Georgia Man Arrested for Triple Murder

[mikeb302000]

ajc.com reports

DeKalb County investigators said late Wednesday they have identified the man accused of shooting three people to death at an apartment complex. But they haven’t found him yet.

Brian Levern Gupton, 32, allegedly shot two men and a woman, possibly following a discussion over the theft of money, according to police.

Officers arriving at the Crystal Point Apartments, off Columbia Drive in south DeKalb, around 1:20 a.m. found the three people shot in the parking lot, according to Mekka Parish, police spokeswoman. All three died from their injuries, Parish said.

“Detectives believe the trio were at the location meeting with the suspect in reference to a dispute over the theft of money,” Parish said in an emailed statement. “During this encounter, the suspect pulled out a weapon and began firing, striking the three victims.”

No mention in the article about his past, whether he was a lawful gun owner or not. But, it doesn't matter. In this, gun owners are all the same. Some of them think the gun is the answer and use it to settle scores or end arguments.

Gun-rights fanatics are heavily invested in the idea that gun owners are divided neatly into two categories, the good guys and the bad guys. Nothing could be further from the truth. They're all brothers of the gun.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.
Cross posted at Mikeb302000

[tblue]

1. I concur!

Count me as one on the side of peace. I am done with the bullies and the bullets.

[GreenStormCloud]

7. But are bullies done with you?

You still have the question of what you will do if you are confronted by a violent criminal.

[Eleanors38]

16. God you're fast.

[Remmah2]

35. Violent criminals don't need to be armed either.

Just violent.

[GreenStormCloud]

43. True. N/T

[gejohnston]

2. it is called the laws of probability

No mention in the article about his past, whether he was a lawful gun owner or not. But, it doesn't matter. In this, gun owners are all the same. Some of them think the gun is the answer and use it to settle scores or end arguments.

the chances are slim. More likely he is a hardened felon. Quite frankly, a "dispute over stolen money" leaves me to wonder about the victims too. Most murders and murder victims have criminal records.

[mikeb302000]

18. Most likely he was a hidden criminal disguising himself as a lawful gun owner. nt

[gejohnston]

23. not likely

based on ATF and FBI statistics. On average, he has been arrested if not convicted more than a couple of times, and the gun last sold through an FFL ten years ago (the gun might be older, the national average is 11 years.) Also, statistically, the victims are likely to have criminal records as well.

[lina92]

62. "most murder victims"

I would assume that whatever they were arguing about was probable cause for them to be murdered... -__- considering the fact that I knew one of the victims, I would have to say NO, he didn't have a criminal record.

[gejohnston]

63. no

As for why they were murdered, only the killer knows that. I was simply pointing out that most murders and their victims generally have records. I'm sorry for your loss.

[hrmjustin]

65. Welcome to DU!

[GreenStormCloud]

66. Thanks for the input, & Welcome to DU.

It is rare that we get personal knowledge of person involved in an incident. Do you know anything else that you could share with us about this?

[friendly_iconoclast]

3. Touting ageism and ableism again, Jason?

You and the Bloomberg obsessive are two peas in a pod- The ends justify any means...

[mikeb302000]

19. You should do a tiny bit of homework and stop calling me Jason. nt

[friendly_iconoclast]

45. How about 'the "Carolyn Keene" of gun control activism'?...

...since there are at least three names associated with "mikeb30200"...:

Mike Bonomo, purportedly a 55+ expat from New Jersey living in Italy:

http://www.blogger.com/profile/09806175370305006933

mikeb302000

On Blogger since July 2008

Profile views - 4393
My blogs

Mikeb302000
Democurmudgeon

About me
Gender Male
Location Rome, Italy
Introduction I'm an American expat living in Italy these last 22 years.



Jason Kilgore, AKA "Baldr Odinson:



http://www.blogger.com/profile/11818934498607763309

Baldr Odinson

On Blogger since January 2011

Profile views - 1482
My blogs

New Trajectory
Walmart Shootings
Mikeb302000
Kid Shootings


About me
Gender Male
Location Eugene, Oregon, United States
Introduction I am a volunteer activist for reducing gun violence in the Eugene, Oregon area, and all of Oregon. Join me! www.ceasefireoregon.org
Interests Gun Control, Peace, Suicide Prevention

Don't piss on our legs and tell us it's raining.

[Straw Man]

4. Meaningless ...

Gun-rights fanatics are heavily invested in the idea that gun owners are divided neatly into two categories, the good guys and the bad guys. Nothing could be further from the truth. They're all brothers of the gun.

... new age psychobabble. So in your mind, I and the people with whom I shot sporting clays this afternoon are morally equivalent to murderers? Your mind must be a very small and dark place.

People who use guns to "settle scores or end arguments" are, by definition, criminals. I am not a criminal. Kindly retract your slimy insinuations or crawl back under the rock from whence you periodically emerge to spew this shit.

[PavePusher]

12. "Your mind must be a very small and dark place."

Or a very large and empty place.... with interesting accoustical properties. Dusty. Stagnant, even. Odor of decay, perhaps.

Reverberation counts as "interesting accoustical properties", yes?

[mikeb302000]

20. Where did I say you're "equivalent to murderers?"

Accusing me of that makes you sound stupid. I said gun owners are not neatly divided into good guys and bad guys.

"People who use guns to "settle scores or end arguments" are, by definition, criminals. " This is another lie. Only convicted felons are criminals. Remember, even unfit gun owners are innocent until proven guilty. That's why we need another category called "hidden criminals."

[gejohnston]

26. a distinction without a difference

you did imply that we are likely to be thugs and criminals

I realize there are others, please feel free to mention them in the comments. And I apologize for the disproportionate diagram. The AUB section should be much, much larger.

Yes you said that, even though you may not realize it.

[Straw Man]

30. Right here.

Gun-rights fanatics are heavily invested in the idea that gun owners are divided neatly into two categories, the good guys and the bad guys. Nothing could be further from the truth. They're all brothers of the gun.

You are saying that they (I refuse to say "we&quot are all the same. What else could your "brothers of the gun" babble mean? You're asserting a moral equivalence. You can't see that, and yet you're calling me stupid?

Only convicted felons are criminals. Remember, even unfit gun owners are innocent until proven guilty. That's why we need another category called "hidden criminals."

Spare us the sophist parsing -- you're not very good at it anyway. Using a gun to settle a score or end an argument is criminal behavior, whether or not one is convicted for it, and it is immoral behavior in any case. If you insinuate that I have a bond with those who engage in such behavior, I will ask you to apologize or tell you to fuck off. You didn't apologize. So fuck off.

[Jenoch]

64. Stop being so subtle, Jason.

What is your point exactly? Yes, sometimes a gun owner with a previously unblemished record does commit a crime with a gun. There are a variety of reasons I am sure.

[aikoaiko]

5. If you didn't exist the NRA would have to invent you.

Your hatred for lawful gun owners is the perfect foil for NRA hyberbole.

The NRA thanks you.

[hack89]

6. So my kids are no different from violent criminals

because they happen to enjoy competitive target shooting?

Now I know you are not serious but are here merely to stir shit.

[mikeb302000]

21. Did I say that?

When the argument falters, exaggerate what the other guy said and argue against that. Good strategy.

[hack89]

32. "They are all brothers of the gun."

ok - so explain to me how you differentiate between criminals and lawful gun owners.

[former-republican]

8. pics of perpetrator and car

http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/story/20155291/three-shot-killed-at-dekalb-co-apartments

[ileus]

9. I'm one of the good guys.

There are millions and millions of us out here....take today to give thanks that in our country we have the tools of freedoms and safety on hand all the time.


Later on today we'll be headed into the field to hunt another of our countries great traditions. Here in Virginia we have a one day turkey season in celebration of Thanksgiving.

Of course rifle season is also open.


Good luck out there my friends and remember stay safe.

[sarisataka]

10. I do not appreciate being called a murderer

because I own a device that can be used to commit a crime. I have argued with people while armed and never had even considered drawing a weapon. Yet by your implication, I am no better than a multiple murderer; if fact you imply I am already a criminal, I just haven't actually been convicted of a crime yet.

I could say all gun control fanatics are douche-bags but I have had pleasant discussions with several so I know that is not true. Would you like to try the shoe on Cinderella?


BTW I will spend Thanksgiving with extended family, about 20 people. I will be carrying an S&W 638 loaded with Winchester .38 135 gr. +P and have two full reloads. I will let you know if I some how refrained from shooting anybody or if the gun leaps out of the holster and starts shooting on its own...

[mikeb302000]

22. You don't read very well, do you?

"I could say all gun control fanatics are douche-bags"

If you said that you'd be wrong, just like I'd be wrong if I said ALL gun owners are bad guys. But, I didn't say that, did I.

[gejohnston]

25. yes you do, by implying it

with "brothers of the gun"

I realize there are others, please feel free to mention them in the comments. And

I apologize for the disproportionate diagram. The AUB section should be much, much larger

.

and here

[sarisataka]

28. I read fine

your writing is somewhat unclear

No mention in the article about his past, whether he was a lawful gun owner or not. But, it doesn't matter. In this, gun owners are all the same.

Then you say

Some of them think the gun is the answer and use it to settle scores or end arguments.

Then later

They're all brothers of the gun.

So.... first all gun owners are the same i.e. bad people, criminals, hidden criminals... whatever, then it is some think the gun is the answer... i.e. there are good gun owners and bad gun owners, but then back to *all brothers*, i.e. if not bad now, they will be...

So

But, I didn't say that, did I.

yes, you did. But then you took it back, only to say it again


BTW Thanksgiving was a lot of fun. Met some cousins from Canada who I never saw in person before. The only ones who knew I was armed were my wife, kids and brother. The only casualty was a delicious turkey.

[rrneck]

11. Y'know

if I thought you were actually making any money off this slanderous bullshit I might at least have some respect for that.

[PavePusher]

13. Lte's see here......

An apartment complex (looking rather low-rent...), a luxury automobile, a mug-shot of a suspect currently hiding (thus indicating a prior criminal record), a dispute over money...

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and predict a squabble over a criminal endevour, by people who were all legally disqualified from owning firearms.

Shall we start a pool?

[OriginalGeek]

14. poor mikey

can't even keep from contradicting himself inside of 4 of his own words:

gun owners are all the same. Some of them think the gun is the answer

some = all now? even forgetting the rest of the idiocy, that's just straight up dumb.

Aiko is right - NRA is giving thanks today for people like Mike.

[mikeb302000]

24. No, that's just typing too fast and not proofreading.

I've made my position abundantly clear about gun owners being divided into three categories, good guys, bad guys and hidden criminals. But, because you can't argue straight up, you look for little word problems to pick on.

[gejohnston]

27. how much larger?

I realize there are others, please feel free to mention them in the comments. And I apologize for the disproportionate diagram. The AUB section should be much, much larger.

per capita, there are more felons in MAIG

[Straw Man]

31. No, I don't think that's the problem.

No, that's just typing too fast and not proofreading.

I think it has more to do with psychobabble, buzzwords, propaganda, and plausible deniability.

I've made my position abundantly clear about gun owners being divided into three categories, good guys, bad guys and hidden criminals. But, because you can't argue straight up, you look for little word problems to pick on.

And yet here you squander a perfect opportunity to explain exactly what you meant and score a juicy rhetorical point. One starts to doubt your sincerity, Michael.

I'll bet that somewhere along the line, someone told you that you were a pretty good writer. That person was wrong.

That a person can lecture me about the concept of "innocent until proven guilty" in the same thread where he asserts the doctrine of "hidden criminals" beggars belief. I'm supposed to await the judgment of a court before I so much as characterize a behavior as criminal, yet you would circumscribe a person's rights because that person might someday commit a crime. Such inconsistency: the mind reels.

[OriginalGeek]

37. I'll keep this short and simple so Mike doesn't have to proofread much:

Oh Snaps!

[aletier_v]

15. Three out of three dead is unusual with a handgun.

If I remember correctly, the average mortality rate is around 25-30%.

3 of 3 is about 10% probability.

I'd guess that he shot each one multiple times, perhaps after they were already down.

Ah, did my math wrong, it's 1/3 x 1/3 x 1/3 = 5% or so.

[Eleanors38]

17. The purpose of prohibitionism is to acquire a license to hate

and punish other people on a mass basis.

You, Mike, should smile for your official I.D. photo.

[Eyes of the World]

29. Some carry a gun to compensate for a small penis

Bruce Lee claimed that the man with the weapon was the one at a disadvantage. When it is gone they are helpless.

Did you know that the Russian military has developed a martial art designed to keep an attacker away long enough to get your gun out and make an effective shot? It is not automatic, it takes work and practice. Relying on a firearm for your bravery is just stupid.

Remember - One doesn't kill with a gun, one kills with their heart. One who kills with their heart doesn't need a gun.

[PavePusher]

60. Use of firearms is a martial art. It is one that can be employed beyond arms reach.

I also have several years of hand-to-hand combat training, but it's much riskier, far more dependent on physical strength, stamina and dexterity, and requires far more constant, expensive and risky practice to stay capable. Not everyone can do that.

[Loudly]

33. Guns and ammo in the hands of the public is a stupendously bad idea.

[slackmaster]

34. Because the government employees whose guns you wouldn't confiscate will always be there...

...to protect us.

[Loudly]

36. Your only constitutional argument evaporated at Appomattox.

[glacierbay]

38. Then why doesn't the SCOTUS agree with you

along with most constitutional scholars including Pres. Obama? Are you saying that they're all wrong and you're right? What are your credentials in Constitutional Law? Can you cite the Law that says our 2A right ended at Appomattox?

[Loudly]

40. They'll have another chance to get it right. The liberal dissenting opinion rocks.

[gejohnston]

41. none of them were liberals

certainly not Stevens, a life long Republican nominated by Ford. It just looks that way with people like Scalia and Roberts. It is easier to over turn a decision that restricts individual liberties than one that expands it, which is partly why Roe is safe.

[glacierbay]

42. No

you're just hoping for it to happen. It's settled law now. But you didn't answer the question, what are your constitutional law credentials? Can you cite the law that erased our 2A right at Appomattox?
Also, Pres. Obama doesn't agree with you either and I consider him a whole hell of a lot smarter than you on constitutional law. Care to explain that?

[ileus]

44. Let me answer for him....guns and ammo in the hands of civilians is a bad bad thing.

[rrneck]

47. I'm still waiting to hear about silver dollars. nt

[ileus]

48. Way up in price

When I first started my collection common Morgans could be bought for 5-7 bucks. I gave many away in Internet forum giveaway threads. I wish I had kept them all now.

[slackmaster]

39. If every individual in a free state is not secure, the state is not secure

[fightthegoodfightnow]

46. PS

You lost the Civil War.

[friendly_iconoclast]

49. Two problems with your "You lost the Civil War." remark

1) Slack may or may not be a little "chronologically enhanced", but I doubt he's old enough
to have been around for the Civil War.

and

2) Neo-Confederates are about as common as passenger pigeons here at DU.


Kindly put your bigotry aside.

[fightthegoodfightnow]

50. No Bigotry

Just a fact. The South lost the war.

I think it is YOU who is PRE-judging. I was born in Alabama, have in-laws from Georgia and grew up in Virginia. Even there, the history books show the South lost the Civil War.

He stated 'If every individual in a free state is not secure, the state is not secure.'

Hogwash.....anyone who thinks this Nation is not secured because I do not own a gun is well... Just wrong. If by state, he meant one of the 50, I repeat what I said before. The South lost the war. The oft repeated insistence by some that having a gun is a pre-requisite for security is silly.

[slackmaster]

55. What on Earth have I ever said or done to connect myself with the South?

[DonP]

56. "Southern" California? Ntxt

[slackmaster]

57. Extreme Southern California. I live in San Diego. In fact, my neighborhood is called South Park.

[fightthegoodfightnow]

59. see post 58

.

[slackmaster]

54. While we're on the subject of you misrepresenting my positions, let me straighten you out on this

1. I was born in Kansas and now reside in California. Kansas was admitted to the Union as a free state in 1861. I have never lived in any state that was ever part of the Confederacy.

2. No known blood relative of mine fought for the Confederacy. I have ancestors who fought in the Revolutionary War on the side of the colonists, and in the Civil War on the side of the Union.

3. I have never engaged in any kind of advocacy for secession, segregation, slavery, or any of the other traits that make the Confederacy a historical pariah in the eyes of most Americans.

4. No known ancestor of mine ever owned a slave. People on my mother's side were early Pennsylvania colonists who were pacifists and strongly opposed to slavery. My father's family was Mennonite. They immigrated to the USA in the 1870s. Mennonites are strict pacifists and have also always opposed slavery.

5. My advocacy for the right to keep and bear arms is libertarian at its roots. I believe strongly that people have a fundamental right to own, say, or do anything they please as long as it hasn't been prohibited through due process of law.

6. The security of a free state as mentioned in the Second Amendment refers to security at all levels, from the individual up to the society as a whole. If I feel that owning firearms is appropriate for my personal security or the security of my household, I have the right to own them. If you feel that owning a gun would not make you more secure, or if for any other reason you wish not to own one, I respect your personal choice. I ask that you respect mine in return.

I find it very odd that you would state to me "You lost the Civil War." Obviously that war ended almost a century before I was born. I have never made any statement that would logically connect me with the Confederacy or even the modern South.

Have you confused me with someone else? Or perhaps you have made a "package deal" fallacious assumption that my advocacy for individual freedom on things like abortion and gun ownership mean that I must somehow be connected with the losing side of the Civil War.

Either way, your remark makes no sense whatsoever. Is it intended as some kind of insult?

[fightthegoodfightnow]

58. Ok

To much to respond to here and I'm not going to attempt to respond to all.

My response about the South winning was in response to the individuals need for a gun to protect the state did not connect the dots well. It's often a rallying cry in the South for why we need guns to protect our freedom, which I don't buy. I grew up in the South and heard it often. The evidence is the South lost the Civil War (not for lack of guns but lack of manufacturing and other reasons). Even now, I do not own a gun and I am no less a champion of freedom.

I respect all the points you made and apologize for not expressing myself well.

[ileus]

52. Excellent point, one must be assured of personal freedom and safety first

before anything else matters.

The state doesn't operate on individual safety but community safety. It's up to the private citizen to assure his/her personal safety at any moment in time.

[ileus]

51. BMW 745.....nice car. Wonder it that tells us anything?

Maybe mikey is right....he may have been a hidden criminal.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

53. brother? oh. please.

[GreenStormCloud]

61. He has NOT been arrested.

Law enforcement is still looking for him. Read the article that you referenced.