On the one hand, this may be a lone incident- possibly "inspired"/ perversely rationalized by yesterday's shootings in Ft Hood.
On the other, Who Benefits? This isn't quite as simple as it might seem.
Some folks put forth that the government might be wanting to enact gun control & this is manipulation to that end. But I see another possibility.
Apparently, the NRA and some on "the right" have been ramping up the rhetoric and (in my opinion) trying to stoke up violence for quite a while (pre- campaign 2008, actually).
Some of the people I know, personally, who are NRA members are getting itchy- literally chomping at the bit for this "grand confrontation" that's "coming". (I note that none of these people who enjoy shooting so much & are so "patriotic" could be bothered to serve their country in the military or the civilian services, so I am not referring to veterans)

I am a gun owner (a keepsake double barrel shotgun that has been passed down through my family and a handgun) I have been familiar and comfortable with guns (though I never held one in my hands until I was 19) since I was 6 years old. Some of my family shot skeet and many hunted. When I was 17 years old, I returned home unexpectedly from out of town in the middle of the night & when I heard the "click", I knew exactly what it was & what to say. I didn't think there was anything strange about that then & I don't now. We had taken a handgun on camping trips to the beach all my life, for protection.

In my opinion, these people- who are creating so much fear and paranoia, will be the ones who get *my* guns taken away, if that ever happens. They are providing the pretext for martial law. If we see that happen, I will blame them first, then the government.
It ticks me off when "everybody" has to suffer for the actions of a minority (that would be *any* minority). That's a damned high price to pay just so that some bozo can say "See? I told you so" (if we all live through it, that is)

Originally posted by ExPostFacto
The only gun legislation I would like to see is the citizens right to carry concealed firearms anywhere. Including on the job. All those soldiers, soldiers with firearms training and no way to defend themselves. Give everyone a gun, no need for an investigation...the person with the most holes in them was obviously the aggressor.

According to my friend.. Florida is the only state where legally, you do not have to notify your employer that you do carry concealed.

On the note of gun control and the general population... My coworker just came back to her desk (right next to mine). I mentioned this shooting as we try to keep each other up to date on Breaking News. The first words out of her month "I know you have guns... but control is needed"

JT

PS I am an avid deer hunter

There is one connection to yesterdays shooting... Nobody is looking at Martial Law being declared in the Ukraine.

It's like a big magic show where we're all looking at the right hand and nobody is watching what the left hand is doing.

The Orlando shooter was let go from his job due to performance reasons, TWO YEARS AGO. I heard an interview with a SWAT guy who explained the psychology of this. Some people, especially Type A men who get their identity from their job, cannot handle getting fired. They go back out to look for another job, and may have to settle for less prestige and less money. The the downward spiral starts, and they see the person who fired them as the cause for all their problems. That pretty much sums this one up.

Still, have to admit it reeks of strangeness timing wise ... copy cat of Ft. Hood ... government involvement as pretext to step up gun control and martial law ... I don't know. Bad week. This country is truly going down the drain.

Just heard some officers talking back and forth on the live radio traffic, one came on and said "well what do you guys wanna do? do you want to continue the scenario?" then they began talking about reopening I-4.

Originally posted by formernewager
The Orlando shooter was let go from his job due to performance reasons, TWO YEARS AGO.

Two years is a long time for a stressor to build up. Now, if his house was being foreclosed and it took until now to pan out, then I might be able to buy the argument. Else, it'll be hard for his defense to make a sympathetic case out of this.

[edit on 11/6/2009 by thomasblackraven]

Originally posted by thomasblackraven

Originally posted by formernewager
The Orlando shooter was let go from his job due to performance reasons, TWO YEARS AGO.

Two years is a long time for a stressor to build up. Now, if his house was being foreclosed and it took until now to pan out, then I might be able to buy the argument. Else, it'll be hard for his defense to make a sympathetic case out of this.

[edit on 11/6/2009 by thomasblackraven]

Sympathetic case out of this(not saying that what you were implying )? Expedite this guy to the electric chair after his quick day in court.

btw, Florida is a capital punishment State right?

Sad to see things like this in the place where I grew up :0(

I remember the happy days of Rosie O' Gradys and all the attractions on Church Street Station.

With Fort Hood and now this...Just in time for some fresh anti-gun legislation to shove down our throats and elminate our 2nd amendment rights.

Originally posted by Roadblockx

Originally posted by Zeta Reticuli

Originally posted by bigvig316
This is not the America that I grew up in. It is getting bad out there. These are strange days we are going through. First Fort Hood and now Orlando with shootings and mass casualties. God help the USA.

GOD help the USA? R u kidding me? GOD help IRAQ! the entire middle EAST! and im NOT referring to our troops EITHER!

And here we go. The USA is bad. It deserves what it gets. USA is the devil. It does bad things to people. Blah, blah and some more f*'ing blah.

Please spare me the whole world is hurting and the USA isn't. Spare us all the lecture about the big, bad evil US and how it does nothing good. Yes, there are MILLIONS that need help all over the world. What we don't need more of is terriorism, people strapping bombs to kids and blowing them up, killing innocent people while we let murders go free, people that want to b*tch, moan and complain (whiners) instead of offering ideas and support. You decide which side of the fence you are on but it doesn't appear to be the side most of us are on.

------------------------------------------

We taught them how to build those bombs mate. Why not be fair ? we are indeed doing terriorism all the time.

[edit on 6-11-2009 by Uzamaki]

Join the dots people. Remember Charles DeMendes was "Hispanic" yet was put down by the Cops for speaking too much about his role in 7/11.

My guess is this was yet another Black Ops mission targeting someone on the inside who had knowledge of Fort Hood, yet was getting too lippy about it. Unfortunately eyewitnesses saw the execution and they had to go too.

Originally posted by Tyr Sog
Sympathetic case out of this(not saying that what you were implying )? Expedite this guy to the electric chair after his quick day in court.

I personally agree with you...if there's security footage of him, then lets save some money and skip the trial!

However, I was referring more to his lawyer's only hope of saving this guy's life is by making him seem like a victim who "had no other choice"...the classic case of the guy using the excuse that he was laid off as justification for his actions. Say the bills were piled up & he needed to buy medicine for his fictitious sick child and then was laid off, his lawyer might be able to get one out of twelve to sympathize that this guy was a product of his circumstances.

Since two years have passed & he was found at his mother's house, it'll be hard to argue that he was mentally distraught (since he had plenty of time to "cool off" as well as find another place to live, e.g. his mother's).

Suspect was arrested within the past hour.