We all react to tragic events and terrorist attacks like this differently, it's definitely a time for mourning and giving support to the victims, but some of us who follow these issues and global situations closely also can see trends and where it's headed which gives us more reactions and opinions. This is a temple, a way for all of us to come together and share what we feel even if it offends, upsets or contradicts others, to learn and share from the experiences and atone ourselves to having a more spiritual or conscious perspective and behavior. This topic is another politicized dividing topic, like that recent race based thread, so we all may have strong opinions about it and will butt heads. It's sensitive for me because not only am I sick of seeing these events happening, I'm also disugsted with people doing nothing about it themselves but letting other people decide what they can or can't do as a means of self defense that just creates more victims and keeps more people helpless and ignorant of their own potential for being self responsible. Then when someone just reminds people that you don't have to be a defenseless victim, they get attacked or looked down upon for actually supposedly being one of the sole causes of the problem.
That shooter in Orlando was reported by his co-worker for his behavior but it was ignored due to the political correctness that you can't judge Muslims, associated with former bodyguard of CIA operative Sheikh Omar Abdul-Rahman (assassin, paid by the CIA to visit London where he radicalized Muslims and recruited them for the war against the Soviets, implicatedin the WTC 93 event), he had a specials state carry permit as he worked for a security company, was a wife beater, also investigated by the FBI before for terrorist ties. He had jumped through more hoops than most, his hate for gays and leanings toward radical Islam (religion of peace) is what should be discussed AKA mental health. His dad said he became very angry over the sight of two men kissing, was yelling aloha snackbar and pledged allegience to ISIS on the phone with 911, ISIS 3 days before attack said they would attack in Florida, 100 refugees a day coming who are antigay, have anti-American values, just like in Europe it's going to get worse there is no doubt about it.
Yeah tzb it's a shame isn't it to have to think about more guns, maybe, but it seems a bit more disgusting that people accept just being soft targets for these maniacs to slaughter then using the victims to create more victims through proposing that others shouldn't be able to defend themselves. People can bring up the idea of an arms race, well it's not much of an arms race when people decide to just responsibly conceal carry or ride with a long gun in the trunk just in case, that's regular life for many people already and it's never been an issue. It's the wild west either way now here again so citiizens might as well attempt to be responsible for their own defense in the wake of the waves of domestic terror attacks, unless they are just too ignorant to learn anything from it. People want to be out just living their life, not having to worry about the extremes, but with all of this in your face almost everyday it's rather naive.
All those people in that club trying to run and hide from something you can't even run from, bullets firing at 2500fps, not one person or group attempted to attack the guy knowing either way you're potentially screwed - Over a 100 people he probaby had his back turned to at some point. People today are weak and conditioned to rely on others for everything, traditional morality and responsbility has been thrown in the trash for mere political correctness. I'm not trying to be a tough guy either and don't necessarily blame anyone for not acting because I already know the level of fear and shock that comes when you're being shot at.
It's not the wild west because guns are easy to get, it's because mental illness is a virus running rampant and out of control. There's already common sense gun laws, I just think we could a use more formal mandatory training program in safety and laws surrounding their use like you have to go through hunter safety to hunt. But guess what anyone who decides to snap after going through all those hoops is going to still have a chance to carry out something anyways. All these guns and more were around 10-20+ years ago and there weren't these sort of mass shootings.
Get rid of guns in the US? Can't, have to look at the real root to the problems of these and other events - mental illness, the clashing of cultures that will continue in the US and Europe from bringing in refugees, not securing borders, the hatred and division among people for petty things such as sexual preference, the overall political and economic situation. Blaming guns is just a way for simpletons to vent about this kind of stuff without having to address and go after these real problems, which I think is more offensive to the dead than using them to justify creating more victims by not encouraging people to become situationally aware and take responsibility for their own defense as a last resort because these events will continue.
Just my two cents, which I'm sure most of you already know, but hey this is my Temple too and with this thread I think it's good for me to be able to express how disgusted I feel about all this as well with the recent event and the same old calls for more dangerous non-solutions. I do support more thorough background checks, training and safety classes because people who will be weeded out just through these two measures, registration so we know who owns what (as long as they really don't want to confiscate), a system like we have in CA where if you become a prohibited person we can know who to rightfully disarm (muddy water here as well depends on what causes you to be prohibited), more non-lethal options like tasers (not legal in many places), blah blah and really just more security at places in general, malls, clubs, public buildings.
