The General Political Thread

[TheBoberton]

It’s just very dismissive for Gordo to try and take pot shots at a state with gun restrictions when there’s no real evidence that she got around them.

That's the point, though. Even with all of California's firearm regulations, she had a weapon and thus had the lives of every person in that building in the palm of her hand for however long she was up and shooting. The only reason people didn't die is because she was clearly astoundingly incompetent with a firearm.

Insofar as I know, she didn't break any laws acquiring the handgun, and it was just a standard run of the mill 9MM S&W.

[Toffee]

Well there weren’t any restrictions on the weapon she was carrying, was there?Correct me if I’m wrong. So your point is mute.

[TheBoberton]

If by that you mean it wasn't banned, then no, there were no restrictions. California, however, had an absurdly lengthy process for purchasing firearms in general, and handguns in particular.

You wouldn't happen to be suggesting that the state should have banned all firearms, are you?

[BabyJesus]

A 9mm handgun I believe. The vast majority of gun crime within the US is committed with handguns though, so no surprises here.

And do the gun laws in the her state prohibit certain assault rifles ?

Yes, California made it illegal to purchase assault rifles such as the AR-15 since January 1st of 2018.

what happened to those that owned ars before the ban?

[TheBoberton]

what happened to those that owned ars before the ban?

From what I'm reading, if they're already registered, or are registered by the new deadline, then they are grandfathered in (For now). If not, then congratulations on becoming a felon. I guess good on California for 'compromising' and not turning a shitload of people into criminals overnight.

[Toffee]

My argument isn’t that all firearms should be banned. It would be impossible in the US. But I’m saying that maybe she had a handgun because the assault rifles were banned, lessening the potential damage she could cause.

[Cazasar]

My argument isn’t that all firearms should be banned. It would be impossible in the US. But I’m saying that maybe she had a handgun because the assault rifles were banned, lessening the potential damage she could cause.

I think here damage was "lessened" by her incompetence

[TheBoberton]

My argument isn’t that all firearms should be banned. It would be impossible in the US. But I’m saying that maybe she had a handgun because the assault rifles were banned, lessening the potential damage she could cause.

When one has complete domination over the lives of others, handguns are no less deadly than a rifle. The third most deadly shooting in American history was, in fact, committed with a pair of handguns. The only thing that saved lives in that building was the absurd incompetence of the shooter.

[Duuring]

Handguns have a slower rate of fire, usually a smaller calibre, less effective range and accuracy, and smaller magazines. I think Toffee has a fair argument when he says that handgun, on average, do less damage then a assault rifle when we put them in the same scenario.

[Stroke0fd34th]

Handguns have a slower rate of fire, usually a smaller calibre, less effective range and accuracy, and smaller magazines. I think Toffee has a fair argument when he says that handgun, on average, do less damage then a assault rifle when we put them in the same scenario.

Effective range doesn't really matter. If someone walks into a building they don't need a weapon that can kill @ 300 meters, and a 9mm/.45 has the same potential to kill a person as an assault rifle's 5.56/7.62mm does, especially considering most people don't walk around wearing bulletproof vests, so that's also a non-factor. I think it's pretty common for a handgun to have a 12-17 round capacity as a standard and it takes no time to reload so I feel like magazine size doesn't really matter either.

It matters a lot more about how competent a shooter is than what weapon they're using.

[DaMonkey]

usually a smaller calibre

I'm an American, so I'm not very good with the metric system. I could have sworn 9mm is larger than 5.56mm or even 7.62mm

[Stroke0fd34th]

usually a smaller calibre

I'm an American, so I'm not very good with the metric system. I could have sworn 9mm is larger than 5.56mm or even 7.62mm

[DaMonkey]

Caliber is only the diameter of the cartridge - not the length.

[Stroke0fd34th]

Caliber is only the diameter of the cartridge - not the length.

it's just something people can reference, it's not directed at anyone.

[Edwin]

Thanks suns for clarifying since I assume Gordo didn’t know. Could we then argue that the damage could have been worse had the shooter had access to a rifle? I think that’s a fair argument.

My argument isn’t that all firearms should be banned. It would be impossible in the US. But I’m saying that maybe she had a handgun because the assault rifles were banned, lessening the potential damage she could cause.

Not really, given that the Dunblane massacre of 1996 was carried out with handguns alone and led to 18 deaths in total - one of the deadliest mass shootings in UK history. Personally, I'd speculate that the shooter's lack of skill and over all hysteria saved the lives of YouTube's employees, not CA's assault rifle ban. As mentioned earlier, handguns are can be just as lethal in the context of close quarters, IE a building like YouTube's, as an assault rifle when in the hands of a skilled shooter.

We already know that Aghdam practiced her shooting skills at a firing range JUST HOURS before the attack; she was certainly no professional, and I'd be willing to wager she wouldn't be skilled enough to operate a fully automatic rifle effectively enough to successfully commit mass murder in the same scenario. I think it's important to mention that she didn't actually manage kill anyone on Tuesday, and that's with a handgun in very close quarters.