Strange

[OwnTheRide]

I do think the attention given to shooters is a big part of the problem. By way of example, I'm guessing everyone will recognize most if not all names from the following list:

Adam Lanza, Dylan Klebold, Eric Harris, Jared Loughner, Stephen Paddock, Nikolas Cruz, Dylan Roof, Nidal Hasan, Payton Gendron.

All mass shooters. But can anyone here name a single victim from any mass shooting? This isn't a guilt trip, it's merely showing that they are getting what they seek: notoriety/infamy. Mass shooters are attention whores of the worst sort. And all this attention just inspires the next generation of shooters. Almost every mass shooter cites previous shooters as influences.

I don't know the solution here, really. I'm certainly not advocating for what would amount to 1A restrictions. And I suspect a social pressure campaign (say, a movement where people pushed media companies into agreeing to never use the names or images of shooters) would ultimately be ineffective - people who really wanted to could still find names and images online somewhere.

[Ecclectic Collector]

I won't name spree killers because I feel they do not deserve a name, merely that it happened. We've let the mass media turn their names and back stories into some sort of redemptive history as if they deserve being remembered as people. To me they are not. They gave up all of their human qualities by the choice they made.

[free]

I do think the attention given to shooters is a big part of the problem. By way of example, I'm guessing everyone will recognize most if not all names from the following list:

All mass shooters. But can anyone here name a single victim from any mass shooting? This isn't a guilt trip, it's merely showing that they are getting what they seek: notoriety/infamy. Mass shooters are attention whores of the worst sort. And all this attention just inspires the next generation of shooters. Almost every mass shooter cites previous shooters as influences.

I don't know the solution here, really. I'm certainly not advocating for what would amount to 1A restrictions. And I suspect a social pressure campaign (say, a movement where people pushed media companies into agreeing to never use the names or images of shooters) would ultimately be ineffective - people who really wanted to could still find names and images online somewhere.

I only recognize two of those names.

[Bang]

Recall mass murders committed with other than a gun? That's a tough one for media. No gun to make the most of.

[Ecclectic Collector]

More important than the names are the facts: I just saw WGAL doing a "fact" review of the mass shootings. They used BBC data (infographic) and only looked at gun crime. When I saw BBC I immediately face palmed myself. A news and information source which is a government entity that routinely massages messages and information to manipulate its audience. (way worse than venues like cnn IMO)

So of course the USA stood head and shoulders on top. In truth there have been mass casulty events all over the world done at the hand of deranged people.

How the data is presented is used to slant the interpretation: In France a spree killer used a box truck to kill almost 80 people. In China there have been mass knife murders, same with Japan, but add use of poison gas. Sword and machette based spree killings in a number of European countries on top of the gun ones (both usually quickly buried in the news cycle). Not saying here that the USA doesn't have a problem obviously, but given we do own guns on such a widespread basis it becomes a no-brainer that using them in crime is also tops here.

Does it really matter if the killers are political, or just plain nuts with no real motive except revenge for some imagined slight? Of course not.

We should be looking at just the facts but we frequently are not. When data deliborately excludes "other" weapons used to commit murder you get a fact bias which is picked up by those journalism types who appear to have no real ablity to filter the quality of their content and duly pass it on to an even less sceptical public for mass consumption.

[ShooterInPA1]

I just got reminded of why I stopped posting for the commandos excuse me but I have a physical disability that I don't correct my errors as long as you well maybe not you but most people van

Ignore the assholes.....and there are many here.

[fritz1]

Ignore the assholes.....and there are many here.

It's all good thanks to all who contributed to the thread

[Krichardson]

It does get tiresome to see this kind of stuff seemingly always working in the dems favor.

[fritz1]

Here we go again Oklahoma hospital shooting you mean to tell me all these people are just a bunch of nuts with no real cause hidden I just don't buy it