Skip to main content

ANOTHER MASS SHOOTING

Hate to on this Sunday feature killings, but the USA had another mass shooting yesterday, in Birmingham, Alabama.  

  • Four were killed and more than 20 injured.  
  • Authorities are not sure who or how many were responsible.  
  • No suspects yet. 
  • You can be pardoned for not even knowing this happened, for something similar occurs all the time.
  • There have been more than 400 mass shootings in the U.S. this year.
  • The FBI defines mass shooting as an event in which one or more individuals are actively engaged in killing or attempting kill people in a populated area.  Implicit is the use of firearm.  Usually needs to have at last three deaths.
  • ONE THIRD of all the world's public mass shootings between 1966 and 2012 occurred in the U.S.  Size of circle indicates relative number of shootings.
  • Not sure why that period ended more than twelve years ago, but that was from Wikipedia, and until 2012 there have been 4,011 mass shootings in the U.S.
  • Highest rate in Washington, DC, followed by Louisiana.
  • Perpetrator demographics vary by type of mass shooting, though in almost all cases they are male. Contributing factors include easy access to guns, perpetrator suicidality and early childhood trauma, as well as various sociocultural factors including online media reporting of mass shootings. In one study, 44% of mass shooters had leaked their plans prior to committing the act.
  • There was a period when mass shooting deaths remained lower, from 1994 to 2004 during the period of the Federal Assault Weapons Ban.
  • Do we need better gun control?
  • Who are to blame?  National Rifle Association, Republican Party, second amendment to the Constitution,...the list goes on and on.
  • Should this be a presidential campaign issue of importance?  Only in tenth place at a 4% concern level.
Here are the facts and trends.

  • One-third of U.S. adults say they personally own a gun.  Including Kamala Harris.  But the breakdown is 45% Republicans and 20% Democrats.
  • Donald Trump owns two hand guns, but now as a convicted criminal, might have them taken away.
  • I was expert with an M1 rifle (that was a long time ago), .45 caliber pistol and machine gun when was in the U.S. Army, but have never owned one.
  • The U.S. surgeon general has declared gun violence to be a public health crisis.
  • Of those who do, 72% own one for personal protection.
  • 58% of adults favor stricter gun laws.

Another Taylor Swift sighting.
Yesterday I featured From Russia with Lev.  MSNBC again replays this 1 hour 32 minute documentary tonight at 9PM EDT.  Don't confuse this with the 1963 James Bond From Russia With Love, which got 97/84 scores from Rotten Tomatoes, which you can stream.  Title song was sung by Matt Monro.
Yesterday, I also said that my Apple 16 Pro iPhone arrived in the mail.  My first photo, which is a view of downtown Honolulu and the Pacific Ocean from my seat at my iMac.
It is a beautiful day.

- 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

THE ENIGMATIC PHIL SPECTOR

The first presidential debate of Donald Trump and Joe Biden ended up in a near tie.  Both lost.  However, it was an unmitigated disaster for Biden, who just might be too old to win this re-election. For Trump, it was a reinforcement of what he does all the the time, lie.   There will be significant calls for the Democratic Party to work out "something" to replace Biden as their presidential candidate.  Suddenly, Kamala Harris, Gavin Newsom and Michelle Obama are added to the spotlight.  But what can "legally" occur at the August Democratic Convention? The situation is different on the Republican side, as Trump is the Republican Party, and no matter if he gets 4 years at his felony sentencing on July 9, or even if the Supreme Court determines he is not immune next week or later, he will be the presidential candidate. Trump is a damned boastful liar and convicted felon, but that is the only option for Republicans.  His vice-presidential choice now become...

ON THE MATTER OF PUBLIC HOLIDAYS

Hawaii today celebrates King Kamehameha the First Day as a public holiday.  Next Monday, June 19, or  Juneteenth,  is a Federal holiday.  However, 22 states, including Hawaii, do not recognize this as a public holiday.  Four of these will begin to honor this day next year, not Hawaii.  Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery.  Here are the Hawaii holidays, and note three that only we have: New Year’s Day: 1st day in January Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: 3rd Monday in January Presidents’ Day: 3rd Monday in February Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole Day: 26th day in March Good Friday: Friday before Easter Easter:   Calculating Easter Memorial Day: Last Monday in May King Kamehameha I Day: 11th day in June Independence Day: 4th day in July Statehood Day: 3rd Friday in August Labor Day: 1st Monday in September Veterans’ Day: 11th day in November Thanksgiving Day: 4th Thursday in November Christmas: 25th day in December There are  11 paid Fede...

THE TRUMP ENERGY PROGRAM

From  Time  magazine, I begin with a slew of Trump topics.  You can read the details. The unpopular Big Beautiful Bill is now in the House . The only truly effective anti-Trump person:  Elon Musk. The Trump Gaza ceasefire proposal . The July 4th Free American Anti-Trump Protest planned across the USA . This site began as a renewable energy and environment blog, and has evolved to just about any subject.  I try to keep Wednesdays for sci-tech, with perhaps a monthly focus on energy.  More recently, I've drawn from the  Energy Matters  info sent to me by the American Energy Society.  I'm inserting direct quotes this time to eliminate my predilections for more credibility. This service starts with some broad topics. - Fossil fuels: Helium is locked in a supply crunch, and prices are surging. - Renewables: Congress will probably pass new renewable fuel standards for 2026 and 2027. - Policy: President Trump is now focused on Califor...