Comments on: “Man sought after making Virginia Tech-type threats”

By: Lynn

Lynn — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 21:11:21 +0000

As soon as I hear the threat by Carney, I thought it was an empty threat.

From what I’ve read, the people you should fear the most, that could do you the most harm; are family, friends, and acquaintances. When people are murdered, the police usually begin their search for the murderer by questioning the immediate family.

By: stickie

stickie — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 08:44:48 +0000

Ok, so here’s my prediction

In accordance with the GWOT (global war on terror) we will pass laws that forbid non-citizens from owning or possessing firearms.

Maybe, we will give doctors the power to forbid the “violently mentally ill” (however it is defined) from possessing or owning firearms. We already let MD’s take away drivers licenses from people who have seizures.

By: runnergirl

runnergirl — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 20:37:36 +0000

Did anyone else catch the quote from the Yuba guy’s girlfriend in the Bee article? She said that this is so unlike him, “He’s a real teddy bear.” I shudder to think what accessories she’d offer if she were to open a “Build a Bear Workshop” franchise.

By: cooldmz

cooldmz — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 18:01:36 +0000

first of all, as i’m sure you all know now, the guy turned himself in. which provides a great counterweight to this whole issue: might the media coverage have convinced this guy to turn himself in?

the coverage of this on CBS13 was laughable. they had an 8 second clip of the guy turning himself in that they were playing on endless loop. it hypmotized me. also they had Sam Shane talking to a real live former meth addict who confirmed that he looked like a methhead because he was skinny.

By: andy

andy — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 17:25:30 +0000

sooo um.. does anyone know what school “Jeffery Thomas Carney” attends? I’d be quite unhappy if i walked into a shooting rampage on monday….

By: HeyMeg

HeyMeg — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 16:32:26 +0000

I don’t know about the catchy name and logo - that’s a good question. But did everyone see this guy turned himself in? That had to be awkward… “um, hi, yes, I am the dude planning the giant rampage. . . you wanted to see me?”

By: hollywould

hollywould — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 16:22:41 +0000

I didn’t catch the news last night…did the yuba city manhunt have a catchy name and a logo?

By: CoolDMZ

CoolDMZ — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 03:05:36 +0000

Scooter: just to clarify, I definitely think printing a story like the Bee did about the Yuba City man is a great public service, because there is a manhunt on.

By: steve

steve — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 02:39:03 +0000

it’s naive to say that a Republican is the only kind of politician who can’t budge on gun control for fear of alienating the base. nobody would get elected running on a platform of repealing a Constitutional right. they all triangulate. sure, Republican voters are more likely to be wary of challenges to that right, but establishment Democrats in no way deserve some sort of high and mighty status for being faster to trot out that phrase.

By: HeyMeg

HeyMeg — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 23:15:24 +0000

So you would have been happier if the politicians bullshitted about gun control for a while regardless of any actual plan or solution coming out? I’m thinking we already waste plenty of money on politicians sitting around chewing the fat about hypotheticals. If we can’t identify any potential solution or even an identified intention that would come out of an agenda item why would we complain so zealously that the agenda item is not included? We have no reason to assume that the topic would have made the conference any more productive or the discussions more meritorious. It’s not like the issue of gun control is never discussed in the public forum by the way.

By: SinghCity

SinghCity — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 23:05:33 +0000

HeyMeg, the point is, that at a conference talking about school safety that occured after the Pennsylvania school shooting, it seems irresponsible that the issue of gun control was not discussed at all, especially considering that two other school shootings also that happened around that time.

What the outcome of that discussion would have been and whether it would have prevented what happened at VT is purely hypothetical. But in the Pennsylvania situation and the avoidance of a gun control discussion, no one can say that those in charge explored every avenue to ensure that such crimes don’t happen again, whether the avoidance is intended or out of incompetence.

By: HeyMeg

HeyMeg — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 22:52:23 +0000

SinghCity I’m just curious - what would the right outcome of those discussions have been and how would it have prevented the catastrophe that happened at VT?

By: Scooter

Scooter — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 22:43:30 +0000

I think it’s fair to say that the “guns control and schools” discussion is pretty short lived: “Is there the 2nd Amendment right to bear arms in the 5th grade?” “No?” “Ok, let’s move on.” Declining to talk about it doesn’t mean that it’s a hot-button issue that either party is avoiding talking about, but rather one that’s so obvious that it doesn’t need much discussion. Sort of the same reason why I don’t have a discussion with my wife of whether or not I should have an affair- is it really something that needs to be discussed in a pro/con list?

Should gun control be re-addressed due to a tragedy like this? I don’t see any better time to re-address it. It wouldn’t make much sense if it wasn’t addressed at a time like this. However, there is a level of tact and respect that should be paid to the country while it’s still reeling from this tragedy.

And I’m sick of the news making the news. When this first occurred, I turned on CNN- watched 15 minutes to get the story, and then stopped when they said “…And that’s all we know at this time, we go now to interview BLANK about what they think…” Whatever happened to, “that’s all we know, and we’ll keep you posted as more develops. In other news…?”

Here’s a chicken and egg question getting back to the original post: although it may be a fame-seeking psycho that makes a threat to the news in order to get coverage, isn’t it incumbent upon the news organization to report information like this for the public to be aware of a possible threat? Discuss…

By: SinghCity

SinghCity — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 22:34:58 +0000

This is how “Gun control and schools” are related, based on the context of the Pennsylvania story:

1. Gun-toting manic shoots and kills five children in a school in Pennsylvania.
2. Shortly after shooting, President throws a conference on school safety, in response.
3. Here is the crux: Because it just happened, President talks about how to prevent future attacks on children by gun-toting maniacs.

#3 didn’t happen, but perhaps that’s because some people consider it callous to talk about gun control after guns were used to kill innocent children and people.

By: hollywould

hollywould — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 22:15:33 +0000

I’ve long been annoyed by the fact that everytime any tragedy of magnitude happens, all news stations have to brand it with their own logos and catchy names. I mean seriously, whose job is that?

Can you imagine if you were the guy who had think to himsef “Tragedy? No. That word is gonna get played. Slaughter? No, probably too inflammatory. I know! Massacre! Yes, Massacre at Virginia Tech. Hmmm…now where I can get me some nifty sniper clip art?”

ick.

By: HeyMeg

HeyMeg — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 22:12:59 +0000

By the by, I believe there are already escalated penalties for illegal possession/discharge of firearms within certain distances of school grounds but I may be making that up. Anyone?

By: cooldmz

cooldmz — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 22:08:08 +0000

then what does it mean, i wonder? i’m sure he talked about “schools” at the school safety conference. if he didn’t talk about “gun control,” maybe that’s because that topic normally means restricting people from buying guns. i don’t know how that’s related to schools. it’s a nit and i’m picking it.

By: SinghCity

SinghCity — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 22:04:10 +0000

no politician alive would pander to anybody who wants to make sure 5th graders can pack heat.

Right, because that’s what “Gun control and schools” means.

By: HeyMeg

HeyMeg — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 22:03:44 +0000

“No offense” but it’s sort of clumsy to pretend that the President’s being “pro-life” has anything to do with gun control and school shootings. Though I suppose lots of things could be said about the moral trends toward violence on the unborn and violence on school children moving in symmetry. I just think we’re getting into a little bit of a high-school debate with that one though. Let’s head back to hate’n on the media.

By: cooldmz

cooldmz — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 22:00:38 +0000

i guess “gun control and schools” just sounds funny… my point being is there even a debate about gun control and schools? no politician alive would pander to anybody who wants to make sure 5th graders can pack heat.

By: SinghCity

SinghCity — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 21:56:06 +0000

I believe his opinion is that which panders to his base, like any politician. Bush, being a pro-life Republican, doesn’t want to touch the issue of gun control for fear of alienating the red states - even if that means he ignores the issue of gun control when he holds a conference on school safety in response to a shooting at a school just shortly before.

By: cooldmz

cooldmz — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 21:51:53 +0000

Do you suppose the President has an opinion on guns in schools other than that there should never be guns in schools?

By: SinghCity

SinghCity — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 21:48:19 +0000

The sentence is structured to indicate that Gun control and schools” is a topic that was not on the agenda after that shooting in Pennsylvania.

By: cooldmz

cooldmz — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 21:45:27 +0000

“Gun control and schools”? is that 2 topics?

By: SinghCity

SinghCity — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 21:41:05 +0000

More on this tragedy vis-a-vis the gun control debate in the US here.

Selected quotes from this article:

Consider that since the Columbine High School shootings in 1999, not a single major gun control law has been passed by Congress. In fact, restrictions on certain weapons have actually been relaxed.

In 2003, Congress passed a measure that prevents local enforcement agencies from consulting police in other states regarding firearms traces…

Then in 2004, the assault weapons ban enacted by the Bill Clinton administration expired. That expiration included the ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines, which allow as many as 33 cartridges to be loaded at a time to allow more rapid fire. The pistols used in Norris Hall had those high-capacity clips, which greatly increased Cho Seung-Hui’s firepower.

Finally in 2005, Congress passed legislation that prevented shooting victims or their families from instituting wrongful death lawsuits against gun makers.

And finally:

Everyone remembers the five Amish youngsters killed in their one-room schoolhouse in Pennsylvania a year ago. No more hideous crime ever.

President George W. Bush convened a White House conference on school safety shortly after. Gun control and schools was not on the agenda.

Bummer, huh?