http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2009/01/02/seven_shots Comments On: Seven Shots by Jonah Spangenthal-Lee en-us Copyright 2009 The Stranger. All rights reserved. This RSS file is offered to individuals, The Stranger readers, and non-commercial organizations only. Any commercial websites wishing to use this RSS file, please contact The Stranger. webmaster@thestranger.com (The Stranger Webmaster) Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:01 -0800 Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:45:00 -0800 Foundation http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Posted by bloodbag]]> Fri, 09 Jan 2009 19:19:33 -0800 The Stranger
Yeah, everything is just fine; cops are just doing their jobs, nothing to see here, moving on.

I do recall clearly stating that the majority of such cases create victims on both sides, the victims of systematic violence against civilian population, and the cops that have to live with PTSD, substance abuse and severe emotional problems after they realize what actually took place, what they were a part of and why.

War veterans that managed to survive, come back into the world and retain a portion of their sanity have IDENTICAL questions of “WHY?”, and they too have to live and struggle with the consequence of violence.
Posted by Zarus]]> Tue, 06 Jan 2009 09:05:18 -0800 The Stranger
Pulsating LED light from a 3 watt Luxeon/Cree emitter will CONTINUESLY disorient a person for as long as the light is emitted.

Police as well as tactical units of all kinds are specifically trained to use blinding as a method of situation control, not just to “see” what’s going on.

I personally own various police and military LED lights, and only when I demonstrate their true potential do people realize that it’s not just a toy or something you bring along on a walk to locate the pile of poop your dog just made on your neighbors lawn.

A 200 lumens blast to your eyes will give you a headache and give you blind spots (disorientation) for at least 3 minutes. 5 watt LED emitters can actually cause permanents damage to the cornea.

LED light is a solid state, microchip controlled light emitting diode, or a LASER, so when an unsuspecting individual who was possibly intoxicated gets blasted with what most likely was around 200 lumens, all while being in a narrow passage and being yelled at, he would be absolutely stunned and incapable of performing even the basic tasks.

If there are real friends of the victim on this blog, feel free to contact me at my email, I will be more then happy to demonstrate (and videotape) the disorienting effect that a modern flashlight delivers, and what such capability really achieves.

Then the video can be posted on YouTube so the masses could be better informed to how stunning such effect really is, and how difficult it actually is to follow the basic instructions when you are blind as a bat and have a searing pain in your brain.
Posted by Zarus]]> Tue, 06 Jan 2009 08:02:30 -0800 The Stranger
>>>>> rollinfree, most corrupt force would be NOPD, not LAPD.
Zarus, you are an obvious friend attempting to tamper with the juror pool. Oh, wait, this won't go to a jury.
Alcohol in the house != drunk, only a coroner can determine that: moot<<<<<<

First;

Rationality is rather the opposite of ASSUMPTION, it requires collection of valid data and its analysis, and I hope such basics will help you with your studies.

As I clearly stated, the problem is not with INDIVIDUAL corruption of officers, but with a SYSTEMATIC system of TRANING PORGRAMS which indoctrinate the cadets while training them to treat the public as the source of life threatening danger first, and only as victims of crime second.

Second;

No, I’m not “obviously attempting to tamper with the juror pool.” and yes, it should go to the jury, who then should decide if the officers had no other choice but to KILL, and not just sweep yet another fatal police shooting of a CITIZEN under the carpet.

Since you have made such a premeditated and agenda driven assumption, you are being far from “rational”, because rational people ASK first and SPEAK later, it’s called REASONING.

I have never met the young man, but a decade ago I did work as a journalist here in Seattle, and some of the last stories I covered were WTO riots and Bushes 1st election. After that I was so SICKENED by how twisted, sanitized and controlled media is, a carrier change was simply necessary in order to stay sane.

The so called “free” American media in nothing more then a chain of FAST FOOD joints; they all serve the same crap just in different wrappers.

News is not the reporting of the current events, it’s a PRODUCT value of which is determined by RATINGS, which in turn set the PRICE of ADVERTISING.

Enjoy you crap Media burger and the slow, fat mind that it creates.

>>>>> am a college student (albeit a grad student), and I know that NYE celebrations are even more fun when you're not drunk off your asses.
The uniform is sensationalistic, I agree. The gun, not so much.
And, if you want to hear an 911 call, then you must also hear *all* 911 calls. All of those calls relating to this incident would incline a jury to convict, not acquit. Ohh, nevermind, he's already a threat to the public by popping off shots (blanks or lives, no matter) in violation of law.<<<<<

Wow, a grad student, an avid “rational”, continues to freely assume with out any base line information. How are your grades? If this was your paper on the topic, I would have failed you.

“All those calls..” “ incline the jury to convict, not acquit” – what are you, OJ Simpson lawyer?

What calls? Have you heard them since you are so confident that the jury will convict, or are you simply assuming again?

Don’t take it personally, you are not at fault, I blame the systematic degradation of our failing educational system.

>>>>> I am not stereotyping, I am simply going off of witness statements, police reports (informal in this prelim stage), and pro-journalists. i'll lend you credence once i see your story vetted and published.<<<<<

Witness reports;

>>> "It seemed to happen super, super fast," Ray said.
"I don't know if he was stunned, and not used to the police yelling at him or what, but he might have just froze," Ray said.”<<<

Police reports? WHERE? They were STATEMENTS, not reports.

Pro-journalists? Please, indulge me, who would they be? I worked with people that covered Watergate and the collapse of the USSR, and personally know that these days these “pro-journalists” are kids that can barely spell, and that is precisely why their main “journalistic” skill is the use “copy and paste” shortcuts.

Credence for my “story”? What story? If I happened to state the obvious, then I have to have credentials, but if I chose to parrot the usual “opinions” then it’s acceptable?


>>>> considerthis, how about the statements in public record of prior shooting in the alley, or the upstairs neighbor hearing cop shouts of "put it down, put the gun down" x3. the two cops who were there had exemplary records (and no matter how much dirt you try to sling and malign them with, it'll only ensure that you've got a daddy problem with authority).<<<<

Sure, let’s take the official statements as fact, salute to the flag, disregard anything else by simply labeling it as “daddy problem with authority”, and move on as usual towards the authoritarian control.

I’ll put it this way, HEY KID! Get over your self, get out into the REAL world, travel a bit, talk to strangers, or instead just get it over it and register as a blind and obedient republican. All the best to you.
Posted by Zarus]]> Tue, 06 Jan 2009 07:32:26 -0800 The Stranger
“Regardless of your incredible bias towards law enforcement if people in military type clothing were shooting heavy rifles in your neighborhood you'd be dialing 911. If the police did not respond and protect you I am sure your stereotypical blather toward the police would take on a whole new hypocrisy. Sadly this young man is dead, but the verbal vomit you espouse to be fact pertaining to our public safety system is almost an offense to all our sense of decency.


Bias, stereotypical blather, hypocrisy verbal vomit, any other personal attacks you care to “mount” for the lack of anything factual to say? How about a PhD to back it all up aw well?

Talking about “stereotypical”, it’s the closed, propagandized and brainwashed minds that result to personal attacks when they are incapable of confronting the obvious truth that has nothing to do with the preferences of the individual, but the reality of the FACTAULL.

This one time, for the sake of other readers I’ll address your fallacious attacks on MY STATEMENTS, while the topic is the issue of yet another fatal police shooting of an INNOCENT CIVILIAN and not a criminal.

>>>"What were they supposed to do, knit sweaters by the fireplace?" Is this some sort of joke?? ? Is shooting heavy caliber weapons in the street (blanks or not) in military garb and in a highly populated residential area the cool thing to do and knitting sweaters boring?????<<<

You are either purposefully misreading what was written, or your reading and comprehension skill are in the need of a good dusting, so I’ll just REPOST exactly what I wrote, because there is no way it can be twisted and misconstrued as you just have unless there is an arterial motive.

>>>>>Naturally alcohol was found in the house, IT WAS NEW YEARS celebrated by college STUDENTS!!!

What were they supposed to do, knit sweaters by the fireplace?<<<<<

Alcohol found in the house of New Year celebrating collage students. WOW, that type of a crime must explain everything, including a Nazi wearing, rifle wielding psycho, oh sure, that’s a lot easier to live with rather then having to accept the true nature of the system in place.

Moving on;

>>>>>Is shooting heavy caliber weapons in the street (blanks or not) in military garb and in a highly populated residential area the cool thing to do and knitting sweaters boring??????. <<<<<

Well, how about a CLEARLY mentally ill man wielding a ninja sword in the middle of down town Seattle, who was simply incapable of endangering the lives of armed officers that shot him down like an animal while they DID HAVE MEANS of incapacitating him with wire tazers, what was that?

A MESSAGE TO THE PUBLICK, if you step out of line which we enforce, you will be SHOT and KILLED! But hey, it must be OK since he was clinically insane, so who cares, right?

Hell, if a bear or a deer stumbles in the city area, bring out the net and animal control to shot a sedation dart so the kids won’t be crying when they see it on TV, but when a disturbed human steps out of line, simply kill them to keep the message loud and clear.

>>>>>Sadly this young man is dead, but the verbal vomit you espouse to be fact pertaining to our public safety system is almost an offense to all our sense of decency.<<<<<

Public SAFETY system and “since of decency? Watch TV much? How about READING? Brush up on some statistics on the EPIDEMIC of systematic ABUSE of the “system”. Repeated tazing people to death is such a problem that now certain cities REQUARE taze guns with a memory chips that records time and the number of discharges in order to prevent ELECTRICAL TOURTURE of people that police confront.

Why don’t you >rollinfree< into your local library, and brush up on the FACTUALL DATA rather then POPULAR MEDIA DRIVEN PROPOGANSDA.
Posted by Zarus]]> Tue, 06 Jan 2009 06:55:12 -0800 The Stranger
Combined with their distorted "worst-case" assessment of the situation (i.e., assuming they were facing a heavily-armed Nazi psychopath with a hostage instead of just an eccentric history student), then the tragic outcome would have been all but assured.

Posted by Bob G]]> Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:15:30 -0800 The Stranger Posted by considerthis]]> Mon, 05 Jan 2009 12:47:47 -0800 The Stranger (not that I address by name, and not @# which gets fucked when admins delete or censor comments. @-1#, duh! (slog, you;ve been a bit better about replacing deleted text with moderator comment/reason; keep it up).

i think he got what he deserved, but (working backwards):

rollinfree, most corrupt force would be NOPD, not LAPD.
Zarus, you are an obvious friend attempting to tamper with the juror pool. Oh, wait, this won't go to a jury.
Alcohol in the house != drunk, only a coroner can determine that: moot.
I am a college student (albeit a grad student), and I know that NYE celebrations are even more fun when you're not drunk off your asses.
The uniform is sensationalistic, I agree. The gun, not so much.
And, if you want to hear an 911 call, then you must also hear *all* 911 calls. All of those calls relating to this incident would incline a jury to convict, not acquit. Ohh, nevermind, he's already a threat to the public by popping off shots (blanks or lives, no matter) in violation of law.
I am not stereotyping, I am simply going off of witness statements, police reports (informal in this prelim stage), and pro-journalists. i'll lend you credence once i see your story vetted and published.

considerthis, how about the statements in public record of prior shooting in the alley, or the upstairs neighbor hearing cop shouts of "put it down, put the gun down" x3. the two cops who were there had exemplary records (and no matter how much dirt you try to sling and malign them with, it'll only ensure that you've got a daddy problem with authority).

sorry, can't read up anymore. need to go dress up in costume and fire off some blanks to test SPD response time. goodbye, cold cruel worlerla;wua;pw4klfj a; [carrier lost]
Posted by rational]]> Mon, 05 Jan 2009 07:02:34 -0800 The Stranger
"What were they supposed to do, knit sweaters by the fireplace?" Is this some sort of joke??? Is shooting heavy caliber weapons in the street (blanks or not) in military garb and in a highly populated residential area the cool thing to do and knitting sweaters boring??????.


Regardless of your incredible bias towards law enforcement if people in military type clothing were shooting heavy rifles in your neighborhood you'd be dialing 911. If the police did not respond and protect you I am sure your stereotypical blather toward the police would take on a whole new hypocrisy. Sadly this young man is dead, but the verbal vomit you espouse to be fact pertaining to our public safety system is almost an offense to all our sense of decency.
Posted by rollinfree]]> Mon, 05 Jan 2009 00:39:34 -0800 The Stranger The rifle was not even loaded, as specifically mentioned by witnesses which stated that prior to going back to the house Murphy fired the last two blank which he had.

Naturally the not surprising part is the media depiction of the victim as a crazed, drunken Nazi uniform wearing nut with a rifle that he was using to threaten police all while they were politely asking him to lower it three times in a row.

Naturally alcohol was found in the house, IT WAS NEW YEARS celebrated by college STUDENTS!!!

What were they supposed to do, knit sweaters by the fireplace?

Oh, and what about neighbors that yelled at him on previous occasions for wearing the uniform?

And by the way, the uniform was not “Nazi” (or as read between the lines as SS, all of which leads to holocaust and neo-Nazi extremists), it was a standard WWI Wermaht soldier uniform, as clearly shown in his MySpace picture. Even his mustache was fashion in a period correct style, not in a typical Hitler mustache style of the WWII, not to mention the typical WWI bugle. And what about all the other uniforms he wore? He also had Soviet WWII uniforms, so if he was shot wearing a Red Army uniform he would have been a communist so good riddance, thanks SPD for making one less commie? Let’s follow this line of reasoning just a little further, what if he was dressed in drag? Thanks SPD for getting rid of one more what? Or about if he was dressed as a Jewish military Chaplin, wearing a full “VESTMENTS” with a YARMULKAH, AND ATALLI? Well holy crap, then it would reported as a full attack against the local Ravena Jewish community by blood thirsty SPD officers who were recruited by Hamas in order to avenge the current Israeli invasion of Gaza.

I really would like to hear the 911 call, and I bet it would sound something like this “Yes, police? We have a drunken Nazi here walking around the neighborhood shooting a rifle and threatening everybody! And he’s doing it all the time with his Nazi buddies you know, they all dress up and stomp around terrifying everybody here like it’s the Third Reich, can you believe it?”

Details details, but who gives a rats ass when it’s so simple to stereotype and condemn the victim as ordered by the media.
Posted by Zarus]]> Sun, 04 Jan 2009 19:21:36 -0800 The Stranger
Posted by considerthis]]> Sun, 04 Jan 2009 18:33:45 -0800 The Stranger
I will add however that I don't think you should take everything the police say for granted. For example, the policemen claimed in their statement that Miles made eye contact with them. I don't find this very likely. Though he may have appeared to be looking into the eyes of one of the policemen, I suspect Miles was fixated on the bright beam of light pouring out of one of their rifle mounted flashlights.
I'm not saying the policemen lied, I just think it was just one less thing in Miles' favor.

Furthermore, I have personally ruled out the possibility of Miles intending to appear threatening because;
1. If his hand had been on the trigger, it would have surely been mentioned in the police statement.
2. If the butt of the rifle were even close to his shoulder, the police statement would be more than happy to mention it as well.

I think the police should clarify exactly how he was handling the rifle. Regardless, I don't blame them for making the choice they did, I simply don't think Miles should be blamed. It was a tough spot for both parties. The difference being; Miles can't speak for himself now.
Posted by considerthis]]> Sun, 04 Jan 2009 18:26:05 -0800 The Stranger
FACTS:
*Miles is NOT gay.... I had to laugh when I read this because it is so far from the truth! This guy got more girls than you could imagine. I am not sure what it was, but something about a guy being able to play numerous instruments is really attractive.
* There were only 3 guys at the scene. I am not sure why Police report 5 people dressed in uniform firing guns, but there were only 3 guys (Miles and 2 of his friends).
* The Police did NOT notify Miles or the other 2 friends that they were outside. They did not have sirens going indicating they were outside. Miles just happened to be walking out of his apartment when he was confronted by the Police. I am not sure about you, but I think I would be pretty startled and taken off guard.
* The other two friends were inside and were also unaware that the cops were in the yard and outside the door. They heard the Police yell something and merely seconds later they heard numerous shots.

I think I would just like everyone to know that what the Media and the Police tell you is not always the truth. Don't believe everything you believe, because it is simply not true.

Please have a little bit of consideration and sympathy for his friends. They did not know what was going on until it was too late. Miles was not suicidal, but merely being careless that night. His friends had to walk through his blood and will now forever remember New Years as the night they heard the Police kill one of their friends. His friends will have to live with this horrible memory for the rest of their lives.

We miss Miles very much and we are all so upset about this tragedy.
Posted by Friend of Miles]]> Sun, 04 Jan 2009 18:21:55 -0800 The Stranger
After a thorough search of the alley NO weapons of any kind were recovered, and the 15 year old kid was later released because he just like any other kid simply ran because that’s what scared kids do, and no, he did NOT belong to any gang.

Not only my friend was reprimanded, but also ridiculed and rejected by his entire precinct for not “backing up” his new partner, for essentially not killing a 15 year old kid on a wrong hunch of a trigger happy “pup” pumped full of adrenaline who was fresh out of the academy.


He is currently “working” towards a career change, because after investing everything that he did he can’t just quit to walk away.

In police academies, in order to secure their safety the recruits are trained to DOMINATE and CONTROLL suspects, to ESCALATE the situation, NEVER to address or RELATE to the suspect and their “story” until the scene is fully secured. That means that regardless of who you are, you are treated as an imminent and clear danger to the safety of the officer until you are handcuffed and secured, meaning that you are presumed innocent until proven guilty only if you make it alive to the booking.

If a suspect is not complying with officers orders for ANY reason, be it incapacitation or attempts to state their side, it is ALREADY considered as RESISTANCE, a situation which is FURTHER ESCALATED and EXPLOITED just as TRAINING specifies in order to FORCE a “resisting arrest” charge, which is VITAL for clearing the officer of any previous or further wrong doing.

Majority of cops are not BAD by intent, they are simply caught up in administrative system which is specifically designed to make them do the things they do, and GOOD cops do not like it as much as the victims of such policies. In ALL such cases when the media gets a hold of such clear violations of basic civil rights, it’s the COPS that get the brunt of it even if the DA is out to cover their butts, but in essence it’s the officers that are then sold out for what they were trained to do.

So in this particular case, both officers were not blood thirsty killers as it’s the case on most of such tragedies, they were just following the RULES, as wrong as they are, rules which are instated by the systematic effort of increasing forceful control over the population, and that’s why BOTH of them fired, and both fired to KILL, because if only one of them would have fired, then the DA would be obligated to investigate why the second officer did not back up his partner.

It’s that simple, a vicious cycle of calculated, agenda driven violence perpetrated by policies of the government which is tasked with protecting of the population which they are actually at war with.

To ad insult to injury, after such cases police officers involved shooting have to attend mandatory counseling sessions, during which they are assured that what they did was necessary, while they them selves know that it was simply not, and after the entire B.S. system they usually suffer from severe PTSD, depression, and often flunk out and leave the force with severe phycological problems, followed by broken marriages, loss of visitation right with their kids, etc, therefore becoming the second victims of the system, because they are simply discarded as used up assets, only to be replaced by a batch of freshly “trained” adrenaline fueled “super-cops” that go out on the street to push people around.

And after the "pups" get the real taste of the street, they them selves become paranoid, because they quickly learn how much they are really despised, and that the streets are filled with people who have been pushed around once to many, and that they can snap and pull a gun right back at them with full intention of putting a bullet in their heads. So then such “maverick” cops not only become even more aggressive but extremely paranoid at the same time, so just imagine if they really would give a crap about YOU since they live their live in a constant state of fear them selves.

Enough reality for you? Because this cycle happens EVERY day as a matter of business as usual.
Posted by Zarus]]> Sun, 04 Jan 2009 17:18:42 -0800 The Stranger Posted by molly]]> Sun, 04 Jan 2009 17:17:36 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Rolanda]]> Sun, 04 Jan 2009 16:23:27 -0800 The Stranger Posted by elenchos]]> Sun, 04 Jan 2009 16:18:35 -0800 The Stranger
1. It is not common sense to rest a bayoneted rifle on the tip of its blade. In fact, I consider it to be common sense to rest the rifle on its butt, as you suggested yourself in post #80.

2. You are fallaciously linking Miles to public shootings when you mention him in the same breath as "clowns" such as Clinton Chad Gainger, Naveed Haq, and Kyle Huff. In fact, by all accounts, Miles never shot at anyone and showed no intention to do so. The police have confirmed that the weapon contained blanks. It is well established that he was shooting them off in celebration of NYE.

3. You are going out on a limb conjuring up suggestions of insanity or mental illness when you say that Miles had a "poor grip on reality." As far as I've read into the situation he was perfectly healthy -- he had an extensive network of friends, a stable job, and he excelled as a student at the most prestigious university in the state. In my mind, his passion as a collector and "history buff" does not constitute insanity. Obviously it was a poor decision to combine the gun and alcohol, but this one example of poor decision making seems more like an brief lapse of judgment than a permanent mental condition. Unless something emerges saying otherwise, I think it is safe to say that he managed to use his gun in reenactments without incident.

4. I was not providing excuses for any of Mile's actions, I was trying to provide objective context for why he pointed the rifle at the police instead of tossing around non sequiturs like "he was obviously insane" -- not unlike a monkey would his own feces. I have no agenda for sharing my observations, I wouldn't have mentioned them unless I thought that it was extremely relevant.

You are clearly quite passionate about the problem of public shootings, however I don't think the case of Miles Murphy is at all relevant. If you still think otherwise, I seriously suggest you put a lot more work into your argument before your continue your slander.
Posted by considerthis]]> Sun, 04 Jan 2009 16:07:07 -0800 The Stranger
Doesn’t matter how often and how brutally citizens (NOT criminals) are abused by “police”, does not matter how often “police” EXECUTE citizens (NOT criminals) on the streets of our country, the public “opinion” is a mirror image of an abused and battered wife!

THINK ABOUT IT! Police in our country are CONDITIONED by TRAINING to consider THEIR safety ABOVE the safety of the PUBLIC!!!!! It’s the OFFICIAL policy! Kind of like the informational pamphlet in the airplane, instructing you to place an oxygen mask before putting one on you own child.

For example, in case of injury to a police officer, the policy is to evacuate the officer BEFORE evacuation of any injured civilians regardless of the injury severity!!

DO YOU UNDERSTAND??!!!!!

They are NOT trained to PROTERCT YOU, they are trained to protect THEM SELVES while EXECUTING POLICY!

For crying out loud, pick up a pamphlet from any nurses office and read about the dynamics of an abuse relationships and domestic violence, and after giving your self a standard questioner test, ask your self a simple question, where will you find YOUSELF standing in the relationship between you and the police?

Are you afraid to find out, accept and live with the fact that police in our country are not here to “protect and serve”, but to “enforce and control”? And that to them you are simply a potential suspect (enemy) which is liable to shoot them with out warning, because that’s exactly how they are TRAIED TO TREAT YOU!?

WAKE the HELL UP!!! What, two terms of Bushes administration did not make it clear enough for you? National Guard troops policing New York during New Years is not enough? Do you really need them to wear Nazi uniforms and put up mandatory check point on freeway entrances before you’ll get it?

Our enforcement agencies use training which PITS their enforcers AGAINST the civilian population, so go ahead and look up what kind of government regimes use such training tactics to keep control of their population – TOTALITARIAN REGIMES!

And only in TOTALITARIAN REGIMES the people are so FRIGHTENED, that they casually approve and accept SYSTEMATIC brutality perpetrated upon them by their own government, and always repeat the SAME thing – “the only thing the victim had to do is COOPERATE with ORDERS of enforcement representatives, and if they would have done so, they would not be killed”

LISTEN TO YOUR SELVES!!!

I’ll repeat what you are saying, but only in FIRST PERSON - “if I don’t want to be KILLED, I have to do everything I’m told REGARDLESS of the situation and circumstances..”

Physiologically it’s an equivalent of “INSTINTANIOUS RESPOSE REFLEX”, and in this case it’s supposed to be a response to AUTHORITY, do you understand now?

When confronted by authority, regardless of the situation, in reality your “cooperation” is a physiological instantaneous response reflex of SUBMITION!

Just like DOGS you are conditioned to “sit” and “lay down” when told to, and to explore why and how that’s done, just Google “Pavlov dog” and THINK for your selves if you are treated as free people, or a bunch of cattle to heard around.

For crying out loud, I’m saddened and ASHAMED of what our FORMERLY FREE country has been turned into, to see people’s minds being so closed, frightened and controlled by the typical tools of an oppressive regime.

WAKE UP!!
Posted by Zarus]]> Sun, 04 Jan 2009 15:24:34 -0800 The Stranger
Well then he could have put the barrel against the ground and leaned the butt up against the wall. Not the ideal way to put a gun down but it's better than being dead. Jesus. Common fucking sense.

I'm so sick of listening to excuses for clowns running around with guns. They took Kyle Huff's guns away and then gave them back. They gave Clinton Chad Grainger a concelaed weapons permit, and then gave him a slap on the wrist for shooting up Floklife because he didn't "intend" to shoot anybody. Naveed Haq was diagnosed with mental illness and the fucker still bought guns. They took Miles Murphy's gun away and then gave it back. It's bullshit. Pure bullshit.

How about this: people with a loose grip on reality and poor decision making skills should not have guns. When they insist on having them in spite of their limited common sense, don't make excuses for them. Why is it always the job of the police to put their own lives at risk to keep fools from harming themselves? Why is the burden on them instead of on Miles Murphy? He wasn't a child, even if he amused his friends by acting like a child.

Posted by elenchos]]> Sun, 04 Jan 2009 13:13:55 -0800 The Stranger
So they can kill you for having a gun.
Posted by negative creep]]> Sun, 04 Jan 2009 13:12:02 -0800 The Stranger What he should have done was drop it immediately. Maybe he would have, I don't think he had much time to figure out that he couldn't set it down properly, underestimating the situation as the sole possessor of the knowledge of his harmlessness.

Otherwise, I do not know his relationship or training with his weapon except that he seemed to use them for reenactments. I don't think he truly understood the deadly potential of his weapon either, it was probably just another one of his artifacts from a bygone era.


Posted by considerthis]]> Sun, 04 Jan 2009 11:42:38 -0800 The Stranger Posted by death to all fanatics]]> Sun, 04 Jan 2009 10:36:35 -0800 The Stranger Knowing whether he had an card membership for such a club is far less relevant than getting any information from witnesses about the position he was standing near the foyer of his door and the angle of the gun. And really, what are the chances that those couple people hang out online blogging. Beyond this, everyone here either has no inside information, or merely knew him as a coworker.
Do reenactment clubs tend to have problems with troublesome people applying, so they ofte have screening procedures to keep up their reputation?
Posted by Illse]]> Sun, 04 Jan 2009 10:35:18 -0800 The Stranger
I saw those pictures. Which club? When were those pictures taken? Is he currently a member? Does that club vouch for him?

I'm asking because I don't know, OK? If you have time to write 500 word essays on how he was witty and shy, can you take a sec to share some actual information?
Posted by elenchos]]> Sun, 04 Jan 2009 10:28:20 -0800 The Stranger