Another shooting in the US today, adding to fears of growing political violence. A gunman in Texas fired into an ICE field office, killing three detainees before turning the gun on himself.
Just like the person who tried to kill Trump, just like the person who killed Charlie Kirk... this seems to be the actions of a disturbed young man with no clear signs of political allegiance, or even a clear motive.
It made me realise... I'm not sure Americans appreciate what it's actually like living in a country with almost no guns.
While we are experiencing a degree of the polarisation and political volatility that the US has, the tension isn't the same because the fear of gratuitous violence isn't the same.
Remember, teenage boys in Australia consume almost the exact same media as those in the USA. They play the same video games, listen to the same podcasters, they're sold the same grievances (though they are substantially less likely to go to church).
But crucially, almost none of them have access to a firearm. It seems increasingly obvious that letting alienated and emotionally unstable young men, often with untreated mental health issues, possess military grade weapons for a hobby is... insane.
Before I became a Federal Agent, I had never touched a gun, let alone fire one. The only firearms I had ever seen in Australia were in the holsters of police officers, and most Australians would be the same.
To this day, I have only ever fired two types of firearm in my life, both on the firing range within my Police headquarters. In my decade of service, I never needed to operationally discharge my firearm. I probably had to draw it less than 15 times.
I never once approached an offender, car, or home, with the genuine fear of encountering a firearm, which made the likelihood of me "accidentally shooting" someone as they reached for something significantly lower. If we believed there was even the slim chance that a gun would be involved, a tactical team would be deployed.
Even today, I don't have a single friend who owns a gun. It's not in our culture, but it's also bloody hard to get one.
In my state, for example, you are not even allowed to hold someone else's firearm unless have a firearms licence. To get one of those you must either be a member of a target shooting club, a hunter, or need one for your job. If you have a criminal record, a domestic violence allegation, or the Police have concerns about your character for any reason, you will not be granted a licence (or have it taken away).
Once you complete the appropriate course, you may purchase a firearm commensurate to your purpose (e.g. pistol for target shooting, hunting rifle for hunting etc.). There is no genuine reason for anyone to have automatic or military grade weapons, so no licenses are granted.
If you own a firearm, it must be stored in a secure safe which Police can demand to inspect at any time. Failing to secure it appropriately is a criminal offence. This makes the theft of firearms very rare, but of course they are still available on the black market... if you have the cash and the connections.
To buy a black market handgun in Australia will generally set you back around $15,000, and that's assuming you find the right person to ask before the police hear about you. So while a wealthy underworld figure might be able to source a firearm to take out a gangland rival; your average teenager, religious fundamentalist, or radicalised ideologue, simply cannot get one by themselves. No small time crook has the money for an illegal firearm, because almost nothing they can steal will be worth more than that gun.
Do I fear a tyrannical government? Sure, which is why we have elections every three years. If they get cancelled and someone tries to implement some authoritarian rule? Well, taking on the Australian military with my AR15 really isn't going to cut it. They have tanks.
...and to be honest, watching authoritarianism take over the US without a shot being fired from these "well organised militias" has made it obvious to everyone how redundant this excuse is.
I appreciate the sheer number of guns already saturating the USA makes it all but impossible to put the genie back in the bottle, but stop blaming this on politics... it's the guns. It's always been the guns.
7 comments:
Ryan is saying the quiet part aloud.
The cultures of the world responsible for the ancestors of the great majority of our mass killers or shooter, mostly white males, do not also experience this same issue anywhere near the same level we here in the United States.
Young white males, descendants of the primarily northern Europeans who immigrated to the US and yes, Australia, have become radicalized and violent in a way not seen in any other country.
Is it wrong to ask why? What is different? Is it wrong to not accept the we don't know, it's just something we have to accept "answers"?
OT: I think this is important, but I already had the current post ready for today:
”Attorney General Pam Bondi and other federal prosecutors have concerns about the case against former FBI Director James Comey, sources tell CNN, though an indictment could come as soon as Thursday.
Bondi is facing pressure from Trump, who is demanding his political enemies face criminal charges as he once did. But attorneys inside the Eastern District of Virginia recently wrote a memo detailing their reservations over seeking the indictment.
Bondi has concerns about the case, which focuses on whether Comey made false statements during congressional testimony involving the 2016 investigation into Russian interference in the US presidential election, according to a person familiar with her thinking, though she believes it would be possible to bring an indictment.
The attorney general had dinner at the White House Rose Garden with Trump and others Wednesday evening.
The Justice Department declined to comment. ABC News first reported on the memo in the Eastern District of Virginia.”
Even his lackey AG, Pam, is reluctant to trump up a case against Comey just so her boss, the authoritarian, Trump, can carry out his vengeance against his political enemies.
PS. I did check out the Mother Ship and saw that the captain “hates” Comey, so apparently, she’s fine with Trump ordering his personal lawyer, Pam, to go after Comey, guilty or not. And it appears there’s nothing illegal to pin on Comey.
Shaw... let's not miss the recent election in Arizona which in theory gets the US House of Representatives to the magic number of 218 votes to release the Epstein files.
Here's what FBI Director Kash Patel said to Republicans in the run up to the 2024 election... and yes, it is on tape!
"Republicans need to put on your big boy pants and let us know who the pedophiles are?"
Now Patel cannot say that because President Trump does not support releasing those files. Why not? What has changed?
Here's a direct, yes or no question for our conservative commenters here...
Do you personally support the release of ALL of the Epstein files as FBI Director Patel has called for?
Again, yes, or no.
"
If only red Americans possessed the knowledge and insights of this gentleman, as well the government of Australia.
However, this is America. Cetainly no sense in holding ones breath. Defending the 2'nd amendment is so much more important than defending and protecting life.
Ignorance holds high ground in certain circles in America.
tRump knows this is going nowhere if the judge an honest one and the defense top notch. His purpose is simply to cause as much cost, anxiety, and pai to Comey as possible. tRump is a sub-human mentality that thrives on hate and vindictiveness.
The Texas shooter has been identified as a single, white male.
Again.
What can be done to stop this?
Anyone? Anyone at all?
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