Theater Shooting Prompts Mayor Reed to Discuss Gun Control
The upcoming 13th anniversary of the day trader shooting in Buckhead is also playing into the discussion.
With the anniversary of the "Buckhead Massacre" approaching next week and the recent theater shooting in Aurora, Colo., gun control is once again on the minds of elected officials in Atlanta.
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said Monday in an interview on 90.1 FM Public Radio that the mass killing in Colorado should force the nation’s leaders to take another look at whether or not stricter gun control laws are needed.
Although he is not yet ready to endorse specific measures, Reed said “We definitely need to make sure it's a part of the national conversation again. I don't think that we're doing enough or talking enough about it."
What steps, if any, do you feel should be taken in regards to gun control across the nation in light of recent events?
In regards to the Buckhead shooting, which itself made national and international headlines, Reed said it factored into his feelings following the theater shooting on July 20.
"And I remember that shooting, the day trader shooting, I remember it; I was here. And that's why I immediately increased police support at our theaters (following the Aurora shooting), as did the Mayor of Los Angeles, and as did the Mayor of New York, and we spoke about it recently."
Thirteen years ago next week, day trader Mark Barton killed nine people and wounded 13 others at two trading firm offices in Buckhead. Barton had already killed his wife and two children at the time of the shooting.
In last Friday's theater shooting in Colorado, James Holmes, 24, killed 12 people and wounded 58 others when he opened fire at a midnight showing of "The Dark Knight Rises."
rick
9:47 pm on Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Why is a not a problem that we lose 2 or 3 times that many young black men in Atlanta every year
David Barton
9:51 pm on Tuesday, July 24, 2012
If more upstanding citizens lawfully carried their guns, the crazies would get off fewer shots.
Ray Nelson
7:40 am on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Guns are fine. But why do you need an AK47?
jeff
7:14 pm on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Ray during the 10 year assault weapons ban crime went up slightly, instead of dropping. Banning the AK and other weapons that looked bad, did nothing to reduce crime. Why you ask, I'm guessing because criminals don't follow the law.
Kimberly Perdue
1:08 am on Thursday, July 26, 2012
And Jeff,
Do you have the statistic for mass murder by assault weapons during that time frame? That is the statistic I am curious about. Each weapon type carries a separate issue in my opinion. And the fact that it is as common to carry a handgun as it is to carry a cellphone in the mugging community needs to be studied and addressed as a separate issue. YES! Support the right to bear arms (did I spell bear, bare??? right) NO! it should not be so easy to buy one!
jeff
5:50 am on Thursday, July 26, 2012
Kimberly,
Here is the governments own findings(AW=Assault Weapons): https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/204431.pdf
{The Ban’s Reauthorization or Expiration Could Affect Gunshot Victimizations, But
Predictions are Tenuous
• Should it be renewed, the ban’s effects on gun violence are likely to be small at
best and perhaps too small for reliable measurement. AWs were rarely used in
gun crimes even before the ban.}
Kimberly Perdue
9:37 am on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
We need to turn our focus on why there has been such a huge influx of ILLEGAL guns on the streets of Atlanta. The increase in the number of gunpoint muggings on the streets in some of our safest intown neighborhoods has me holding my breath this summer, waiting for the inevitable law of averages to get someone killed in one of these altercations. The two young ladies in front of Parrish were LUCKY to have escaped unscathed aside from some scratches from the bushes. Am I the only one wondering, where has this influx of weapons come from? Why does it seem so easy to get them?
jeff
7:02 pm on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Kimberly, Most of the guns are stolen that criminals have in Atlanta. I think they are easy for the criminals to get because the "Gun Control" laws are so stringent, around Atlanta, that folks must leave them in their cars, or homes. Making them easily stolen. Any of the Atlanta college campuses are forbidden for the law-abiding license holder to carry on, and most folks are unsure where the campuses start and stop so they leave them in their aforementioned properties. Also many businesses have rules against guns and government buildings are off-limits by law.
Kimberly Perdue
1:00 am on Thursday, July 26, 2012
So you are saying that the majority of guns on the street are stolen from vehicles because government workers and students leave them in their cars because they cannot bring them into their work or school or dormitories? I'm afraid that we might have a slightly larger issue here.
Consider this: The streets of NYC were unsafe in the late 90s and a task force was designed to get the guns off the streets. The fact that there are less gun related neighborhood crimes this summer in the burrows of NYC than the neighborhoods of Metro ATL causes me considerable pause.
There are many important issues at hand this summer and I am actively participating in pushing forward the transportation initiative myself, but I am petrified about what I will read each day in our neighborhood crime report.
I would bet that gun related crime might deter major businesses from setting up shop here as well.
I am worried that we are letting this situation escalate without the community voicing a serious outcry because there are other items on the voting plate!
I live here and I am worried!
jeff
6:43 am on Thursday, July 26, 2012
Kimberly,
I really can't backup my statement with where most stolen guns come from(that was an educated guess). I also think many people are afraid they will carry their gun in an off-limits place by accident and leave it in their car. That's what I used to do before I was almost robbed at gunpoint while in my car(I was able to reach my gun, and just presenting it sent the young man running) that's what put me on the path to educate and try to change the "gun control" laws. I do remember a study where GA ranked 6th in stolen guns. Now as to the crime stats in NY, the number of shooting victims hasn'tt changed in 10 years.They have been conducting illegal searches over those 10 years it's called "Stop and frisk." It is an unconstitutional practice the NY police are doing. It is against the 4th Amendment, and targets minorities. Here's a story with embedded links: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/19/stop-and-frisk-jasiri-x_n_1684704.html
I don't want to live in a police state myself and I'm ashamed this can happen in my country. It is just another racist way "gun control" is used, as most all "gun control" has racist roots. Here in GA our gun laws still discriminate against the ones that could benefit the most from the ability to defend themselves the poor. The average cost of a carry license is $75, if it cost $75 to vote people would be screaming from the rooftops.
Don't be worried. Keep asking questions and make sure you are getting the facts, empower yourself!
Michael Packer
3:32 pm on Thursday, July 26, 2012
Jeff, it is interesting how our experiences shape us. I'm sure anyone who went through what you did, nearly being robbed, would feel exactly as you do. Taking guns out of the hands of civillians is not the answer. It comes down to keeping them out of the hands of people who intend to do harm. The question is, how can that ever really happen?
jeff
5:05 pm on Thursday, July 26, 2012
Michael, That's the deal, that person(the criminal), gets his gun in multiple ways: Steals it, buys it blackmarket, or talks his girlfriend into buying it for him.
One thing is I don't want is to make it any more difficult for someone(law-abiding citizen) that decides they need one to get one. If someone has an event similar to mine, something that shakes their life up, the last thing that person needs is laws to get in the way of their safety. Same way with the license. If a criminal wants a gun and wants to carry it, nothing stops him(remember he doesn't follow the law, get background checks and or get a license), but if someone I love gets scared and decides they need to protect themselves, I don't want them to have to wait until some bureaucratic process allows it.
I am convinced that all "Gun Control" is bad.
The good person is not going to rape, rob, steal, murder, etc but "Gun Control" only affects them.
Appalachian-American
8:53 pm on Thursday, July 26, 2012
This is not a "gun problem." It is an "Idiot Problem." Where are the parents of this sack of ******? Where is his doctor? Where are any of his contacts in life? All of them are hiding, because they know they didn't report anything to anybody.....