Is there much coverage in the UK of the US shootings this weekend?

[AbsentmindedWoman]

The El Paso attack definitely driven by white supremacy, the second in Ohio is uncertain regarding motivation, as yet. Possibly a lethal family row as the gunman's sister is one of the victims. At the same time some news people are asking if it was partly racially motivated, because the majority of people killed were black (in Ohio).

Not an AIBU as such but didn't see another thread discussing it. White nationalism just seems to keep gathering speed and aggression.

What do YOU intend to do about it OP? You're in the US. What you do will matter. What 200 of us here think or say doesn't have any effect.

Maybe if Trump stopped pandering to the NRA and his white supremacist fan base, America may be able to stop these things happening on a regular basis. Until then, there's nothing anyone else can do.

I agree with the Sandy Hook comment. I did think things might change after that.

But it also true that the US is a very different country and comments from other countries aren't necessarily appropriate. If you live in a place so isolated that there's effectively no police response ever available, wouldn't you be interested in having a shotgun and knowing how to use it? I would. And it ignores the fact that British antipathy e.g. to arming the police is because we fear a police state, not because we're all nice people.

None of that changes the fact that US gun laws are insane and completely disproportionate to any rational need. IMO. Nor that the unelected president is a direct cause of shootings such as the Texas one due to his stupid populism.

In the UK, we have angry, radicalised, disenfranchised, mentally unstable young men. But it is 9 years 2 months and 2 days since we last had a mass shooting.

Gun control works.

In the UK, we have angry, radicalised, disenfranchised, mentally unstable young men. But it is 9 years 2 months and 2 days since we last had a mass shooting.

And that’s the only mass shooting we’ve had since gun control laws were tightened after Dunblane 23 years ago.

To be honest I get fed up of American shootings taking up our news programmes. We have enough news of our own.

250 mass shootings in your domain honey in one year

It’s less than a year. Today is the 216th day of the year.

You cannot kill a lot of people in a short time with a shotgun or rifle. I fail to understand how anyone can need a machine gun, for what, shooting moose, deer, come on it is not a sporting weapon.

Soon these tragedies will be treated like attacks in places like Iraq where its so regular its no longer top news worthy so will be the third story down on page two.

I feel sorry for the families involved but I agree with a PP re Sandy Hook. If that didn’t change anything, I don’t know what will. All I know is their president couldn’t give less of a fuck. He’s probably on the golf course right now writing a tweet about Sadiq Khan.

*In the UK, we have angry, radicalised, disenfranchised, mentally unstable young men. But it is 9 years 2 months and 2 days since we last had a mass shooting.

Gun control works.*

Yes, I am supremely thankful for the gun control in the UK. I did read recently (on a MN thread, with a link to an article, can't remember what paper though?) that over the past year or so guns are becoming more widely available in London - so gang related shootings are rising.

I don't think there's anything anyone in Europe can do to influence gun laws here in the US, I wanted to talk about it in more general terms, hence starting a thread. Wondered how much the white nationalist aspect was being spoken about at home. I can't vote here as not a citizen.

I'm not sure whether they were counting a calendar year or the year 2019...

You mean Trump's mantra? Yes, that has been mentioned ad nauseum.

If anything the El Paso attack demonstrates the stupidity of that argument- Texas is an open carry state, so where were all these hero average joes with guns I wonder?

That was actually one of my first thpughts

Stabbings are the weapons of choice in London and other major cities in the UK among gangs. Not quite as lethal, but is being tackled with extra police measures (stop and search for 48 hours in a certain area where things are believed to be about to kick off for e.g.) and a bit of effort being put into keeping youngsters out of getting into gangs.

Someone updated Wiki pretty quickly. Included Chicago

The issue of far right groups radicalising young white men and boys online needs to be treated as seriously as radicalisation of young Muslim men.

There are many evil people operating online, working hard to seduce young people into terrorist acts. Look at those people who were part of that banned National Action white power terrorist group. Most of them were very young.

It’s only a matter of time before one of them becomes a suicide bomber.

Safe to say the world has a lot of issues. Wrong people in charge. Wrong people making decisions!

If you live in a place so isolated that there's effectively no police response ever available, wouldn't you be interested in having a shotgun and knowing how to use it? I would
Temporary I know the scale is different, but in terms of effective police response there are plenty of people who live out of reach. After 10 at night, the nearest police station to me is an hour away. There are a couple of patrols, but they could easily be even further away than that (rural Wales). In the event if a violent home invasion I would have no chance of getting police here in time to help. I neither have not want a gun and I don’t believe having one would help.

this pretty much sums up Trump.

Today white supremacist, tomorrow a pissed off guy that’s been overlooked at work, the day after....

It’s utterly abhorrent to me that I read the headline and it only grabs me if the death toll is in double-digits and no kids. What kind of fucked up perspective is that? It isn’t one I want. It’s appalling.

But American governments don’t seem to be able to rein in the appetite, reasoning, sale and distribution of guns and bullets. Your Presidents are either toothless in the face of or appeasers of the NRA. I know there are many Americans that favour gun control, but as has been said if Sandy Hook didn’t cinch it I cannot see that anything will change.

El Paso event may be different b/c the Texas prosecutors are calling it terrorism. That charge is getting commentary on World Service & will change how the incident is seen within USA. Not merely someone "Going Postal"

Maybe not gun control change, but could mean extra recognition that this is what White Nationalism can mean.

Too bad the bots will call the terrorism charge "a witch hunt against free speech!" Will Trumpette retweet their claims?

So it seems these weren't some of the good people who are apparently on both sides.

I wonder if Trump will call out the alt-right and growing white suoremisism in the US? I doubt it, they're key voters for him.

I agree that Sandy Hook was a watershed. If that wasn’t enough to drive change, I fear nothing will be. It’s disgraceful.

We all know that Trump will praise the rapid response of police in Dayton and blame the Mexicans in El Paso.

Trumps only regret is that he can't shoot Mexicans or other Hispanics crossing 'his' border. Him from a fucking immigrant family.