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A HOSPITAL PATIENT who was wounded in the Fort Myers nightclub shooting in Florida has been released, while three other victims remain there.
Lee Memorial Health System said in a statement that two people at the hospital are still in critical condition. Two people were killed and 17 others were wounded when gunfire erupted at a teen night at Club Blu.
The two victims who died have been named as Sean Archilles (14) and Stef’An Strawder (18).
Authorities said they have three people of interest in custody and they are looking for more. They have not released a motive, but ruled out terrorism.
Local police chief Dennis Eads said his officers responded to a chaotic scene at the club at about 12:30am and immediately started helping the wounded. He said some of the victims drove themselves to hospitals and others were taken there by ambulances.
Helping victims
Governor Rick Scott promised the state would do everything it could to help the victims and hold those responsible accountable.
A security guard who was at a nightclub said she saw someone attack the crowd with a semi-automatic weapon, spraying bullets in the vicinity.
Brandy McLaughlin said she heard what sounded like firecrackers when the shooting started.
She said the gunman wasn’t targeting anyone in particular, adding: “It was an idiot. An idiot with a firearm.”
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Unfortunately the term ‘an idiot with a firearm’ could be used to describe a sizeable portion of the US population.
Good point and fair comment.
If enough civilians are armed, and if guns are so easily accessible, it is no surprise that some will decide to use guns.
Add gun culture and the simmering anger amongst some people and guns are inevitably going to be used.
The Second Amendment takes a lot of victims.
If someone wants to wound or kill a large number of people, they can do so without guns. Look at the Nice attack (more than 80 killed with a truck), Boston Bombing (firework powder in a pressure cooker) or the Ansbach attack (homemade suicide vest).
Look at the story above, a knife attack apparently.
Jason it seems like you’re saying that mass shootings would happen even if there were no firearms???!! Cue “no that’s not what I’m saying”. Which leads on to what else you’re not saying. You seem not to be able to accept that the widespread and easy availability if firearms in the US has no bearing on deaths generally. Is that the angle you’re taking? Interested to know exactly what you’re saying because it appears to be the pathetic “guns dont kill people; people kill people” tripe.
Tony, this is what I’m saying:
http://www.thejournal.ie/japan-attack-2895451-Jul2016/
Attacks happen regardless of what tools are available to the attacker. Blaming mass attacks on firearms is the easy way out but doesn’t address the root causes. I’m all for ensuring that firearm users are safe (believe me, the number of people who think it’s ok to sleep with a loaded revolver worries me and every other trained shooter) but gun control won’t address the root cause of mass attacks. It’ll just shift the attackers onto other methods.
Jason, how can you compare the extremely infrequent attacks that don’t involve firearms with those that do? Just looking at suicide by firearm should tell anyone that freely available guns are a bad thing. And kids don’t kill themselves with a knife found in their ma’s purse.
Tony, the question there is why is there a gun in the mother’s purse in the first place? Anyone trained in the proper handling of a firearm will not leave a firearm in such an easily accessible location. I’ve no issue with making safety training a mandatory requirement, hell I actively encourage it.
The fact that Japan has some of the strictest gun control legislation in the world, the lowest homicide by firearm rate and one of the highest suicide rates condraticts your point there Tony.
Not really going to get into one of your usual tennis matches Jason. The numbers are there, we obviously interpret them differently. I’m sure you feel certain you’re right and I’ll remain certain that while you’re entitled to your opinion; you’re wrong
Jason, correlation doesn’t equate causation, the high suicide rates in Japan have their roots in the Japanese culture, and nothing to do with the firearms regulations over there, or are you telling us, the Japanese who are omitting suicide do so mostly with guns?
Easily accessible and powerful guns facilitate killing the maximum possible number of intentional deaths.
Yes,trucks, knives and other objects are used but guns are most often used in multiple homicudes and, with a few exceptionsm, cause the maximum number of deaths.
Most guns, except sports guns, are specific purpose, specialised instruments for killing it maiming human beings, which are easily accessible even by terrorist suspects on no fly lists.,
Statistics on gun crime show how dangerous and destructive of human life guns combined with gun culture are in the US.
I realise that my offering this view point I draw fire from Jason Culligan.
What point does it serve for people being able to buy military style assault rifles? They are designed to inflict maximum damage on those that they are pointed at. They’re called ASSAULT rifles, not defence rifles, does that not say it all? Recently a journalist got one of these rifles legally in something like 7 minutes in America, but republicans will tell you there’s no problem. And yet there’s mass shooting after mass shooting.
“Gun control won’t address the root cause of mass attacks. It’ll just shift the attackers on to different methods”
If this were true, I would expect ‘school knife sprees’ or ‘school bombings’ in countries with strict gun control.
This doesn’t happen, does it? It seems that specific types of attacks are made easier by the use of assault rifles and the like, school attacks are just one example.
Also the Japan example is a little disingenuous, I’m presuming most if not all victims were disabled so a knife was more deadly than usual, giving a gun-like death toll.
You are so right Jason. It will happen anyway so let’s not even try to restrict access to guns etc . Sure why not send nuclear bombs to North Korea. Sure they’re only going to blow up the world anyway. Fool.
@Seán O, couldn’t agree more, and about the bombs too…
No, no journalist ever got an assault rifle within 7 minutes. They bought an AR-15 which is a semi-automatic. Funnily enough people fail to mention that a New York reporter tried the same stunt and was blocked because he had a previous charge for spousal abuse.
It’s interesting how in other articles people are asking for someone to please do something about these terrorist attacks. There is nothing that can be done in the short to medium term. At the end of the day these terrorists can strike anywhere and anytime. If you get caught in one of these incidents good luck if your only strategy is to wait for the police to show up. I am armed. I have undergone firearms training. If I get caught up in a terrorist situation I have the means to defend myself. I may still die. But I won’t die lying down praying for someone to save me.
But do you not think that that’s completely ridiculous Jason? The AR-15 is a highly powerful and accurate rifle that was made in response to the AK-47. If some nutter has a bad day in work he can return with in the hour wielding a gun and kill everyone in the building. America sold there soul on the whole gun debate when they decided guns were more important then the children of sandyhook
Paul don’t you think the children of Sandy Hook were praying for a good guy with a gun to show up? You can’t defeat terrorism with wishful thinking and prayers. They prey on the defenceless. Don’t be defenceless.
The rifle being powerful and accurate is precisely why civilians want it. The accuracy and reliability are great assets for hunters and sports shooters. The AR-15 has been described as the sports rifle of the decade due to how popular those attributes make it among sporters.
I’ve seen respectable and well trained shooters going through some pretty nasty situations, yet not one of them even considered resorting to using a firearm. If you’re trained properly and go through the proper checks, you have no intention of using a firearm on another human being unless absolutely necessary.
Pulling your firearm out is the last resort. Your first action should be to see if you can run away. People who have received proper training on firearms are trained to avoid confrontation. Run away. Hide. As a last resort, if your life is in danger or ure families life, then defend ureself. Of course that doesn’t apply to law enforcement. If I were to pull my weapon out to show a friend of mine, I’m getting arrested. If I pull my weapon out because someone was trying to pick a fight with me, I’m getting arrested. I can only pull that weapon if I feel like my or my families life is in danger. It’s not the wild west.
It is essential that all US citizens have the right to bear arms because all other US citizens have the right to bear arms.
Go for your gun, you varmint!
I say Trump is the best and you say Clinton is the best. A gun fight will quickly sort out this argument.
Whoever shoots first wins.
You can debate gun control until the cows come home but in the wake of these recent shootings, it’s baffling how such deadly weapons are so accessible over there. If you use a rifle or shotgun for hunting/game, that’s one thing, if you want a handgun to protect your home and family, that’s fair enough but what does a civilian need with a semi automatic weapon or an assault rifle? Weapons that can discharge so many rounds, killing and maiming so many in such little time. Utter madness.
The AR-15 is the most used hunting rifle in the US. The light weight, durability, strong cartridge and accuracy makes it a fantastic hunting rifle for small game plus the semi-auto feature allows for quick follow-up shots on larger groups of game or missed shots. Semi-automatics are also one of the most popular sports rifles as they allow you to get off more shots before you start to get fatigued.
There aren’t that many assault rifles at all in the US, the 1983 ban made sure of that.
Hmm, Jason, I just did a quick Google for the best hunting rifles for small game, the AR 15 is not among them, and not one of the 5 best rifles is semiautomatic. http://www.offthegridnews.com/survival-hunting/the-5-very-best-rifles-for-small-game/
Jimmy the problem is any attempt to restrict the more powerful weapons is met with fear that it’s just the first step towards a total ban. Most Americans don’t trust their government.
The Ar-15′is very effective in killing and maiming human beings.
The AR-15 is not the most used hunting rifle. It was designed for military purposes but can be converted to single shot use.
Wikipedia gives an accurate description of the origin and evolution of the weapon.
As an expert, it is obvious that Jason Culligan is trying to mislead us. He has his reasons, I suspect. His enthusiasm for the subject is a bit unnerving.
“There aren’t that many assault rifles at all in the US, the 1983 ban made sure of that.”
Were you hacked,drunk or high when that was wrote,Jason ?
AR-15′s are not assault rifles Francis. The military version, the M16, is an assault rifle but they are functionally different. Plus I notice you fail to mention the other reporter who tried this stunt but a background check revealed he had a charge for spousal abuse and he was blocked from buying one.
Jason, please stop bullsh!tting. It’s tiresome and nobody cares.
How is it bullshit Coles? Do you even know what an assault rifle is? Seems very few people here actually know what they’re talking about.
Larissa, I went through that link and there’s a few issues. Firstly it is for exclusively small game (rabbits and squirrels) and only looks at small rimfire rifles. If you look at any other rifle category the AR-15 is by far the most popular.
Secondly you claim that there aren’t any semi-automatics but the first rifle, the Ruger 10/22, is a semi-automatic. So is the Marlin Model 60, the second rifle on the list.
Jason – you know as well as I do that the Ar-15 can be quickly converted to a fully automatic .
But you are right of course that it isn’t actually an assault rifle .
Have a great day.
The 1983 ban expired. That is the reason the AR15 came on the market. America is afraid of its shadow. Id hate to live like that. Petrified that every stranger intends on killing you and your kids.
An AR-15 can only be quickly converted if a legally purchased pre-86 conversion kit is used. Converting a semi-automatic AR-15 to a full-automatic AR-15 without one takes a trained gunsmith and modifications to the trigger set to do. No gunsmith in their right mind would do that though given how it can easily net you 10 years in a federal prison if caught.
Shane, the 1986 ban (mistakenly wrote 83 earlier) had nothing to do with AR-15′s. It was perfectly legal afterwards to acquire an AR-15. The 1986 ban only affected automatic weapons and firearm imports, locally made semi-automatic versions of the AR-15 were still legal.
The ban that affected AR-15′s was the Assault Weapon ban of 1994, which was honestly a fundamentally flawed piece of legislation that banned firearms solely on the basis of their looks. The AR-15 was banned because it looked scary while the equally capable Mini-14 was legal because it didn’t look so intimidating.
Roy, I’ve said it multiple times that I’m not actually against a tightening of gun controls to a certain degree. I think mandatory licencing, mandatory safe stowage in a purposely-designed safe, mandatory safety training and background checks are all necessary.
I’m merely trying to point out that gun control alone won’t solve the problem. It hasn’t anywhere else.
True, I have no issue with these weapons being locked behind a wall of restrictions so long as genuine shooters who take safety seriously can still access them eventually. It takes more than 3 years to gain legal access to a firearm like an AR-15 in the Netherlands which is more than fair.
It worked in Australia. There hasn’t been a single mass murder in 20 years since gun control was introduced following the Port Arthur massacre. In the US every five days out of six there is a mass murder. To suggest this has nothing to do with the easy availability of guns is ridiculous.
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2015/oct/02/mass-shootings-america-gun-violence
It didn’t really though Eillie. It stopped mass shootings, but it didn’t end the violence. In fact the rates of violent homicide rose by nearly 50% in the immediate aftermath of the firearm ban there.
Every nation that has brought in strict gun control has shown no measurable decline in the total number of violent deaths, which is living proof that those intent on killing find other methods.
Clearly people are not heeding the NRA mantra more guns less crime!
If only there were more good guys with guns!!!
Ambush, sudden attack and willingness to shoot civilians without care of selectivity always gives an assailant with guns the substantial tactical disadvantage. First strike advantage.
Well this is awkward….. I was being sarcastic
And effectively sarcastic.
The “good guys” with guns is a tired old cliche which deserves to be lampooned by sarcasm.
Are mass killing’s a recent phenomenon in the USA?..anyone know what the situation was in the 50s,60s,etc..
The rate of mass shootings rose since then, but overall gun death rates have dropped as a percentage per capita.
The obvious solution is to teach mass shooting avoidance techniques in schools, like the old ‘duck and cover’ surefire way to survive a nuke…
Schools in the US practice ‘lockdown drills’ to protect students in case of a mass shooting
http://abcnews.go.com/US/school-safety-experts-disagree-lockdown-procedures-newtown-shooting/story?id=17978485
have your say