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Redbugdave · 07-26-2012, 04:46 AM

I would say that all mass murderers are mentally insane. And most got the death penality for what they did. They knew what they were doing was wrong...whether being crazy or not. For any large crime it ought not to matter whether they have "issues".

scrabbler1 · 07-26-2012, 07:05 AM

The one mass murderer or serial killer I can think of who got killed in prison was Jeffrey Dahmer and that was because many of his young victims had older friends or relatives who were incarcerated with him, providing them with a strong motive to take revenge. While I am not privvy to that sort of information here, it doesn't seem likely this time.

The one mass murdered which did have at least a temporary impact on me was Colin Ferguson, the killer in the 1993 Long Island Rail Road massacre. I was working full-time back then and remember how quiet the trains were for several days after that (no cell phones back them). Passengers were not talking or sleeping, they were awake and looking around (as was I) whenever someone got up to walk through the train car, or when we were at a station and other passengers got on and off the train. But it was the sheer, somewhat random nature of the killing which affected many riders. He timed his massacre to occur outside the NYC limit and happened to be in the third car of the train he boarded at Jamaica Station. If he gets delayed and boards a train 20 minutes later, he is in the third car of MY train, the car of the train I always rode in back then.

Bimmerbill · 07-26-2012, 08:04 AM

I think the media sensationalized the story for sure.

I follow it and similar gun related news, but not closely. Mostly I am concerned with the political aftermath and the effects it has on gun laws.

I've been shooting since I was 6 or 7 and greatly enjoy it as a sport and hobby. I did great in the Army competing on my states marksmanship team and attended a few national matches (I even won some leg points toward Distinguised Rifle). I taught many soldiers how to shoot better and was suprised how many soldiers had no firearm experience.

It will be interesting to see if the lawsuits against the theater proceed. Especially if the theater prohibited its patrons from carrying a gun for protection. I don't know the law, but does the theater assume liability for its patrons protection when it prohibits them from forms of self defense?

Lsbcal · 07-26-2012, 08:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brewer12345

Assuming this piece of slime does not end up in a mental institution, I would imagine he will have a life expectancy of 5 minutes in prison.

Dang, my "smite" button has gone missing again.

(DW and I often joke about the existence of the "smite" button)

Texas Proud · 07-26-2012, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by easysurfer

From the one appearance in court, in my opinion, the guy looks pretty insane. Of course, pictures can be deceiving. Guess we'll know in time. Some try to fake insane (Manson, the person that took Elizabeth Smart) but they turned out just evil.

I think though, one that plans out and premeditates still can be found insane. Hinkley comes to mind.

I think that people do not distinguish between being insane and being able to get off doing some crime because they are insane...

Lots of places have changed their rules on the insanity defense... I do not think Hinkley would get the same sentence today...

ziggy29 · 07-26-2012, 08:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Texas Proud

Lots of places have changed their rules on the insanity defense... I do not think Hinkley would get the same sentence today...

Hinckley's insanity verdict led directly to a change in federal law (and some state laws) which tightened up its usage.

haha · 07-26-2012, 08:45 AM

Does anyone think Charlie Manson is sane? He hasn't had much luck getting out of prison. Most of these guys will either spend life in prison or get the needle.

Brat · 07-26-2012, 11:17 AM

I do not think that this event was one which the theater owner could have anticipated. Fire exits are required to be unlocked from the inside. How the perp disabled the lock from the outside is an investigative matter; from some reports he faked a cell phone call, exited the fire door, disabled the latching mechanism and returned for mayhem.

I do not see how an armed patron could have protected the theater goers. The perp was wearing extensive body armor according to news reports and people were moving trying to escape. It all happened so quickly.

This perp may be insane but he knew what he was doing was wrong. At a minimum he should spend the rest of his life in prison. He is too smart and dangerous to be housed in a normal mental hospital, he needs a high security environment.

Bimmerbill · 07-26-2012, 12:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brat

I do not see how an armed patron could have protected the theater goers. The perp was wearing extensive body armor according to news reports and people were moving trying to escape. It all happened so quickly.

You don't have to shoot someone to stop or interrupt an armed attack. Shooting at someone usually causes them to duck, hide, or do something that at least interrupts them.

I certainly don't want to be an arm chair quarterback.

For me, I'd rather fight for my life in a situation like that, then hide or run and hope I was OK. Of course I was in the Army for 22 years, so have the warrior mentality.

I read initial reports the shooter had some tactical gear on, but it wasn't mentioned it was body armor. Will have to read up more.

NW-Bound · 07-26-2012, 03:07 PM

Tragic as it always is, this kind of senseless mass killing will happen from time to time, and not just in the US. Did we already forget the Norwegian mass murderer who took 77 lives last year?

Ban all guns, and they will think of something else. Of course we all remember the recent 1995 Oklahoma City bombing that killed 168 people, but that had much earlier precedents. If you are curious to search, you will find that in 1927, a crazy guy exploded a car loaded with explosives in an elementary school and killed 44 people, including 38 young children.

obgyn65 · 07-26-2012, 05:43 PM

Today 16,000 children have died of hunger in the world. Have the media mentioned anything about any of them ?

Purron · 07-26-2012, 08:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by obgyn65

Today 16,000 children have died of hunger in the world. Have the media mentioned anything about any of them ?

No. And that's a shame. Most of them are invisible to us - the victims in Colorado were closer to home and, perhaps, easier to identify with.

We need to open our eyes.