Massacre at historic African American Church in Charleston

[Admiral Yi]

I don't see what gun regulations, short of banning them outright, would have prevented this incident.  The perp had no felony convictions and no history of mental issues.

[crazy canuck]

Apple is removing Civil War games from the app store because of the confederate flag. 

http://www.macrumors.com/2015/06/25/apple-removes-civil-war-games-confederate-flag/

It really baffles me why this awful incident has turned into a backlash against the Confederate battle flag.  I mean hell - the shooter seemed more entranced with South Africa and Rhodesia than with the CSA.

You don't see a link?

Pretty tenuous one.  You'd think talking about gun control would be a more obvious public discussion to have.

It happened in South Carolina.  South Carolina happens to fly the Confederate flag on state capitol grounds.  Never let a tragedy/crisis/whatever go to waste, I suppose.

Had it happened in Ohio or Michigan there would be no opportunity to go after that flag, so the focus would probably be on guns.

One would have to have no knowledge of the history of that State to make the argument that the only connection is that some black people just happened to be shot by a racist in a State that by some wild coincidence prominently displayed a Confederate flag.

[Razgovory]

It didn't help that the killer posed with the flag quite a bit.

[garbon]

The gun control discussion? Racism kills people not guns.

How about both get people killed?

[Barrister]

I don't see what gun regulations, short of banning them outright, would have prevented this incident.  The perp had no felony convictions and no history of mental issues.

Well Canadian gun regulations would probably have prevented this incident.  A .45 pistol is a restricted firearm - he'd be required to take several courses before being allowed to purchase one.

[Admiral Yi]

Well Canadian gun regulations would probably have prevented this incident.  A .45 pistol is a restricted firearm - he'd be required to take several courses before being allowed to purchase one.

Are you saying he would have been deterred by the inconvenience of the classes, or that the classes themselves would have taught him not to be a mass murderer?

I thought they mostly taught stuff like safety on, leave it unloaded, etc.

[crazy canuck]

Well Canadian gun regulations would probably have prevented this incident.  A .45 pistol is a restricted firearm - he'd be required to take several courses before being allowed to purchase one.

Are you saying he would have been deterred by the inconvenience of the classes, or that the classes themselves would have taught him not to be a mass murderer?

I thought they mostly taught stuff like safety on, leave it unloaded, etc.

At the very least he would not have been given the weapon as a birthday gift

[Barrister]

Well Canadian gun regulations would probably have prevented this incident.  A .45 pistol is a restricted firearm - he'd be required to take several courses before being allowed to purchase one.

Are you saying he would have been deterred by the inconvenience of the classes, or that the classes themselves would have taught him not to be a mass murderer?

I thought they mostly taught stuff like safety on, leave it unloaded, etc.

In order to get a restricted firearms Possession and Aquisition License, he would be required to demonstrate that he practices or shoots at a registered shooting range or club.  It would take a considerable amount of time and effort before he could obtain a pistol.

No, it's not guaranteed to prevent a mass shooting, but Roof didn't seem like a fellow with a whole lot of dedication.

[Valmy]

At the very least he would not have been given the weapon as a birthday gift

He was given the money as the birthday gift.

[viper37]

Not to anyone in particular, but I don't understand the argument that flying the flag is a celebration of the south's "heritage" or any such thing. Presumably you fly the flag because you think there's something worthy in the cause it represents, and I don't see anything that the Confederate flag represents other than racism, treason, and terrorism.

I think you, like most others here, are over-thinking it.  For most people who display the flag in some way, shape, or form I think they're just saying "hey, look at me-- I'm from the South". 

edit: For Cooter, it stands for "Courage and Family and Good Times"

http://www.people.com/article/dukes-hazzard-actor-defends-confederate-flag-ben-jones

When I was a kid, I used to have a framed poster of a van with a huge Confederate flag in front of it.  It looked cool.  Only much later did I realized what it stood for.  My father bought it to me, I guess, because he was such of huge fan of all thing mechanized (a trait I do not share, much to his regret).  He too never tought of the symbol.

[derspiess]

I wonder if you can buy that Novorossiya flag at places that banned the confederate flag.

edit: looks like you can, at least stickers http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=novorossiya&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Anovorossiya

The Confederate battle flag is obviously gone and it looks like the Stars & Bars is also gone.  But you can still get the Bonnie Blue Flag. 

[Valmy]

The gun control discussion? Racism kills people not guns.

How about both get people killed?

Madness.

[Valmy]

I wonder if you can buy that Novorossiya flag at places that banned the confederate flag.

Did a Novorossiya guy do something to get in the news recently that would make that place look bad?

[Ed Anger]

I'm glad I'm missing the TV coverage back home.

[derspiess]

I wonder if you can buy that Novorossiya flag at places that banned the confederate flag.

Did a Novorossiya guy do something to get in the news recently that would make that place look bad?

Not sure if serious.