Australian student shot dead in U.S. by 3 teenagers who killed him for the fun of it!

[irishScott]

All those guns taken away in Australia too, and then the kid gets shot and killed in America. That makes me feel shame. I feel shame that shit like this happens in our country.
I'm embarrassed about my country. I am no longer proud of it.

Shall I start posting horrific crimes out of Australia?

Every country has its share of atrocities. This event does not reflect on the US as a whole in any way, and thankfully the parents of the deceased seem to understand this.

 

[Black Octagon]

Shall I start posting horrific crimes out of Australia?

Every country has its share of atrocities. This event does not reflect on the US as a whole in any way, and thankfully the parents of the deceased seem to understand this.

I agree. But this does not negate his point. I am from Australia originally and still cannot get over the way in which the US endures shooting after shooting like this, without a substantive, rapid change to its gun laws.

In Australia we implemented sweeping changes to our own gun laws in the space of a few months after a particularly bad shooting. We were able to do so because we recognised the horrific damage that the mentally ill and the deranged can do when they have access to these weapons.

(And we also had no antiquated second amendment nonsense that opponents of the gun ban could hide behind).

It truly is all the more tragic that this student should get gunned down in America after Australia's own experience banning guns. The fact that atrocities happen in Australia does not change this fact.

 

[Jaskalas]

My first reaction is always like this. I want them to feel pain, but if i'm honest then I have to admit fault. Who's country is it? Its mine. I am an adult who could have spent time mentoring young people instead of focusing on my own desires. Maybe I could have found some kids without dads and mentored them. I could have saved a life. I don't know because I chose not to care, just like these kids didn't care. But i'm tired of this, I really am. I'm going to make an effort to work more with young people.

Young people who'd just as likely get gunned down by the thugs as this poor guy did.

Maybe if you established an entire community, an enclave with people worked together as you pictured... then maybe it would work. Not sure I'm picturing a disorganized individual making much difference. It's a big country, you need millions engaged and following such instruction.

 

[irishScott]

I agree. But this does not negate his point. I am from Australia originally and still cannot get over the way in which the US endures shooting after shooting like this, without a substantive, rapid change to its gun laws.

In Australia we implemented sweeping changes to our own gun laws in the space of a few months after a particularly bad shooting. We were able to do so because we recognised the horrific damage that the mentally ill and the deranged can do when they have access to these weapons.

(And we also had no antiquated second amendment nonsense that opponents of the gun ban could hide behind).

It truly is all the more tragic that this student should get gunned down in America after Australia's own experience banning guns. The fact that atrocities happen in Australia does not change this fact.

First of all I'd like to point out that ALL US laws, federal and state, strictly prohibit the sale of guns to minors. Given that the 3 perpetrators were all under age 18, all of the guns they had were illegally acquired.

Secondly, from all relevant statistics gun crime is down something like 30% from 20 years ago, in line with the US's continual drop in average violent crime over that period. This happened as gun laws in many states got substantially less strict. Not saying one caused the other, but the fact that these two supposedly opposite trends should correlate demonstrates that guns are not the deciding factor.

Thirdly, the gun situation here is far different than it ever was in Australia. At last count, we have over 300,000,000 guns. Imagine if every man, woman and child in Australia owned 13 guns. That's how many we have. In addition we have a porous southern border where guns are free to flow to criminals along with the drugs. There is no viable way to keep guns out of the hands of criminals.

In addition, the anti-gun elements here insist on actions that have time and again proven ineffective in curtailing gun crime in the US, and have not respected the rights of blameless gun owners in any way shape or form. To own an AR-15 in the US, or to carry concealed is to be personally and directly demonized by those elements seeking further gun control regardless of said owner's political or criminal record. This has resulted in the gun control lobby looking like absolute morons and the development of a siege mentality among US gun owners. I personally know many NRA members, including myself, who contribute far above the minimum to the NRA not because we agree with all of the NRA's positions, but because we realize that the goal of our opposition is not to prevent gun crime but to force their vision upon the blameless majority.

It's telling that the vast majority of gun violence in the US occurs in decaying cities with the strictest gun control. Occasionally there is a freak incident outside of these zones, and these incidents get media attention precisely because they are out of the ordinary where they occur. However, the vast majority of gun violence goes unreported or ignored because it cannot be twisted to political purposes. Many times the number of children killed at Sandy Hook die in gang-related shootings every year, but this goes completely unreported.

As for the 2nd amendment, we have a process in place to remove it. This process has been used before for things like alcohol prohibition, so it is viable. If the majority of Americans think it is "antiquated" (which I heartily scoff at, as all have a natural right to kill in self defense, and effective self defense in the modern age requires a gun), then it will be re-worded or removed. But the majority of Americans don't, so the gun control advocates try to actively circumvent the relevant legal process as best they can.

Bottom line, gun restriction in the US ceased to be an effective option decades ago. Modern prevention of gun crime needs to focus on things like urban decay, education, ending the war on drugs, mental health and law enforcement. I imagine all crime will decrease as a result.

 

[Via]

There but for the grace of God go we.

I was gassing up my car about five years when I was rushed by a group of kids. It was late at night on a Monday or Tuesday, and I was the only person outside of the gas station.

The whole thing is still kind of a blur - I heard some noise behind me, spun around, and saw five or six teenagers moving towards me. I think they may have been staking out the station. Luckily for me most of them must have lost their nerve; they turned away as soon as I faced them. One kid kept coming at me.

He actually brushed up against me and stared right into my eyes as he passed me. I'm not going to lie - I was scared shitless. But he kept walking.

I could have been lying dead next to my car with a bullet in my brain that night, and I still think about that incident at least once a week.

It's a crazy world we live in.

RIP

 

[Fenixgoon]

I am the last person to blame video games for violence, but the way these kids went about their actions show how desensitized they are to violence and murder. It's likely they played many violent games and watched a lot of violent TV/movies which contributed to them being apathetic and desensitized.

Violence in games and media don't turn people violent, but they allow violent and unstable people to become further desensitized and suppress their conscience which would normally prevent these acts.

or it's like they never learned that there were consequences to their actions.

how much you want to bet these kids have been assholes their entire lives?

 

[Black Octagon]

snip

Thirdly, the gun situation here is far different than it ever was in Australia. At last count, we have over 300,000,000 guns. Imagine if every man, woman and child in Australia owned 13 guns. That's how many we have.

snip

Thank you for your (interesting) post. I do want to react to this particular snippet, however. I don't see the relevance of expressing the 300+ million figure in terms of 'x guns per Australian' if you're not going to do the same for your own country. Over 300 million guns for approximately 314 million Americans is just under 1 gun per person. So if you ask me to consider the gun situation in the US versus that of Australia, you should ask me to imagine if every man, woman and child in Australia owned 1 gun.

On a related note, I'm curious: Does the 300+ million figure you quote count only legal/legally-acquired guns, or also illegally-acquired ones such as the guns that these teenagers supposedly used?

 

[irishScott]

Thank you for your (interesting) post. I do want to react to this particular snippet, however. I don't see the relevance of expressing the 300+ million figure in terms of 'x guns per Australian' if you're not going to do the same for your own country. Over 300 million guns for approximately 314 million Americans is just under 1 gun per person. So if you ask me to consider the gun situation in the US versus that of Australia, you should ask me to imagine if every man, woman and child in Australia owned 1 gun.

On a related note, I'm curious: Does the 300+ million figure you quote count only legal/legally-acquired guns, or also illegally-acquired ones such as the guns that these teenagers supposedly used?

Granted. I wasn't sure how long you've been in the US, and I've found in gun law debates with other foreigners it helps to put the number in their native context. Kinda like explaining the size of the US to a European native (who's instinctive perception of national borders is smaller than most US states).

As for the number, it's based off of the FBI's estimate of "privately owned firearms" from 2009 (which was 296 million IIRC) combined with the sales figures from the firearms industry since. The FBI manages NICS, the basic background check that anyone has to go through to buy a gun from a gun store (private individual sale regulations vary by state). IIRC the FBI largely based their estimate off of this number minus those background checks which were rejected, so it's safe to say it's an estimate of legal ownership (If your criminal record includes a felony or violent crime you're automatically rejected).

The raw numbers can be found here: http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/nics/reports

 

[Angry Irishman]

They must not have known the gun laws or they wouldn't have carried out this crime.

 

[Ackmed]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duncan,_Oklahoma#Demographics


Luckily we wont get a race war in P&N for this one.

The OP was sure to make the race the only line in red. It's pretty obvious what he wants.

 

[Abwx]

Secondly, from all relevant statistics gun crime is down something like 30% from 20 years ago, in line with the US's continual drop in average violent crime over that period.

At this rate it will take 120 years or so for the US
to be within other first world countries numbers.....

 

[Genx87]

Put these three in a ditch and be done with it.

 

[dali71]

So predictable.... I guess whitey had to show the other two that he was down.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/three-teens-accused-of-murder-of-baseball-player-chris-lane-identified/story-fni0fiyv-1226700172461

Caucasian, my ass...looks like another "white hispanic".

 

[dali71]

And here are 2 of their Twitter accounts (before they're taken down):

https://twitter.com/babe_drake/followers

https://twitter.com/JAMESAKABUG

Looks like a couple of winners

 

[boochi]

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/th...-lane-identified/story-fni0fiyv-1226700172461

Caucasian, my ass...looks like another "white hispanic".

Proof that the N-word still has a rightful place.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

I agree. But this does not negate his point. I am from Australia originally and still cannot get over the way in which the US endures shooting after shooting like this, without a substantive, rapid change to its gun laws.

In Australia we implemented sweeping changes to our own gun laws in the space of a few months after a particularly bad shooting. We were able to do so because we recognised the horrific damage that the mentally ill and the deranged can do when they have access to these weapons.

(And we also had no antiquated second amendment nonsense that opponents of the gun ban could hide behind).

It truly is all the more tragic that this student should get gunned down in America after Australia's own experience banning guns. The fact that atrocities happen in Australia does not change this fact.

You are right. If we had no guns they would have killed them by other means.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/three-teens-accused-of-murder-of-baseball-player-chris-lane-identified/story-fni0fiyv-1226700172461

Caucasian, my ass...looks like another "white hispanic".

Obama is white now?

 

[Darkman]

Obama could have had 3 sons? ^_^

... sharpton and jackson arrived to the rally yet?

 

[jackstar7]

If we had no guns they would have killed them by other means.

Because...



I want these three studied until we know what part of their brains was hit with a bottle that turned them into these kinds of people.


You all calling out for vengeance... come on already.

 

[diesbudt]

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/th...-lane-identified/story-fni0fiyv-1226700172461

Caucasian, my ass...looks like another "white hispanic".

Makes sense. He is a Steelers fan.

 

[Attic]

That'll destroy a family.

 

[TechBoyJK]

I am the last person to blame video games for violence, but the way these kids went about their actions show how desensitized they are to violence and murder. It's likely they played many violent games and watched a lot of violent TV/movies which contributed to them being apathetic and desensitized.

Violence in games and media don't turn people violent, but they allow violent and unstable people to become further desensitized and suppress their conscience which would normally prevent these acts.

No.

Correlation is not causation. People were doing the same shit back in the middle ages. Before Christ, etc.

It's just 'crazy'. That's all.

 

[TechBoyJK]

I had dug up their facebook pages earlier but it looks like they all disappeared.

 

[JEDIYoda]

Yea, but whitey wont be held as accountable. The two blacks are just enough to spark another 5 threads in P&N on how to fix the Black community.

so you admit that it needs fixing>???

 

[Darkman]

any chance they did it for Trayvon?