Oregon / UCC Shooting - 'Cherry Picking' Gun Violence Tragedies

[easyt65]

A bullet grazed the neck of a 10 year-old girl...
4 men were killed...
53 people were wounded
-- For the 2nd week in a ROW there were more than 50 shootings in Chicago, Illinois

WHERE was President Obama's Press Conference 2 weeks ago condemning the 50+ shootings over a weekend in Chicago? Where was Obama's Press Conference this past Monday after another weekend during which more than 50 people were AGAIN shot in Chicago?

Chicago's RECORD-SETTING gun violence is being ignored while Obama and the media 'cherry pick' the 'sensational' journalistic stories that fit and support his anti-gun agenda.
- Chicago's story doesn't fit the agenda because Chicago has some of the nation's strictest gun laws, yet they are setting new records for the number of gun crimes.

Without knowing all the facts, which don't seem to matter to Obama anyway, he could not race to the podium fast enough to admittedly politicize this tragedy 'before the bodies were cold', as pointed out by one journalist, to push his anti-gun agenda. "We need to change our laws."

Obama conveniently left some very important things out, as he gave his 12 minute speech in which he mentioned his own name 28 times, things like:
- Oregon had recently passed stricter gun laws
- The shooter intentionally picked a 'Gun-FREE' Zone where even the guard in charge of protecting the school did not carry a gun.
- The guy was obviously mentally ill

Taking more guns away from law-abiding citizens does not make people safer but produces more 'vulnerable fish bowls' or 'barrels' like UCC, 'hunting grounds' for insane nut-jobs and criminals who seek to kill innocent people.

What would have protected people more at UCC, stricter gun laws or a security guard carrying a weapon and signs declaring the school to be protected by armed guards? These freaks pick the most vulnerable, un-protected targets they can because, although they may be 'insane', they are sane enough to pick a location where they will face the least amount of resistance and be able to kill as many innocent people as they can. You don't see any of these guys walking into a police station or onto a military base and attacking ARMED officers or military personnel!

President Obama intentionally ran to the microphone without having received ANY of the details or facts yet because details and facts did not matter to him. His agenda was all that mattered to him. He did not address the media about the 50+ people shot in Chicago 2 weeks ago because those lives did not matter because those shootings did not support his agenda. He did not condemn ANOTHER 50+ shootings this past weekend, or the record-setting pace of gun violence in his own 'home town' this past week because those lives obviously don't matter and the continued violence in Chicago - and the fact that Chicago has some of the strictest gun laws in the country - doesn't fit his or the media's agenda!

Obama should have walked up to the microphone in OVERALLS instead of a suit cause he resembled a FARMER more than he did a President by continuing to pathetically 'Cherry Pick' gun violence tragedies to support his agenda while claiming he gives a darn about victims of (ALL) gun violence in America!

 

[Stephanie]

RIGHT, they had the deadest weekend in Chicago if I read things right.

BUT they are run by Democrats and I'll be damned if we heard on word from lowlife man in as our President. they can all go to hell. I am so sick of them

kick this bunch out of OUR LIVES come 2016

please

 

[waltky]

Christian persecution should qualify as a hate crime too...

Oregon Gunman Singled Out Christians, Says Father of Wounded Student
October 2, 2015 - According to father of a wounded student, the 26-year-old man who shot and killed ten people at a community college in Oregon singled out Christians for execution. The gunman also expressed interest in recent mass murders and the attention they brought the shooter, noting in one blog post, "The more people you kill, the more you are in the limelight."

The father of a wounded student, in an interview played on CNN, explained what happened, according to his daughter: "He came in, and there was gunfire immediately and scattered the room -- got everyone's attention. Uh, he -- from what I understood what she said is, he shot the professor point-blank, right -- one shot, killed him, took him right out of it. "And others had been injured, and then he -- this man had enough time -- I don't know how much time elapsed before he was able to stand there and start asking people one by one what their religion was. 'Are you a Christian?' he would ask them. 'And if you're a Christian, stand up.' And they would stand up. "And he said, 'Good. Because you're a Christian, you're going to see God in just about one second.' And he shot and killed them. And he kept going down the line doing this."

Authorities respond to a report of a shooting at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Ore.

A blog post attributed to the gunman, who lived near the community college, said this about another gunman: "A man who was known by no one is now known by everyone. His face splashed across eveery screen, his name across the liips of every person on the planet. All in the course of one day. It seems the more people you kill, the more you're in the limelight."

The Oregon suspect shot and killed nine people and wounded at least 7 others before officers killed him. Police say the gunman opened fire at Umpqua (UHMP'-kwah) Community College, killing nine before dying during an exchange of gunfire with officers. Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin refused to say the gunman's name: "I will not give him the credit he probably sought prior to this horrific and cowardly act," the Associated Press quoted him as saying.

Oregon Gunman Singled Out Christians, Says Father of Wounded Student

See also:

Oregon Gunman and Heroic Victim Served in Army, With Different Records
Oct 02, 2015 | The gunman who killed nine people and injured several others at a community college in Oregon and the heroic victim who tried to stop him both served in the U.S. Army, but with far different records.

The shooter, Christopher Sean Harper-Mercer, 26, entered basic training and served for a little more than a month from Nov. 5 to Dec. 11, 2008, before being discharged at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, "for failing to meet the minimum administrative standards," according to Lt. Col. Ben Garrett, a spokesman for the service at the Pentagon. Meanwhile, Christopher Lee Mintz, 30, who was shot several times while trying to prevent Harper-Mercer from entering a classroom, served as an infantryman for almost three years from May 2004 to March 2007 and advanced from the rank of private E-1 to specialist E-4, Garrett said in an e-mail.

​

Chris Harper Mercer, left, the alleged gunman in the Oregon shooting and Christopher Mintz, who was shot five times while attempting to prevent Mercer from entering a classroom.​

While Mintz didn't deploy to the war zone, he received multiple awards and decorations, including the National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Army Service Ribbon, Garrett said. He trained at Fort Benning in Georgia and served with the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington before being administratively discharged in 2007, Garrett said. When gunfire erupted Thursday on the campus of the Umpqua Community College about three hours south of Portland, Mintz, a former high school football player who has competed in mixed martial arts, "tries to block the door to keep the gunman from coming in, gets shot three times, hits the floor," his aunt, Wanda Mintz, told a CNN affiliate. He "looks up at the gunman and says, 'It's my son's birthday today,' gets shot two more times." Mintz has a 6-year-old son, Tyrik.

Despite being shot several times, Mintz is in stable condition, according to his cousin, Ariana Earnhardt, according to the CNN report. "He's going to have to learn to walk again, but he walked away with his life and that's more than so many other people did," said told the affiliate. Both of Mintz’s legs were broken during the shooting, according to a GoFundMe page, which was set up by his family to cover medical and child-care costs and has since raised $195,000 -- 20 times the original goal, The Washington Post reported.

MORE

 

[Mr. H.]

RIGHT, they had the deadest weekend in Chicago if I read things right.

You should see it on a Saturday night!

 

[waltky]

Is the right to own a gun worth the pain and anguish?...

Stats: Nearly 300 Mass US Shootings This Year
October 02, 2015 - The latest U.S. mass shooting that claimed the lives of nine people at a community college in Oregon highlights the increasing level of gun violence across the country. It prompted President Barack Obama to again call for strengthening gun control laws in an effort to decrease mass violence.

The routine nature of mass shooting in America will continue unless the country's politics change, Obama said after meeting with reporters at the White House Thursday following news of the latest shooting. With a look of anger and frustration on his face, Obama spoke forcefully about the college campus shooting. He pointed to U.S. lawmakers' refusal to pass gun control measures that he said would curb mass shootings and reduce the level of gun violence.

Community members gather for a candlelight vigil for those killed in a shooting at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon​

Since taking office in 2009, Obama has spoken out forcefully or issued statements following 15 mass shootings, including the 2012 massacre of 20 students and six teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. The president said the latest mass shooting and news reports of other incidents have become routine in Americans' lives. He urged members of Congress to take action. If not, voters should send a message to their elected officials, he said.

Umpqua Community College students join others at Stewart Park, in Roseburg, Oregon, for a candlelight vigil for those killed during a fatal shooting at the school​

So far this year, there have been nearly 300 mass shootings, more than one per day involving four or more people.

Call for ‘change of politics’

See also:

Authorities: Oregon Gunman Had at Least 13 Weapons
October 02, 2015 - Federal investigators have recovered a total of 13 weapons possessed by the lone gunman who went on a shooting rampage at a community college in rural southern Oregon, including six firearms recovered at the school and seven at the gunman's apartment. "All the guns were purchased legally and traced to the same firearms dealer," Celinez Nunez of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said Friday. She said at a news conference that some of the weapons were were purchased by the shooter, while others were not.

The weapons recovered at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon, included five pistols and a rifle. Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin told reporters at the same Friday news-conference that teams of investigators are working with each of the victims' families individually to give them personal attention. Earlier, Hanlin said investigators were at the college and the shooter's nearby apartment throughout the night and during the morning hours. Officials identified the gunman as 26-year-old Chris Harper Mercer and said he opened fire at the college Thursday, killing nine people and wounding nine others before dying during an exchange of gunfire with officers. Hospital officials said two of the wounded are in stable condition and one is being moved out of intensive care.

Gun violence in the U.S.​

Law enforcement officials said Mercer had three weapons, at least one of which was a long gun, and that the others were believed to be handguns. Hanlin said investigators would release details on the number and types of weapons later Friday. Police are also planning to investigate the shooter's blog posts to determine a motive. Meanwhile, witnesses to the rampage said the shooter was targeting Christians. At least two witness accounts said the shooter asked his victims if they were Christian before he shot them.

Meriah Calvert, left, and an unidentified woman pray by candles spelling out the initials for Umpqua Community College after a candlelight vigil, Roseburg, Ore.​

At least two witness accounts say the shooter, who has not been named by law enforcement officials, asked his victims if they were Christian before he shot them. Authorities believe the gunman was familiar with the college and the building. They also say he wrote on a social media website about what he was planning to do. But investigators believe this was a case of domestic terrorism with no ties to any international group.

MORE

 

[waltky]

Yes, pray for Roseburg...

US shooter seen as recluse with arsenal
Sun, Oct 04, 2015 - WITHDRAWN: Officials in Oregon said they had recovered 13 weapons belonging to the shooter, a man described by his neighbors as ‘anxious’ and ‘not a friendly type of guy’

The 26-year-old gunman behind the US’ latest mass shooting hoarded an arsenal of weapons, authorities said, describing him as a loner with a gripe against religion. As details about his personality emerged, the names of the nine people — five women and four men aged between 18 and 67 — who died in Thursday’s carnage at Umpqua Community College were released. Though officials have yet to formally name him, the gunman, who died in a shootout with police, has been widely identified as Chris Harper Mercer, 26. Officials said they had recovered 13 weapons belonging to him, including six at the school. A flak jacket and five rounds of ammunition were also recovered at the school after the rampage.

Students and staff of Umpqua Community College arrive at the Douglas County Fairgrounds Complex where they were offered grief counseling and a bus ride back to campus to pick up their possessions and vehicles in Roseburg, Oregon​

US media said the shooter suffered from mental illness and left behind a typed statement several pages long in which he indicated he felt lonely and was inspired by previous mass killings. “He didn’t have a girlfriend and he was upset about that,” the New York Times quoted an unnamed senior law enforcement official as saying. “He comes across thinking of himself as a loser,” the official told the paper. “He did not like his lot in life, and it seemed like nothing was going right for him.” Another official said the shooter, who lived with his mother, was obsessed with guns and religion, and had leanings toward white supremacy.

Witnesses said he demanded to know his victims’ religion before shooting them execution-style. “They would stand up and he said: ‘Good, because you’re a Christian, you’re going to see God in just about one second,’” Stacy Boylan told CNN, relaying his daughter Ana’s account. He said she was shot in the spine, but survived by playing dead. Officials said they were poring through online postings made by the gunman and examining his computer to try and piece together what set off the rampage. CNN said he was enrolled at Umpqua, but there was no confirmation by local officials. The gunman’s neighbors described him as a withdrawn, anxious man, who lived with his mother and kept to himself. “He was not a friendly type of guy,” Bronte Hart said. “He did not want anything to do with anyone.”

MORE

See also:

Oregon Gunman Committed Suicide, Officials Say
October 03, 2015 - Authorities in Oregon said Saturday that the gunman who killed nine people and wounded nine others at a community college committed suicide after a brief shootout with police.

The medical examiner came to that conclusion after examining the body of Christopher Harper Mercer, 26, who died following the mass shooting at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg on Thursday. Officials also told journalists Saturday that they had found another gun owned by the shooter, bringing the number of weapons seized to 14. Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin said a “large and complex” investigation of the shootings was underway, with police interviewing hundreds of witnesses and neighbors and performing scientific tests on pieces of evidence. Mercer left a hate-filled note at the scene of the shootings, which according to news reports said he “felt the world was against him.” He wrote that he was “in a bad way” and did not have a girlfriend, adding that he “had no life.” Mercer also wrote in his multipage, typewritten message that he would be “welcomed in Hell and embraced by the devil.”

Hannah Miles, center, is reunited with her sister Hailey Miles, left, and father Gary Miles, right, after a shooting at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon​

Legal purchase

Prior to the discovery of the 14th weapon, federal investigators said Mercer's guns had been purchased legally and had been traced to the same firearms dealer. Celinez Nunez of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives told reporters Friday that some of the weapons had been purchased by the shooter. Hanlin told reporters at the same Friday news conference that teams of investigators were working with the victims' families individually to give them personal attention.

Memorial flowers are seen outside Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon​

Witnesses to the rampage said the shooter was targeting Christians. At least two witness accounts said the shooter asked his victims if they were Christian before he shot them. Authorities also said the shooter wrote on a social media website about what he was planning to do. In an unusual step, Hanlin said he personally would not give the shooter undue publicity by using his name. "I will not give him the credit he probably sought prior to this horrific and cowardly act," Hanlin said, while encouraging members of the media to avoid using, repeating or sensationalizing.

Obama's reaction

 

[bodecea]

A bullet grazed the neck of a 10 year-old girl...
4 men were killed...
53 people were wounded
-- For the 2nd week in a ROW there were more than 50 shootings in Chicago, Illinois

WHERE was President Obama's Press Conference 2 weeks ago condemning the 50+ shootings over a weekend in Chicago? Where was Obama's Press Conference this past Monday after another weekend during which more than 50 people were AGAIN shot in Chicago?

Chicago's RECORD-SETTING gun violence is being ignored while Obama and the media 'cherry pick' the 'sensational' journalistic stories that fit and support his anti-gun agenda.
- Chicago's story doesn't fit the agenda because Chicago has some of the nation's strictest gun laws, yet they are setting new records for the number of gun crimes.

Without knowing all the facts, which don't seem to matter to Obama anyway, he could not race to the podium fast enough to admittedly politicize this tragedy 'before the bodies were cold', as pointed out by one journalist, to push his anti-gun agenda. "We need to change our laws."

Obama conveniently left some very important things out, as he gave his 12 minute speech in which he mentioned his own name 28 times, things like:
- Oregon had recently passed stricter gun laws
- The shooter intentionally picked a 'Gun-FREE' Zone where even the guard in charge of protecting the school did not carry a gun.
- The guy was obviously mentally ill

Taking more guns away from law-abiding citizens does not make people safer but produces more 'vulnerable fish bowls' or 'barrels' like UCC, 'hunting grounds' for insane nut-jobs and criminals who seek to kill innocent people.

What would have protected people more at UCC, stricter gun laws or a security guard carrying a weapon and signs declaring the school to be protected by armed guards? These freaks pick the most vulnerable, un-protected targets they can because, although they may be 'insane', they are sane enough to pick a location where they will face the least amount of resistance and be able to kill as many innocent people as they can. You don't see any of these guys walking into a police station or onto a military base and attacking ARMED officers or military personnel!

President Obama intentionally ran to the microphone without having received ANY of the details or facts yet because details and facts did not matter to him. His agenda was all that mattered to him. He did not address the media about the 50+ people shot in Chicago 2 weeks ago because those lives did not matter because those shootings did not support his agenda. He did not condemn ANOTHER 50+ shootings this past weekend, or the record-setting pace of gun violence in his own 'home town' this past week because those lives obviously don't matter and the continued violence in Chicago - and the fact that Chicago has some of the strictest gun laws in the country - doesn't fit his or the media's agenda!

Obama should have walked up to the microphone in OVERALLS instead of a suit cause he resembled a FARMER more than he did a President by continuing to pathetically 'Cherry Pick' gun violence tragedies to support his agenda while claiming he gives a darn about victims of (ALL) gun violence in America!

Chicago...one of those cool places with lots of guns. Very American.