Las Vegas Shooting

[bcla]

Yes, the city limits of Las Vegas end at Sahara Avenue. 95% of the "Las Vegas Strip", where the Mandalay Bay is located, is outside the city limits.

Even though the massacre occurred outside the city limits, what's wrong with the mayor of Las Vegas making a comment?

I'm just a bit jaded about politicians saying stuff to make themselves look like they're effective during a crisis or that she could really do much about the emergency response.

 

[wenrob]

Your feelings are completely understandable.

Like @Happyinwonerland, I would encourage you to go. Yes, the tragedy will still be evident. But just like here in NY in the weeks/months that followed 9/11, you will be surrounded by people that are more courteous, more kind, and more willing to help a stranger......any stranger. No matter what they look like, what language they speak, or what economic bracket they appear to be in. I have no doubt you will witness a city standing together....and it will be beautiful.

This brought tears to my eyes. Thank you.

 

[mrsheppo]

The shooter apparently also had a home here in Reno and the FBI and police have been there today searching for any clues. I swear, his girlfriend looks so familiar to me.

 

[RedAngie]

I'm just a bit jaded about politicians saying stuff to make themselves look like they're effective during a crisis or that she could really do much about the emergency response.

I didn't hear nor read her comments, so I can't say how she came across. But even if she just offered sympathy or support of the people in charge, it's OK with me.

 

[Domo]

Your feelings are completely understandable.

Like @Happyinwonerland, I would encourage you to go. Yes, the tragedy will still be evident. But just like here in NY in the weeks/months that followed 9/11, you will be surrounded by people that are more courteous, more kind, and more willing to help a stranger......any stranger. No matter what they look like, what language they speak, or what economic bracket they appear to be in. I have no doubt you will witness a city standing together....and it will be beautiful.

This deserved a quote.

 

[wenrob]

I didn't hear nor read her comments, so I can't say how she came across. But even if she just offered sympathy or support of the people in charge, it's OK with me.

I sincerely doubt he’s even listened or heard what she has said. He took my comment about listening to the Mayor, Sheriff and law enforcement on the local news and ran with it. Looking to do what I’m not sure. We are ONE community no matter how the city lines are drawn.

 

[Geoff_M]

Yes, the city limits of Las Vegas end at Sahara Avenue. 95% of the "Las Vegas Strip", where the Mandalay Bay is located, is outside the city limits.

Even though the massacre occurred outside the city limits, what's wrong with the mayor of Las Vegas making a comment?

(There IS no mayor of Paradise to make a statement. It's an unincorporated part of Clark County.)

I don't have a problem with it. I was just pointing out a fact that most people aren't aware of.

 

[RedAngie]

I don't have a problem with it. I was just pointing out a fact that most people aren't aware of.

Sorry, Geoff. I combined my response to both you and bcla.

I was confirming your reply that many people aren't aware that The Strip is mostly outside the Las Vegas city limits.

I took issue with bcla's remark that the mayor of Las Vegas shouldn't have released a statement.

 

[bcla]

I didn't hear nor read her comments, so I can't say how she came across. But even if she just offered sympathy or support of the people in charge, it's OK with me.

She starts talking about 8-1/2 minutes in.

 

[kimblebee]

Sorry, Geoff. I combined my response to both you and bcla.

I was confirming your reply that many people aren't aware that The Strip is mostly outside the Las Vegas city limits.

I took issue with bcla's remark that the mayor of Las Vegas shouldn't have released a statement.

Just a(nother) case of ‘actually...’

Our Mayor and Prime Minister have released statements..don’t see anything wrong with it.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

We were in Orlando for 2 weeks last summer during the time that the Christina Grimme/Pulse Nightclub/ Lane Graves tragedies occured. I remember feeling sad, overwhelmed, guilty, and thankful that it wasn't me and my family on the news. It was a heavy time in Orlando. The talks on the monorail, discussions in line, seeing the police at the resorts when they responded to the tragedy, it all reminded me how fragile life is and how we are but a split second from our lives turning upside down.

But I also saw beauty. I saw a city stand together, electronic bilboards showing support for Orlando the next morning. I saw CMs waking up, coming to work, and continuing with life. Because ultimately, what many victims of tragedies long for, is normalcy. They want life to go on without the constant reminder of pain and suffering. Not that anyone shoud forget the victims and do their best to honor their lives, but we also must continue living our best lives.

Ultimately, what any terrorist, whether domestic or foreign, wants is for us live in fear, anger, and pain. By refusing to let that fear control us, we win, we hold the control.

So I say go on your trip, have the time of your life. Pause a moment to remember those whose lives were cut short, and dedicate your life to living and loving and making memories when others never got the chance.

I hope you have an amazing trip!

We were also in Orlando during the Pulse tragedy

 

[yoopermom]

My DH and I are gun owners, and often visit gun stores, pawn shops, etc, when on vacation. What this man did was evil, intentional, and can never be forgotten.

Having stayed on a very high floor of a strip hotel, I was a little surprised that he was able to break a window, and that the breaking of it didn't set off any alarms. The amount of preparation that went into this is horrifying.

I know I'm probably at more risk going for a walk down my road during deer season than I am at a crowded place like Vegas, but still my thoughts and prayers are with ALL affected.

Terri

 

[wonder whisper]

Yeah, it seems (from what I can tell from the audio) the weapon used was a fully automatic rifle. Those are already banned. The "assault weapon ban" is about high capacity rapid trigger rifles, where you pull the trigger each time to fire a shot (these are called semi-automatic). Fully automatic are a different animal and are still illegal

Given the number of firearms this sicko had, I'm more than willing to bet he purchased a bunch of semi autos and then modified some or all of them into fully automatic "machine gun" mode using the relatively inexpensive "black market" kits that are readily available for that purpose.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Given the number of firearms this sicko had, I'm more than willing to bet he purchased a bunch of semi autos and then modified some or all of them into fully automatic "machine gun" mode using the relatively inexpensive "black market" kits that are readily available for that purpose.

It actually not that easy to do with a modern firearm, which is why you hardly ever hear of anyone using a full-auto in a crime (and when you do, it's typically one built as full-auto to start with, then stolen from police or the Mexican military):


https://www.quora.com/How-difficult-is-it-to-convert-a-semi-automatic-handgun-to-fully-automatic

 

[bcla]

Given the number of firearms this sicko had, I'm more than willing to bet he purchased a bunch of semi autos and then modified some or all of them into fully automatic "machine gun" mode using the relatively inexpensive "black market" kits that are readily available for that purpose.

Some experts think that it might have been some sort of repeater system that's designed to rapidly pull and release the trigger. I found a link to the demonstration of a couple of these on another forum. One system uses a crank handle that then pulls and releases the trigger. Another system needs the finger on the trigger, but then turns the recoil into motion that will create rapid trigger pulls in succession.

 

[wonder whisper]

Here's the problem... you cannot take these events and just automatically start applying them to some sort of developing societal norm. At this point we have also zero information about why what happened happened. Some times these events can have causes outside of social breakdown, such as the University of Texas Tower shooting that many are comparing this to. That happened over 50 years ago and was linked to a mental defect in the shooter. An undiagnosed brain tumor that was found in the autopsy in the shooter may also have been a contributing factor.

The other dynamic that makes this very different than the 1966 Texas Tower shooter incident is the fact that within a few minutes of that killer (Charles Whitman) starting to shoot, dozens of civilians in Austin -- many of whom regularly carried firearms -- started shooting back at him, which forced Whitman to hunker down and significantly limited the bloodshed compared to what happened in Vegas last night.

 

[HarperLeigh]

My DH and I are gun owners, and often visit gun stores, pawn shops, etc, when on vacation. What this man did was evil, intentional, and can never be forgotten.

Having stayed on a very high floor of a strip hotel, I was a little surprised that he was able to break a window, and that the breaking of it didn't set off any alarms. The amount of preparation that went into this is horrifying.

I know I'm probably at more risk going for a walk down my road during deer season than I am at a crowded place like Vegas, but still my thoughts and prayers are with ALL affected.

Terri

He used a hammer to break the windows.

 

[bcla]

It actually not that easy to do with a modern firearm, which is why you hardly ever hear of anyone using a full-auto in a crime (and when you do, it's typically one built as full-auto to start with, then stolen from police or the Mexican military):


https://www.quora.com/How-difficult-is-it-to-convert-a-semi-automatic-handgun-to-fully-automatic

I remember back in the early 90s Cobray was selling stampings and it was actually quite easy. Newer ones may be more complicated.

However, one suggestion was that it was a "gat trigger". That was the one I mentioned with a crank. The mechanism built into the stock would be unlikely since he had it on a stand.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...hooter-may-have-used-trigger-crank/723236001/

One, known as a “trigger crank” or “gat crank” bolts onto the trigger guard of a semi-automatic rifle. The shooter then rotates the crank, which usually depresses the trigger three times per rotation, Bernstein said.

The trigger crank’s sell online for about $40-$50 and can be purchased by mail.

“They really shouldn’t be legal — anybody with an AR-15 can bolt one on and crank out rounds as fast as a fully-automatic without a class III machine gun license,” Bernstein said, adding that he doesn’t sell the devices at his shop in Colorado.

Another modification to a semi-automatic weapon that could have been used in the shooting is what’s called a “bump stock.”

The device modifies the stock of the gun so the recoil helps fire rounds in rapid succession. The bump stock is also legal in the U.S.

“You can take an M-16 and it fires about the same as a bump fire—it goes with your body back and forth,” Bernstein said.
​

It wouldn't be as accurate since one hand would need to be on the crank instead of firmly on the stock by the trigger, but for someone just spraying into a packed crowd isn't going to care about accuracy.

Eventually they're going to release what weapons he had with him and any modifications of add-ons were used.

 

[olliesmom]

We were in Orlando for 2 weeks last summer during the time that the Christina Grimme/Pulse Nightclub/ Lane Graves tragedies occured. I remember feeling sad, overwhelmed, guilty, and thankful that it wasn't me and my family on the news. It was a heavy time in Orlando. The talks on the monorail, discussions in line, seeing the police at the resorts when they responded to the tragedy, it all reminded me how fragile life is and how we are but a split second from our lives turning upside down.

But I also saw beauty. I saw a city stand together, electronic bilboards showing support for Orlando the next morning. I saw CMs waking up, coming to work, and continuing with life. Because ultimately, what many victims of tragedies long for, is normalcy. They want life to go on without the constant reminder of pain and suffering. Not that anyone shoud forget the victims and do their best to honor their lives, but we also must continue living our best lives.

Ultimately, what any terrorist, whether domestic or foreign, wants is for us live in fear, anger, and pain. By refusing to let that fear control us, we win, we hold the control.

So I say go on your trip, have the time of your life. Pause a moment to remember those whose lives were cut short, and dedicate your life to living and loving and making memories when others never got the chance.

I hope you have an amazing trip!

People there have jobs and I'm sure will still welcome visitors. There's certainly nothing wrong with feeling bad for them for enduring such a tragedy. However, I'm sure they'd rather have people show how they feel by supporting them with dollars rather than staying away thinking that it's wrong to be entertained.

Your feelings are completely understandable.

Like @Happyinwonerland, I would encourage you to go. Yes, the tragedy will still be evident. But just like here in NY in the weeks/months that followed 9/11, you will be surrounded by people that are more courteous, more kind, and more willing to help a stranger......any stranger. No matter what they look like, what language they speak, or what economic bracket they appear to be in. I have no doubt you will witness a city standing together....and it will be beautiful.

This brought tears to my eyes. Thank you.

Thank you all for sharing. I have tears in my eyes as well reading these responses, and you are all absolutely right. We will continue on with our trip and I will keep these thoughts in my mind as we travel. We will look for the beauty and support those who are rebuilding from such a horrific event, and appreciate every moment we do have together. Really, thank you.

 

[Shutterbug]

I listened to the afternoon press conference, where one of the speakers, not sure if it was the sheriff, said that if they were brought into two of the hospitals alive then you stayed alive. Though I have heard that people have died at the hospital. So kind of confused at his remarks.

Also heard over a million dollars have been raised in a go fund me account set up to help. Several hotels have opened up rooms to those family members coming in. To donate blood they are now having to make an appointment on Thursday.