Probably just a bunch of gibberish.

I really hope they won't give this jerk the fame they were looking for.

Unfortunately nothing can stop the press so I won't hold my breath...

If was down to guns, why don't we have school shootings here and in other countries with lots of guns?

Tom

Well, TIS. Automatic weapons are banned and people submit an application to be exempt from the ban. And, people without a carrying permit can only transport unloaded weapons on the way to shooting range, hunting place, or from gun shop to home.

The permit to carry a loaded weapon is only given to people that need it for the job (e.g. private police)



Also, there is an estimate of 28 civilian firearms per 100 people in Switzerland. Compare that to 120 civilian guns per 100 people in US. Maybe it's time to reconsider the comparison between CH and USA. Just because the law is "friendly" in Switzerland, that doesn't force people to buy guns and carry them around in daily life https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estima...ita_by_country

It's down to mentally unstable people with guns and a culture and system where people who are mentally ill have easy access to guns and/or already have them.

An irate, mentally unstable person without easy access to guns is certainly not going to find it as easy to commit a mass shooting.

So it's not mutually exclusive. The problem is mental illness and an ease of access to guns.

This.

But why does the US have so many nutters?

Tom

I don’t believe the proportion of nutters is more than any other industrialized country. But, guns are far more easily accessible in the US.

It's not only that.
As pointed out, there's a an assault rifle in every able (male) citizen's wardrobe in this country. Munitions can be procured for that.

Just way less people that have nothing to lose, I guess.

Half of me agrees with what ennui wrote above, but then the other half is reminded of the fact that, every time I go back to the US to visit and/or whenever I read the US news, I find myself being reminded of how mentally unstable sooo many people are in the US.

Alcoholism is rampant. Drug addiction is rampant. Narcissism is rampant. Not to mention a "culture of violence" that permeates American culture in many ways -- whether that manifests as gang activity or gun-worship culture, etc. Basically, people who celebrate violence and that kind of mentality. I'd even venture to say that being mentally unstable is considered the "norm" by a lot of people in the US. People are so use to it that they just turn a blind eye to it or don't even recognize it for what it is. (Just look at what so many people have been doing about the attack on the Capitol).

There is a very "me, me, me" mentality embedded in American culture and that translates into people being extremely self-centered and entitled and feeling justified in harming others by whatever means they feel necessary in order to advance or satisfy themselves.

So you combine a culture where being self-centered is the norm with a culture of violence and/or drug abuse and easy access to guns, and the result is a high incidence of murders and mass shootings, etc.

I'm not trying to start an argument about it, but that's actually not true. My husband is Swiss and served in the military here. He does not have a rifle. No Swiss man that I know has a rifle at home. Years ago, the Swiss government began offering to buy back military-issued rifles after someone used his to shoot up a government building (which I think is one of the only mass shootings to have ever happened here) and also because too many people were using their military-issued rifles to commit suicide.

Switzerland’s worst-ever gun massacre
https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/multime...sacre/48049694

"On September 27, 2001, a gunman carried out a deadly attack on the Zug regional parliament, shooting dead 14 politicians before killing himself. The traumatic incident led to fundamental changes in Switzerland...

In the space of two-and-a-half minutes he fired over 90 shots and set off a home-made bomb. At the end of the attack he killed himself. Three members of the cantonal government and 11 members of parliament were killed. Another 18 people were injured, some of them seriously.

Since the dramatic killings, fundamental changes have been made to improve security. Cantonal and federal parliaments in Switzerland are now protected by the police. The attack also led to a tightening of Switzerland’s gun laws...."

Severe reduction of indigenous moving targets and increased protection of local wildlife may have encouraged some of the slightly challenged immigrants to turn on themselves?

The proportion of nutters might not significantly vary from other countries - those in the USA do seem to be very keen on a high as possible mortality headcount of random strangers...

They can't afford basic healthcare to deal with their mental problems despite Obama trying to do something about it?

We clearly do not know the same people, most that I know do!

My co-workers used to bring them to work to clean before shooting practice.

Tom

Might depend on the age, too. We used to have a rifle at home, as did most of the Swiss friends of our peer group. Now they've all finished army service, all the army gubbins including the rifle has gone back to the army stores.

I guess we'll get a whole load of new kit in a few years when our next generation gets their orders.

I have a good friend who has told her son that she doesn’t want his gun in the house. He’s left it in the armoury.

Perhaps we need more women in charge of households.

I grew up with a girl whose father was a policeman. They lived across the street from us. One evening he was cleaning his gun at home and accidentally shot his wife.

But yes, we clearly know different people. I'm sure I do have some Swiss neighbors who have guns but thankfully they don't seem to be bragging about them or taking them out, needlessly. In the US, you see people posting selfies and family photos, with their gun collections, as though they're something to brag about. As an example (and this is more common than you'd think):



And stories like this...

Babysitter Accidentally Shoots Her 10-Year-Old Nephew While Taking Selfies With Loaded Gun
https://littlethings.com/family-and-...le-holding-gun


I was just thinking something similar -- that when our son has to do military service, I do NOT want his gun in our house.

In China one is never too young.
https://twitter.com/cutigs1/status/1642207212847202304

A mass shooting at a bank in downtown Louisville, Kentucky, on Monday morning left five people dead inside the building and sent six people to a local hospital, police said.

The shooter is dead, police added.

I was just reading about that in the news.

Guy walks into a gun store, buys an AR-15-style rifle and then six days later uses it to shoot a bunch of his coworkers during a meeting.

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/04/11/u...day/index.html

'Murica.

More guns than people and Trump is right!

https://www.latimes.com/california/s...nce-not-newsom