JoeWeber

I'll bet that $34.8 million a day to deal with the aftermath is a pittance compared to how much we waste arming and preparing good guys who seem unable to prevent school massacres or even stop one that's underway. As a nation we spend $300 Million a day on our Police. China spends only twice that on their entire defense budget. 40% of the Ulvade City budget goes to their cops. The average Texas homeowner, in a state with the 7th highest property taxes in America, pays $3400 per year. Think about having paid that for 20 or 30 years after you've been pepper sprayed, put to the ground, and handcuffed by those cops for trying to go unarmed into the school to stop a maniac from killing your kids while those same cops, armed to the teeth and with kevlar protective gear were too afraid to help. We need police. We need to pay them right, treat them right and give them the respect the job deserves; it is hard, dangerous work done right and they need to know that we know that truth. What's wrong is that we sell the job as a paramilitary assignment and, consequently, too many heroes in their own minds, like the Ulvade cops, join up. Too many are like gang bikers: they love to push around the weak and avoid the strong. If we need to pay up to get the right people then let's pay up. But it should be obvious to all now that just throwing military gear at applicants to get them to join is a failed plan. A Police Captain friend, smart guy and exactly the kind of guy you want, once told me that when you go out on a serious call you never know what arms you'll be up against which is why they need to be prepared with serious weapons. Okay, that makes sense. But where do we stop before we start saying easier access to guns and more guns for everyone is the real problem? We are devolving here in America. The Second Amendment as amended by Scalia will be tossed into histories trash can some day. The sooner the better, I say.

Lest you start feeling bad about our former president, recall this historic American moment: This is the President of the United States of America and First Lady Melania Trump enjoying a photo op with Melania holding a baby orphaned in the El Paso gun Massacre. Thumbs up, big smiles, and a big shout out to all who made this cherished American moment possible, especially the murderers who gave Trump another opportunity to be an embarrassment to our nation.

Joe, This is all fine and good but please know there are work arounds be they approvals or explanations. It may have been as simple as going Experimental or some other thin justification. After watching the video's, and also knowing the players, I'm guessing that Andy, who has unbelievable skills, didn't jump out but simply appeared outside his aircraft and then was faced with a spinning aircraft which he was also way to smart to try to enter. I'm guessing that Luke, who is a much bigger and less agile guy set his aircraft on a death spiral on the way out in all of the excitement. On another note, I'm hearing that Andy is at Perris doing something. Surely not anything that requires his FAA ratings, right?

Sure, and further for sure who am I to argue? I could give a rip about the content of a posters posts. If I'm annoyed I can just block them, and did. Of course, I still need to be exposed when others quote reply but that's endurable. That all said, it does make the forum unenjoyable for me when one poster so dominates with shotgun and unattributed posts to the point where for the first time in my experience here the program tilted and gave notice of a posting overload. Trolling is less of an annoyance and that's no bueno. Why not the rude crashing of the system with insistences?

The sadness of now is that like it or not, by the force of law as laid down by the Supreme Court of the United States and the self serving intransigence of a minority of our legislatures, the writ of the religious now applies to, and will infest, our daily lives. Like citizens of an occupied country we must now get used to the new normal.

No. Most people do want them; the minority don't want them and we live under their yoke. That's the problem.

Jerry, The Ulvade massacre has me very disturbed and disoriented, much like a hit to the head. All of these shootings have left me somewhat unhorsed but this one, where the cops were standing by armed to the teeth and yet paralyzed by fear when parents were fighting them to get into the school to save their kids is simply too much. I read that one dad was put to the ground and cuffed to keep him away. A mother was cuffed after pleading for the cops to act, then released, and then scaled a fence to get in to save her kids. How can anyone in authority believe this is how we should live?

In that vein, imagine how history would view Manchin and Sinema if they had the courage to say enough and change the filibuster to enact sensible gun control and protect a woman's right to choose. It's a once in a million lifetimes opportunity to be great they are giving up in exchange for what amounts to nothing.

Welcome aboard. I, for one, am willing to register all of my guns, pay a fee for any new or used guns I buy, give up guns that I never use and will likely never use again and and submit to a psychological exam (provided it wasn't administered by woodpeckers or grey digger squirrels) if by joining in it kept just one parent from learning that their nine year old was murdered by a bullied, mentally tortured, maniac at school that day. Maybe it would be pointless, maybe it would be wrong. But it's time to do something, to give up something, even if it's wrong.

As I see it they did make a decision and they were very wrong. What's the point of having police armed to the teeth like Delta Force Commando's if they're going to diddle around like Andy of Mayberry? Maybe they shouldn't have kicked in the door but if that's what we can expect they should ditch the guns and military gear and set a better, more peaceful, example.

Here they are: Ulvade's finest. All dressed up with nowhere to go, especially to school shootings. Absolutely ridiculous and nothing more than a reflection of our absurd culture of gun idolatry. I don't care if we defund the police but for damn sure we need to defang them.

In Uvalde the good guys had not only guns but badges, war suits, helmets, and pay stubs from promising to be the solution. But they weren't. It seems they never are. But now, if only the teachers had guns, you know, on chest slings like Navy Seals and Glocks in holsters ready to go because for damn sure rifling through the desk drawer trying to find the gun and a clip would sort of defeat the purpose.

Absolutely. If you lived in a dodgy area he'd be like the ideal neighbor, as long as he didn't stop by to chat.

To match her mindset. I've read three sources this morning reporting that the good guys with guns stood around paralyzed with fear for 40 minutes while Ramos was murdering kids in a classroom. Worse, the barricaded door was actually just a locked door and instead of busting it open they waited for the key. Of course, all of our heroes here on SC would have led the charge, shot open the lock, and also have been first through the breach blasting away with their AR-15's and Glocks.

It's not just appalling, it's demoralizing. Kids. 7-10 year old kids celebrating their school year accomplishments killed while huddling in terror. I ask everyone here what that is worth to you. What if giving up your AR-15's and Glocks and your only good for shooting trees guns for registration was enough to stop the massacre of school kids, would you do it?

Jim, my business is as focused on fuel costs as any. Sometimes, times suck. Now, we do not want to lose any of our incredible people so we are willing to give up on our end of the deal to make that happen. We are convinced we'll come out of this stronger and make back the profits. If you don't see that in your situation, well, opportunities abound.

I wish I wasn't lost to the point of despondency, but I am. I'm often in other countries, mostly actually, where Americas silly gun dramas aren't an issue, where people like porpoishead don't exist and life just continues on without concern or fear of not having enough guns. I love my country. I am a proud American on everything we do except this second amendment nonsense. But that may not be enough to keep me here.

Will do. I was thinking today that maybe we accept that the gun nuts have won the battle over AR's, big magazines, etc... Instead let's focus only on taxes. Maybe $100 on every new gun sold. Maybe automatics more and single shots less. Something per round of ammo sold and a $25 buck per year per gun registration fee. All of that money to be used to put armed guards, metal detectors etc.. at every school in America. If that's not enough money, up the tariffs. I support that and would pay it gladly.

Phil, I was apparently imprecise on the topic. To be clear, I am a strong advocate of gun ownership laws. I also am an advocate of home defense to where I've explained my choice of weapon and why on these pages. I think AR "platform" guns are useless for both hunting and self defense and should be controlled or banned. Same with high capacity magazines. Further, I think one of the dumbest things we have ever done in America, against stiff competition mind you, is outfitting our patrol police to look like special forces. I could go on but please do add me to the list of those who want gun ownership to be available but are ready to accept regulation.

No worries. The administrators developed a perfect solution for just this sort of thing.

You are fantasizing, plain and simple. Also, just to make things easier could you please collect your thoughts into a single post instead of several? And, as this is a public forum it would be nice to know to who or what you are directing comments.

Good on you for knowing you self and the future so we’ll. I hope to end my days never knowing if I really could pull the trigger in time.

The cowardice is owned by politicians who care more for NRA largesse than kids lives and gun owners who are paralyzed with fear over giving a single inch .

100 Million more guns in America since Sandy Hook, I heard. Idiots like Abbot are again arguing that arming teachers and active school shooting drills are the solution. We are truly screwed.

Well, just hang in there best you can.