Should churches change security in wake of recent events?

[Wishing on a star]

Truck bombs can result in very high casualties.
And evil plots and attacks are not limited to the US.
Like I said... Let's all be real here.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Thanks Sam, that is what I had been seeing of late.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

While I agree with you that this is multifaceted very complicated issue. A gun law might (thats a big might) have prevented this. HE knew he was not supposed to purchase firearms, that it was illegal. But from what I understand he could have went to a private seller, one who is not a licensed seller and they could have legally sold him his firearm because they are not obligated to do a background check. If the seller was unaware of this persons intentions and didn't know that he was dishonorably discharged, they would have been within their rights to sell this to him. If private unlicensed sellers had to do a background check this could have changed the story. I guess we will all have to wait and see where this gun came from.
http://lawcenter.giffords.org/private-sales-in-texas/

Here's the really sad part. While there have been failed efforts to mandate background checks for private party sales, as the law stands now, private party sellers aren't even ALLOWED to contact the NICS for a background check on a potential buyer.

 

[robinb]

I agree with you. How the heck does a photo of his ex-wife help us look in the face of a monster and understand him. Despicable. It serves no purpose except to spread more nonsensical or fake news. Very useful. Not.

I agree. It's despicable to post the photos of the killer's wives and does nothing but stir the pot.

 

[cinnaminny]

Here's the really sad part. While there have been failed efforts to mandate background checks for private party sales, as the law stands now, private party sellers aren't even ALLOWED to contact the NICS for a background check on a potential buyer.

That is really sad. Wow.

 

[declansdad]

As long as people continue to say what about cars? what about trucks? what about knives? you will never have a serious conversation about your problem.

 

[LYSE]

Here's the really sad part. While there have been failed efforts to mandate background checks for private party sales, as the law stands now, private party sellers aren't even ALLOWED to contact the NICS for a background check on a potential buyer.

The problem with laws stating private party transfers need to have a back ground check done is that there is literally no way to enforce this, no one knows about all the purposefully or unknowingly illegal transfers in states like CA (where I recently moved away from)

If you are in a state like TX, and you want to run the buyer through NICS you'll have to have an FFL (gun shop) do it..just like the legal way in say CA.

As long as people continue to say what about cars? what about trucks? what about knives? you will never have a serious conversation about your problem.

As long as people keep getting caught up in the tool used and suffer from an irrational fear of an inanimate object we'll never have a serious conversation about murder.

 

[Magpie]

I did not say the beard definitively made him anything. I simply observed that the the presence of a beard was of interest given reports from those in his community that he had converted to Islam.

Source? By which I mean, can you produce anything from any official US gov't and/or police source suggesting that this is true?

Otherwise, it's just ugly rumour and innuendo perpetrated by people with an agenda to promote. And you're letting them use you as their mouthpiece. Heck, I'd give even odds there are trolls/foreign agents busy at their computers right now, trying to use this tragedy to sow political and social ******* in the US. They dress themselves up as free-thinking patriots who just want the "truth", or courageous Americans willing to look past the lies, etc. And the more people like you buy into it, and spread their lies, the more successful they are.

From the BBC: "US officials say there is no evidence to suggest Kelley was linked to organised terrorists. He was not a member of First Baptist Church where the shootings took place but had ties to the church through family members, San-Antonio Press-News reports."

 

[Hikergirl]

He purchased his rifle at an Academy Sports store. Did they not run the check?
Do military court martials not show up like a civilian conviction?
I get lying on the form, but what is the point of running a check if they aren't catching the lie

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

As long as people continue to say what about cars? what about trucks? what about knives? you will never have a serious conversation about your problem.

That's just the thing, they don't want to have a serious conversation about it, and to some it's not even a problem. The only thing we can really surmise is that to the majority of Americans, this is an acceptable situation. Hence, the reason I will attempt to spend the bulk of my tourist dollars elsewhere.

 

[IAHFTPT]

If this truly is a mental health issue as some people like to say, your country has the biggest mental health crisis in the world.

Yes, I agree completely. And, it's probably only gonna get worse if treatment options don't change.

 

[wonder whisper]

Was he converted/radicalized or not????
From my limited info, I am not seeing that as a huge possibility?
A whole LOT of uncertain and conflicting info early on.

Good questions that have not been answered yet. While the narrative that is emerging is that the killer definitely had a history of being "troubled" and was perceived as holding many grudges, no definitively clear potential motive has surfaced yet.

 

[robinb]

Source? By which I mean, can you produce anything from the BBC, CNN, or any official US gov't and/or police source suggesting that this is true?

Otherwise, it's just ugly rumour and innuendo perpetrated by people with an agenda to promote. And you're letting them use you as their mouthpiece. Heck, I'd give even odds there are trolls/foreign agents busy at their computers right now, trying to use this tragedy to sow political and social ******* in the US. They dress themselves up as free-thinking patriots who just want the "truth". And the more people like you buy into it, the more successful they are.

From the BBC: "US officials say there is no evidence to suggest Kelley was linked to organised terrorists. He was not a member of First Baptist Church where the shootings took place but had ties to the church through family members, San-Antonio Press-News reports."

I read last night that there were multiple fake Facebook accounts were created for the killer showing all kinds of things, including that he was with the ANTIFA. It's all nut-job quackery and conspiracy meant to get the political high ground.

 

[longboard55]

No one has a take away your gun bill in congress. There have been two recent bills they tried to pass. Currently they are trying to pass a bill that would put a nationwide standard on background checks. The sandy hook parents pushed for a limit on high capacity magazines. Both bills have wide public support. The sandy hook bill lost, the background check bill is being blocked from a vote. It would pass easily

 

[IAHFTPT]

Lather, rinse, repeat.

 

[robinb]

Lather, rinse, repeat.

You left out something ...
Lather, rinse, pray for the victims, repeat.

 

[IAHFTPT]

You left out something ...
Lather, rinse, pray for the victims, repeat.

I'm not much of a prayer, so honest omission.

 

[robinb]

I'm not much of a prayer, so honest omission.

Me either, but it seems that's all Congress can do.

 

[DopeyDame]

Oh, really? You apparently forgot the nut job in Nice, France who in 2006 killed 86 people with a truck:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Nice_attack

And the Islamic terrorists who in 2001 used small, inexpensive utlity knives to hijack four aircraft and turned them into flying suicide bombs that killed almost 3,000.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11_attacks

Neither of those "brutally efficient" attacks involved any firearms.

Yes and after those thousands of people died via aircraft, EVERYTHING changed about how aircraft are operated. There was a tragedy and an appropriate response.
Likewise, there are all sorts of vehicle barricades around the White House that weren't there a dozen years ago.
So evidently *sometimes* when people are killed, we have the political will to do what we can to mitigate and minimize those deaths.

Unless those deaths are caused by guns. In which case "what can you do? Bad people are gonna find a way to kill."
Meanwhile, I had my freaking granola bars individually inspected at MCO just to get on an airplane.

 

[IAHFTPT]

Me either, but it seems that's all Congress can do.

I guess that's better than nothing.