US continues to go backward...

[Verbal]

I found it rather Interesting that the Sheriff in the Delta State case announced there was No suspected foul Play and it was a suicide....before the coroner report was completed.

Maybe there was a note or something but most generally you don't have a Sheriff saying it was a suicide and no foul play without a coroner report. They might say things like we "Suspect" it was a suicide or We "Do not think" there was any foul play etc etc.

Seems odd to make such a definitive statement about it before the actual death and reason for death has been examined and determined by the coroner.

Zukatis was found near a casino. I'm guessing he lost all of his money there then hanged himself.

 

[Big Huck]

Zukatis was found near a casino. I'm guessing he lost all of his money there then hanged himself.

Thanks for the info! The office I work for in Orange County has been telling people they don't have to come in this week because of white supremacist rallies taking place on main street outside. Just worried with that plus bomb threats on black colleges we were seeing retaliation. Hopefully people will calm down soon, but it still sucks knowing it's there.

 

[Ryno]

I did a quick deep dive into mostly school shootings and/or school age shootings and there seems to be quite the uptick in school shootings following the covid shut down. Many seem to blame the mental and behavioral decline of students returning from the pandemic/shut down. Gun sales also soared in US during the pandemic! School shootings soared after the pandemic and are holding steady, whereas, adult shooting rates returned to pre-pandemic levels starting around 2022...again, this was just a quick research that I did, but I do believe the shut down greatly affected the mental health of young people, and to some extent adults; mixing in the high access to guns.
Mental health is obviously (to me) a problem in our society, but personally I would like to see another ban on assault weapons. One study showed that 1/3 of mass shootings (defined as four or more shot and killed) and 52% by handguns...however, a majority of the deadliest shootings involved assault rifles. (one report said 85% of mass shooting fatalities were the result of assault rifles). Further, mass shooting homicides in the US were reduced during the federal assault weapons ban (1994-2004)
just my two cents...

I worked at a large HS as a school counselor around the time kids returned from Covid lock-down. There was a MASSIVE shift with how kids socialized and had to EOD more kids in a one year span following the return to school, than the school saw the previous 10 or so years. We had one student take her life.

Covid did 100% effect it our children's mental health. I currently see a dozen or so children in my practice and nearly all struggle with social anxiety. Even many young adults who were in school during that period, they have issues socially. Ask any kid how covid impacted them, you'll find most say it negatively effected them and their mental health.

As for 'assault rifles', they account for 4% of murders in America that were carried out by firearms. Yes, handguns are used most murders (53%). There is a huge number of "not accounted for" in regards to the type of weapon used. There are an estimated 20 million AR-platform weapons in America. Not sure how you put those back in the box. As for the 'ban', that's a mixed review.

One study, preformed by Grant Duwe, found that the lowest 10-year average in mass shooting rates was between 1996-2005, which roughly corresponds with the ban period. But Duwe notes that that “aligns with broader trends observed for crime and violence in the United States.” In other words, it’s hard to know how much the assault weapons ban may have affected mass shootings during that time.

There are things that can be done to try and prevent children from getting their hands on weapons. Parents need to be responsible for gun safety in their home. A child takes a weapon to school? Parents charged. You have a weapon missing? You MUST report it to LEO. I'm a big believer in locking up firearms in gun safes and keeping children away from firearms unless supervised. Children also need to be taught firearm safety. Many ideas that we can try to put into place rather than banning a weapon platform that is used in 1% of all firearm deaths in America.

IMO.

 

[milehighpoke]

People need to speak up. Kids brush off these warning signs.

Yesterday in Dickson (between Ardmore and my hometown) a student reported that another student might have a firearm in school. The local PD found a Glock 43x in a 12-year old's backpack. This was one of those times a kid spoke up and it might have saved lives. We need more of that.

I understand what you're saying, and I'm glad that kid spoke up.

But it also reeks of "The adults have tried nothing, and we're all out of ideas. Your turn kids!"

 

[milehighpoke]

At this point, Kirk might be rivaling trump as the most quoted but "taken out of context" person in history.

 

[cowboyinexile]

At this point, Kirk might be rivaling trump as the most quoted but "taken out of context" person in history.

Wonder how long before people kinda forget about him.

 

[KK10]

Wonder how long before people kinda forget about him.

When he's no longer politically beneficial to either side.

 

[Stillwater Townie]

At this point, Kirk might be rivaling trump as the most quoted but "taken out of context" person in history.

Oh, did the news live out the part where Trump said, "By the way, earlier I said 300 Americans died from drugs. I meant 3 million".

 

[Ryno]

Wonder how long before people kinda forget about him.

Not going to happen. Regardless of what you think about the man... he started a youth movement in America (and really, across the globe). Turning Point USA had an additional 37,000 chapter requests the past week. That would be over a 900% increase.

 

[steross]

As for 'assault rifles', they account for 4% of murders in America that were carried out by firearms. Yes, handguns are used most murders (53%). There is a huge number of "not accounted for" in regards to the type of weapon used. There are an estimated 20 million AR-platform weapons in America. Not sure how you put those back in the box. As for the 'ban', that's a mixed review.

One study, preformed by Grant Duwe, found that the lowest 10-year average in mass shooting rates was between 1996-2005, which roughly corresponds with the ban period. But Duwe notes that that “aligns with broader trends observed for crime and violence in the United States.” In other words, it’s hard to know how much the assault weapons ban may have affected mass shootings during that time.

Well, the easy way to know what is "hard to know" is pretty obvious. Ban them another decade and see if the mass shooting rate result is the same. If not, hey, it was maybe a fluke and we should consider making them legal again. If mass shootings go down again, then they should stay banned.

People saying that access to buying a particular style of gun for 10 years is more important to them than figuring out if that causes more kids/people to be murdered is beyond me.

 

[Ryno]

Well, the easy way to know what is "hard to know" is pretty obvious. Ban them another decade and see if the mass shooting rate result is the same. If not, hey, it was maybe a fluke and we should consider making them legal again. If mass shootings go down again, then they should stay banned.

People saying that access to buying a particular style of gun for 10 years is more important to them than figuring out if that causes more kids/people to be murdered is beyond me.

We agree on something.