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Vegas shooter likely motivated by pro-gun conspiracy theories

Featured Replies

https://thinkprogress.org/las-vegas-shooter-documents-821831c844bd/

Quote

Just days before the massacre, at least two people told police that a man they believed to be Paddock ranted to them about federal government efforts to impose gun control measures. Another witness recounted how a man thought to be Paddock shared his belief that a “camp” set up by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 was in fact “a dry run for law enforcement and military to start kickin’ down doors and … confiscating guns.”

 
The widespread seizure of guns by the federal government — specifically through FEMA — is a popular conspiracy theory amongst extremist gun nuts, and one that was heavily promoted by the National Rifle Association.

Quote

One of the Las Vegas witnesses recalled Paddock telling him that “somebody has to wake up the American public and get them to arm themselves,” during a conversation less than a month before the shooting. “Sometimes sacrifices have to be made.”

Quote

And a man who rejected an offer from Paddock to modify his semi-automatic weapons to fire automatically said Paddock grew upset and launched into a tirade about gun control.

And so, I can once again be confident in saying that people like SmokeyBear1861 are the root cause of everything that is awful in this country.

And not as part of some class action. But a thousand different lawsuits in a thousand different jurisdictions. These assholes need to feel the consequences for their corrupt actions in order to profit off of fear and influencing the weak minded. 

This thread motivated me to buy another gun. 

11 minutes ago, Chrispy said:

This thread motivated me to buy another gun. 

Good luck.  You look like you need nukes to protect yourself.  

11 hours ago, JimmyJames said:

And not as part of some class action. But a thousand different lawsuits in a thousand different jurisdictions. These assholes need to feel the consequences for their corrupt actions in order to profit off of fear and influencing the weak minded. 

That would be every media outlet known to man... Hell a good majority ofthe country is running around scared the Constitution is going to be revoked in some form or fashion.  It isn’t limited to gun rights by any means.

Sooo... “the government is going to take our guns for no reason! I’m going to shoot up a country music festival (the highest percentage of pro-gun demographics of music genres) to ensure the government doesn’t take our guns for no reason!”

That about right?

I am in no way endorsing what numbnuts did, but guessing at what his motivations might have been:

 

If they think ownership of guns is a threat, why don’t I demonstrate the difference between responsible gun ownership and an actual crime against my fellow man.

4 minutes ago, SquishMitten said:

Sooo... “the government is going to take our guns for no reason! I’m going to shoot up a country music festival (the highest percentage of pro-gun demographics of music genres) to ensure the government doesn’t take our guns for no reason!”

That about right?

Sure, I can see the twisted logic behind a pro-gun shooter shooting up the demographic most likely to respond to a shooting with "we need more people to arm themselves for defense."  Shooting up an anti-gun crowd will more likely provoke an anti-gun response from the victims and their demographic.   But I think it more likely that his crazy message was directed at the general public and that particular crowd on that particular night just happened to be most convenient for him. 

Probably Russian trolls and the NRA pushing this narrative.  I’m being partially snarky but nowadays who the fuck knows.  

42 minutes ago, slorch said:

That would be every media outlet known to man... Hell a good majority ofthe country is running around scared the Constitution is going to be revoked in some form or fashion.  It isn’t limited to gun rights by any means.

You're a lying idiot, but what else is new? 

11 minutes ago, Judge Roybeanbag said:

Probably Russian trolls and the NRA pushing this narrative.  I’m being partially snarky but nowadays who the fuck knows.  

i listened to the March 2018 Radio Lab podcast on the russian everything. reviewed and interviewed parties from a "fake" set of protests in florida. holy shit. great idea on their part (the russians) and man the americans that were involved. yikes. 

so yes, who the hell knows what and where anything is coming from. americans are so thirsty to have their hatefilled views reinforced at every corner. i can't imagine we are that hard to dupe 

16 minutes ago, staboner said:

i listened to the March 2018 Radio Lab podcast on the russian everything. reviewed and interviewed parties from a "fake" set of protests in florida. holy shit. great idea on their part (the russians) and man the americans that were involved. yikes. 

so yes, who the hell knows what and where anything is coming from. americans are so thirsty to have their hatefilled views reinforced at every corner. i can't imagine we are that hard to dupe 

Exactly.   Hear the fake echo coming from the chamber and latch on for dear life.   Dude was a fucking psychopath killer. What else do you need to know?  

  • Author
1 hour ago, Chrispy said:

This thread motivated me to buy another gun. 

On what subject can I start a thread that would motivate you to throw yourself off a cliff?

43 minutes ago, Ted Lange said:

Just spitballing here, but Paddock was crazy.

Yeah, I'm fucking shocked that someone who pulled a stunt like this was mentally unhinged...what are the odds?

  • Author

Mentally unhinged and spouting the exact same conspiracy theories that make their way to this board every time there's a gun discussion.

🤔

10 minutes ago, Brian Fantana said:

On what subject can I start a thread that would motivate you to throw yourself off a cliff?

Promise to stop posting here and I’ll throw him off one

51 minutes ago, seven said:

You're a lying idiot, but what else is new? 

Great post.

so I guess the marches on the capital for rights that were not lost never occurred, right?  The anti Trump crowd is every bit as tizzied as the gunophiles.

 

Yeah sure, the leftist news outlets never run an agenda.  

 

Ever.

 

Edited by slorch

The NRA sells murder toys to American psychopaths. Then incites them to go out and play with them. America's gun culture is hideous.

2 hours ago, Chrispy said:

This thread motivated me to buy another gun. 

And a Texas high school is shot to shit today.

Merry Christmas to you. The world is all about you!

Edited by sugar

  • Author
12 minutes ago, slorch said:

Great post.

so I guess the marches on the capital for rights that were not lost never occurred, right?  The anti Trump crowd is every bit as tizzied as the gunophiles.

 

Yeah sure, the leftist news outlets never run an agenda.  

 

Ever.

 

Are you fucking on drugs

1 hour ago, SquishMitten said:

Sooo... “the government is going to take our guns for no reason! I’m going to shoot up a country music festival (the highest percentage of pro-gun demographics of music genres) to ensure the government doesn’t take our guns for no reason!”

That about right?

Welp, he just gave the government (another) reason to take our guns.

That awful chick toting an a assault rifle at Kent State the other day. How ominous when a Texas high school just got shot up. Her (and the NRA's) propaganda inspired this. As did the push back against the Parkland students (as crisis actors).

The right wing ought to be ashamed. 

I wonder if Alex Jones will tell us Santa Fe High School NEVER HAPPENED!

I wonder if Donald Trump will tweet heartfelt condolences. 

59 minutes ago, slorch said:

Great post.

so I guess the marches on the capital for rights that were not lost never occurred, right?  The anti Trump crowd is every bit as tizzied as the gunophiles.

Yeah sure, the leftist news outlets never run an agenda.  

Ever.

 

This is a tad disingenuous considering the Muslim ban, the attempted military transgender ban, the threats to cut off Planned Parenthood funding, the drive to repeal Obamacare, the ending of DACA, etc.

This administration is a clear and present danger to the rights of millions of Americans.

Beto responded to the shooting 16 minutes before this tweet.

 

41 minutes ago he tweeted this

 

 

I bet you Trump didn't write the second one.  No weird capitalization habit.

Milenia tweeted immediately from her hospital bed too.

PR flaks rushed in with scripted condolences.

Has El Guapo posted since the Vegas shooting?  

1 hour ago, David Dennison said:

This is a tad disingenuous considering the Muslim ban, the attempted military transgender ban, the threats to cut off Planned Parenthood funding, the drive to repeal Obamacare, the ending of DACA, etc.

This administration is a clear and present danger to the rights of millions of Americans.

The Muslim ban endangers Americans.

 

Stay consistent, bro.

 

12 hours ago, Brian Fantana said:

Are you fucking on drugs

Probably the only way he can get it up. 

This thread motivated me to buy another gun. 
I bought two.

Cool. You & a buddy can shoot up the high school of your choice.

On 5/18/2018 at 9:38 AM, Ted Lange said:

Just spitballing here, but Paddock was crazy.

If he thought a mass shooting would rally people to gun protection then, yes.

  • 2 months later...
Quote

Police investigating the October 2017 deadly mass shooting in Las Vegas said they've been able to answer the "who, what, when, where and how" of the massacre, but as the end of the probe was announced on Friday, officials still could not explain the "why."

"The goal of our investigation all along was to provide the public with the clearest picture possible of the events leading up to Oct. 1, as well as motive," Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo told reporters at news conference. "What we have not been able to definitively answer is the 'Why Stephen Paddock committed this act?'" he said.

The public briefing coincided with the anticipated release of the 187-page report prepared by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department's Force Investigation Team. ...

https://www.npr.org/2018/08/03/635507299/las-vegas-shooting-investigation-closed-no-motive-found

I think if that guy was motivated by a cause or idea, he would have left a message to tout that cause or idea.  Instead I strongly believe that he just wanted out, and wanted to take strangers with him.  Perhaps he hated to see others have fun, maybe he was mad at Vegas or maybe he had zero empathy for others.    

11 hours ago, bernorange said:

What we have not been able to definitively answer is the 'Why Stephen Paddock committed this act?'" he said.

They should have come to Surly bc several on here had it all figured out.

I'm pretty sure everyone who owns that many guns is motivated by pro-gun conspiracy theories. 

Gut feeling is that is was alcohol and gambling addictions combined with a whole lot of non-healthy grumpy old man with twisted conspiracy thinking.

You get to be that age and you realize that your way of thinking hasn't gotten you there and it never will.

He could be a crackhead who got hold to the wrong stuff, and it told him to go up in the room and play a leprechaun. 

Edited by TornACL

13 hours ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

I think if that guy was motivated by a cause or idea, he would have left a message to tout that cause or idea.  Instead I strongly believe that he just wanted out, and wanted to take strangers with him.  Perhaps he hated to see others have fun, maybe he was mad at Vegas or maybe he had zero empathy for others.    

Maybe he hates today’s country music?

That satirist should find another line of work. 

10 hours ago, TornACL said:

He could be a crackhead who got hold to the wrong stuff, and it told him to go up in the room and play a leprechaun. 

Media-Sketch-3.24.jpg

  • 5 months later...

I say, how dare you sir! Do you not realize that the worst mass shooting in American history pales in comparison to the emergency at the border. 

No motive is bullshit.  There’s always a motive even if it’s just for infamy.

However, if it was for infamy, he would have likely left a manifesto.  

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