Texas Church Shooting Leaves 26 Dead

[ark steel]

I was thinking of how hard it would be to hold your aim with a heavy chainsaw mounted under the barrel. you'd have to mount a bipod under the chainsaw, I guess? But then, you'd have to retract the bipod to use the chainsaw? Seems pretty complicated.

 

[Spike]

I was thinking of how hard it would be to hold your aim with a heavy chainsaw mounted under the barrel. you'd have to mount a bipod under the chainsaw, I guess? But then, you'd have to retract the bipod to use the chainsaw? Seems pretty complicated.

Well Im sure our brilliant news media types will explain it all to us - I think they had something like that in the original Doom video game

 

[Spike]

Dems have totally lost the gun control debate - hope they keep pimping it hard on their platform




Poll: Only 36% of Americans Support Ban on Semi-Auto 'Assault' Rifles

"The fewest Americans in 20 years favor making it illegal to manufacture, sell, or possess semi-automatic guns known as assault rifle rifles," said Gallup.

In the survey Gallup asked, "Are you for or against a law which would make it illegal to manufacture, sell or possess semi-automatic guns known as assault rifles?"

Only 36% of Americans support banning such weapons, a percentage that is down from 44% in 2012 and 57% in 1996. In addition, 61% of Americans totally oppose such a ban.

In addition to the question of rifles, only 23% of Americans favor a ban on handguns, which is down from 26% in 2011 and 36% in 2004

https://www.yahoo.com/news/m/c5d818...aef853f13/ss_poll:-only-36%-of-americans.html

 

[Superman]

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/chainsaw-bayonets-are-real-guys/article/2640109

OPINION
Chainsaw bayonets are real, guys
by Becket Adams | Nov 8, 2017, 7:16 PM

USA Today caught all sorts of grief Wednesday for publishing an infographic alleging AR-15-style rifles can be outfitted with chainsaw bayonets.

Social media users honed in specifically on the notion that a mechanical saw could be attached to popular modern long guns, and USA Today found itself on the receiving end of several humorous photoshops.

But here’s the thing: Chainsaw bayonets are real, and they’re fabulous.

This all starts with a USA Today tweet that read, “A look at the gun used in the Texas church shooting.”

Their tweet, which referred specifically to the Ruger AR-556 that Devin Patrick Kelley used this weekend to murder 26 churchgoers in Texas, included a short video showing that those rifles can be modified with several aftermarket products, including “underbarrel” 12-gauge shotguns, trigger cranks and, yes, chainsaw bayonets.

USA Today at once became the object of online mockery. One group of critics noted correctly that the Texas shooter employed no such modifications on the rifle he used in Sunday’s massacre.

In response to this specific criticism, USA Today tweeted a follow-up note that read, “to clarify, the video shows both the shooter’s modifications, as well as other possible modifications. The shooter did not use a chainsaw bayonet.”

The mockery didn’t let up, though, as Twitter users continued to pummel the USA Today infographic over its inclusion of chainsaw bayonets.

Sure, it seems like a silly and impractical accessory, but they definitely exist.

One company, Panacea X, which specializes in survivalist tools, has an entire line of “weaponized chainsaws.”

Their “killsaws” include the “Zombie X Chainsaw Bayonet” in flat black, the “Zombie X Chainsaw Bayonet” in two-tone and the “Zombie X Chainsaw Bayonet” in “Coyote brown.”

These accessories are definitely real, and they can definitely be mounted to any rifle with a Military Standard rail.

Uses include, “‘Killing” Zombies,” “Drug Enforcement Agents can use it for marijuana eradication; and always be armed while cutting down the plants,” “Marijuana growers can use it to harvest their crop and always be armed while cutting down their plants,” and “Off road motorcyclists, mountain bikers and hikers can keep the ZXCS in their hydrator pack and remove downed trees and branches that often fall across the trail,” according to the group’s website.

They can also be used for “Emergency evacuation, “Cut through the roof if trapped in attic during a flood,” “Cut through wood doors and walls to make an escape too,” “Clear your kill zone of pesky branches in front of your tree stand or blind,” and “Camping, cut firewood around deer camp while the ZXCS is attached to your rifle.”

And if you’re not interested in purchasing one of Panacea X’s models, you can straight-up make your own.

Is it practical? Nope. Is it popular? Not really. Is it definitely a gag for gun enthusiasts? Yes. Should you be worried about a mass shooter with a chainsaw? You have no reason to be. Have you ever heard of it prior to the USA Today tweet? Probably not.

Is USA Today guilty of fear-mongering vis-a-vis a definitely obscure rifle accessory? Yep.

But that doesn’t mean USA Today is wrong. Chainsaw bayonets may be obscure, and they may mostly be a joke, but they exist.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some online orders to make.

 

[Superman]

if this was a ******* mosque, the left would be going bonkers. since it's a church...

http://www.denverpost.com/2017/11/09/sutherland-springs-shooting-church-demolition/


Texas church that was attacked will be demolished, pastor says
The pastor described the building as “too stark of a reminder” of the massacre

By Jim Vertuno and Emily Schmall | The Associated Press
PUBLISHED: November 9, 2017 at 10:38 am | UPDATED: November 9, 2017 at 12:02 pm

SUTHERLAND SPRINGS, Texas — The Texas church where more than two dozen people were killed by a gunman during Sunday services will be demolished, the pastor said.

Pastor Frank Pomeroy told leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention earlier this week that it would be too painful to continue using First Baptist Church as a place of worship.

A national Southern Baptist spokesman said Pomeroy discussed the plan with the denomination’s top executives, who traveled to the rural community in a show of support.

The spokesman, Sing Oldham, said the pastor described the building as “too stark of a reminder” of the massacre. Pomeroy expressed hope he could turn the site into a memorial for the dead and put up a new building on property the church owns.

On Wednesday, Vice President Mike Pence joined Texas Gov. Greg Abbott at a memorial service for the victims of the gunman.

Pence told the crowd that the attack was the worst mass shooting at a church in American history and called the gunman “deranged.”

“Whatever animated the evil that descended on that small church, if the attacker’s desire was to silence their testimony of faith, they failed,” the vice president added.

The governor said Texans come together at times of crisis and tragedy. “It’s what we do,” Abbott said. People in the crowd responded “amen.”

He also proclaimed Sunday, Nov. 12 a statewide day of prayer.

Pence also visited with wounded congregants at a San Antonio hospital and met with families of the dead in Floresville, not far from Sutherland Springs. He went from table to table at a high school library, attempting to console devastated family members.

“The whole country is praying over you,” he told one man who lost his sister-in-law.

He stopped to talk with John Holcombe, whose family was decimated by the shooting. Holcombe, who suffered shrapnel wounds, lost his wife, Crystal, who was pregnant with their first child. Also killed were three of her children, his parents, a brother and a toddler niece.

Pence hugged 7-year-old Evelyn Holcombe, who survived by running out of the church.

Earlier Wednesday, Pence said President Donald Trump had ordered federal agencies to provide extensive help to the investigation, including 100 on-site FBI agents.

Also Wednesday, the Texas Department of Public Safety released an official list of those killed in the rampage. The eight male victims and 17 female victims ranged in age from 1 to 77.

Eight of the fatalities were children or teenagers. The oldest of them was 16.

Authorities said the 26 dead also included Crystal Holcombe’s unborn baby. All the victims died at the scene, except for one child who died at a hospital.

Eleven people remained hospitalized with wounds they suffered in the attack.

___

Associated Press Religion Writer Rachel Zoll in New York contributed to this report.

 

[Troglodyte]

if this was a ******* mosque, the left would be going bonkers. since it's a church...

So we’re supposed to be upset that the pastor wants to demolish his own church? Uh, why? And why are you going bonkers over how the left might respond to hypothetical events?

 

[jitter77]

Dems have totally lost the gun control debate - hope they keep pimping it hard on their platform




Poll: Only 36% of Americans Support Ban on Semi-Auto 'Assault' Rifles

"The fewest Americans in 20 years favor making it illegal to manufacture, sell, or possess semi-automatic guns known as assault rifle rifles," said Gallup.

In the survey Gallup asked, "Are you for or against a law which would make it illegal to manufacture, sell or possess semi-automatic guns known as assault rifles?"

Only 36% of Americans support banning such weapons, a percentage that is down from 44% in 2012 and 57% in 1996. In addition, 61% of Americans totally oppose such a ban.

In addition to the question of rifles, only 23% of Americans favor a ban on handguns, which is down from 26% in 2011 and 36% in 2004

https://www.yahoo.com/news/m/c5d818...aef853f13/ss_poll:-only-36%-of-americans.html

Oh so now we rely on polls I thought they were all fake news?

Just for the record I could care less if assault guns were banned or not and I own one. I do not think a ban would solve anything because there are already so many assault guns out there what will happen to them? Before the ban takes effect people will buy them up like hot cakes. It happened in the past when my SKS I bought for $100 now is like $300 and the price of stripper clip ammo went up astronomically. I really dont see the point in having more than a few guns. You could have a hunting rifle, a hunting pistol, a personal protection pistol, and a shotgun for small game. Some states I believe your allowed to use AR-10s or AR-15s for bigger game, but not in PA. Beyond that more guns is like a luxury. Its like people who own 50 pairs of shoes just because...

Obviously the system failed in the Texas case especially by the military. The guy had so many red flags you would have thought someone would have said something.

 

[Tibs]

oh, ye who is quick to judge, do you care to divulge for the class who it was who stopped this guy?

 

[Superman]

wrong.that's not a correct answer.

 

[Superman]

So we’re supposed to be upset that the pastor wants to demolish his own church? Uh, why? And why are you going bonkers over how the left might respond to hypothetical events?

oh, manbun, you know damn good and well that if an imam were to decide to bulldoze his mosque after something like this, you and your made-up gender buddies would be throwing up so many gofundme accounts to help out that you'd crash the ******* servers.

 

[Tibs]

Tim McGraw calls for ‘common sense’ in gun control
http://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/359762-tim-mcgraw-calls-for-common-sense-in-gun-control

Country music star Tim McGraw advocated “common sense” gun control just weeks after the shooting in Las Vegas that killed nearly 60 people and injured hundreds more at a country music festival.

In an interview with Billboard, along with his wife and fellow musician Faith Hill, McGraw said that gun rights are “not about the Second Amendment,” and that common sense needs to be a part of the conversation.

“Look, I’m a bird hunter — I love to wing-shoot,” he said. "However, there is some common sense that’s necessary when it comes to gun control. They want to make it about the Second Amendment every time it’s brought up. It’s not about the Second Amendment.”

The Las Vegas shooting took place when the gunman opened fire on a crowd listening to Jason Aldean perform at an outdoor country music festival. Other country musicians have spoken up about gun control since the shooting.“In reference to the tragedy in Las Vegas, we knew a lot of people there,” McGraw said. “The doctors that [treated] the wounded, they saw wounds like you’d see in war. That’s not right.”

McGraw and Hill performed at the Country Music Association Awards earlier this week, which received backlash after telling reporters not to ask questions about the Las Vegas shooting, gun control or politics.

He added that military-style assault weapons should not be available to civilians, and called on the National Rifle Association to acknowledge the danger of civilians having such weapons.

“Military weapons should not be in the hands of civilians,” he said. “It’s everyone’s responsibility, including the government and the National Rifle Association, to tell the truth. We all want a safe country.”

Senate Democrats introduced legislation on Thursday that would ban the sale, production and transfer of assault weapons. It would also ban bump stocks, the device that the Vegas gunman used to give a semi-automatic weapon the capacity to fire at a faster rate.

 

[oneforthebus]

Tim McGraw calls for ‘common sense’ in gun control
http://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/359762-tim-mcgraw-calls-for-common-sense-in-gun-control

Tim McGraw is another ill-informed ignoramus, probably protected by body guards with semi-automatic guns.

I don't think most people gave a problem with banning bump stocks, however if anyone's done any research they know that you don't even need one to bump fire a gun.

What is a "military-style" weapon? A semi-automatic rifle? Oh, but a semi-automatic hunting rifle with a wooden stock that operates exactly the same is ok. Because it's not all black and scary looking and "military style".

No background checks or restrictions on ownership will work because they only affect people who are willing to comply with laws. People who are planning a mass shooting don't fall into that category. There are ways around any of it. Many of these shooters would have passed any background check or restriction, and others who wouldn't (Columbine killers) find other ways to obtain weapons. The only thing that would make a difference is a complete and total ban and confiscation of all guns but A) that's never going to happen and B) does anyone really think there would be no black market and bad people would not be able to obtain guns?

I don't own guns and don't want one but even I have informed myself enough to understand the debate.

 

[hamster]

Tim McGraw calls for ‘common sense’ in gun control
http://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/359762-tim-mcgraw-calls-for-common-sense-in-gun-control

Oh look.....another celebrity opinion! We all need to stop what we are doing and listen!

 

[deljzc]

The so-called "gun violence" epidemic is not being explained correctly and never has.

And the idea Europe has it all figured out is completely a false narrative. The truth is gun violence in Europe is growing and gun violence in America is getting better.

Mass killings are almost equal in Europe and America. There was another vehicle attack in France that no one here is even bothering to talk about. Three people seriously injured.

The gun violence epidemic is completely related to gang violence in big cities and the truth is as Europe becomes less homogenous in their culture and a minority, segregated culture develops (which is happening), their own gang violence is going to evolve. And those gangs in Europe are not going to play by the government's no gun laws and ideologies. It's just not going to happen.

I'm not saying slum Paris is going to turn into Chicago by next year, but it IS changing. So is Brussels and major cities in Germany. We know there exists minority parts of these cities that Police have issues with. We know they are gaining access to guns illegally. And eventually those guns are going to be used for violence.

Just a matter of time.

 

[hamster]

The so-called "gun violence" epidemic is not being explained correctly and never has.

Something else to add to the discussion.....

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/09/upshot/gun-deaths-are-mostly-suicides.html

 

[deljzc]

Something else to add to the discussion.....

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/09/upshot/gun-deaths-are-mostly-suicides.html

I mentioned that previously. Suicide rates in America are only slightly higher than France or Canada. Germany and England are much better but Easter Europe (what used to be Soviet block) are like twice as high as the U.S. Overall, Europe vs. U.S. on suicide rates are very, very close. So that is NOT part of the conversation on "gun violence". Suicide is a completely different topic than guns. Ask France what they are doing about their suicide problem. Or Canada. Not one mention of "need more gun restrictions".

Suicide is very similar to the topic of mass killings. Both will happen with or without guns. If you are mentally unstable enough to want to do either, you will find a way to do it.

 

[DBS1970]

So Tim McGraw is clamoring for common sense gun control. He is talking about being a hunter and so on. Well the second amendment was not designed as a contingency for deer and small game. It was put in for things like this.

https://fee.org/articles/catalonia-shows-the-danger-of-disarming-civilians/

 

[SteelChip]

Gun restrictions follow the narrative.

This article from the WSJ researches the question...........................Is this our new media culture?

By
William McGurn –WSJ

This is the extraordinary turn of events since Devin Patrick Kelley turned his rifle on the innocent churchgoers inside First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. What provoked the left, if it can really be called a provocation, was President Trump’s statement from Japan Sunday, in which he said that “our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and families of today’s horrible and murderous attack.” House Speaker Paul Ryan likewise set off the furies by tweeting, “The people of Sutherland Springs need our prayers right now.”

The responses have to be read to be believed. Here’s one of the more charming: “The murdered victims were in a church,” tweeted actor Wil Wheaton to Mr. Ryan. “If prayers did anything, they’d still be alive, you worthless sack of [expletive].”
Sen. Elizabeth Warren chose less inflammatory wording for her own tweet. “Thoughts & prayers are not enough, GOP,” wrote the Massachusetts Democrat. “We must end this violence. We must stop these tragedies. People are dying while you wait.” In short, if you are a Republican praying instead of passing gun control, you’ve got blood on your hands.

Here’s how these new theologians put it. Keith Olbermann: “ ‘Thoughts and prayers’ again, @realDonaldTrump, idiot? These people were in CHURCH. They WERE praying.” Actress Marina Sirtis: “To all those asking for thoughts and prayers for the victims in #churchshooting, it seems that your direct line to God is not working.” Or MSNBC’s Joy Reid: “Remember when Jesus of Nazareth came upon thousands of hungry people, and rather than feeding them, thought and prayed?”
The smugness is illuminating in three important ways. First and most obvious, progressives simply cannot contain their distaste toward symbols and beliefs important to ordinary Americans. Until Sunday this columnist thought it impossible to match the obtuseness of millionaire athletes showing disrespect for the national anthem and the fans who pay their salaries. But give credit where it’s due: the thoughts-and-prayers police make the NFL protesters look like Gandhis.
Second, those doing the taunting apparently have no idea how childish their understanding of prayer is. As the families that come each week to the First Baptist Church appreciate, prayer is not a magic talisman against suffering. In a faith that commands its adherents to pick up their crosses, prayer is a way to praise the Almighty and, when necessary, ask for courage and resolve to do the right thing.
Finally, isn’t it curious how the same folks who blasted Mr. Trump for politicizing the recent attack in Manhattan by an Islamic terrorist are now denouncing prayer because of a political preference?

They believe the answer is federal gun control, and this is their right. But it’s hard not to notice they believe this with an absolute faith that seems immune to reason or evidence to the contrary—a secular faith even the most fervent Christian might envy. Or that in their disdain for prayer they ironically appear to have more in common with the shooter than his victims.

Surely it is possible to make the case for gun control without mocking prayer. But as with Mrs. Clinton and her infamous remarks about Trump voters—not only deplorable but irredeemable—those denouncing Messrs. Trump and Ryan’s offer of prayers don’t really want an argument. They want to express their feelings of moral superiority.

Over the next few weeks, the surviving members of the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs will wrap their fallen in love and lay them to rest. What these survivors may individually believe about gun control is anyone’s guess. But it’s hard to believe that the way to their hearts is by mocking offers of prayer, even from Republicans.

 

[Booted]

.” In short, if you are a Republican praying instead of passing gun control, you’ve got blood on your hands." - Elizabeth Warren

I hate these hollow, meaningless cries for magical gun control when the laws we already have should have stopped this freak from getting a gun.

We need to pass gun control!!!!!!!!!!!

OK...what's your plan?

GUN CONTROL, !!!!!!

 

[DBS1970]

I hate these hollow, meaningless cries for magical gun control when the laws we already have should have stopped this freak from getting a gun.

We need to pass gun control!!!!!!!!!!!

OK...what's your plan?

GUN CONTROL, !!!!!!

What they really mean is civilian disarmament. You can't impose Agenda 21 on an armed citizenry and Conservatives will not willingly get on the trains to the "Reeducation camps".

 

[Tim Steelersfan]

Speaking of would-be mass shooters - so often DemocRATS - I guess we all missed this one. Listen up children, this doesn't fit the media narrative so you probably didn't hear about it. Seems like Mr. Smith, Anti-Trumper, was planning to go on a mass shooting spree.

It's not the guns boys and girls.

----------------------------------------------------

Rabid Anti-Trumper Arrested in Calif. after Threatening to Go on Killing Spree

Have you ever heard of David Kenneth Smith? Chances are you haven't — he's a rabid anti-Trumper, thus his story didn't fit any convenient narrative. News of his arrest was treated as a local story with no national significance. However, if this freak had been a right-wing activist, he'd have been a front-page story in every paper in the country.

Smith, 39, was arrested in Orange County, Calif., on Nov. 2 following an investigation involving the Joint Terrorism Task Force. He was charged with one felony count of making criminal threats after threatening a university professor through emails and posting threatening YouTube videos — in one he talked about going on a "killing spree."

Police recovered nine loaded firearms registered to Smith after his arrest, according to Orange County Sheriff’s Department officials.

On Nov. 1, Smith allegedly began exchanging emails with an instructor at Soka University in Aliso Viejo about disciplinary actions taken against him for smoking marijuana when he attended the university in 2008.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WH-UCxMij-c" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

In the video, Smith claimed to write for a major metropolitan newspaper.

For a time, he contributed to The Orange County Register as a freelancer, according to the paper.

“David Kenneth Smith was not an employee of the Register,” a Southern California News Group spokesman said. “It appears he contributed periodically between 2005 and 2008 when the Register was owned by Freedom Communications.”

Smith's YouTube account, “King David,” is awash with creepy and concerning videos. In one, he mixed together different household items such as incense, antacids, and antifreeze.

In another disturbing video titled "What Good Does Killing Ever Do," he explored the pros and cons of going on a "killing spree," and decided that it sounded like a "great idea" compared to dying or committing suicide.

“Should I be homeless or go on a killing spree?” the man in the video asks. “I think being homeless is an entirely artificial situation. I wasn’t born here to obey every rule you guys ever made, OK? I was born to be who I am.”

Smith is being held on a $1 million bail. He pleaded not guilty when charged on November 6.

Smith has posted many videos ranting about the president.

In a video dated October 13, 2017, he lamented how President Trump is "systematically dismantling" his beloved Obama's "presidential legacy."

“Investigators believed the suspect’s threats were credible and an attack possible,” the Sheriff’s Department stated.

Indeed, Soka University may have been spared a horrific mass shooting when this ticking time bomb was taken off the streets.

------------------------------

Tell me whackadoodle King David doesn't look like Pennywise?

 

[21STEELERS21]

I think the only gun control most people want is universal background checks that include gun shows and
an assault weapons ban. How would those two things effect hunters and ownership for personal protection?
I would think very close to zero.

 

[Tim Steelersfan]

I think the only gun control most people want is universal background checks that include gun shows and
an assault weapons ban. How would those two things effect hunters and ownership for personal protection?
I would think very close to zero.

And your suggestion, as we've all been saying all along, will have ZERO impact on these crimes. Background checks? Have failed everywhere. Assault weapons ban? SMH. It's been implemented before, failed. Your suggestion is the equivalent of throwing a deck chair off of the Titanic...it will result in zero impact.

GREAT suggestion by the way. You epitomize the modern day SJW...."But we must do something!"

 

[hamster]

I think the only gun control most people want is universal background checks that include gun shows and
an assault weapons ban. How would those two things effect hunters and ownership for personal protection?
I would think very close to zero.

It won't. But the assault weapons are needed to secure a free state. Haven't you learned anything here?

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Steeler Nation mobile app

 

[Iron95]

I think the only gun control most people want is universal background checks that include gun shows and
an assault weapons ban. How would those two things effect hunters and ownership for personal protection?
I would think very close to zero.

First off......no one can define the term "assault weapon" that term can describe any gun. Once they ban one, they will just change the definition do ban another. To them it is not about public safety, it is about control. Thats what commies do. Secondly its not just about hunting and personal protection.