5-Points

This is true. An AR chambered in .22 LR is only cosmetically different from a Ruger 10/22. They fire the same round with similar ballistic capabilities.

No.

I think you mean lethality. And an AR, or any firearm, left untouched, is as lethal as a gnat.

You mean how they differ from other .22's, right?

And Chinese.

You said it, not me.

Mebbe But that wouldn't explain the mass shootings that took place prior to the Chinese flu. I'm looking for commonalities.

Wordle 861 3/6* 🟨🟨 🟩🟩🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Framed #596 🟥 🟥 🟥 🟥 🟥 🟥 https://framed.wtf

Mr. Lee used Calgon to get his shirts so clean.

Agreed. Unfortunately, as is typical in these cases, he prolly shot himself in the head. Which will make studying his brain basically impossible. It's almost as if these nutjobs are trying to destroy the evidence when they dome themselves after they're finished with their shooting spree. It would be nice to be able to study the brains of these mentally defective lunatics to try to find some commonality that could shed some light on why they do what they do.

Gun stores hold federal licenses. All gun stores. Any gun store in the country has to submit a form 4473, which is the form all gun purchasers are required to fill out, it includes the purchaser's identifying information, the gun model, caliber, serial number, etc. There are also questions one must answer, under penalty of perjury, a felony, regarding their legal ability to purchase the firearm. This info is submitted to NICS, which stands for National Instant (Back Ground) Check System. If their name, birthdate and SSN doesn't return a "hit" saying they are disqualified from owning firearms, the transaction is allowed to take place. Now, could that system be improved? Absolutely. There are plenty of mistakes made with false positives and/or negatives. But that is the system that the feds came up with. Any FFL that fails to conduct a NICS check prior to selling a firearm can be fined and lose their Federal Firearms License. They take that sh!t very seriously.

It might interest you fellas to know that most AR-15's fire a .22 caliber round. You can get them chambered in a different round like 300 Blackout but the standard .223 chambered AR fires a .22 caliber projectile. The difference between them and a starter .22 rifle is basically the difference between a 4 banger mustang and a 5.0 Same car, same caliber bullet, one just goes faster than the other.

Columbine does seem to be when the modern mass shooting phenomenon began. After that we had one of these events about once a year. From there they became more frequent with whackjobs trying to outdo each other to get their names and faces plastered all over the TV. There has to be a common thread amongst the losers who turn psycho and decide killing a bunch of strangers is the only way to right the perceived wrongs they've endured. But it takes time and effort to analyze all that data. It's easier to blame an inanimate object and demonize those who object to giving up their rights in order to give others a false sense of safety.

Wordle 860 3/6* 🟨🟨🟩 🟨🟩🟨🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Framed #595 🟥 🟥 🟥 🟥 🟩 https://framed.wtf I've never seen the movie but that frame kinda gave it away.

The problem with that, from what I've heard, is that he was never adjudicated mentally defective. Which is what is required to disqualify someone from being able to exercise their 2A rights. He was ordered to go seek treatment by his commanding officer. So he checked himself into the mental health facility. There was never a court proceeding where a judge determined that he was a head case. So it would've been a violation of his constitutional rights to confiscate his firearms without due process. It wouldn't have even showed up on a BGC had he tried to purchase a firearm subsequently.

Yes

AR's are THE most popular rifle in the country. There are 10's of millions of them in private hands. If they were the reason for the problem, the problem would be much, much worse. Also, AR's are only cosmetically different than 10's of millions of other rifles in private hands. So banning them would not have the desired effect. Those inclined to commit mass murder with a gun would simply choose another, equally deadly, option. So we would be forced to shift to banning all semi-auto rifles. That's never going to happen. So why even go down that road? They aren't the cause of the violence and banning them won't stop murderous individuals from doing what they do. I don't want to open the pandora's box of infringing on constitutional rights in the hopes that it might reduce the criminal misuse of firearms. It's the proverbial camel's nose under the tent. We all know the government won't stop with the 2nd amendment if we give them the power to curtail our rights and freedoms in the name of "safety."

Mebbe. I'm sure that is part of it. I didn't mean to suggest it is a singular factor. As a society we are using a lot more pharmaceuticals than we used to. I'm sure that plays a roll as well. We've always had access to guns yet mass shootings are a fairly new phenomenon. So it has to be something other than the guns.

Solid advice. The less attention we draw to ourselves the better.

Good times.

Or a shotgun or some pipe bombs or a pressure cooker... Where there's a will, there's a way.

I've never seen that movie but when the title popped up I figured you'd know it.

Did they privately answer your question?

The Clinton ban had zero measurable effect on gun crimes. Which is why it was allowed to sunset. Had there been this massive reduction in the illegal use of firearms that some people like to claim, they would've made it permanent. They didn't. I suspect the subsequent uptick in mass shootings has another driving factor. It isn't the guns, we've always had those. Something is different today than it was a few decades ago. It is that 'something' that needs to be addressed.