Here's a pic of the supposed gunman that killed a Park Ranger

[FarLeftFist]

Looks like a real Jared Laughner type.

[Robb]

1. And yet: Poterry Barn dinette!

What a planet.

[seabeyond]

2. really, i just see another of our lost boys. nt

[SixthSense]

3. This guy is a million times as dangerous

as Loughner ever was

He's a trained soldier, not a psych patient - much more heavily armed - and the fact that they won't tell us what unit he was in leads me to believe he was very highly trained for just this kind of scenario (is alleged to have highly trained survival skills).

Look at a map of Mt. Ranier park... it is contiguous with parklands all the way from the Canadian border to deep into California. They're going to have one hell of a time locating this guy if he doesn't want to be found.

[Burgman]

6. I believe they found him dead in a ditch.

By his own hand.

[tabasco]

127. He drowned in a creek with one shoe on.

People really have a tendency to overestimate the "survival training" that the average soldier receives. The average soldier receives no actual wilderness survival training. Even in a combat arms branch like infantry.

[Beaverhausen]

7. He has been found-dead

there is another thread about it. Sad story all around.

[seabeyond]

10. so so sad. nt

[seabeyond]

8. i have not been really into this story, cause not much info there. have you

seen any info on this man. what is the issue. why he is doing this or even what he is doing.

i have only read a mention of ptsd

[FarLeftFist]

9. Thanks for the info. Seems like they have their job cut out for them. I would definitely

recommend that no one go to that park because any witnesses to the suspect will most likely be killed. Hopefully they close it down temporarily.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

14. Not so much on the survial skills or SOF

Or he would have been prepared...

[Tsiyu]

34. He left his car when he shot the park ranger

Left the survival gear in his vehicle.

Guess her stopping him was not in his Plan A, and his Plan B sucked.

Sad to think how many young people are so negatively impacted by unjust wars.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

50. Like I said, not well trained

[loyalsister]

64. Or "untrained"?

It's very difficult to readjust to an existence the does not require violence as a primary solution to any perceived threat. An overlooked element of "supporting the troops."

[CreekDog]

80. how do you know he wasn't well trained?

that means you're putting it on his trainers, not him.

just because people are well trained, doesn't mean they execute what they've learned.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

86. I place responsibility for training on the individual

This guy was either not well "practiced", crackers, or both. Right now it looks like the latter.

[lumberjack_jeff]

61. Ranger Anderson foiled his plan A. His intended victims at Paradise have her to thank.

He didn't need a plan B because long term survival wasn't part of any plan.

[Blue_Tires]

126. I think it's obvious that he wasn't in his right mind

and his brain was stuck only on the "fight/flee" switches

[Marrah_G]

45. I hate what the wars have done to our young people

Now he is dead, an innocent woman is dead all for nothing. I have to wonder what he was like before he was trained to kill other human beings.

[malaise]

58. Ditto

Way too sad - now two young children and a husband have lost an innocent woman and that young man was seriously troubled after a stupid illegal war.

[lonestarnot]

121. Apparently no competition for Mother Nature.

[maximusveritas]

4. Nothing like Laughner. He's an Iraq War vet with PTSD

another sad byproduct of that war.

[RZM]

92. I'm skeptical of 'the Iraq War made him do it' argument

I know that service in Iraq was a very stressful thing. Wars always are for the people that fight them. I also don't doubt that psyches can be seriously damaged by war service. But we'd need more information on this guy before making that argument. Could very well be he's always had serious issues. Could also be that he snapped due to factors aside from his military service.

My guess is that he's always been a troubled individual.

[Gregorian]

11. In a society where cannibis is illlegal, but war is king, what do we expect.

I can generalize. It's totally outrageous what has been going on in America for many years. We reap what we sow.

[waddirum]

37. cannabis is an excellent medicine for PTSD

Especially for its ability to help the brain "forget".

[loyalsister]

65. Forget?????

That is a seriously mistaken understanding of PTSD. Sort of like the idea of "overcoming" a disability- "forgetting" one's leg is gone, etc.

[waddirum]

68. The Case for medical marijuana research on PTSD

This youtube clip is from the PBS special "The Botany of Desire" by Michael Pollan.

[waddirum]

72. skip ahead to 4:15 for the PTSD discussion

nt

[stuntcat]

53. +1

A harmless plant is illegal, would get a housewife handcuffed.

But everyone knows potential homicidal lunatics should be able to stockpile heavy duty artillery!!

FREEDUM!!!

[lumberingbear]

12. I wonder which presidential candidate he would vote for?

Not Obama, that's for sure.
Not Romney, a Mormon.

Probably would vote for any of the rest.

(Probably a Rush Limbaugh and Fox News fan.)

[RZM]

93. I'll bet he was alienated from politics

And 'didn't trust the government' no matter who is in charge.

[ellisonz]

112. Ron Paul. n/t

[Burgman]

13. Gun fixations lead only to this sort of thing.

Eventually, most with a hammer want to pound a nail.

[Burgman]

18. And wash your hands in her blood.

No one is dancing here.

[Tejas]

24. Hopefully you are not a gunowner

what being with with your fixations and all...

[uppityperson]

39. are you seriously saying most people with guns want to kill other people?

Perhaps you haven't read of his ptsd-ing after being in the military in Iraq?

[Burgman]

40. No, there are gun owners and there are people who fixate on them, Two different entities,

[snooper2]

54. So what are your percentages? 1% of gunowners "fixate". 67.34% "fixate"

backtracking?

[uppityperson]

57. How are they different, what are your definitions?

[Burgman]

63. I don't think there are any real definitions.

There are people out there who will use guns in a destructive way when given the opportunity. (as if there is another way to use a gun).

Guns are tools that are designed to kill. They're pretty proficient in their design. Users of these tools use them with their intended purpose in mind.

[uppityperson]

73. You say "Two different entities". How are they different? What is YOUR definition.

Since you differentiate between "gun owners and there are people who fixate on them", what is your differentiation, what is your definition?

Or does everyone who has a gun want to kill? Basing this question on another of your statements in this subthread : "Eventually, most with a hammer want to pound a nail."

[Burgman]

74. I'll stand by the hammer/nail position.

I have owned guns. And growing up in the South I have known both "entities" in that there are responsible and loose cannons when it comes to gun ownership.

[uppityperson]

77. You stand by "everyone who has a gun wants to kill" and won't define your categories otherwise.

gotcha.

[Burgman]

89. I never said that.

Seems to be your own labeling system at work.

[uppityperson]

111. Since you don't answer questions beyond that, that IS what you said. You could clarify though

but that might take all the fun out, make it an attempt at actual communication rather than trying to go for hurt feelings.

tah

[Kablooie]

15. And a reminder, here is Margaret Anderson whom he killed.

[Burgman]

16. Thank you for posting her picture.

Mother of two young children who will forever be without a mom. Due to the insane act of a Rambo wannabee with access and programming into assault weapons.

[Tejas]

22. Nice blanket-smear of our sons and daughters in the armed forces.

[Kingofalldems]

31. Didn't read like a smear to me.

I read your post as a smear though.

[Warren DeMontague]

41. "Anderson, 34, is survived by her husband, who is also a park ranger, and two young children"

Tragic. Totally senseless.

And it's perfectly legal for this guy to have access to all sorts of high-powered dick substitute weaponry, but if a chemo-sick cancer granny is caught smoking a joint, they drag her off to a prison cell by whatever remaining hair she has left.

Unbefuckinglievable.

[Marrah_G]

46. Such a sad senseless loss

[TorchTheWitch]

99. I read she was married to another park ranger

who was actually on duty in another part of the park when she was killed. So horribly tragic for her and her whole family.

[Enrique]

19. does he have a weapon in his pocket?

or does he just really enjoy holding those guns.

[chrisa]

20. He was a crazy veteran. Those are cops' worst nightmares.

We really need to start offering our veterans better mental help.

[Aerows]

48. Indeed we do

That is the important thing to take away from this senseless tragedy. PTSD can do so much damage to the mind that there is a complete disconnect between reality and illusion.

I feel so badly for the families of both this young man and that of Margaret Anderson. We need to take better care of our veterans. I know he got a less than honorable discharge for a DUI and improper handling of private firearms, but that should have been a clue that he was unstable. You can't just unleash an unstable veteran with a penchant for collecting weapons on the public without making sure he gets some type of help.

You can't force someone to get help, but in a case like this, you would hope that someone tried to provide it.

Just awful.

[EnviroBat]

59. What's scarier is they are the ones applying for job's

as cops. As if the police force wasn't unstable enough, it's going to be flooded with applicants that are suffering PTSD, and have become addicted to the feeling of pointing deadly weapons at other human beings.

[Whisp]

21. these kinds of goons look absolutely stupid.

[leeroysphitz]

23. Now there's a fella that takes home defense seriously. n/t

[lpbk2713]

25. A vain attempt at compensating ...

... for a microscopic phallus.

[Burgman]

26. An in your face cry for gun control.

[Ter]

38. Not

n/t

[ellisonz]

76. Yes.

He's just randomly deciding to tote two weapons whose production were prohibited under the assault weapons ban.

Those weapons are for self-defense and hunting!

[Ter]

116. Not my problem

My rights will not be hindered because of a lone nut. This country is pro-gun, and Democrats finally realize that.

[ellisonz]

117. You're right...

...it's just a problem for the family of Margaret Anderson.

[Ter]

118. Don't assume the family is anti-gun

Just like if someone's is killed by a drink driver, the family may not be against cars or beers. I'm against the senseless act of violence, not the guns.

[ellisonz]

119. Gun control is not anti-gun. It's anti-crime/accident. n/t

[Ter]

120. You implied you were for the assault weapons ban

Many lawful Americans own those types of guns. It's not there fault some random nut goes on a rampage.

[ellisonz]

122. That's your opinion. n/t

[Ter]

123. It's not an opinion that many who own these weapons use them lawfully

It's a shame there are a few lone nuts out there.

[ellisonz]

128. That's like letting oil companies set drilling regulations.

"It's a shame there are a few lone nuts out there." - We need to, and we can do more to stop them, without infringing on civil liberties. You have no Constitutional right to assault weapons, the Supreme Court, even in Heller has been quite clear that in no way negates an AWB:

Like most rights, the Second Amendment right is not unlimited. It is not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose: For example, concealed weapons prohibitions have been upheld under the Amendment or state analogues. The Court’s opinion should not be taken to cast doubt on longstanding prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons and the mentally ill, or laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings, or laws imposing conditions and qualifications on the commercial sale of arms. Miller’s holding that the sorts of weapons protected are those “in common use at the time” finds support in the historical tradition of prohibiting the carrying of dangerous and unusual weapons. Pp. 54–56.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_of_Columbia_v._Heller#Decision

[slackmaster]

83. Or for improved mental health care for war veterans

[a kennedy]

27. Man sought in killing of Rainier ranger is found dead

Updated at 5:20 p.m. ET: Officials confirm that a body found earlier Monday is that of Benjamin Colton Barnes, the suspect in the killing of Mount Rainier National Park Ranger Margaret Anderson. Two weapons were found with the body.
No wounds were found on the body, suggesting he perished from the cold overnight. Barnes, an Iraq War veteran, was wearing just a T-shirt and jeans when his body was found in a river.

[riverwalker]

28. heartbreaking

we sent him to war in a desert, who knows what he had seen or done. He died frozen to death in chest deep snow, after killing an innocent woman.

[muriel_volestrangler]

29. Does anyone think that picture may have been Photoshopped?

It seems an amazing coincidence that the shadow of the big gun runs completely straight and parallel to it across both the wall behind him, and the ceiling above. The way he's holding it in his right hand looks strange to me too. I think his palm would need to be wider.

[lpbk2713]

30. Good catch

Now that you mention it, the table and chairs aren't casting a shadow either.


Odd.

[muriel_volestrangler]

33. And that's a good catch by you

It does seem strange he and his guns cast a strong shadow on the walls and ceiling, but the table, chairs and weights don't cast any.

[snooper2]

55. Mythbusters did a good show on shadows for the befuddled moon landing deniers

[suffragette]

35. Wouldn't have noticed it, but it is odd, The shadow extending down the outside of his leg

seems off as well, especially the spotting going on in it and on his jeans.

[greyl]

36. No, that's how the shadow should work.

Might look odd, but it appears so "straight" because the flash/main light source is so close to the lens.
The flash has a short drop off so shadows from the distant objects aren't as apparent(or are hidden from our view behind the objects) as those from the near objects.

[lumberjack_jeff]

62. Not photoshopped

The flash is a very small distance off the lens axis. Only objects close to the camera will cast noticeable shadows. Those farther away, such as the chairs, won't.

[mailman82]

32. Whiskey tango Foxtrot!

[ellisonz]

42. Proof we need to bring back the assault weapons ban. n/t

[hack89]

47. Lets start with decent mental health - fixing root causes is better in the long run. nt

[ellisonz]

67. Which reform do you think it's easier to effect...

..."decent mental health" or a reinstatement of the assault weapons ban?

I'm not disputing the overall validity of your notion, I'm disputing your practical claim.

[hack89]

69. Mental health - it is an issue that spans the political divide.

and would get partisan support. An AWB is a political impossibility.

Bringing up the AWB is simply another political gift to the NRA - the last one was the best thing that ever happened to them.

As an aside, California is the only state with it's own AWB - it also leads the nation in homicides carried out with rifles.

And lastly - so few people are killed with "assault rifles" - I suspect you are talking about less than 100 annually. Baseball bats easily kill more people than that.

[ellisonz]

75. Mental health problems are a much more intractable problem...

"An AWB is a political impossibility." - Not if we get good majorities in the Congress like we need to get anything else done.

"Bringing up the AWB is simply another political gift to the NRA - the last one was the best thing that ever happened to them."

Fuck the NRA. Cowardice is not an acceptable political strategy.

"As an aside, California is the only state with it's own AWB - it also leads the nation in homicides carried out with rifles."

California is not an island.

"And lastly - so few people are killed with "assault rifles" - I suspect you are talking about less than 100 annually. Baseball bats easily kill more people than that."

Overseas this is of course not the case, and as more and more weapons enter circulation, this is only like to increase. Weapons prohibited under the assault weapons ban are also more likely to be used against law enforcement officers than against the general public. They are weapons with no legitimate use, and especially since we are now told that the "individual right" is not connected "with any service in militia."

[hack89]

78. "More and more" weapons have entered circulation and yet violent crime is at historic lows

you will have a hard sell. More guns can't be the problem if crime is actually going down.

[ellisonz]

79. Even the FBI cautions that those numbers are perhaps not completely accurate...

...plus there are other factors than just weapons.

Assault weapons have no legitimate purpose other than to kill human beings in an aggressive manner.

[hack89]

82. No they don't

every year the DOJ puts out a crime report. The trend is clear.

http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/ucr

They are just rifles - medium powered ones at that. They are good for hunting, target shooting and self defense.

And they are hardly ever used to murder people. Mine have never killed anyone

[ellisonz]

84. Yeah they do...

To ensure these data are uniformly reported, the FBI provides contributing law enforcement agencies with a handbook that explains how to classify and score offenses and provides uniform crime offense definitions. Acknowledging that offense definitions may vary from state to state, the FBI cautions agencies to report offenses not according to local or state statutes but according to those guidelines provided in the handbook. Most agencies make a good faith effort to comply with established guidelines.

http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/word

They're rifles with a substantially higher magazine capacity than most other weapons in the marketplace...that's fucking undeniable dude.

"And they are hardly ever used to murder people. Mine have never killed anyone"

Now we're just getting desperate...tell that to the people who have been murdered by them. You gotta love the sheer stupidity of the rarity argument...how many people are you going to need to kill in one shooting without reloading?

By Gov. Howard Dean M.D.

On Monday, Sept.13, the law banning the manufacture of semiautomatic assault weapons for private sale in the United States expired.

-------

I have never met a hunter who thought owning an assault weapon was necessary to shoot a deer or a bear. I have met a lot of law enforcement officers who think that the federal assault weapons ban saved a lot of their colleagues’ lives. I have met parents whose kids were killed by assault weapons years ago and are bracing for more of the same.

http://www.crocuta.net/Dean/Dean_Cagle_Editorial_Assault_Wpns_Sept13_2004.htm

[hack89]

85. That doesn't say what you thinks it says

it says that police agencies are required to use FBI reporting codes. There is a code for murder with a rifle - I think the local police can figure out that someone was killed with a rifle and apply the correct code, don't you?

What's the deal about magazine size - when was the last mass killing with a rifle?

So what you are saying is that it is ok to take rifles from tens of millions of gun owners because a tiny tiny minority misuse them?

Dean's comments are 7 years old - he would be surprised just how many people hunt with AKs or ARs. And why not - they are excellent hunting rifles.

I notice you glossed over the target shooting and self defense aspects of semi-automatic rifles.

[ellisonz]

87. I think many such crimes go unreported. n/t

"Dean's comments are 7 years old - he would be surprised just how many people hunt with AKs or ARs. And why not - they are excellent hunting rifles."

He's even more against the expiration now after the Tucson shootings.

"I notice you glossed over the target shooting and self defense aspects of semi-automatic rifles."

Please enlighten GD about how they are more reasonable for target shooting than other weapons and how they are so splendid for home defense.

"What's the deal about magazine size - when was the last mass killing with a rifle?"

Utoya, Liege...how long do you think before something like that happens here? They just arrested that one nut with an AK shooting at the White House!

[hack89]

91. 1. The Tucson shootings had nothing to do with "assault" rifles - it was a hand gun

2. "High Power Rifle is a specific format of competitive shooting popular in the United States. It is many times referred to as "Across the Course" and sometimes as 'traditional' High Power. In service rifle matches, a competitor can only use an M-1 Garand style weapon, a M1A (M14) style weapon, or an AR-15 (M-16) style weapon. A post front sight is required for the service rifle category."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Power_Rifle

http://www.f-classinfo.com/page11/page11.html

3. The gun used at Utoya was not covered by the AWB - it is a non-military style rifle.

4. The killer at Liege was a career criminal with prior convictions for weapons convictions. He killed most of his victims with grenades. His rifle was fully automatic and would not have been covered by the AWB.

[ellisonz]

95. 1. I said "assault weapons" - and used rifles when you did. I always like you "" the terms.

The extended magazine purchase were prohibited under AWB. The sub-machine gun he's holding is not a rifle. Nice rhetorical trick, I would have pointed out the language shift sooner if I saw you were going to play this game.

2. Negated by point 1.

3. "He also bought 10 30-round magazines from a US supplier." - Production prohibited under the AWB for distribution in the United States at the very least. Are you starting to see a pattern here with the magazine size?

4. His assault rifle was not importable into the United States under the AWB.

Bottomline - you're dodging the tough questions and ignoring how the AWB was effective.

[hack89]

100. AWB was not effective - it did not really ban anything

Large magazines made before the AWB were still legal to buy, own and sell - manufacturers simply increased production before the ban and stockpiled them. There were never shortages.

The AWB was easy to circumvent by making minor cosmetic modifications to rifles. Sales of semi-automatic rifles actually went up during the AWB.

Here is a "post AWB" rifle that was perfectly legal during the AWB.

http://www.bushmaster.com/catalog_xm15_PCWA3X_14M4IZ.asp

This AR is legal in California right now - the only state with an AWB.

http://www.gundealeronline.com/California-Legal-s/506.htm

So how could the AWB be effective when it didn't really ban anything?

[ellisonz]

102. The firearms industry is dishonest. Big surprise.

So if there were no shortages of anything what's the problem with stopping production?

[hack89]

104. For future customers of course. My son will be getting a nice AR when he turns 18. nt

[hack89]

103. "Assault weapons" - another meaningless made up word.

1. purchase of extended magazines were perfectly legal during the AWB - they just couldn't be made. There were still plenty to buy.

4. His rifle is still not legal - it was fully automatic. Such rifles were never covered by the AWB. It was never importable into the US.

Stopping dodging the facts.

[ellisonz]

107. The Federal government disagreed.

1. So again what's wrong with reducing the supply? Why must there be as much as everyone wants at as cheap a price as possible?

4. Just buy a conversion kit - the black market is large enough.

Stop enabling maniacs.

[hack89]

108. 1. Because if there is no harm why bother?

Unless you can prove that more supply means more violence, you have no legal basis to restrict guns. Your personal bias is not reason enough. Your fears are not reason enough either. You need some honest to god scientifically valid studies to prove a link.

4. Fail. You really need to learn something about guns. Conversion kits are regulated just like fully automatic rifles. Secondly, by Federal law any rifle that can be easily converted to fully automatic is regulated like an automatic rifle. Rifles that can be sold in America on the civil market have to be designed specifically to prevent conversion. Civil AKs and ARs only look like military rifles on the outside - inside they are completely different.

[ellisonz]

110. 1. That's not true. Heller left the door wide-open. The Court would have to overturn itself, again.

2. So how did this guy get that weapon?

[TheWraith]

113. The federal government also agreed invading Iraq was an awesome idea.

Really, that's a pretty low bar.

Also, the myth you're repeating about "full auto conversion kids" is just a myth. There has never been any evidence of the booming black market people imagine in full auto weapons, or actually any kind of substantial black market at all. Discovery of illegal automatic weapons in the US, or crimes committed with said weapons, are shockingly rare to the point that you could probably count the ones that have happened since the end of the AWB on one hand.

[ellisonz]

115. I should have been more specific - The Supreme Court of the United States.

Also, straw man.

I'll await further evidence in regards to this case. I reject the argument that "rarity" is a legal standard.

[Upton]

49. Criminals with murder on their mind don't obey laws..

the only people who follow gun control laws are the law abiding...why would you want to take weapons from them?

[Warren DeMontague]

60. by that logic, why have any laws at all?

I mean, by definition, criminals don't obey them.

[ellisonz]

66. +1000

[slutticus]

70. You mean laws like "don't shoot park rangers when they pull you over"

The bad ones don't follow any of the laws, no matter what. Also, judging by the size of the clips on those two weapons, I suspect those weapons were already illegal to own.

[ellisonz]

106. "I suspect those weapons were already illegal" - To my knowledge...

They're both legal so long as they're not full auto.

http://www.magazine-gun.com/Magazine%20Restrictions.asp - state's they won't ship to.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MAC-10 - legal for all since the AWB expired.

The gun crowd could correct me if I'm wrong, but I think if they were illegal they probably would have already said so.

[hack89]

71. To punish them after the fact

to lock them up so they cannot commit more crimes. It will have some deterrent effect but don't forget the 80/20 rule - a small percentage of criminals will commit the majority of violent crimes. Our prisons are full of people with long histories of violence. Nothing will deter some criminals - it would appear that they are hardwired for violence.

[Upton]

88. I see it's already been answered..

but yeah, laws are primarily to punish after the fact. How much they actually work as a deterrent is debatable. In the meantime, I want to retain the right to use all the means at my disposable to protect myself and my loved ones from assholes like this guy.. I don't need some misguided do gooders telling me what I can or cannot own..

[Warren DeMontague]

90. And you need an AK-47 to protect your family?

Hell, why not a shoulder-launched missile? An ICBM?

[hack89]

94. AKs are light, compact, low recoil

fire a medium power bullet so you don't have to worry about shooting through the next 5 walls.

Also cheap to buy and shoot.

What's the problem with that? They are not some wonder weapon.

BTW - we are talking about the semi-automatic civil models, not the fully automatic military models.

[Warren DeMontague]

96. I'm questioning the reflexive, knee-jerk hysteria at the suggestion of ANY regulation whatsoever

in any form.

Meanwhile, we have 2 little kids whose park Ranger mom won't be coming home tonight, but the important thing - I guess - is that the 2nd Amendment defenders have descended upon this thread to remind us all of what is really important, here.

Relax, bub. They'll be putting women in prison for using birth control in this country long before any meaningful gun control legislation gets anywhere. Ever. Regardless of what I think, it's a proven loser politically. So your arsenal is safe.

[hack89]

97. Relax - gun violence is at historic lows. You have never been safer

the only reflexive, knee-jerk hysteria is yours. Rifles account for 3% of all murders - baseball bats account for many more.

[Warren DeMontague]

98. Actually, I'm usually pretty neutral on gun control

but honestly, given the fact that we live in a country where jarheads like this guy can easily* arm themselves to the teeth, yet hairless cancer grannies are hauled off to prison for smoking pot, don't you ever stop to consider that your blinders may be distorting your priorities just a little bit?

*That's the aspect of, say, the AWB that gun nuts don't want to consider- it's not just whether or not "criminals" will find a way to get these weapons, it's a question of making it as easy as a trip down to Wal-Mart for them.

[hack89]

101. With 20 years of skyrocketing gun ownweship and steadily declining gun violence

perhaps your fears are unfounded.

[Warren DeMontague]

105. what 'fears' are those?

anyway, if you want to loudly huff and puff about the misguided gun grabberz who are always plotting, plotting, plotting to snatch your guns away, you have the gungeon. If I wanted to have that debate, you can rest assured I'd head over there to have it.

Meanwhile, a young mother is dead... so maybe this isn't the best place for you to moan about threats to your right of heavy firearm ownership.

[Bombtrack]

43. Hey, he's a dodgers fan n/t

[LeftinOH]

44. For future reference- any picture of a dude posing shirtless with automatic weapons

(and a weight set, no less) means there's going to be trouble.

[TwilightGardener]

51. Pretty much. There's no way this guy wasn't going to turn out to be a real loser.

[Mr Dixon]

52. More to follow

This is just the start, this kind of thing is going to happen a lot more often, and our jobless society for these young men and women is a big slap in the face for vets, much like Vietnam. There is no civilian job skill for killing people, minus joining the Police force. These are Souls, desensitized, broken and forgotten

[Scurrilous]

56. Man Believed to Have Killed Park Ranger Is Found Dead

<snip>

"A man believed to have killed a park ranger here on New Year’s Day was found dead on Monday, face down in a cold mountain creek called Paradise."

<snip>

"Ayn Dietrich, a spokeswoman for the F.B.I. in Seattle, said law enforcement officials believed Mr. Barnes was also involved in a shooting at a house party earlier Sunday in the town of Skyway, Wash., in which four people were injured, two critically.

Mr. Barnes had served in the Army and been stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, but did not appear to have been a combat veteran, according to Steven Dean, the assistant special agent in charge of the Seattle office of the F.B.I.

Park officials and law enforcement agencies had said they found ammunition, body armor and survivalist gear in Mr. Barnes’s vehicle, raising concerns that he might elude the authorities and hurt others in the park. But Mr. Dean said Mr. Barnes “was not a Special Forces-trained solider” and “was found dead on a hill, unequipped.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/03/us/ranger-shot-and-killed-at-mount-rainier-park.html?_r=1&ref=us

[Charlemagne]

81. typical liberal

he clearly is a socialist.

[Lance_Boyle]

125. Well he *is* carrying a communist rifle... n/t

[randr]

114. NRA poster boy--nc

[Beacool]

124. I feel bad for both, the ranger and this young man.

The war damaged him and unfortunately he took the life of a woman and died of exposure.

Sad all around.......

[malaise]

129. Except that he may well have been a PTSD victim since he was an Iraq Vet

I don't judge Vets who may not be getting the help they need.