We don't have suicide bombers in the USA, we have suicide shooters

[SecularMotion]

Police believe Maryland mall shooting was a murder-suicide

COLUMBIA (WACH) - Police are responding shooting has occurred at a mall in Columbia, Maryland. Three are confirmed dead at this time. Authorities say one of those casualties appears to be the gunman. Police do not believe there are additional shooters.

http://www.wach.com/news/story.aspx?id=998796

[Warren Stupidity]

1. well, they do not appear to be politically motivated either.

So it really isn't the same thing. Suicide bombers have an ideology and their leaders have a strategy that uses suicide bombers to achieve their goals.

Our Moar Gunz Culture appears to just spawn more or less random shooting events where individuals (who may or may not be consciously suicidal) decide to go out into the public commons, the mall, the school, etc. and shoot people using the absurd wealth of armaments available to almost anyone.

[SoCalDem]

2. It will probably be a "love-lost" situation.

It's just too sad that so many people just cannot get past an adverse situation

[SecularMotion]

3. Their motivations differ, but both are a threat to the general public.

[Warren Stupidity]

5. The threat to the US general public from suicide bombers is effectively zero.

Yes, I know 9-11, etc. But the actual threat is near zero. Mass shootings have become a daily event, which goes back to your original point, which is that, and I agree, mass shootings effectively occupy the space in our society held in other societies, for example Iraq, by suicide bombings. I agree with that part. The thing is that in Iraq if the political issues motivating suicide bombings could be resolved, the bombings would stop. There is hope for Iraq that appears to not be available for us. There is no political issue driving mass shootings. There is essentially zero chance of restricting access to gunz in any meaningful way. It seems we just have to put up with the daily butcher bill.

[bettyellen]

8. there will always be angry, sick people looking for an excuse to lash out. Adam Lanza thought

society was sick, and was making some sort of statement about it. Terrorists use their biggest zealots as cannon fodder, but it's not like they'd be happy smiley productive people if only they didn't run into these zealots. Those groups just harness the energy of deeply troubled people to do their bidding. Look at the Boston bombers, his life was going to shit, and somehow he got manipulated into thinking his problems were political- instead of anger/ impulse control/ mental health issues.

But yeah, anyone outside major cities has zero to worry about. But for many in NYC, LA, Boston, Atlanta it still hits close to home.

[cherokeeprogressive]

9. Let's take a single day in Iraq... say, Christmas Day, 2013? 3 bombings: 37 dead, 50 injured.

Last edited Sat Jan 25, 2014, 04:59 PM - Edit history (1)

Yeah, mass shootings "occupy the space in our society held in other societies, for example Iraq, by suicide bombings." Are you fucking kidding me?

"The Christmas Day attacks brought the total number of people killed so far this month (I'm assuming the writer means DECEMBER, 2013) in Iraq to 441. According to United Nations estimates, more than 8,000 people have been killed since the start of the year."

Were 8,000 people killed last year in the United States in "mass shootings"? Don't answer that if you don't want, or if it doesn't fit the narrative you're trying to promote. I get where you're coming from. Answer THIS though... given that there are over THREE HUNDRED ELEVEN MILLION people in the United States, how far above zero are my chances of being shot by a "mass shooter"?

And ohbytheway... most of the suicide bombings in Iraq aren't politically motivated. They're motivated by religion. But you knew that already.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/12/25/baghdad-car-bomb-church/4198655/

[B2G]

4. Because our media sucks

Just look at the wall to wall coverage, even though they have nothing new to report. Instant fame.

It's obscene.

[onehandle]

6. Gun culture created them. nt

[alterfurz]

7. If terrorists smuggled 300 million guns into the U.S. and started shooting people in public places..

..would the government do something to stop them? -- Andy Borowitz

[Spitfire of ATJ]

10. Waiting for the inevitable "hero with a Glock" fantasy.

[CFLDem]

11. If explosives were as accessible as guns

like they are in the M/E, I think that would change.