low info Obama-obsessed parrots who almost pathologically drone on about "libs", "libtards", "proggies" "progtards", "Anointed one".

Facts are facts, what can I say.

Guns aren't really the problem it's the damned parrots.

Exactly.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Wolfpack: [Obama] has not personally had to endure much of any racism in his life.

Thanks a lot for taking the time to explain this to me.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

If you want the real source of polarization in our country look no further than the hate mongering -day in, day out, FOX news, Council of Conservative Citizens, Ann Coulter, Michelle Malkin, Rush Limbaugh, and it's the low info Obama-obsessed parrots who almost pathologically drone on about "libs", "libtards", "proggies" "progtards", "Anointed one".

Guns aren't really the problem it's the damned parrots.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

I am recommending that all these comments posted in Japan Today be preserved so that readers don't have to post them over and over again whenever this happens in the USA. Just click and automatically the posts appear and will save everyone lots of time.

Naturally since no action or law will ever be passed to remedy this gun sickness it will happen again and again with every American hoping "not in my backyard" or worse yet, "not to my family".

1 ( +1 / -0 )

There is an interesting pattern in these comments. A small observation . . .

What other country, (as per your own experience on the internet), has the same level of vitriol, inspiration, earnest idiocy and disinterest?

America, among all the bizarre nation examples of the world, stands as one that has more interest directed towards it's internal and external influence. And, is best able to access remedy.

With the endless parade of slaughter, is it, the American just simply accepts his fate? 'We are guns' or 'Guns us be'?

There was a time when America meant great ideas, promise and integrity. Those shifting sands must be very hard to feel under a too compacted, and ignored, colon cancer of guilt.

Strong words:

"A timeline of gun violence has included thousands of innocent lives achieving no protection or defense of any freedom."

Some are still imagining this is ok, maybe members of the NRA?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

There is racism and discrimination all around the world, from Britain to China to Myanmar and Oz. Anybody who wants to complain about the US alone on that matter really isn't looking at the rest of the world. Now if you want to say the US has a culture of using violence to settle disagreements that other countries don't seem to have that seems pretty fair, for most.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

@zurcronium

It seems that you aren't able to correctly process and understand TV news. It's better for you to stop getting news from the TV media. Saying that blacks are 13% of the U.S. population and commit 54% of the total murders is a verifiable fact from the crimes reported. That is an undeniable fact. However, you hear that on Fox News and incorrectly believe they are suggesting the majority of blacks are murderers. That's the problem.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

@bass4funk "Listen to what ? His BS ?"

BS means Broadcasting Satellite, a national satellite television system for TV owners. As for Putin, I listened his speeches and statements, very-well translated on various languages, including English. You know, he looks up much more intelligent, educated and even sane by comparison to top persons of US Administration. And he is responsible for his actions. If missions in Crimea, Chechnya or Georgia were accomplished, they were really accomplished.

"I don't think the US is sicker than any other country"

Name then any other country where people possess lots of legal and illegal firearms and where people time to time shoot to death innocent neighbors, bystanders including elderly persons, women, children ? Even your policemen treat your countrymen much worse than wild animals.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

So many off the wall comments and going deep in history stuff is silly. This latest shooter has limited knowledge of American history and obvious mental disease. Statistics are debatable and funny when you think of mass stabbings in countries where guns are limited. I live in America and not the recipient of a quality life here. I will visit Japan and leave my guns at home but I will feel naked without them. People are what make this life a pleasure or a pain and as far as violence goes death can come at the hands of a rock to the skull.

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

Affirmative bias at its worst.

When Major Nidal Hassan shot 13 people at Fort Hood to shouts of "Allah Akbar", the press and politicians were stumbling over each other to dismissit it as an individual psychological problem. Any mention of ideology or guns was poohood.

Fast forward to this made-for-the-PC-narrative, and all we well be hearing for the forseeable future are PC stories about white racism and guns.

The double standards are fascinating.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

I don't think the US is sicker than any other country truth be told. I have seen my share of scary and sick people in my travels and you don't need a gun to be sick.

Exactly. Look @ all the people stabbed (by their own family members) here, on a weekly basis. "Boy A" is set free after hacking kids n' cats. Sick moms leaping to their deaths w/ child. Suicides. . . etc.

Look @ southern part of North America. Mexico- a state controlled by cartels overpowering the actual gov. & its people.

Jordan, the armpit of the ME. Lets not talk about ME, Iran etc.

-2 ( +4 / -6 )

The newspaper said in an editorial that America seems to have moved backward in racial relations since Obama’s election

The Independent is exactly correct about that. Obama has always believed in racial discrimination. He supports institutionalized affirmative action racism and has invented 'disparate impact' as another form of institutionally enforced discrimination. Unfortunately, he even considered his own mother to be racist. As a biracial person he has allowed himself to buy-in to the heinous one-drop rule whereby if you have any black ancestors you must reject the others and proclaim yourself black. Obama has always been quick to defend minorities and blame white people before the facts are known. He has not personally had to endure much of any racism in his life. However he has always been quick to assume any white person (especially policeman) involved in an incident with a black person is a racist. When the facts later show that he was wrong he never apologizes for it so the lie only festers and further divides the nation along racial and political lines.

What happened in Charleston is an example of real racism. All of the other faux racism claims going back to the George Zimmerman case has just been Left wing talking points used for political gain. Since it's inception the Democrat party has always used race for political gain. They do not want a color blind society and do nothing to promote one. A more color blind society would make it much harder to get people to vote against their own self-interests as they do now when they vote Democrat because of some factional bereavement. Obama had a chance to unite American across racial lines. He chose revenge and spite instead.

Guns in the hands of people with mental health problems like Roof and the black racist Colin Ferguson who murdered multiple white people on a Long Island train are indeed a problem. As-long-as there is a Second Amendment right to bear arms exists American society will continue to need to find ways to keep guns away from those with mental problems. The NRA has not been helpful in this regard.

At this point I am not totally convinced that Roof is just mentally ill. If that were the case it would at least explain why such a terrible thing happened. It is a shame that the heightened racial polarization promoted by the Obama administration could have contributed to the occurrence of this horrible crime.

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

The NRA's only solution to problems like this is more guns.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Yep, the US is great at bailing countries out after bombing them (Japan, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, the list goes on) and then makes money by selling their weaponry to them!

You forgot to mention food, technology just to name a few.

What a business model! Guns (weapons) are just big business for the US.

And other things as well.

" My children will not be killed by because of their skin color instead of their crimes.". USA hates African Black people more than any part of the world.

If that were true, we wouldn't have a Black President in Washington now.

When US was founded, natives were slaughtered as animals. Thirteen colonies were became federation with river of blood.

Tell me a time in history where slaughtering didn't take place. I could give you a list, but then the Mods would tell me I'm off topic, but it's safe to say, Europe had a head start before there even was an America.

In our time, African Americans were killed, tortured and bullied by White policemen. Victims were not pure and innocent as Snow white. However most of them were unarmed and unresistant when they were killed. Some mad men killed kindergarten kids, university students of Oklahoma and movie goers.

We live in different times and that is not the typical norm, but a bigger question is, why do you not talk about the out of control Black on Black crime in Chicago. This week about 28 homicides were committed by other Blacks and this is a daily occurrence. So what you are saying is that Black Americans are equally as violent as White Americans.

Therefore USA is the champion in the world for the killing innocent people.

Where is your proof of this.

No matter how many babies and church goers have been killed, pro Gun lobby group will debate as "Gun does not kill people". "" A good guy with Gun is needed for defeating a bad guy with Gun".

I can't speak for other people, but my main purpose of owning a gun is for hunting.

The whole world is so disgusted about Wild West uncivilized America is killing and killing again.

America is disgusted with the World willingly taking our money or technology our food and aid, and trying to dictate to us what we should be allowed to have and what not, that's ok, then America is good, but other than that...

Every single time the world is in a jam or needs money, it's usually the US that keeps bailing everyone out. Not bad for an uncivilized country.

If you don't like guns, it is quite alright, but don't make me give up my firearms, ain't gonna happen.

I remember meeting a Canadian one time, who I asked about the difference between Canadians and Americans. He said 'America became a country through war. Canada became a country through peace treaties. America is still at war, Canada is still at peace'.

Too peaceful that's why soon many of them are coming to the US to live and get away from all that peace.

LOL. How he can cooperate with the world when western powers declared him rogue leader of rogue country and refused to listen him ?

Listen to what? His BS?!

Nice example of twisted logic. People are dying everyday, being victims of gun violence but you and some of your countrymen still keep trying to prove that "America is the best country in the world and you have a right to bear firearms".

The Russians that live in L.A. and NYC do, very much so in fact.

If it is not a sick society then what is it in reality?

I don't think the US is sicker than any other country truth be told. I have seen my share of scary and sick people in my travels and you don't need a gun to be sick.

All whites no, conservative whites yes. Denying the race baiting tactics of fox news and other sources is pretending to be blind.

Give it up, it's not about Fox, the race card has been played out so much by msnbc and even CNN, but you just conveniently gloss over that right. If you blame Blacks in cities like Chicago for the out of control crime, you are a racist. Tell me something, why doesn't Al Sharpton go around and harass Blacks that are killing other Blacks at and exceptionally high rate.

A huge chunk of white republican party still thinks Obama is a muslim from Africa.

He sure acts like one, just sayin'.....

Donald Trump now running for President as a republican led that whole useless and silly effort and at one point the majority of white republicans believed it to be true.

You do know he is really a Democrat. Do you know he's good friends with Hilary and with Nancy Pelosi?

That is a white racist media singing to a white racist choir.

That would be pretty much the progressive left.

And the white racist terrorist Roof believed the propaganda that fox news and others promoted everyday in the USA.

Where is your proof that Roof got that from FOX or for any other cable network or are you just spinning again.

Fox news rarely states facts, that is proven by research.

But how many of them are independent and NOT left?

They promote propaganda like suggesting that all blacks are murderers.

Who specifically said ALL Blacks are murders? Hmmm..for a network that hates Blacks so much, wonder why they have so many working there. ROFL

Or that blacks are taking over the country which is what the terrorist Roof picked up on in order to justify murder in a church.

That was Roof's rant.

Fox news is a racist media source because their demographic, old, white, conservative, 94% republican is often racist too.

Actually it's around 35 years age range to about 70, but usually by that time in most peoples lives, they tend to become more serious about life, more conservative and have a better overall outlook on geopolitics, money, social issues. Also, you have more Democrats watching Fox than the other networks as to obtain their news source, so that means, you have a lot of young and old Dems watching as well.

You know, the ones that believe Obama is from Kenya.

-8 ( +2 / -10 )

People accuse Bill O'Reiley and others of racism when they don't like hearing the truth.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/27/bill-oreilly-los-angeles-riots-story-guardian_n_6768636.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qy-Y3HJNU_s (they cut out the end audio (now), but that was the best part)

==> When you have a 2 party system you need controlled even angry opposition and O'reilly does his part very well.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

american bengoshi,

Fact is that blacks make up nearly 13% of the USA pppulatoin. Blacks make up less than 1% of the house republicans. How can that be? There are just two black republican house members out of 247 in total. Last year there were zero. The odds on that happening without some reason are millions to one. But it is a fact and the reason why is racist.

Fox news rarely states facts, that is proven by research. They promote propaganda like suggesting that all blacks are murderers. Or that blacks are taking over the country which is what the terrorist Roof picked up on in order to justify murder in a church. Fox news is a racist media source because their demographic, old, white, conservative, 94% republican is often racist too. You know, the ones that believe Obama is from Kenya.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Every country has racism and craziness, and sometimes, they manifest into violence. But what pro-gun people need to realize is that if society makes it easy to acquire guns, the manifestation of violence will be that much faster and easier, since guns are machines designed to easily harm. The US and their gun laws is quite disturbingly unique in this regard, as well as their mentality of "more guns = less gun violence". And the reasoning of "we need guns to protect us from tyranny of the government" is so outdated that for anyone to bring that up as a reasoning today would be seen as a joke. Some countries don't even allow the carrying of large knives or axes in public areas, let alone guns. And unsurprisingly, they have less violent crimes happening. It's really as simple as that.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

@Zurcronium

Fox News is not a racist organization. People accuse Bill O'Reiley and others of racism when they don't like hearing the truth. For example, liberals don't like to hear O'Reiley state that blacks are 13% of the U.S. population but commit 54% of the total murders. That crime statistic is an absolute fact that comes from government crime reporting. It's not racist behavior to point out facts like that and hold blacks responsible and demand change. Just because people don't want to hear the truth on Fox News doesn't make it racist.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Well sorry world but the US is not full of racism and violence, regardless of what the media and agenda driven politicians would claim.

Racism is significantly more pervasive in most other countries and violence as well. Or has the rest of the world forgotten the countries where entire races and religious sects are being wiped out by Islamic state and boko haram? European racism and class division is worse than anything in America and psychos who do random mass killings with guns, poisons and explosives happens all over the world for at least the last 100 years.

America is still the safest place to live, the least racist and is the best place for women especially. I have lived and worked in a dozen countries, just over 100 cities and for safety and diversity, America is the place to be.

The fact the media sensationalizes isolated incidents of violence for money doesn't change reality. The fact the liberal politicians fabricate riots for political gain doesn't make their fallacy real.

-4 ( +4 / -8 )

21 year-old Dylann Roof was charged with felony possession in February, 2015: According to South Carolina court documents, Roof was arrested in Lexington County on felony charges of possession of cocaine, methamphetamine and LSD on February 28, 2015. This alone disqualified him from legal carry and purchase of a firearm. In South Carolina, you only have to be charged with a felony to lose your 2nd Amendment right. Roof would have failed a background check to purchase a firearm. It was earlier reported that his father purchased him a handgun for his 21st birthday(that would likely qualify as a Straw Man purchase) . Roof's birthday is listed as April 4, 1994. His 21st birthday was this past April. Two months after he's charged with a felony his father buys him a gun? This means if his father purchased a gun for his birthday it was a straw purchase, a felony, punishable by up to 10 years in jail and a $250,000 fine.  In order for laws to work, criminals (in this case, both father and son) must follow them.  Exit question: Was this the firearm used in the massacre?  *Jim Hoft reports that the firearm used in the massacre was stolen from his mother. Same gun? Her gun? Either way, he stole a firearm, another felony charge.  **ALSO: CNN reports that the family changed their story and claims that Roof was given birthday money to purchase a gun and they "don't know what he did with [the money]." Bottom line: He was ineligible to carry in any case and the truth will out in this. Three things to consider, however: 1) If Roof, who was ineligible due to the pending felony charges (remember, charges only for ineligibility in SC) purchased a firearm through a storefront, that store will likely face charges and lose their FFL. It's a violation of federal law to make an illegal sale such as this.  2) If such a sale was allowed to go through and his 4473 wasn't flagged, who in the state did not note this on his record? What is the point of having a law that a felony charge renders someone ineligible to excercise 2A if nothing is noted on the record to prevent a background check from going through? What is the point of laws if the state refusese or fails to enforce them?  3) The family could be lying to avoid an investigation into a felony straw man purchase.  Indeed, the truth will out. 

5 ( +5 / -0 )

All you anti-USA commenters are really misguided by the media. If you (visited) lived in the US, and stayed with a common middle-class or upper middle-class folks- you know we're not a "violent" & "racist " country.

If you stayed in the "ghetto" (not so responsible people) then . . . the savage gun stories are true. (So many dems & libs there).

I vote (GOP), pay taxes, served the US "honorably", and own guns. My pals too. Amazing how WE (responsible citizens) have lawfully maintained our composure and respect laws. Unlike the lawlessness of libs in possession of a firearm. Heroin Sucks!!

-9 ( +4 / -12 )

bass

Yep, the US is great at bailing countries out after bombing them (Japan, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, the list goes on) and then makes money by selling their weaponry to them! What a business model! Guns (weapons) are just big business for the US.

3 ( +7 / -4 )

I don't think people on the outside and who have never been all over the US truly understand it. I mean, the demographics of race, religion, and cultural heritage differ wildly from state to state. People from all over the world, many whom are desperate for a new life and raised on many different kinds of cultural norms and ideals, have thrust themselves into a neighborhood with people who also have their own set of cultural beliefs and no one wants to adapt to one country.

Everyone wants the country to cater to them, change for them. Why aren't their laws to protect Blacks? Well, why don't we have laws to protect Mexicans? We were here first, the southwest was ours. What about Native Americans? We are the true Americans. Why can't us illegal immigrants get a driver's license, we work harder than legal immigrants. We don't want to say the Pledge of Allegiance because we don't believe in God. Why can't I draw a funny cartoon about Islam? Everyone wants their rights and their freedoms and they feel like everyone is getting special treatment.

America is a country of immigrants and most never left home in their hearts and still want to live how they lived in their countries where they had to steal to feed their families, conflicts were settled with violence, you stick to your kind and we stick to ours.

Asian countries like Japan have no idea what it's like to live in a country where 98% of people weren't raised under the same military rule for years or the same cultural norms for thousands of years. America was and is sadly a we have to do the best we can on the fly because our demographics are constantly changing because of rising numbers of minority groups.

When people move to Japan, there's largely a sense of I have to fit in. When people move to the US, there's a much larger sense of entitlement like, Ok, I'm here, where do I get what's mine! Make way, I'm coming through!

0 ( +4 / -4 )

Strangerland: It may help Americans realize why their country has been in one war after another ever since its inception.

You're angry about guns so you're turning to cheap and easy arguments about the entire history of the US and that's pretty much where we part ways. Keep it up and you'll lose the support from other Americans who might agree with your point of views on guns.

I remember meeting a Canadian one time, who I asked about the difference between Canadians and Americans. He said 'America became a country through war. Canada became a country through peace treaties. America is still at war, Canada is still at peace'.

Oh, boy. I'm not sure where you're from, but I just don't think you have a very strong background in American history. I usually like what you write but you're coming out of left field on this one.

Noble713: Which means it is a demand-driven problem. We can expect the same sort of ineffectiveness with tighter gun controls at the national level.

The NRA and gun supporters haven't been able to get all gun control laws off the books, but they've done the next best thing with loopholes. Can't buy in Chicago? Drive 10 minutes to a different area. Convicted felon? No worries, you can't have a gun......but your roommate can. Background check issues? Easy.....go to a gun show or buy it in person from a private seller.

The NRA simultaneously works to water down laws while saying laws aren't effective. That's probably one of their greatest success stories.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

“Guns are in their constitution,” said Joanna Leung, a 34-year-old Toronto resident. “I’m pretty sure no one else has anything similar. I never understand why they think gun violence is going to solve anything.”

This one (from the article) really struck me funny. It is very common for Canadians to be gun owners. I honestly believe it is a Vitamin D issue for these people even in the Summer.

-5 ( +0 / -5 )

@nogardflow

Noble713, I hear the Chicago example so often, even though it's ridiculous, I have to respond. Look at the lax gun laws >surrounding Chicago, it's near impossible to enforce a law if the adjacent areas don't have complementary laws.

Which means it is a demand-driven problem. We can expect the same sort of ineffectiveness with tighter gun controls at the national level. We have strict drug laws....and still have an immense problem with cross-border cocaine imports. So if demand for a product (in this case lethal firearms) is so overwhelming, how do we expect to do any better controlling them? The usual solution to the drug war is "legalize and tax drugs" to cut organized crime out of the equation. But we already have a "legalize and tax" regime in place for firearms, so going in the opposite direction isn't likely to improve things, given that we are doing nothing to control the demand-side of the equation.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

Let's talk about guns but also not forget to talk about white domestic terrorism and racism. This is not a random act, but a hate crime.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Who needs IS or Al Qaeda when you have your own populace shooting each other?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

"Are you serious?"

Yes I am. Europe is rife with racism. So I'm shocked that we're shocked. The rest of your post has nothing to do with what I wrote.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Here's my theory, for what its worth:

corporations have tremendous power in the U.S., and that includes the gun manufacturers. They hire news agencies to scare people into thinking that the government is out to take their guns away from them, so gun enthusiasts rush out and buy more guns. Meanwhile, gun laws keep getting made more and more lax, thanks to politicians on the payroll of the NRA, so anyone who wants to can get a gun without government oversight. The only ones who profit from this mess are the gun manufacturers. The ones who lose are John Q. Public.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Dylan Roof has confessed to his killings saying he wanted to start a race war because blacks were taking over the world and raping white women. How does such a young person have so much hate and so many distorted views.

Dylan Roof was a pill-popping shut-in who spent most of his time on white power extremist hate-sites. Thanks, internet. I'm sure growing up in South Carolina didn't help much either.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Madevetss

Europe is racist no different to the US

Are you serious? African British death in custody during 100 years of UK was lower than African American death in custody during one month of US. No wonder Martin Luther King Junior said that I wish

" My children will not be killed by because of their skin color instead of their crimes.". USA hates African Black people more than any part of the world.

Yamashi

"America is the best country in the world and you have a right to bear firearms"

During Europeans settlement in North America, bearing firearms were reasonable for protecting farmland and live stock and properties from native Americans.

When US was founded, natives were slaughtered as animals. Thirteen colonies were became federation with river of blood.

In our time, African Americans were killed, tortured and bullied by White policemen. Victims were not pure and innocent as Snow white. However most of them were unarmed and unresistant when they were killed. Some mad men killed kindergarten kids, university students of Oklahoma and movie goers.

Therefore USA is the champion in the world for the killing innocent people. No matter how many babies and church goers have been killed, pro Gun lobby group will debate as "Gun does not kill people". "" A good guy with Gun is needed for defeating a bad guy with Gun".

The whole world is so disgusted about Wild West uncivilized America is killing and killing again.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

I started reading this, then thought "Why am I wasting my time? Nothing will ever change." and stopped reading.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

You can't impute the racist behavior of one white crackpot to an entire nation of white people. Thanks for playing

All whites no, conservative whites yes. Denying the race baiting tactics of fox news and other sources is pretending to be blind. A huge chunk of white republican party still thinks Obama is a muslim from Africa. Donald Trump now running for President as a republican led that whole useless and silly effort and at one point the majority of white republicans believed it to be true. That is a white racist media singing to a white racist choir. And the white racist terrorist Roof believed the propaganda that fox news and others promoted everyday in the USA.

“On Fox News, they could not decide if this was absolutely not the right time to talk about guns, or absolutely not the right time to talk about racism,” Maher continued. “And yet, you know, the shooter purposely went to a black church, he told the victims he had to do it because they were ‘taking over,’ he wore pro-Apartheid stickers on his jacket, his friends said he was big into segregation, he talked about starting ‘a race war,’ so naturally, when it comes to what motivated him, Republicans are stumped. They are. They cannot figure it out!”

South Carolina has 16 white supremacist organizations operating in the state. 16. Game over, thanks for playing.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

It's emotive, and it's something you can say about almost every country on earth.

Not really.

To that end, do statements like these help or hurt the conversation?

It may help Americans realize why their country has been in one war after another ever since its inception.

I remember meeting a Canadian one time, who I asked about the difference between Canadians and Americans. He said 'America became a country through war. Canada became a country through peace treaties. America is still at war, Canada is still at peace'.

5 ( +8 / -3 )

Noble713, I hear the Chicago example so often, even though it's ridiculous, I have to respond. Look at the lax gun laws surrounding Chicago, it's near impossible to enforce a law if the adjacent areas don't have complementary laws.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

@bass4funk "...you can't have any dialogue when you have a self-centered, ego-maniac unwilling to cooperate with the world, let alone the USA".

LOL. How he can cooperate with the world when western powers declared him rogue leader of rogue country and refused to listen him ? Nice example of twisted logic. People are dying everyday, being victims of gun violence but you and some of your countrymen still keep trying to prove that "America is the best country in the world and you have a right to bear firearms". If it is not a sick society then what is it in reality ?

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Bah Europe is racist no different to the US.

It's just harder however to obtain a gun.

A five year old can see the pattern above, but not America's corrupt law-makers. Politicians bought and owned by "lobbying" - which translates elsewhere in English to "bribery".

It isn't just the guns the problem.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

I never understand why they think gun violence is going to solve anything.”

This country was created by people who used gun violence to address their grievances. We are a nation born out of an armed rebellion. It's the clearest example of violence solving a problem.

The leftist Mexico City newspaper La Jornada said the U.S. has become a “structurally violent state” where force is >frequently used domestically and internationally to resolve differences.

THIS I agree with. The US government definitely uses force to solve all of it's problems. Why is the Department of Defense so huge but the Peace Corps so small? Why do we incarcerate more people than China? To quote Star Wars: "The more you tighten your grip, the more star systems will slip through your fingers."

@zichi

States with stronger gun laws have less gun deaths than those states with weaker laws.

Are you sure about that? Chicago, for example, has consistently led the US in gun-related deaths and the city has a near-total firearms ban. In 2012 more civilians were killed in Chicago gun violence than we lost soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Similar violence plagues major cities like DC and New York, also with extremely strict gun laws."

I had some other comments comparing firearms (a dangerous right) to alcohol (a dangerous recreational privilege) but I assume the censors had a problem with that....

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

bass: I want more mental institutions built to house these crazies that might be on the verge of going batty.

OK, but what do you want to do about gun violence?

strangerland: America was born of war with England, and grew up with slavery. How is is that comment ridiculous?

It's emotive, and it's something you can say about almost every country on earth. To that end, do statements like these help or hurt the conversation?

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

The USA is a relatively new country and culture. Only discovered and settled a little over 400 years ago by all sorts of Europeans who brought their morals, cultures and weapons to this new world that is called the Americas. When the United States of America was legally formed in 1776, the right to bear arms was needed to protect a population that was for the most part an agricultural society but over the decades the same mentality has endured. Weapons like guns were necessary to protect your log cabin from wild animals, Indians or other settlers. Remember the USA was a frontier and the people who settled it were a tough bunch of men and women so that culture still is ingrained into their culture. Gun possession is really no longer a necessity for survival against an attack on your family or to hunt for food to feed your family but that culture still exists and is part of the constitution and it will be a long road before the right to bear arms is erased form the constitution. Personally I am more scared of a policeman with a gun than a robber with a gun. The cop will get off and the criminal will go to jail and that sucks. The NRA and it's lobbyists have brainwashed the general population that in order to maintain their safety every citizen needs to be armed to the teeth. If there were law abiding police that judiciously used their guns only when absolutely necessary the USA would be a better place and have some respect from the rest of the world.

2 ( +6 / -4 )

Don't be shocked about racism! Be shocked about the prevalent acceptance of guns in the US! And whenever somebody states the obvious, that guns have only one purpose (to harm, or kill), rather than to protect, then some pro-gun nut chimes in and cries like a baby that has it's baby toy about to be taken away.

10 ( +10 / -0 )

People here don't realize that every country has pockets of racism but this is the Anti-American comment section so give me 20 Thumbs Down. I don't care....

-8 ( +4 / -12 )

Nice Willb. Doing your best to try to minimize the exposure of the fact that this incident was entirely based in racism.

12 ( +13 / -1 )

This guy is clearly both a nutcase and a rabid racist, but does anybody notice, how "white" is the first word with which the press described this incident? Whereas in case of black-on-white crimes the racial identity of the perpetrator is never mentioned. In fact, one can practically be sure that when there is only mention of "youth" or "man", the offender is black. This hypocrisy should end. Either mention race or don´t, but not these double standards.

-8 ( +2 / -10 )

Let me make clear that the Violence Policy Center was countering assertions by the NRA and others who were claiming the necessity of guns in self-defense, meaning bang, bang. Here is a quote from the Japan Times:

"Contrary to what the gun lobby argues, personal firearms in the United States are rarely used for self-defense, a gun control advocacy group said Wednesday.

"In an analysis of FBI and other federal government data, the nonprofit Violence Policy Center said Americans are far more likely to hurt themselves or others when handling a lethal weapon.

"In 2012, it said, only 259 'justifiable homicides' involving a private citizen were reported, compared to 8,342 criminal homicides committed with a gun."

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/06/18/world/social-issues-world/contrary-lobby-claims-personal-firearms-u-s-rarely-used-self-defense-study-finds/#.VYTsw1yzhlI

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Easy! Why do Americans need guns? Well, the source is that no one trusts anyone else.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

It was this guy's father who gave him the gun as a 21st birthday present. So even if he was a "loon", he still would have gotten the gun.

It is actually being reported now that the father gave him only money for his birthday, but they are not reporting how much money.

When will the rights of people like these nine victims trump the rights of the folks who want to have the right to carry a weapon in public capable of ending another's life?

Do you believe those rights are mutually exclusive?

-6 ( +0 / -6 )

Racism comes in all colors, shapes, and forms. Racism and nationalism interplay with each other in very subtle way, and are found on every countries. Education, responsibility, and accountability will help people to nurture one another in more productive way. Those who have no sin would cast the first stone do not work anymore. Today, many jump on the wagon, breaking glass with stone even before question asked. Selfishness even kill people more than guns and drugs combined. Really, the progress of humanity has been hijacked by self serving folks throughout history as we witness at this moment. We all are responsible in many ways on individual level to be a good exemplary person to the rest in this midst of darkness. Otherwise, we are mental like these lunatics all over the places.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

We all belong to one race, the human race.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

A very clear example of white racist terrorism along the lines of the Oklahoma City bombing by Timothy McVeigh in 1995. The conservative media feeds the fears of racist whites that feel their country is being lost to people of color.

No, the difference is, the conservatives or traditionalist Americans believe like every other country that you are NOT a country if you DO NOT have strong borders and since the US is a hub for immigrants from all over the world, the OPEN Southern border is the main area where people try to sneak in. NOT only Mexicans, but people from Asia, the Middle East, Africa. We have over 400 miles of areas where you can just walk on through, this is fundamentally what Conservatives and Traditionalist Americans object to and yes, many people feel they are losing their country, NOT only Whites, I know plenty of Blacks and Hispanic Americans that feel the same, so if you think or better yet, if the left think that people like us are racist because we want to have a strong border, then so be it. Do you know how many illegals were involved in Cartel murders using illegal fire arms, getting into the US, seek out and kill their targets and then go back, that is another reason as well as to why there are a lot of shootings, a lot is because of open Southern border, drug dealers and Cartels. At this point, if it helps to build a wall to curb the violence, I would support it.

Obama becoming President has really moved the crazy needle up with these folks. And naturally the republican party takes advantage of this to get votes.

As do the Dems when it comes to playing the race card and gun control. No difference.

There is a reason the south is entirely republican now and this is it. In fact if you look at the former slave states, they are nearly 100% republican.

But used to be Dixie Democrats-originally.

The comments by many about the US having a serious gun addiction coupled with a violent nature is absolutely true. As much are you read about ISIS and their horrible activities no real review of the Iraq invasion has been done in the USA where hundred of thousands of muslims were killed for absolutely no reason.

And most NOT by US hands, ironically.

Our reborn christian President at the time claimed that God told him to invade Afghanistan and Iraq to fulfill the prophesy of the bible.

There is absolutely ZERO evidence he said that, none. Or maybe TMZ has a copy?

He called the invasion a crusade. This is fact but is not ever discussed in the conservative media in the USA at all, which accounts for 90% of the US media.

Evidence please.

Fox news right now is trying to say that this shooting was not based on racism.

No they don't, not now that all the facts are in. They initially thought that at first based on constant claims by the left that racism for anything that happens in this country is based on that and that alone, it can't be anything else.

The guy had a Rhodesian flag on his car and flags from other white racist states. Yet another perfect example of where reality conflicts with the Fox news propaganda and on Fox news you know which wins.

Just because a person has a flag like that doesn't necessarily mean that you are a racist. Owning an old flag that represented one form of a government or another doesn't mean, you hate people of other races. Better to go in with a statement of NOT branding a person a racist then going off half-cocked at the barrel and call someone a racist when you don't have all the facts, then if FOX did that and he wasn't, guess who would get the hammer. Come on! Jeez! People really don't understand how the media works!

-12 ( +3 / -15 )

Maybe because you libs as in typical fashion want to blame the problem on the gun themselves and not the loons that use them, but if we had a better system to screen and lock these mentally deranged lunatics, you would see the gun homicides drop.

Nonsense. That is just long-in-the-tooth NRA nonsense -- "It's not the guns who kill people...people kill people". It was this guy's father who gave him the gun as a 21st birthday present. So even if he was a "loon", he still would have gotten the gun. When will the rights of people like these nine victims trump the rights of the folks who want to have the right to carry a weapon in public capable of ending another's life? And with ZERO training? That is a sick society, IMO, and I am a proud American.

8 ( +11 / -3 )

It is a country that elects people into government that openly suggest earth is not much that 10,000 years old, when thats your starting point how can anything be a surprise.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The joke is, as one study concluded, guns are seldom used in self-defense.

kabukilover, it is important to note that the study you are referring to didn't include firearms that were used to defend someone but were not discharged, in other words situations in which an assault is ended by merely presenting a firearm., and further, if I'm not mistaken the number it presents are only those in which the attacker was killed, so it doesn't include the number of attackers that were shot and wounded but not killed and it doesn't include situations in which the person shot at their attacker but missed.

-10 ( +1 / -11 )

Conservatives from every other 1st world country already have common sense beliefs such as Gun Control, Universal Healthcare, and the existence of Man-Made Climate Change. It's the US that has special Republicans who are more right-wing than people like John Howard, Shinzo Abe, Margaret Thatcher, and Stephen Harper

6 ( +7 / -1 )

But we weren't speaking of only immigrants, we were speaking of 3rd worlders, from which some immigrants come. And your hidden feelings were exposed when you called them 'mere', and 'really insignificant'.

LOL, you can try as usual to turn this around on me, not going to work. You were implying the only people that want to immigrate to the US were people of 3rd world, translation: ONLY people that don't have anything want to go to the US, NOT people from 1st world nations, therefore, you really wanted to say, these 3rd world people are nothing. Nice, very nice to think that, dude.

I was simply pointing out your hypocrisy.

The hypocrisy is, you just from how it seems look down on people from 3rd world countries. Maybe not, but that is the impression you give off.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

"Two things need to be done in the US. Amend the Second Amendment and outlaw the NRA as terrorist organization." - comments

These goals are unobtainable when legislators are the paid employees of the NRA.

What the world can easily see are the three elements that make American life a crap shoot. The two the poster listed and the legislator who is constantly threatened by the NRA and a cadre of paranoids and skilled flaks.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

Here is something I picked up from Yahoo, USA. An official from the NRA blamed the pastor for the mass murder, saying that if he had allowed guns into the church this would not have happened.

This mass murder is not coincidental or an aberration. Murders of Black people by white cops and mass murders happen frequently enough in the U.S. to be called endemic and expected.

While it is incorrect to call the US a racist country, given its many laws against discrimination, de facto racism is very much part of the fabric of American institutional and social life.

That's one thing. The biggest problem in this case is the promiscuous availability of guns in the US. A poster above said that with the proliferation of guns you need guns to protect yourself against guns. The joke is, as one study concluded, guns are seldom used in self-defense.

Obama said it: It is too easy to get guns in the US. Americans need better gun control. Or, to say it better, we need gun control that is on par with the rest of the industrial world. It took just one mass murder in 1996 to get Australia to pass stringent gun control laws. The US has had a string of mass murders over the last several years and nothing of any last worth has been done about gun control.

Racism is a major issue here. If the kid was not a racist he would not have attacked this church. But he might have shot up his school.

We in Japan have our fanatically insane bigots but because we do not have a gun scum lobby these people cannot legally get guns under Japan's strict gun control laws.

Two things need to be done in the US. Amend the Second Amendment and outlaw the NRA as terrorist organization. Hey, in the US you can go to jail for supporting of an organization that has ties to a supposed terrorist organization. The NRA's propaganda and intimidation of lawmakers has helped to put guns in the hands of mass murders. Americans are in fact terrorized by the promiscuous availability of guns. They buy guns to protect themselves and then are afraid of having those guns taken away by rational gun control laws--a fear stoked by the NRA.

16 ( +16 / -0 )

@zurcronium

You can't impute the racist behavior of one white crackpot to an entire nation of white people. Thanks for playing.

-10 ( +3 / -13 )

The fact that you would think I was insinuating that they were 'mere' people, when I neither said, nor intended, nor even thought anything along those lines, says a lot about your image of third world people.

LOL, really? I'm from California, I was born and raised half of my life there, we pride ourselves on being a large immigrant state. And I have NEVER said that was against anyone other than ILLEGALS for the record. If you are a legal person, please come, if you are NOT, stay out!

Then why did you call third worlders 'really insignificant'? Once again you are claiming to be one thing, then doing something else. Same as you claim to be non-partisan, and yet here you are talking about how you "don't look down on anyone except libs".

Why are you so upset? Hey, if the shoe fits....

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

A very clear example of white racist terrorism along the lines of the Oklahoma City bombing by Timothy McVeigh in 1995. The conservative media feeds the fears of racist whites that feel their country is being lost to people of color. Obama becoming President has really moved the crazy needle up with these folks. And naturally the republican party takes advantage of this to get votes. There is a reason the south is entirely republican now and this is it. In fact if you look at the former slave states, they are nearly 100% republican.

The comments by many about the US having a serious gun addiction coupled with a violent nature is absolutely true. As much are you read about ISIS and their horrible activities no real review of the Iraq invasion has been done in the USA where hundred of thousands of muslims were killed for absolutely no reason. Our reborn christian President at the time claimed that God told him to invade Afghanistan and Iraq to fulfill the prophesy of the bible. He called the invasion a crusade. This is fact but is not ever discussed in the conservative media in the USA at all, which accounts for 90% of the US media.

Fox news right now is trying to say that this shooting was not based on racism. The guy had a Rhodesian flag on his car and flags from other white racist states. Yet another perfect example of where reality conflicts with the Fox news propaganda and on Fox news you know which wins.

10 ( +11 / -1 )

“We don’t understand America’s need for guns,” said Philip Alpers, director of the University of Sydney’s GunPolicy.org project that compares gun laws across the world." - article

Mr. Alpers should study these examples of the rampant gun frenzy available in the States:

"The NRA pushed Republicans in Indiana to pass a 2012 law that allows any citizen to open fire on a “public servant” for “unlawful intrusion.” Police fear this means a citizen could shoot at a cop, then claim the cop was trying to enter his or her property."

"In 2005, Republican Jeb Bush signed into law Florida's stand-your-ground law, the first such state law in the United States."

"The NRA has not only been able to stop gun control laws, but even debate on the subject. . . . In 1996, Rep. Jay Dickey, a Republican from Arkansas, successfully pushed through an amendment that stripped $2.6 million from the CDC’s budget and outlawed research on gun control with a provision that reads: “None of the funds made available for injury prevention and control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may be used to advocate or promote gun control.”

Mr. Alpers probably understands all too well the nexus of profit, power, propaganda and paranoia present in the toxic mix illustrated above. A powerful lobby, flaccid legislators and plenty of misinformed paranoids have created a perfect storm for gun violence and slaughter. And while these three forces continue in their hoedown of death it is not surprising the world looks on in disbelief:

“Guns are in their constitution,” said Joanna Leung, a 34-year-old Toronto resident. “I’m pretty sure no one else has anything similar. I never understand why they think gun violence is going to solve anything.” - article

What Mr. Alpers and Ms. Leung don't understand is gun violence is going to solve a profit motive based on greed and the care and feeding of racists. Two of the healthy sectors in America's now fading glory that seems to be going out with a bang.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

Why would I use a hypothetical, the reality is some people such as yourself hate guns and wants them banned, me, I want more mental institutions built to house these crazies that might be on the verge of going batty.

Good luck with that. Locking up people before they do anything. I thought America was the land of the free. They already have the highest rates of incarceration, and look how well that`s working.

8 ( +9 / -1 )

Well, I will grant you, the PR is often good. It looks like everyone gets a fair go in the U.S. The propaganda blares it out at home and abroad day and night. The immigrants are not thinking about how they might be vilified once they get there. In many cases they are trying to escape some kind of hellhole created directly by American violence in their own countries or indirectly created by death squads and terrorists (freedom fighters?) supported by America and/or its corporations, including the weapons makers.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Wherever did you get that idea? I pointed out that they aren't everyone. I didn't say anything about them not being people.

Sounded you were insinuating that the people that are storming by the thousands into the states are just mere third world people, since 1st world nations are not as interested. But the US has always been a magnet for people that wanted a better life from the Italians to the Irish, Germans, in those days many of these 1st world nations were poor then and we now have the next wave of immigrants storming into this country.

I don't buy that. Supporting evidence please.

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/03/09/reports-us-most-popular-destination-in-western-hemisphere-for-immigrants/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/03/22/a-revealing-map-of-who-wants-to-move-to-the-u-s/

http://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/frequently-requested-statistics-immigrants-and-immigration-united-states

Here you go. Thought you might say that....

You are the one who called them "really insignificant".

I do not look down on anyone except libs that try to bring and destroy the country

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

"Hey, who is shocked? It is a nation conceived on violence and racism"

And yet people from many other countries still struggle to go to the U.S. to live their lives. Go figure.

-6 ( +2 / -8 )

So now the truth comes out, Third worlders are not people?

Wherever did you get that idea? I pointed out that they aren't everyone. I didn't say anything about them not being people.

I guess not, they're really insignificant people.

And after deriding me for something I didn't say, you go on to say something much, much worse. Keepin' it classy Bass.

their numbers are huge which based on that alone still makes the US the number one destination

I don't buy that. Supporting evidence please.

you want to disregard these people as nothing.

You are the one who called them "really insignificant".

9 ( +9 / -0 )

I blame it on the loons who let the loons have guns.

That is your opinion, if you want to believe, go right along.

Here's one suggestion for a better system. Assume that anyone wanting to own a gun is a loon (you won't be far wrong), and refuse to give them a license for one.

Why would I use a hypothetical, the reality is some people such as yourself hate guns and wants them banned, me, I want more mental institutions built to house these crazies that might be on the verge of going batty.

Section any loon who refuses to give up the guns he already has. Stop teaching kids that owning a gun is a Gawd-gibbun raht garunteed by the Constitooshun.

No, I enjoy it, my kids enjoy it and they enjoy hunting.

-21 ( +4 / -25 )

Every country has loons. Not every country has easy access to guns.

18 ( +19 / -1 )

you libs as in typical fashion want to blame the problem on the gun themselves and not the loons that use them

I blame it on the loons who let the loons have guns.

but if we had a better system to screen and lock these mentally deranged lunatics, you would see the gun homicides drop

Here's one suggestion for a better system. Assume that anyone wanting to own a gun is a loon (you won't be far wrong), and refuse to give them a license for one. Section any loon who refuses to give up the guns he already has. Stop teaching kids that owning a gun is a Gawd-gibbun raht garunteed by the Constitooshun.

8 ( +14 / -6 )

Everyone? Not by a long shot. Third worlders maybe.

So now the truth comes out, Third worlders are not people? I guess not, they're really insignificant people. Even though, their numbers are huge which based on that alone still makes the US the number one destination, you want to disregard these people as nothing. Very nice indeed. You libs have now hit rock bottom.

And yet Faux news is trying to spin this not as a racist attack, but rather an attack on Christians and religious freedom: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/06/18/1394261/-Fox-News-Charleston-shooting-is-an-attack-on-faith-not-race-calls-for-pastors-to-arm-themselves

Yes and after the facts came in, it was determined that it was a racial attack and I don't blame them one bit for being careful since the other MSM and libs constantly and consistently barrages and overplays the race card and the act or racism itself!

It's only a short matter of time until the Faux News regurgitators on this site start spewing the same line.

You need to be careful, I know libs don't think twice about overusing the race card.

-22 ( +2 / -24 )

The trouble is violence in general and against readily-demonized racial groups has always seemed to be the turn-to solution both within the U.S. and on the world stage too. They seem to go hand in hand.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Brown person = terrorist White person = "very serious mental issues"

15 ( +17 / -2 )

America has turned into a shameful gun society. It's just going to get worse and worse.

Gun crime in particular and violent crime in general have been declining in the U.S.

-2 ( +4 / -6 )

While it's true that the USA is number one in the world in many, many ways, and that the entire population shouldn't be judged on this latest incident, the ease with which anyone can buy a gun is alarming. Although mass shootings are not peculiar to the USA, the number of them is also alarming. It's definitely time for the governments in each state to take action and bring in stricter gun laws.

8 ( +10 / -2 )

Are you serious? You say the USA is a sick society that was conceived on violence and racism? Your comments are so ridiculous that I could only laugh. You must have meant to be humorous.

America was born of war with England, and grew up with slavery. How is is that comment ridiculous?

A nation that everyone is breaking their backs trying to get into.

Everyone? Not by a long shot. Third worlders maybe. But from the first world, only a small subset of any given population is interested in living in the US.

Dylan Roof has confessed to his killings saying he wanted to start a race war because blacks were taking over the world and raping white women. How does such a young person have so much hate and so many distorted views.

And yet Faux news is trying to spin this not as a racist attack, but rather an attack on Christians and religious freedom: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/06/18/1394261/-Fox-News-Charleston-shooting-is-an-attack-on-faith-not-race-calls-for-pastors-to-arm-themselves

It's only a short matter of time until the Faux News regurgitators on this site start spewing the same line.

23 ( +26 / -3 )

'Maybe because you libs as in typical fashion want to blame the problem on the gun themselves and not the loons that use them, but if we had a better system to screen and lock these mentally deranged lunatics, you would see the gun homicides drop.'

So, until that system is worked out, put into place and is up and running the best thing to do in the meantime is a continuation of unbelieveably lax gun laws?

2 ( +7 / -5 )

Our way of thinking: We must tighten gun control in order to protect ourselves from guns. American way of thinking: We must loosen gun control in order to protect ourselves with guns.

23 ( +26 / -4 )

White Americans shouldn't be the only group accused of racism. Minority groups in the US such as blacks, Asians (ex. Korean, Chinese, people from India) are often very prejudice towards other races. Particularly in their own communities. If you don't believe me, then try visiting one of their communities sometime. Move in to a predominantly Indian neighborhood in Houston, Texas and see how friendly the people living there are towards you. A lot of it has to do with being raised under a caste system in India.

-4 ( +11 / -15 )

America has turned into a shameful gun society. It's just going to get worse and worse.

8 ( +16 / -8 )

Even Abraham Lincoln knew that it would be a long and difficult road to assimilate blacks into what was then bascially white America. This was the main reason behind Lincoln's early plan to move all of the blacks outside of America's borders to other parts of the world including Central America and even Africa. Interestingly enough, slavery was not an American invention at all but a European one brought to American shores by slave traders during the colonial period, and we all know that old habits die hard, thus, the Civil War. The assimilation of blacks into the American mainstream was hurt tremendously when Lincoln was assasinated and we can only speculate about the what-ifs had he lived to serve several more years as president during the critical reconstruction era. Lincoln (the ever humble and peaceful man that he was) was, for the most part, a war time president during America's bloodiest conflict (which was with itself) while in office without ever being granted the chance to help build and improve racial equality and to manage America during a time of peace. Such a tragic story.

7 ( +11 / -4 )

In the US, they shoot presidents and still don't do anything about guns. I guess the thinking is that it is necessary to maintain the huge gun industry and all its jobs, and the huge wealth of the owners. A little "collateral damage" cannot be helped.

13 ( +18 / -5 )

The USA IS the best country in the world, but guns and racism did not get her to the number one spot.

-21 ( +8 / -29 )

I just don't understand why people always assume it's a white supremacist thing. Don't they know there are blacks who kill whites and use race as an excuse.

-28 ( +15 / -41 )

The USA by nature is a sick society as this nation continues to export violence around our World through wars.

Sick society? How? Name me one country that is not plagued with racism as far as wars are concerned, there are no wars going on in the US. With Russia, you can't have any dialogue when you have a self-centered, ego-maniac unwilling to cooperate with the world, let alone the US.

At present,the USA and their enablers are butting heads with Russia rather than choosing dialogue and comprimise.Peace will not occur with wishful thinking now will it !!

For Putin, wrestling bears and fishing with his shirt off seem like higher priorities than negotiations.

It's actually quite easy. We have guns, so we need guns to protect ourselves from guns, and if there are any problems then the solution is more guns.

Maybe because you libs as in typical fashion want to blame the problem on the gun themselves and not the loons that use them, but if we had a better system to screen and lock these mentally deranged lunatics, you would see the gun homicides drop.

What's so hard to understand?

That's the underlining issue NO one wants to talk about.

Hey, who is shocked? It is a nation conceived on violence and racism. Looked at in historical context it makes sense, sadly.

A nation that everyone is breaking their backs trying to get into. The US is not perfect, but I would take it over any other country, that's for damn sure. With all its good and faults, the US has helped, gave more money, given more food and aid, bailed Europe twice out of war. Helped rebuild Japan, South Korea and Germany, basically and perhaps unintentionally helped China to prosper to a mega status. We are a nation of almost 360 million people and growing, you will always have conflict and disagreements, there are more pressing and dire problems the country as a whole is facing than having once again, the idiot in chief trying to politicize a tragic event like the SC situation, he could have waited a bit, I wouldn't have had a problem with that, but leave it to this loon to take the suffering of others to make a political statement.

-34 ( +11 / -45 )

@Marco LaGrot @Moonraker

Are you serious? You say the USA is a sick society that was conceived on violence and racism? Your comments are so ridiculous that I could only laugh. You must have meant to be humorous.

How is this shooting tragedy in South Carolina evidence of America's struggle to overcome racism / racial tensions? The shooter is a young white high school drop out with very serious mental issues. Characterizing the entire country based on one loon with mental issues is stupid, irresponsible journalism.

-30 ( +9 / -40 )

Only those born yesterday are "shocked" by America's gun policy.

As for racism, the same.

Still, it is not clear to me that the US is any more or less racist than Europeans countries. Anyone got any info on that?

17 ( +21 / -4 )

Hey, who is shocked? It is a nation conceived on violence and racism. Looked at in historical context it makes sense, sadly.

20 ( +27 / -7 )

“It is very puzzling for non-Americans.”

It's actually quite easy. We have guns, so we need guns to protect ourselves from guns, and if there are any problems then the solution is more guns.

What's so hard to understand?

15 ( +27 / -12 )

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