There's no evidence that Paddock was mentally ill. And no reason to believe he was, aside from the desire to believe sane people can't do awful things. And the theory that Whitman's rampage was caused by a tumour is not 'widely accepted.' It's largely discredited speculation.
It's difficult to accept, but sane people can deliberately do horrendous things.
I'm not sure why this is addressed at me. I was merely suggesting a post going on about how "this wasn't personal for him... This was a person that wanted to kill in a detached manner, he wanted to rack up bodies. It was basically a sport kill more then anything else" is perhaps a bit premature given how early in the investigation it is. It's all speculation one way or the other. Early indications are that he wasn't known to suffer from observable mental illness, but nothing for certain.
And re: Whitman, the Connally Commission findings were that that the tumor could have contributed to his inability to control his emotions and actions, but at the time they simply didn't have enough research available to make a determination one way or the other. With the benefit of a much greater understanding of the brain, specifically the role of the amygdaloid, it's one of the more accepted theories as to his drastic behavioral changes.
From the presser just now, the presenter (not the sheriff) stated that:
- the security guard was already on 32nd floor responding to a different matter.
- they don't have video from inside the room.
- there wasn't any video on the shooter's cameras.
- they have no timelines on when people entered/exited the room but later said they could tell from video exactly when security guard was shot.
- we don't have a clear motive.
- there isn't any evidence right now of radicalization.
I'm surprised that there hasn't been any leaks of video showing him in Mandalay Bay. They run a much tighter ship than the LVPD considering that hotel room photos were leaked.
I think people also overestimate how much a casino cares about what happens in their Hotel areas. The gambling floor for sure though.
This is definitely true, and even more true if reporting of this guy's gambling habit is accurate. If he's dropping huge sums of money in the Mandalay Bay casino on a regular basis, he could be doing just about anything in that suite and they casino isn't going to say anything. Casinos love high rollers, and if this guy had a massive gambling habit--he was a high roller.
A client at my salon is a high roller at one of the Vegas casinos, when she's in town they provide her with a personal concierge, a personal driver, suite upgrades, etc, etc. If you spend a lot in the casinos, they'll give you anything.
If he's blowing thousands of dollars regularly at their tables, MB wasn't going to say a word to him even if something did appear slightly suspicious.
Won’t speak to the hotel operations, but based the rest of the event could have had better crowd control, better communication on site, better communication with casinos, better control of roads in and out for first responders, especially quicker establishment of operational control over the site based on existing infrastructure. This is a no win situation as you don’t train for an event anything like this. You can only go on similar events and hope similar plans apply.
I will not get involved in this debate, I will just report my observations. We were able to wander all over the kill zone (out front of MB) the morning after around 830/9 am and talk to witnesses/survivors, which we found extremely odd. The media could not get any closer than about 1/2 mile on either side, but we could go anywhere short of the actual concert area. By the following day all of this was taped off and a no-go zone.
Travelling to the US without health insurance is a gamble that I just don't understand. For a few dollars a day, you get the peace of mind that if something occurs, you and your family won't be financially ruined.
And really there are so many credit cards that offer health insurance as long as you book with their card.
Read an article in either the Toronto sun or the Toronto star today that suggested that after a few days the FBI appears to have no clue on any type of motive with respect to why this guy did this.
The article suggested the FBI was going. To appeal to the public via billboards and 1-800 #'s.
Only clues they have is him booking other hotel rooms that overlooked concert venues.
Hopefully they can find something to get some insight into why this guy did this.
__________________
If I do not come back avenge my death
Too many rumors are swirling around regarding the tragedy in Vegas from Sunday night. Let me start by dispelling with some of the questions floating around on the internet:
1. How did he get that many weapons into his room without being noticed?
A: With a luggage cart and ten suitcases over 3 days.
2. How did he fire off that many rounds without training?
A: A monkey can pull a trigger; and, who says he didn't have practice?
3. How was he able to kill that many people in such a short time?
A: He had 11 minutes firing on near full-auto (using a bump fire device) into a crowd of people that had no idea where the fire was coming from.
4. Why did he have so many weapons?
A: First, he was a psychopath. Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said it best, "No Ma'am, I can't get into the mind of a psychopath at this point."
Second, he probably thought he would be there for an extended period of time and perhaps thought he would heat up one or more guns. Maybe he wasn't good at changing magazines? Again, first answer is always a fit. Seriously, how can we apply reason to a psychopath?
5. How did he get his hands on fully automatic firearms?
A: Investigation has determined that he had bump fire or slide fire devices on 12 of his firearms, which make them sound like a full-auto and operate much like a full-auto. They are approved by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and are easily available (until now).
6. How was he able to remove a window with 800 pounds of hurricane glass without training? (I know, seriously, this was a question.)
A: With a hammer.
7. How did he get up 32 floors with 400 pounds of equipment?
A: With an elevator and luggage cart.
8. What about the sounds of gunfire coming from other directions?
A: It was an echo.
9. How does one man come to own $100K worth of weapons without being noticed?
A:He was rich. As far as what we know right now, all guns were purchased legally over a period of time from multiple vendors. Every dealer and serious collector at a gun show has that many or more, and they are not psychopathic mass murderer candidates.
10: How is it possible that he killed/injured so many in such a short time...without training?
A: He was able to fire uninhibited an unreported number of rounds into a massive crowd, where he couldn't miss hitting something. When we know more, it is likely that many of the injuries were not from gunfire but from the panic that ensued. However, considering the rate of fire and the mass of the crowd, it wouldn't be the least bit unreasonable to think that 50-70% of the bullets hit something.
11. What gun laws could have prevented this?
A: None. He had no criminal background.
12. What about laws preventing mentally ill people from getting firearms?
A:How does one accurately measure another's current mental stability or future propensity to become a psychopath among the group of every potential firearm purchaser?
13. What about the unidentified and unverified woman who told the crowd that a lot of people were going to die?
Possible answers: 1. It is made up nonsense. 2. She was drunk.
14. What about the shots coming from other floors?
A: Echoes, reflections of other things, strobe lights, reflections of the shooter across multiple reflective surfaces (Las Vegas is mostly glass)...
Response questions: Where in these locations was glass broken? Where in these locations were reports of gunfire from adjacent rooms? (That's how the shooter was quickly located.) How did these mysterious shooters so quickly police up all their brass and keep the fire alarms from going off with all the smoke?
15. How did the shooter manage to record a video of himself?
A: Ummmmm, I don't know, a tripod?
Finally, some questions for the conspiracy theorists.
How do hundreds of law enforcement officers secretly conspire to cover up evidence in one of the nation's worst modern massacres? What would be their motivation? Would conspiracy advocates be satisfied when they see video evidence of the shooter by himself committing the act and ending it by putting a gun in his mouth?
I could go on, but you get the picture. Please, folks, stop with the conspiracy insanity and let the investigators do their jobs. Seriously, just stop.
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Oh, I think I could come up with one in about two minutes.
__________________ "The great promise of the Internet was that more information would automatically yield better decisions. The great disappointment is that more information actually yields more possibilities to confirm what you already believed anyway." - Brian Eno
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In a country that already has 350 million guns and a steady pipeline of newer, better guns, how do you do this?
You put people in jail that break the law, its one of the few things the US is really good at, it would be just like the drug laws except the jails would be full of fat middle aged white guys, some of whom might possibly also be named Bubba'
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2. Ban all firearms which are not shotguns or hunting rifles. A hunting rifle being defined as a rifles which have an English or straight stock, and are semi automatic only.
3. Ban magazines which hold more than 8 cartridges.
4. Ban bump stocks or any modification designed to increase fire rate or magazine capacity.
5. Require a license to purchase a weapon, licenses require 96 hours of lessons. License requires re-training every 4 years.
6. Obtaining a firearms license is considered the holder permanently waiving their right to have their person or property searched without a warrant. This condition is for life, even if the firearms license lapses.
7. Maximum ownership of 4 firearms per license.
8. Ban the production, sale, and ownership of empty cartridges, gunpowder, and bullets. (Ban do-it-yourself ammunition).
9. Limit ammunition purchases per license to 250 per year. Additional purchases are allowed if an equivalent number of spent casings are returned.
10. Limit the number of firearms dealers to 2 per county.
11. Weapons must be stored locked, separate from ammunition. Owners must submit to two random inspections per year by ATF. Inspections can happen anytime 24/7.
12. Buyback/amnesty program for currently owned weapons.
Some real good ideas here, but some comments as someone with a little insight into gun ownership and the gun culture in the US.
1. Repeal 2nd amendment
That just isn't possible. Just too many gun owners who vote, and too powerful lobbies that protect those rights. You'd have a better chance of repealing the constitution itself. I think the better approach is to more clearly define the 2nd amendment and remove all interpretation from the clause. More clearly define what is an arm, and more importantly, what is in support of the militia. A clearer understanding of the amendment would go a long way to establishing law to regulate weapons.
2. Ban all firearms which are not shotguns or hunting rifles. A hunting rifle being defined as a rifles which have an English or straight stock, and are semi automatic only.
What does a stock have to do with anything? Is the AR frame really that scary? Some people prefer the adjustable nature of the AR stock and the flexibility it allows in finding a better location in the shoulder pocket and more comfortable cheek weld. Some people like the extras you can attach to the hand guard or rail, making for a better grip on the weapon. You've really lost me here, and I think gun enthusiasts will be especially torqued. I don't think the stock has any impact on the killing power of a weapon and is clear over-reach in trying to establish a standard.
I think the very last thing you mentioned should be the controlling factor. Restrictions should be placed on the action of the weapon. Semi-automatics can be just as dangerous as a full auto in the hands of a well trained individual. Full auto, or spray and pray, has no function in civilian applications. Semi-auto also provides no value more than convenience and add to the ability to get more rounds down range quicker. I would say that civilian weapons should be restricted to a single shot bolt action, requiring a physical cycling of weapon rather than a mechanical cycle. This would greatly limit the number of rounds that could be put down range.
3. Ban magazines which hold more than 8 cartridges.
Don't disagree, but why 8? Most civilian weapons should be used for hunting or self-defense. With proper pistol training you should be putting three shots center mass when you draw that weapon. So three rounds is probably all you need. Maybe make it six for kicks at the cat. For a long gun, three or four rounds seems more than reasonable. For a civilian application, one-shot-one-kill should be the mantra and how people should be trained.
4. Ban bump stocks or any modification designed to increase fire rate or magazine capacity.
If you restrict civilian long rifles to bolt action all of these issues go away.
5. Require a license to purchase a weapon, licenses require 96 hours of lessons. License requires re-training every 4 years.
I agree with this, but 96 hours is crazy. What are you going to do in 96 hours? That's 12 full days of training, or 32 evening classes. Unless you're trying to use this as a deterrent to gun ownership I don't think this is wise.
6. Obtaining a firearms license is considered the holder permanently waiving their right to have their person or property searched without a warrant. This condition is for life, even if the firearms license lapses.
Not just no, but hell no. That is quite the slippery slope you're establishing there. Even suggesting this would guarantee the failure of any legislation trying to put in place common sense restrictions on firearms. You're demanding that people give up their basic human rights so they can be afforded another. That is a big no.
7. Maximum ownership of 4 firearms per license.
Why? I can understand the desire to limit firearms and prevent the build up of armories, but this is again extreme. To me, guns are tools. You use a specific weapon for a specific purpose. Certain game requires a certain caliber to bring down. Depending on your hunting habits, that could be multiple weapons right there. I am also a big believer in having a redundant backup weapon for each one you own, so that also has to come into play and be considered in a count. I think 4 weapons is again, extreme. Then again, if you go to a bolt action restriction, it would change an individual's personal protection need to a long gun, a shot gun, a full pistol, and a conceal pistol, so four would be manageable. Maybe restrict to four types of weapons, but then allow for redundancy to 8 total weapons.
8. Ban the production, sale, and ownership of empty cartridges, gunpowder, and bullets. (Ban do-it-yourself ammunition).
Why? I'm not a reloader myself, but I know lots of people who are because they save money and get a better product. Why would this restriction have any traction in changing gun ownership or responsibility? Seems almost counter to what the goal.
9. Limit ammunition purchases per license to 250 per year. Additional purchases are allowed if an equivalent number of spent casings are returned.
Again, why? What's it matter if someone is sitting on 100,000 rounds? Its their money, its their space they eat up, its their choice. If there is a restriction on action and magazine size, what does it matter how many rounds an individual may possess?
10. Limit the number of firearms dealers to 2 per county.
This is a silly restriction. Considering the size of some counties in the US, this is just not practical. In Arizona alone there are three counties the size of Taiwan, or larger. Do you think it makes any sense to have that type of restriction? That is also counter to pretty much everything America stands for, as most gun shops are small businesses and business owners.
11. Weapons must be stored locked, separate from ammunition. Owners must submit to two random inspections per year by ATF. Inspections can happen anytime 24/7.
What you're suggesting is ATF becoming the Gestapo and having the right to storm in and inspect your papers. This is exactly why Americans are against a gun registry, simply because they don't believe they can trust their government and that they will over step their authority. I think there should be restrictions on the storage of weapons and ammunition, and I think people should be checked for compliance. But there has to be some type of system that is not quite so draconian.
12. Buyback/amnesty program for currently owned weapons.
This is always a good idea, but where does the money come from? What is the benefit and what is the penalty? IS a tax break or credit a better idea?
13. No weapons qualify for ‘grandfather’ status.
Completely agree. Grandfather clauses have always rubbed me the wrong way. I hate people that get exceptions for some goofy reason. All should comply.
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