Toni Lavis,

That site you linked to has been criticised before. Just taking the first report of the newly 'improved' reporting as an example, there were three shooters and two deaths. Sure presents as one of the usual gang on gang fights over drug territory.

Doesn't seen to fit the image of mass homicides that is spruiked as something that 'gun control' would prevent. More illegal guns being used illegally (of course) by offenders who have no regard for laws and in fact breaking laws figures as part of their usual modus operandi.

Having dismissed the very first case off the list, why bother going further.

Bugsy uses the same source.

It is back to the same ground treaded so often before, where politicians like Obama are using 'gun culture' to excuse and shirk their responsibilities for social problems that they cynically contributed to through ill-advised populist policies.

Hi Toni,

Limit the number of arms ? Certainly, make sure that any new applicants have psych and police tests, and impose awaiting period.

But with three hundred million weapons already out there in the US, other options would have to be developed. I was going to suggest better safety education in schools, but since shooting things is so exciting, that may only encourage students to get a weapon as soon as they are old enough.

Hanging murderers from gibbets ? Drawing and quartering ? I don't know what might work - maybe far more educational opportunities so that people can avoid going down those paths, but that's far more difficult in current economic conditions (and it didn't seem to work in the good times).

Any ideas ?

Cheers,

Joe

OK, so I had a quick look at the video report for the second 'mass murder' on the new revised Tracker linked to by Toni and Bugsy.

Mexican Village Nightclub/bar environs and police say it evolved from a dispute between a number of parties.
One dead and three different bullet cases. Points to more than one assailant.

In the video interview a city leaders said outright that "This is not a police problem, this is a problem with some folks in our community..". He'd know, why not believe him?

So again to apply Occam's Razor it is social problems, most likely gangs, drugs and drug territory disputes, or simply imported Hispanic ways of resolving their disagreements that is the problem.

Much easier for Obama and Democrats to dismiss it all as a 'gun control' problem instead.

The feckless media are happy to run with simple stereotyping. That makes for easy sensationalism and investigative journalists are shouldered aside by the cheap young tabloid hacks that are so abundant in the US and in Australia.

Bugsy,

"I just don't think that they need to be loosened for your convenience."

I'd just like to see the stupid anomalies removed, that's all.

SO, the number of gun deaths by your methodology onthebeach would be..?

Effectively zero?

Less than 26? Which is the number that die by lightning?

Give me a break. You pull statements about calculable probability out of your wazoo, and then have the temerity of dismissing all the numbers to you because you think the first couple of recorded incidences sound like 'gang fights' and don't fit your idea of a 'mass shooting'?

Yeah whatever dude.

One thing I certainly agree on is that the US is not going to get this under control any time soon. It just can't, and that's so sad.

From the homepage of mass shooting tracker:

"Gun Violence Archive has always used the FBI derived definition:

FOUR or more shot and/or killed in a single event [incident], at the same general time and location, not including the shooter."

Why don't you write a nice letter to the FBI telling them that their definition of mass shooting is wrong? I'm sure they'll pay lots of attentions to your concerns and not just dismiss them as the rantings of some antipodean nutjob who thinks he knows the FBI's job better than the FBI.

//But with three hundred million weapons already out there in the US, other options would have to be developed.//

Ban the sale of ammunition outright. A gun without bullets is an unwieldy club. People will have ammunition stockpiled - hardcore gun-nuts probably tons of the stuff - but once it's all been used up, that's it, no more. The threat of scarcity might encourage them to conserve their ammo by not shooting people unless it's absolutely necessary. This solution protects people's 2nd amendment rights - they can still have as many guns as they want - but it effectively renders their guns harmless. A win-win.