We had submissions from three Soylentils with different takes on the NRA (National Rifle Association) and the public response in the wake of an attack at a Parkland, Florida high school.
Common Dreams reports:
In the latest sign that the aftermath of the Parkland, Florida tragedy may be playing out differently than the fallout from other mass shootings, several national companies have cut ties with the National Rifle Association (NRA).
[Car rental companies] Alamo, Enterprise, and National--all owned by Enterprise Holdings--announced late on [February 22] that they would end discounts for the NRA's five million members. Symantec, the security software giant that owns Lifelock and Norton, ended its discount program on Friday as well.
The First National Bank of Omaha also said it would stop issuing its NRA-branded Visa credit cards, emblazoned with the group's logo and called "the Official Credit Card of the NRA". The institution is the largest privately-held bank in the U.S., with locations in Nebraska, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, and South Dakota.
Additional coverage on TheHill, MarketWatch, Independent and Politico.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai joined the pack at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Friday alongside fellow Republican commissioners Michael O'Rielly and Brendan Carr—the architects of the recent order repealing net neutrality protections passed in the Obama era.
Upon taking the stage, it was announced that Pai was receiving an award from the National Rifle Association: a handmade Kentucky long gun and plaque known as the "Charlton Heston Courage Under Fire Award."
https://gizmodo.com/the-nra-just-awarded-fcc-chair-ajit-pai-with-a-gun-for-1823273450
Fallout continues from the mass murder in Florida. The National Rifle Association is taking it up the wazoo. A national boycott is emerging. If you are old enough, you will remember that this is what brought down Apartheid in South Africa.
From the Huffington Post:
In what may be a pivotal moment for American gun law reform, the National Rifle Association has become the object of intense pushback from anti-gun activists and survivors of last week's mass shooting at a Florida high school that left 17 dead.
All the attention prompted the gun-rights group to break from its usual strategy of keeping quiet after mass gun deaths. NRA officials have gone on the attack to rail against the "politicization" of a tragedy, and going so far as to suggest that members of the media "love mass shootings" because of the ratings they supposedly bring.
The uproar has once again presented companies affiliated with the NRA, and its powerful pro-gun lobby, with a question: to cut ties, or to continue a relationship with a large but controversial group?
The NRA partners with dozens of businesses to spread its pro-gun message and provide discounts to its members, who number 5 million, according to the group. But this week, some companies have begun to jump ship.
Facing pressure from consumers, the First National Bank of Omaha said Thursday it would stop issuing NRA-branded Visa credit cards after its contract with the group expires. Enterprise Holdings, which operates the rental car brands Enterprise, National and Alamo, says it will end its discount program for NRA members next month, along with Avis and Budget. Hertz is out, too.
(Score: 1) by Sulla on Sunday February 25 2018, @06:49PM (5 children)
The mechanics inside the ar15 are still limited by physics, and when not limited by physics you have to deal with 100rd pain in the ass to change drums that jam. You could have a bunch of 20rd mags but need to train at not fumbling them.
Looked up some vids, if it doesnt jam you can do 100rd in 15 seconds but accuracy is shot after that due to barrel heat. You can fumble to find the awkward sized drum and pull and load a second. Assuming the guy is superman and takes zero time to change drums he can achieve 400/minute, more likely he can achieve somewhere between 200 and 300.
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Sunday February 25 2018, @07:01PM (3 children)
In fairness - accuracy isn't really the issue. It is very well known among hunters that the first shot kills. If you hear some guy on the other side of the ridge fire three, six, twelve times - you know he didn't get the deer. When you hear a single shot, you can figure that the shooter likely got his deer. The human factor really sucks after that first shot. People who want to put a hundred rounds through the tube in very short order aren't interested in accuracy, so much as they are interested in fire power.
If you can stomach watching the videos again, neither the Las Vegas shooter, or the Florida shooter were interested in accuracy. They went to where people were herded together, then laid down the fire power. It's like shooting fish in a barrel. The body count is high, because no accuracy was required.
So - assuming that I can push 100 rounds out the barrel before the barrel warps, all I need for a high body count is to find some place where people are packed so densely that I can't miss.
I can't say that I would mind a ban on high capacity magazines. Seven or ten rounds is adequate for any reasonable use of firearms - except, of course, the purpose intended by the second amendment. That purpose, of course, is to keep congress in line. The second amendment had nothing to do with hunting and sports - it was all about keeping government in check.
(Score: 1) by Sulla on Sunday February 25 2018, @07:08PM (1 child)
Given his vantage point, I wonder how many people Whitman would have killed in the same situation.
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 25 2018, @10:33PM
For the curious:
University of Texas tower shooting (1966) [wikipedia.org]
16 dead in a 13-1/2 hour span
31 non-fatal injuries
ranked as the eighth-deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 25 2018, @10:14PM
Most places, if your magazine holds more than 5 rounds, [google.com] the game warden will confiscate your gun and arrest you.
If you hear some guy on the other side of the ridge fire three, six, twelve times - you know
...that what he has is a weapon of war.
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 26 2018, @04:19AM