Shooting Congress-members

[TROOPER]

Parts of the story are routine, others are weird, but the most baffling thing of all is the part where the FBI are still looking for a motive. They did that same thing with the "Pulse Club" shooting in Orlando. It's probably the same reason they just eventually chalked-up Major Nidal Hassan to "workplace violence", because after a year-and-a-half of searching, they just never could find that pesky motive.

It's baffling how many people have their heads right up their own asses.

[doubloon]

Yeah I had mixed emotions about the shooter not being available for questioning.

I figured something would turn up on his fckbook page, someone mentioned he was a documented Trump hater and Bernie supporter but I'm not sure where it's documented.

It seems the shooter had a history of violence, the left if probably tripping over themselves trying to put together a battle plan around tighter restrictions.

He fired quite a few bullets for the amount of damage inflicted, more than I'd expect from a practiced marksman. Even though he has a record of shooting someone in the past I'm thinking it may come to light the rifle was a more recent purchase.

ETA: CNN claims the rifle was an "SKS 7.62.39" ...

[ick]

Who would "choose" to go to war with an SKS? Perhaps the thinking isn't so far out of the box as it could be. He could have chosen a Mosin-Nagant.

This man just wasn't thinking straight all around. Perhaps it was the only rifle he could afford?

[poikilotrm]

Who would "choose" to go to war with an SKS? Perhaps the thinking isn't so far out of the box as it could be. He could have chosen a Mosin-Nagant.

This man just wasn't thinking straight all around. Perhaps it was the only rifle he could afford?

If you are on a suicide mission, you can splurge.

I had an asshat MD that worked with me who was a virulent hoplophobe. I was talking with another MD, who was a gun guy, when the asshat chimes in with an angry, loud, confrontational "I'm gonna get an AK47!" I asked why. He said because he wanted the best. When we stopped laughing, I asked him "Best what" Club? Lightweight boat anchor?"

AH: "I thought the AK was the best."
Me: "Yeah man. Move over Weatherby, we have some stamped metal piece of s--t that shoots 4 MOA."

He was confused. He genuinely did not understand. Most liberals aren't just insane, they are also horribly misinformed and willfully ignorant. They simply believe whatever they are told by whatever halfwit on Team Scumbag says. Feinstein says shooting from the hip is the most accurate way to shoot, so they believe.

Hodgkinson may have simply believed that the SKS was a badass rifle because that's what CNN told him.

[a_canadian]

This man just wasn't thinking straight all around. Perhaps it was the only rifle he could afford?

There have been various reports about this idiot's history of violent behaviour. Apparently he even punched a 16 year old girl in the face. Peach of a guy. So in that context, I'd not expect him to be capable of making rational decisions in his firearms acquisitions. Especially not considering further that he was living out of a duffle bag and showering for weeks at the YMCA. This was a deranged individual. From what I've seen of his 'support' for Bernie I think the old saying 'with friends like that who needs enemies?' seems applicable.

[TROOPER]

The police find a list of names in the man's vehicle of GOP Congressional representatives.

They can find that list, but not a motive.

It's curious.

Me personally, I think the whole set of laws dealing with 'hate crime' should go away since a murder is pretty much by definition an act of hatred. It's also insulting to tell someone that their loved-one's murderer is getting off easier than a different murderer because the victim's skin color was a modestly good match with the killer's. That said, since this guy specifically targeted people based on a quantifiable attribute as opposed to a simple "kill-whomever-you-see", then wouldn't this qualify as a 'hate-crime'? Obviously it's an academic question since the assailant is dead, but it's a good question all the same.

[jlwilliams]

Shooting politicians has a long history of making things worse, not better. Seems counter intuitive, you would think the world might be better with a few less of them, but it doesn't work out. The Arch duke Franz Ferdinand wasn't doing his constituents much good, but shooting him didn't make it better. The list of examples rolls on and on.
My guess is that whatever this guy's "mysterious" motivation was it is not getting better for his actions.

[doubloon]

Shooting politicians has a long history of making things worse, not better. ...
My guess is that whatever this guy's "mysterious" motivation was it is not getting better for his actions.

True, plenty of examples of members from all sides being terminated for all kinds of bizarre reasons. The only way to make any real difference would be to shoot them all but that's a level of insanity that would just set us up for invasion and takeover by the likes of Canada.

I'm still guessing his motive was rage (hate) against the political hydra he perceived to be the source of all the inequality at the root of his personal financial troubles. Based on the logic that it's better for everyone to be dirt poor and reliant on the government rather than let some minority of people reap rewards for working.

[a_canadian]

Based on the logic that it's better for everyone to be dirt poor and reliant on the government rather than let some minority of people reap rewards for working.

Your logic is impeccable as usual. This guy was a leftie. Uh-huh. Keep telling yourself that. Crazy guy joins Bernie's volunteers, stirs things up a bit, finds it's not the right thing to feed his kind of crazy, so he goes and shoots some officials. Blame it on the Left. Obviously.

[doubloon]

...
Your logic is impeccable as usual. This guy was a leftie. Uh-huh. ...

I never said he was a leftie, I said my guess was he was acting out on his rage (hate) against the political hydra.

You're the one who started assigning left and right.

[a_canadian]

You're the one who started assigning left and right.

Oh really? So "logic that it's better for everyone to be dirt poor and reliant on the government rather than let some minority of people reap rewards for working" applies to the political right wing, and I've just misunderstood your intention, is that it? Okay, so Trump's team wants to increase social programs and steal more from 'those who want to work.' Interesting. I had not seen the right wing in US politics explained that way. You've opened my eyes.

[doubloon]

I didn't say it was my logic, I was only taking a guess at his logic.

There is no right party these days, they all want the same thing, a subservient and financially dependent constituency who will keep them in power for life. They just can't agree on the path or who gets to be in power.

[a_canadian]

Okay. My apologies for the sarcasm, it does seem that I mistook your point, and I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment of most politician's motives. Sorry about that. And in that context I can certainly empathize with the shooter's frustrations, however badly they were misdirected. Such violent outbursts are too often the obvious recourse of those poorly equipped to cope intellectually and emotionally with things like responsibility and hardship.

[doubloon]