Thursday, June 18, 2015

Charleston - First Thoughts

Re: the Charleston, SC church shooting:

After my initial reaction of shock (nine dead - in a church, of all places) and sadness for the victims and their loved ones, my next thought was "Oh no, here we go again."

There will be the predictable - and misguided - calls for more gun control. But if this early report is accurate, the shooter had a criminal record
A 21-year-old white gunman with a criminal record... (emphasis added)
That means he couldn't legally possess a firearm.

So how did he get the weapon?
A man who identified himself as Roof's uncle said he had recently been give a .45-caliber handgun as a birthday present by his father and that the 21-year-old had seemed adrift.
Oh great. Give a .45 to someone who appears to have mental and/or emotional problems. Not a good idea.

Gun rights advocates will no doubt respond to the antis by pointing out: (1) the shooter broke existing laws in obtaining his weapon; and (2) the shooting took place in a gun-free zone (or at least in a place where no one was legally carrying).
He reloaded five times even as victims pleaded with him to stop...
That seems like an excessive number of reloads, but this is an early report and details are confused. In any event, if someone else was armed, it's likely that this tragedy could have been stopped before so many were dead.

And yes, I recognize the irony and ruefulness of suggesting that people go armed in a place of worship, but evil knows no boundaries. 'Protect yourself at all times' should be more than just a pre-fight instruction.

Another predictable reaction will be along racial lines. The media is already playing up that angle, with statements like:
The rampage came in a year that has seen months of racially charged protests across the United States over killings of black men.

A white police officer was charged with murder after he shot an unarmed black man in April in neighboring North Charleston.

The Southern Poverty Law Center, which researches U.S. hate groups, said the attack illustrates the dangers that home-grown extremists pose.
How sad it is that in the face of this terrible tragedy, there are people who will use it to advance their own agendas. This should be a time for coming together, not for further division.

4 comments:

Bag Blog said...

My feelings were similar: horror and sadness for the church folk killed, and then OMG, the racists stuff along with the gun control crap will be all we hear.

Well Seasoned Fool said...

+1 on Bag Blog. Soon to be followed by conspiracy theories, the shooter was brainwashed by the CIA/FBI/ATF/DNC/Brady/Free Masons, etc.to advance the _______ agenda. Can't be he was just an evil little shit.

Old NFO said...

Truly saddening, and thoughts and prayers go out to those families... Those nine deaths are already being used by the left, who are freely dancing in their blood... And it's already been branded a hate crime by DOJ. For God's sake, give the people a chance to grieve for their loved ones, and bury them in peace... Sigh.

CenTexTim said...

BB - same song, another verse...

WSF - Nah, it was the Tea Party...

NFO - agreed - there is no decency anymore...