Gun Control = Having to Bring a Purse to a Gun Fight
See brave but under-armed woman around the 0:50 second mark. And we should all be embarrassed by the shoddy state of handgun skills in this country if this guy is is representative. The average housewife in turn of the century Arizona could have shot better than this guy.
kbyrd:
Didn't Florida lead the current trend of more states going to "shall issue" concealed carry laws? Maybe the schoolboard meeting is a gun free zone. Too bad someone brought a gun.
December 15, 2010, 6:08 pmMaureen:
He doesn't actually seem intent on shooting anybody. He's not nervous or particularly aggressive and he's not concentrating; he's just sort of shooting. He's more serious about his stupid spraypainting. I gotta think he was on drugs. It's a very weird thing.
I also think that woman was brave, but it seemed like she didn't really want to hurt the guy. I mean, a woman with a purse can really pound on somebody's head! I think she was thinking only about that one hit, and not about continuing to hit afterwards. I'm glad she wasn't hurt, and that she had the guts to do something.
December 15, 2010, 8:41 pmFoxfier:
That woman has cannonballs.
December 15, 2010, 9:37 pmJames H:
I've watched it a couple of times now on the news, and I think that he didn't actually want to shoot anyone besides himself. Maybe he did, but wasn't able to actually do it and then just did himself, hard to say. But at that range, and with all the time to aim, it would be hard to completely miss. Also, he could have easily shot the woman with the purse, but really did nothing after she hit him. Regardless, a sad story for all.
December 15, 2010, 10:06 pmme too:
I'm surprised the security guard was able to hit him from across the room. I agree, doesn't look like he was trying to hit anyone.
December 16, 2010, 5:56 amhoipolloi:
Having only shot a handgun one time at a gun range, even I was amazed (in a good way) at what a poor shot this guy was. Who aims and shoots a gun like that? Someone who thinks V for Vendetta was real?
December 16, 2010, 6:12 amDaniel:
Maureen, they talked to the hand bag wielder later and she said that she was trying to hit the gun out of his hand. If you look at how she was swiping the hand bag, that makes sense.
December 16, 2010, 7:16 amBased on some of the videos, it did seem like he was incoherent (drug based or alcohol based).
JD:
The other unsung hero is the Superintendent asking if the gunmen would let the other board members go...selfless.
December 16, 2010, 8:42 amquints:
I don't understand why the council members just sat there through the whole thing. When that woman hit the guy, they should have jumped him. Their lack of action very well could have gotten them and the heroic woman killed. (I am glad it did not). They just sat there....
December 16, 2010, 9:17 amCaptain Obviousness:
I applaud the woman's bravery but question her tactics. She (or better yet, some man with balls as big as hers) should have grabbed some kind of club-like implement, sneaked up behind him and knocked him out with one homerun swing to the head. I know I can't be the only one who has imagined doing that in the same type of (imaginary) scenario.
December 16, 2010, 12:43 pmRob:
An article stated that he was an ex-con and Bi-Polar. So... isn't he one of the people that is excluded from firearm ownership in most places???
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/12/14/official-gunman-killed-fla-school-meeting/?intcmp=obinsite
http://hosted2.ap.org/txdam/06b03e2f3f644f65a4610ca9d28c1e75/Article_2010-12-15-School%20Board%20Shooting/id-e1232617db5e42d88a202056cebfbc7a
His father (same article) said that he was skilled at the range and if his son did not hit any victims it was intentional.\
(sorry can't find this reference at present)
Also note that he listed a whole bunch of Leftist causes.
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/fl-school-board-shooter-posted-suicide-note-railing-against-the-rich-linking-to-media-matters/
This is not a "right-wing nutjob".
December 16, 2010, 1:07 pmKojak:
Although she has all my respect for being a fighter and not hiding under a desk, the woman with the purse to me is a perfect illustration of the gun control mindset. She did not see the homicidal lunatic in the room as the threat, she saw the gun as the threat. She focused all of her energy on eliminating the gun, but when she failed she was completely out of ideas.
December 16, 2010, 4:55 pmDan Smith:
It struck me as a suicide-by-cop attempt. By letting the women go he allowed them to call for help. He rambled on about his grievances rather than proceeding to murder the council. After he missed with his first shot, he lowered his gun hand and the second shot went into the floor.He never assumed a proper shooting stance (thankfully)and this further affected his aim. The security guard was able to knock him down from across the room and that was that.
December 17, 2010, 12:04 pmContrast that with the murderous rampage of Major Hassan or the Virginia Tech shooter.
Larry Geiger:
It appears that he was an excellent marksman and would have taken out anyone that he actually intended to kill. It's a possibility that he wanted a confrontation with someone who could actually do him harm. YMMV
December 20, 2010, 2:21 pm