The hidden toll of gun violence

[j brown's body]

"Standing before the crosses, I heard a man describe the carnage — how he had seen the limbs and shattered bones of children, how he had watched a woman scream in pain as her daughter bit down on her arm, the child in agony as first responders applied a tourniquet to her small bleeding limb. Fourteen-year-old Ashley Guzman and her family often came to the Allen outlets on weekends. But on Saturday, she’d gone to a nearby mall, which was also evacuated because of a false alarm of gunfire. I asked Guzman whether she would go to a mall again. She shook her head. “No, I don’t think so.”

I saw 20-year-old Allen resident Tony Johnson standing alone, staring at the memorial. He told me he had moved with his family to Allen from Washington state. “My parents chose Allen because they thought it was safe,” he said. Then he asked me: “Would you get a gun?” He told me he was now thinking about getting one. He looked around the crowd. “Everyone here has guns.”

I was witnessing in real time the variety of social deaths that don’t get captured in victim counts or statistics. How do you capture the social death of someone who will be forever traumatized by seeing children bleed out on a sidewalk? How do you capture the social injury to a child who is now too afraid to go to a mall to hang out with her friends? Or, if the Allen outlets close for good, the loss of a place for families to spend time together?

And is it not a type of social death for a young man to now be so distrustful of Texans that he would contemplate buying a gun? And being trained to potentially kill? If this were another country — say, Nigeria — we would call this an example of youth radicalization. In Texas, we call it “freedom.” I don’t blame Johnson for thinking the way he does. The thought has crossed my mind, too. The proliferation of guns in Texas and the United States more broadly comes from the fetishization of distrust and fear — of the government, of other races and of one another, especially in states, such as Texas, that allow permit-less carry.

Link

Very well put.

Anyone see any pictures of the shooting? Here's one.

Spoiler: Graphic content

 

[BirdinHand]

Maybe that IS the image people need to see.

A child’s brains splattered on the pavement.



Seems fitting in ‘Merica. Where books are dangerous but we want teachers, bus drivers and store clerks to be armed

 

[JMB1911A1]

How are these pictures any different than an average weekend in Chicago?

The weekend before the shooting in Allen TX, 27 were shot in Chicago, 5 fatally.

Is it just the shock on a mass incident? Innocence of victims?

 

[Jessie C]

"Standing before the crosses, I heard a man describe the carnage — how he had seen the limbs and shattered bones of children, how he had watched a woman scream in pain as her daughter bit down on her arm, the child in agony as first responders applied a tourniquet to her small bleeding limb. Fourteen-year-old Ashley Guzman and her family often came to the Allen outlets on weekends. But on Saturday, she’d gone to a nearby mall, which was also evacuated because of a false alarm of gunfire. I asked Guzman whether she would go to a mall again. She shook her head. “No, I don’t think so.”

I saw 20-year-old Allen resident Tony Johnson standing alone, staring at the memorial. He told me he had moved with his family to Allen from Washington state. “My parents chose Allen because they thought it was safe,” he said. Then he asked me: “Would you get a gun?” He told me he was now thinking about getting one. He looked around the crowd. “Everyone here has guns.”

I was witnessing in real time the variety of social deaths that don’t get captured in victim counts or statistics. How do you capture the social death of someone who will be forever traumatized by seeing children bleed out on a sidewalk? How do you capture the social injury to a child who is now too afraid to go to a mall to hang out with her friends? Or, if the Allen outlets close for good, the loss of a place for families to spend time together?

And is it not a type of social death for a young man to now be so distrustful of Texans that he would contemplate buying a gun? And being trained to potentially kill? If this were another country — say, Nigeria — we would call this an example of youth radicalization. In Texas, we call it “freedom.” I don’t blame Johnson for thinking the way he does. The thought has crossed my mind, too. The proliferation of guns in Texas and the United States more broadly comes from the fetishization of distrust and fear — of the government, of other races and of one another, especially in states, such as Texas, that allow permit-less carry.

Link

Very well put.

Anyone see any pictures of the shooting? Here's one.

I watched a segment on CNN this morning of an interview with a bystander who became a first responder before the law arrived, and continued to assist first responders until the scene was cleared. I was in tears.

I personally, along with the families involved believe these images should be shown. EVERYONE needs to see the devastation of these guns. Maybe then, people will wake up and realize this is beyond unacceptable.

 

[Utility Man]

How are these pictures any different than an average weekend in Chicago?

The weekend before the shooting in Allen TX, 27 were shot in Chicago, 5 fatally.

Is it just the shock on a mass incident? Innocence of victims?

Those pictures (shootings) clearly make y'all feel better.

Cons convince themselves that mass shootings are okay because all of those other people being shot elsewhere.

"But whatabout chicago" is a mental disorder.

 

[JMB1911A1]

Those pictures (shootings) clearly make y'all feel better.

Cons convince themselves that mass shootings are okay because all of those other people being shot elsewhere.

"But whatabout chicago" is a mental disorder.

I have NEVER said that mass shootings are "okay".

Any unjustified gun death at the hands of another is unacceptable (suicide is another issue since we are talking choice and self-harm).

What I want to know is why are some gun deaths venerated in our media and others are ignored? Is there an agenda at play? Why are the civilian disarmament groups focused more on these killings vice the constant death in the inner cities?

All of these deaths are tragic.

 

[Jessie C]

I have NEVER said that mass shootings are "okay".

Any unjustified gun death at the hands of another is unacceptable (suicide is another issue since we are talking choice and self-harm).

What I want to know is why are some gun deaths venerated in our media and others are ignored? Is there an agaenda at play? Why are the civilian disarmament groups focused more on these killings vice the constant death in the inner cities?

All of these deaths are tragic.

MAYBE it's because of the random nature of these attacks. These mass shootings are not domestic violence, revenge, or anything close. They are people terrorizing totally innocent people.

 

[JMB1911A1]

MAYBE it's because of the random nature of these attacks. These mass shootings are not domestic violence, revenge, or anything close. They are people terrorizing totally innocent people.

So, what are gang drive-bys? Those are pretty random.

 

[Jessie C]

So, what are gang drive-bys? Those are pretty random.

SAME THING. Senseless shootings.

 

[uptower]

How are these pictures any different than an average weekend in Chicago?

The weekend before the shooting in Allen TX, 27 were shot in Chicago, 5 fatally.

Is it just the shock on a mass incident? Innocence of victims?

It's true they get a shorter news cycle. You can blame longstanding racial bias in the media. There's a hint in the relatively lighter coverage that it only happens in "those places" to "those people", whereas a mass shooting in a school, bar or mall could happen anywhere, even in your town.

It's a bit like missing white girl syndrome. Who gets all the news time?

But that doesn't make mass shootings any less real or frequent. Whether gang -related (and potentially underreported) or due to psychological factors or political or religious radicalization, they are a pressing and increasing danger.

 

[uptower]

And is it not a type of social death for a young man to now be so distrustful of Texans that he would contemplate buying a gun? And being trained to potentially kill? If this were another country — say, Nigeria — we would call this an example of youth radicalization. In Texas, we call it “freedom.”

Very well put.

I concur

 

[JMB1911A1]

It's true they get a shorter news cycle. You can blame longstanding racial bias in the media. There's a hint in the relatively lighter coverage that it only happens in "those places" to "those people", whereas a mass shooting in a school, bar or mall could happen anywhere, even in your town.

It's a bit like missing white girl syndrome. Who gets all the news time?

But that doesn't make mass shootings any less real or frequent. Whether gang -related (and potentially underreported) or due to psychological factors or political or religious radicalization, they are a pressing and increasing danger.

And I actually agree with you.

It seems to be though, that politicians are more to custom these “spectacular” events than the more mundane.

I would argue that a concentrated effort to get repeat criminals off the street would save more lives than any AWB.

 

[zsu2357]

MAYBE it's because of the random nature of these attacks. These mass shootings are not domestic violence, revenge, or anything close. They are people terrorizing totally innocent people.

And do you notice how these "random mass shootings" are the ones picked up on by the MSM and propagated for days at a time? While the shooting in lets say Chicago sorta slips under the radar? Why? Not mass enough.

 

[Jessie C]

So, what are gang drive-bys? Those are pretty random.

 

[uptower]

And I actually agree with you.

It seems to be though, that politicians are more to custom these “spectacular” events than the more mundane.

I would argue that a concentrated effort to get repeat criminals off the street would save more lives than any AWB.

Well I don;t propose a blanket AWB either but I think action is needed on both fronts. Just because one is underreported or over doesn't mean the entire focus should swing like a pendulum.

 

[jamesrage]

I have NEVER said that mass shootings are "okay".

Any unjustified gun death at the hands of another is unacceptable (suicide is another issue since we are talking choice and self-harm).

What I want to know is why are some gun deaths venerated in our media and others are ignored? Is there an agenda at play? Why are the civilian disarmament groups focused more on these killings vice the constant death in the inner cities?

All of these deaths are tragic.

Mass murder victims make a easier soap box for anti-2nd amendment trash to stand on in order to push for gun bans and other anti-2nd amendment laws. Single murders and gang shootings don't seem to motivate them as much to use their corpses as a soap box to push for gun bans and anti-2nd amendment laws.

 

[Glitch]

And do you notice how these "random mass shootings" are the ones picked up on by the MSM and propagated for days at a time? While the shooting in lets say Chicago sorta slips under the radar? Why? Not mass enough.

They are also not that random, occurring more often than not in a Democrat-designated massacre magnet, a.k.a. "Gun Free Zone." That is the whole reason why Democrats created "Gun Free Zones," to get as many people (especially children) killed as possible. Democrats are trying to create that outrage, so the more people that get slaughtered in their massacre magnets, the happier they are. We are dealing with truly sick and twisted demented leftist filth here.

 

[SiNNiK]

Maybe that IS the image people need to see.

A child’s brains splattered on the pavement.



Seems fitting in ‘Merica. Where books are dangerous but we want teachers, bus drivers and store clerks to be armed

I believe statements should remain truthful regardless of how strongly you feel. Emotional responses based in untruth aren't helping your cause much.

 

[RF667799]

They are also not that random, occurring more often than not in a Democrat-designated massacre magnet, a.k.a. "Gun Free Zone." That is the whole reason why Democrats created "Gun Free Zones," to get as many people (especially children) killed as possible. Democrats are trying to create that outrage, so the more people that get slaughtered in their massacre magnets, the happier they are. We are dealing with truly sick and twisted demented leftist filth here.

No. That accusation is no better than when the anti-gun zealots level much the same charge at pro-gun rights people.

 

[Noodlegawd]

"Standing before the crosses, I heard a man describe the carnage — how he had seen the limbs and shattered bones of children, how he had watched a woman scream in pain as her daughter bit down on her arm, the child in agony as first responders applied a tourniquet to her small bleeding limb. Fourteen-year-old Ashley Guzman and her family often came to the Allen outlets on weekends. But on Saturday, she’d gone to a nearby mall, which was also evacuated because of a false alarm of gunfire. I asked Guzman whether she would go to a mall again. She shook her head. “No, I don’t think so.”

I saw 20-year-old Allen resident Tony Johnson standing alone, staring at the memorial. He told me he had moved with his family to Allen from Washington state. “My parents chose Allen because they thought it was safe,” he said. Then he asked me: “Would you get a gun?” He told me he was now thinking about getting one. He looked around the crowd. “Everyone here has guns.”

I was witnessing in real time the variety of social deaths that don’t get captured in victim counts or statistics. How do you capture the social death of someone who will be forever traumatized by seeing children bleed out on a sidewalk? How do you capture the social injury to a child who is now too afraid to go to a mall to hang out with her friends? Or, if the Allen outlets close for good, the loss of a place for families to spend time together?

And is it not a type of social death for a young man to now be so distrustful of Texans that he would contemplate buying a gun? And being trained to potentially kill? If this were another country — say, Nigeria — we would call this an example of youth radicalization. In Texas, we call it “freedom.” I don’t blame Johnson for thinking the way he does. The thought has crossed my mind, too. The proliferation of guns in Texas and the United States more broadly comes from the fetishization of distrust and fear — of the government, of other races and of one another, especially in states, such as Texas, that allow permit-less carry.

Link

Very well put.

Anyone see any pictures of the shooting? Here's one.

Spoiler: Graphic content

Selective outrage.

 

[Toggle Almendro]

I personally, along with the families involved believe these images should be shown. EVERYONE needs to see the devastation of these guns.

But that devastation would be OK if different weapons were used?

Go ahead and show the images. They will not move me an inch. If you want to change my mind, try coming up with a compelling argument instead.

 

[Toggle Almendro]

No. That accusation is no better than when the anti-gun zealots level much the same charge at pro-gun rights people.

But the anti-gun zealots are making false accusations.

When people point out that anti-gunners have malicious intentions, that is actually the truth.

 

[Toggle Almendro]

Maybe that IS the image people need to see.
A child’s brains splattered on the pavement.
Seems fitting in ‘Merica. Where books are dangerous but we want teachers, bus drivers and store clerks to be armed

Such pictures are kind of boring, IMO.

I'd rather read a compelling argument. Does the left have any of those instead??

 

[BirdinHand]

Such pictures are kind of boring, IMO.

I'd rather read a compelling argument. Does the left have any of those instead??

Dead children with their brains on the cement is “boring”.

That you could even type that speaks volumes.

 

[VanceMack]

Mass murder victims make a easier soap box for anti-2nd amendment trash to stand on in order to push for gun bans and other anti-2nd amendment laws. Single murders and gang shootings don't seem to motivate them as much to use their corpses as a soap box to push for gun bans and anti-2nd amendment laws.

Its very telling that within hours of this last shooting in Texas involving what appears to be a Latino 'Nazi' his journal and online entries made headlines, while in Tennessee it is taking court orders to get the manifesto of a trans woman that killed children to the public. Instead, the first response from the left is "OMIGARSH....we must protect trans people! That poor trans shooter was a victim!" They cared more about dead naming the shooter than they did about the children she killed.