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Botswana · August 1, 2012, 08:31 AM

This was a pretty macabre exercise, but with all the controversy around high capacity magazines, bulk ammo purchases, banning "assault weapons" I started to think about other mass shootings.

I grew up in Austin, Texas. Home of a mass shooting of its own. In 1966, Charles Whitman killed 16 people and wounded 32 others. Our family had not yet arrived in Texas when this happened, but when we arrived in the early 80's there were still some effects being felt from an event that took place over a decade from our arrival.

Here were the weapons used in the massacre -
Remington 700 ADL with 4x Scope (6mm)
M1 Carbine
Remington M141 (.35-caliber)
Sears semi-automatic shotgun, sawed down (12 gauge)
S&W M19 (.357 Magnum)
Luger P08 (9mm)
Galesi-Brescia (.25 ACP)

There is one weapon listed that holds more than 10 rounds. However, most of the killings were committed with the Remington 700 or the shotgun. The first two victims were actually stabbed to death despite Whitman's access to firearms.

What really stands out is that the main weapon perceived here is essentially just a standard hunting rifle. Whether or not it was responsible for most of the killings wasn't available to me, but I think of it in a similar light to the Aurora shooting where an AR-15 style rifle was focused on despite likely being responsible for only a small number of deaths or wounds. The reason I think the Remington 700 stands out is because of the whole "Clocktower Sniper" image doesn't exactly invoke someone sniping away with a .25 caliber pistol.

No measure of gun control being proposed today would have stopped Whitman's rampage. Would it have mattered if the M1 Carbine could only hold 10 rounds? The modifications to the shotgun, which for all I know were legal at the time, were done to a weapon intended for use in an illegal act. Not that I'm for sawed off shotguns or anything, but whether or not they were illegal seems pretty irrelevant. If they were illegal, Whitman modified the shotgun anyway and still committed multiple murders with it.

Mass murder is a horrific event. I think that is something anyone can agree on. Anything tacked on to these events is just a naked political agenda. Gun control does not attack root causes, does not address preventative measures, and ultimately only affects people who are not going to go on a mass shooting rampage. The politicians jumping on the bandwagon after the latest event screaming "Something must be done!" are the most cynical creatures I have ever seen. I suppose all they know how to do is pass laws, as though passing a law actually accomplishes something.

August 1, 2012, 08:31 AM	#1
Botswana Senior Member Join Date: July 4, 2012 Posts: 203	Perspective on mass shootings This was a pretty macabre exercise, but with all the controversy around high capacity magazines, bulk ammo purchases, banning "assault weapons" I started to think about other mass shootings. I grew up in Austin, Texas. Home of a mass shooting of its own. In 1966, Charles Whitman killed 16 people and wounded 32 others. Our family had not yet arrived in Texas when this happened, but when we arrived in the early 80's there were still some effects being felt from an event that took place over a decade from our arrival. Here were the weapons used in the massacre - Remington 700 ADL with 4x Scope (6mm) M1 Carbine Remington M141 (.35-caliber) Sears semi-automatic shotgun, sawed down (12 gauge) S&W M19 (.357 Magnum) Luger P08 (9mm) Galesi-Brescia (.25 ACP) There is one weapon listed that holds more than 10 rounds. However, most of the killings were committed with the Remington 700 or the shotgun. The first two victims were actually stabbed to death despite Whitman's access to firearms. What really stands out is that the main weapon perceived here is essentially just a standard hunting rifle. Whether or not it was responsible for most of the killings wasn't available to me, but I think of it in a similar light to the Aurora shooting where an AR-15 style rifle was focused on despite likely being responsible for only a small number of deaths or wounds. The reason I think the Remington 700 stands out is because of the whole "Clocktower Sniper" image doesn't exactly invoke someone sniping away with a .25 caliber pistol. No measure of gun control being proposed today would have stopped Whitman's rampage. Would it have mattered if the M1 Carbine could only hold 10 rounds? The modifications to the shotgun, which for all I know were legal at the time, were done to a weapon intended for use in an illegal act. Not that I'm for sawed off shotguns or anything, but whether or not they were illegal seems pretty irrelevant. If they were illegal, Whitman modified the shotgun anyway and still committed multiple murders with it. Mass murder is a horrific event. I think that is something anyone can agree on. Anything tacked on to these events is just a naked political agenda. Gun control does not attack root causes, does not address preventative measures, and ultimately only affects people who are not going to go on a mass shooting rampage. The politicians jumping on the bandwagon after the latest event screaming "Something must be done!" are the most cynical creatures I have ever seen. I suppose all they know how to do is pass laws, as though passing a law actually accomplishes something.