The horrifying murders of 10 innocent lives in Buffalo, New York, by a racist, hate-filled young man raises questions of why and how this criminal was able to commit crimes that defy understanding.
New York’s Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul didn’t waste a moment in calling for strict nationwide gun control laws. She made wild assumptions that the murderer obtained magazines from states other than New York. She later recanted this claim admitting she did not know where or how he obtained the magazines in his possession.
“We have some of the toughest laws in America on the books here, but the guns are coming in from other states or the enhanced magazine, which is exactly what happened here, the high-capacity magazine that led to the slaughter of people in my hometown,” Gov. Hochul told Dana Bash on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday show. “So, we are dealing with it on the gun side, but also on the social media side. And the combination of the wild access to guns, unfettered, we need national laws to deal with this as well as the unfettered sharing of hate information on the internet, that is a lethal combination. We saw that on display here just hours ago yesterday.”
That wasn’t the case at all, though. Gov. Hochul should have instead waited for the facts.
The murderer legally purchased the New York-compliant firearm used in his crimes after passing an FBI National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) verification. He then illegally altered and modified the rifle. There was nothing in his criminal or mental health record that would have flagged him as a prohibited individual.
Later reports revealed that there should have been.
Missed Opportunities
The murderer was previously known to law enforcement. Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia told media the New York State Police verified that troopers responded to Susquehanna High School in Conklin, N.Y., “to investigate a report that a 17-year-old student had made a threatening statement.” The N.Y. State Police spokesperson did not identify the subject by name but said there was no target associated with the threat.
Commissioner Gramaglia added, “They investigated. They interviewed the subject, and they felt it was appropriate at that time to have that individual brought in for a mental health evaluation.”
Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said on Sunday that the shooting suspect was brought in for a mental health evaluation last June after making what Gramaglia said was a generalized threat to a classmate.
Follow our live updates: https://t.co/jcYqminirj
— The New York Times (@nytimes) May 15, 2022
The murderer was held for a day-and-a-half for a mental health evaluation but was subsequently released.
“As far as when we say ‘On the radar,’ there was nothing picked up on the state police intelligence, nothing that was picked up on the FBI intelligence,” Commissioner Gramaglia said. “Nobody called in. Nobody called any complaints.”
That’s despite reports that the murder made pointed and specific threats to the school and community less than a year ago.
“A school official reported that this very troubled young man had made statements indicating that he wanted to do a shooting, either at a graduation ceremony, or sometime after,” a government official familiar with the case told the Buffalo News.
“FBI officials confirmed the shooter allegedly wanted to commit a murder/suicide at the graduation of his high school in 2021 and was taken into custody by the New York State Police and given a mental evaluation,” ABC News reported.
A mental health evaluation alone isn’t enough to list someone as a prohibited individual, which would have flagged the murderer in the FBI’s NICS system. The murderer, at the time of this investigation less than a year ago, was never brought in front of a judge for a mental health adjudication. Nor was he ever referred to law enforcement as being a danger to himself or others and subject to an Extreme Risk Protection Order, or “red-flag” law that New York has in place for just these sort of circumstances. Either would have prevented the murderer from obtaining his firearm.
Gun Control Fail
Gov. Hochul wasn’t alone in her calls for immediate, knee-jerk gun control calls without having all the facts. U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) tweeted the need to “pass commonsense gun safety measures.” Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) tweeted for gun control support, writing, “We are not powerless to help end this reoccurring violence unique to our nation. Reach out to organizations organizing to stop it; help bring about change.” He added a list of gun control groups.
U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) ran quickly with half-truths, parroting gun control talking points even when the facts of the tragedy didn’t align.
“You have to be 21 to buy a pistol in this country,” Rep. Kinzinger wrote on Twitter. “Can we all at least agree we should raise the age to 21 for ARs as well? Shouldn’t everyone have a background check? I think so. These are 90% issues, do it now and keep debating the rest.”
You have to be 21 to buy a pistol in this country. Can we all at least agree we should raise the age to 21 for ARs as well? Shouldn’t everyone have a background check? I think so. These are 90 percent issues, do it now and keep debating the rest.
— Adam Kinzinger (@AdamKinzinger) May 14, 2022
The sickening truth is that the alleged murderer chose to commit his crimes with this specific firearm to gain media notoriety. He allegedly wrote in his purported manifesto, “The effect it would have on social discourse, the extra media coverage they would provide, and the changes to gun laws that will be pushed will all help my case.”
He also allegedly indicated that he specifically chose to commit his terrible crimes in an area he believed his victims would be disarmed. He referenced New York’s strict gun control laws.
“Plus NY has heavy gun laws so it would ease me if I knew that any legally armed civilian was limited to 10 round magazines or cucked firearms.”
Citizens Reject Gun Control
Not every New Yorker is buying the idea of more gun control to protect them from deranged racist murderers. One Buffalo resident told Fox News, “It’s ridiculous. Something has to change. If more people were armed – and knew what they were doing with a gun – because it’s not the gun. It’s the person with the gun that don’t know how to act.”
It’s Not The Gun, It’s The Person With the Gun That Don’t Know How to Act pic.twitter.com/TPapt786cR
— Colion Noir (@MrColionNoir) May 16, 2022
Gov. Hochul and her fellow gun control politicians will likely press forward with more gun control measures. They’ll do so with the mantra of “doing something” to protect their communities.
“Hochul told reporters that she wants to expand the state’s existing ban on some assault weapons to include what are called AOWs, or any other weapon. She said some of these guns are functionally assault weapons.” https://t.co/Z4tBezIOsR
— Firearms Policy Coalition (@gunpolicy) May 16, 2022
Sadly, it is clear that gun control measures are only disarming law-abiding citizens. Their gun control laws are leaving innocent people vulnerable to the most evil in society who have no respect for the law – or life.
Larry Keane is SVP for Government and Public Affairs, Assistant Secretary and General Counsel of the National Shooting Sports Foundation.
Answer questions??? She’s ROYALTY, she don’t answer no stinkin questions!!
Yeah Hochul, why are you so ugly? Explain that!
Jacinda Arden’s cute sister…
Yes, pass laws that actually contributed to the massacre. The same laws the killer took advantage of and mocked.
Leftist Scum ™ like Hochul have zero need to explain themselves to anyone other than Leftist Scum ™ like themselves.
They only want the general public to shut the fuck up and do what they say without any backtalk or attitude.
Or else… 🙁
It’s obvious somebody on her level of stupidity could only be considered for a corrupt political spot in a screwed-up place like New York. The day cont come soon enough for purple like her to be told to either look for another place to live or pull her empty head of out her dumb ass and realize violence like mass shooting are only successful in shitholes like her’s.
Before long, the call will be to ban all semiautomatic firearms, including pistols, even those with a capacity of 10 rounds or less, as “assault weapons” for no other reason than that they can be fired and reloaded quickly. The “pause for reloading that gives people a chance to escape” (the current mantra for banning 10+ capacity mags) will disappear.
Scalia’s pronouncement in ‘Heller v DC’ about “weapons in common use” being expressly protected by the 2A throws a bucket of icewater on that campfire real quick.
IOW, that won’t even slow them down in doing it anyways, Leftist Scum ™ being what they naturally are.
Scum. 🙁
They’ll go full Australia at some point and go for bans of pump action and maybe even lever action.
That is the only measure that might have any success in making it more difficult to carry out such crimes. Other measures are either useless because a criminal can simply modify them or they are nonsensical to begin with (i.e. ‘feature’ based laws). Looking at these killers, they don’t make guns themselves. They buy them. So while I don’t support it, at least people coming out and admitting what they want are more honest than those that talk about “common sense gun reform” which means nothing.
Now, that said, it would also be much harder to carry out crimes if the police didn’t need warrants. It would be much easier to stamp out dissent if no independent news were allowed. And it might lower military costs if the army was allowed to commandeer houses for their use in peacetime.
If you can’t do something within the bounds of the Constitution (and banning semi-automatic weapons certainly falls in conflict with the 2nd Amendment), you have to change it. There is a means to do so. Some dumb governor who couldn’t even get into office without latching onto Cuomo’s coattails doesn’t get to just ignore it. Or shouldn’t.
All these clowns doing it for the notoriety. Perhaps if we start blaming the cell phone industry for putting a camera on these stupid phones, cuz its never the crazy idiot behind the controls. Why is it all these crazy events, not just shootings, always increase just prior to an election cycle?
So, does this sum it up:
“We have tight gun laws….but the guns are coming in from other states…our gun laws are not working because guns are illegally crossing our borders…we need a wall…a gun-proof wall…the guns coming from other states do not obey our laws…not only are they here illegally, but they commit crimes while they are in our state…illegal, criminal guns…we need more laws”.
gun proof wall, very good. just usurp the southern border funds. bonus as it may keep those with the vapors from leaving.
The entire incident proves once again just as in the Florida School shooting that gun laws ARE NO WHERE NEAR TOUGH ENOUGH. Record keeping also needs to improve as neither the Florida massacre or this latest one would have happened if we had more thorough and in depth background checks and more information was being fed to law enforcement and tougher gun laws would again have prevented both deranged maniacs from buying weapons across the counter.
Both maniacs would never have been able to pass the background checks of civilized countries gun control laws.
No longer concerned about the right to privacy, herr dacian? You on board with the pro life now? Howze about all those guns you claim to own? Ready to lead by example and melt them into lamps?
Jethro your reading comprehension belies your level of education (High School Dropout). No where did I ever say to ban guns but to regulate them and make sure that mentally ill people and criminals did not have easy access to them. Of course this is way over your head. Anyone in your demented eyes that promotes sane gun control is therefore trying to take your guns. This is the mentality of an ignorant man and a paranoid.
Peace be with you dacian
projection the post
Still not answering the privacy issue. As for education, herr dacian. Let’s hear your degrees.
Educational psychology from Romania. I’m pretty sure anyway.
Not kidding.
to Jethero
Privacy does not give criminals and lunatics the right to own firearms. But this is way over your head
quote————–Klaus Von Schmitto May 18, 2022 At 07:52
Educational psychology from Romania. I’m pretty sure anyway.———–quote
So now you are denigrating another countries educational system. A comment that is the hallmark of the Far Right. You are a prime example why the U.S. educational system failed you.
Privacy means that UBC’s and 4473’s are off the table. Actions are the only constitutionally allowed infringements to firearms ownership. And murder is already illegal regardless of tool you tool.
You argue like a 13yo. If you graduated high school it was not because of merit, buffoon.
jwm given his age No Child Left Behind would apply.
quote———-Privacy means that UBC’s and 4473’s are off the table. Actions are the only constitutionally allowed infringements to firearms ownership. And murder is already illegal regardless of tool you tool.———–quote
Sorry Jethro just because you are to cheap and stingy and indolent to want to go through a background check, (probably because you would never pass one anyway) is not Unconstitutional and does not prevent anyone from buying a firearm that is law abiding.
Another example of arguing like a 13yo, herr dacian. Still not addressing the issue.
Is refusing to pay a poll tax cheap and indolent? You fascist always want limits on rights.
The problem is “gun free safe zones” that allowed the massacre in the Floridia school. Stupid leftists think taping a sign to the doors “no gun safe zone” will protect them when all it does is encourage these madmen bent on mayhem reading “no one here will resist your mass murder attempt with dealy force.” . Again criminals ignore gun laws, or any other law they don’t like, and they also have many ways to get a firearm and rarely try to buy one legally avoiding any background checks. They would rather pay or intimidate some chump to buy one for them and when these people who do the straw purchases are caught they often are treated with leniency that makes taking such risks to tempting for them because of the lenient Soros installed DAs like Kim Foxx in Crook County and many other cities.
You got something right, Dacian! Anyone who misuses firearms in a crime like this should never get out of jail. Responsible firearm use is a good thing. Americans should be able to have, keep, carry, and fire any firearm they like if they do so in a safe manner. Limiting a sane individual who is not doing criminal actions is wrong, but do so and go to jail a looooooong time. Hurt someone and have a much longer stay.
Somepne PLEASE take that Hochul creature back her up against a solid wall, nd TELL HER it ain’t the WEAPON that does the assaulting iots the one HOLDING the weapon that does the assaulting. Remind her that in London and much of the rest of England the folks there cannot even walk into a department store and buy a KITCHEN KNIFE yet stabblings and slashings are far more commin in London than shootings are in New York State.
Next go find that Cory Booger guy and tell HIM that these kinds of crimes (physical harm to fellow humans) are NOT “unique to our nation” at all. Reference above kitchen knife ban in London. There is a reason they tried that, and that it does not work. He needs to read more international news.. all ver Europe, Africa, Asia, parts of SOuth America, people use “tools” to kill and/or maim others. It is never the chosen intsrument dooing the harm. It is always the one holding it.
The widespread news reports and detailed descriptioins of this crime are preciesly what this diabloilcal msfit wanted to have happen. He got his wish.
NOW… if things were to change and one in five adults went about their daily business armed and prepared to deal with this sort of action, crimes like this would fall on the downside of the “risk/reward” equation. Had John Q Public hears his rounds being fired, walked round the corner with his own concealed defensive weapon at the ready and fired on the perp, we’d not be reading about it in the papers now, would we?
Go learn about the Clackamas Towne Centre Mall shooting in Clackamas Oregon a few years back. Learn the killer’s setup and intent, then learn how many he successfully shot, and WHY he did not shoot any more.
Hard to find, wasn’t it? There is a reason…. because the talking points of these corrupt politicians would be falling on deaf ears. There is a REASON that killer failed in his stated mission. That reason was an armed and prepared citizen in the right place at the right time and doing the rigth thing. Now had HE not been there to save the day, it happens I know perosnlly another armed skilled citizen who was also there, and couldwould have done the same. Except if SHE had been there a bit sooner I’m pretty certain the perp would have gotten his own sorry self shot Dead Right There. She’s that kind of no mess around lady. But HE got there first and she ws fine with that. Killer got stopped. By whom is irrelevant.
That is a wonderfully coherent rundown of our current mess. Well time to hit the range.
Before the relatives of the victims were notified democRats and their marxist media cohorts turned to Gun Control which is the History Confirmed rotten agenda of racists and nazis.
Sneaky Gun Control zealots know they can get away with selling the residue of racists and nazis by pandering to crowds of pathetic knee jerk politically inept history illiterate useful idiots.
The victims were defenseless and they had no fighting chance whatsoever all thanks to Gun Control hochul and her ilk.
You wanted to know if NY could do worse than the disgraced nursing home elder murderer(aka Guido)? Yes. Yes it has…
Funny how the people with the greatest surges in gun violence never recognize the increase is due to THEIR policies, defund the police, no bail, release criminals from jail, don’t charge people for crimes, etc. Most of these folks need a psychiatrist badly and a brain scan. They have totally thrown ethics, morals, common sense and logic out the window. It makes you think you elected preschoolers to run the Government in these Blue States and I am a former New Yorker from Long Island now residing in Colorado which is quite a bit better but still a Blue State and getting worse for the same reasons. The Left is synonymous with Crazy.
“Most of these folks need a psychiatrist badly and a brain scan”
What the hell do you scan for? A brain? I can already tell you, they don’t have one.
“..suspect was brought in for a mental health evaluation last June after making what Gramaglia said was a generalized threat to a classmate…”
Evidently the mental health professionals need an upgrade/reform/training to spot these types. Seems as they miss quite a few for some reason.
Show me 1 law that has actually/provably prevented a criminal from committing a crime.
Prove to me how any of the currently demanded gun control measures will prevent another act of terrorism/mass murder.
It all sounds nice on paper, but never have the desired effect, other than disarming the law abiding.
Also show me how government never abuse their subjects when the government is the sole arbiter of possible violence or threat of violence.
Armor will be the boogieman in this incident, just wait. NY will almost certainly restrict or ban it.
My thoughts also. No armor for us serfs because reasons. Time to armor up.
It’s already a level III felony offence to be wearing body armor during the commission of an armed felony event, according to NY Section 270.20. Gee, it’s almost like criminals don’t pay attention to the laws. We have to make the illegal even more illegaller, – do something !!
Guess they are going to have to ban electronic garment designs, epoxy, fiberglass, nylon and kevlar sheets to prevent 80% assault vests. Sigh and here I was going to propose a kevlar tee shirt grant to help protect innocent bystander kids in Albany and Troy. And that bit of satire would probably save more lives than most of our current initiatives.
This appears to be a possible loophole in the NICS System and speculation on my part. It appears Gendron was age 17 when he threatened violence in 2021. As a minor he was not able to purchase a firearm. Therefore (possibly) he was not added to a Prohibited Persons List because he was a minor at the time of the incident. He then appeared clear to purchase a firearm at age 18 because his activity as a minor was not reported or pursued when he became age 18.
Ten people being killed in Buffalo New York is a small price to pay for keeping the law abiding population disarmed. And it doesn’t matter how many innocent people are shot to death. The government must prevent potential victims from being able to shoot back and defend themselves.
The Anti-civil rights crowd is quite comfortable having 10 black people shot dead. Because it’s better that they’re dead and not able to defend themselves by shooting back.
Or it’s better that black people not be allowed to openly carry firearms. Because it would make some white people uncomfortable. Like the proud white h0m0sexu@l California State Senate President, Tom Ammiano. Who publicly stated he liked the Mulford Act. His response to being asked to write legislation to repeal it.
And now let me make even more people uncomfortable.
The Mulford Act was co-written by a Polish immigrant. A Jewish lawyer and member of the ACLU board of directors.
The ACLU has never supported civil rights. They exist to simply cause disruptions in society. They supported the internment of Americans of Japanese descent. And every other American of German and Italian descent we were also forcibly interned during World War Two.
BINGO…Chris. “That is why our masters in Washington are so anxious to disarm us. They are not afraid of criminals. They are afraid of a populace which cannot be subdued by tyrants. ” – the late COL Jeff Cooper. Those bodies in a school, in a Walmart….and now in a Topps…..are merely conveniences for the Left to “justify” their dis-armament objective to the stupid, dumbed down Useful Idiot masses.
Politicians with laws never stop bad guys with guns.
They only control the good guys, which is their true agenda.
The only thing that doofus is missing is a big “L” on her chest…she looks and acts just like Laverne…from Larverne & Shirley…
I agree with Gov. Hochul. What we need is a law!!!! How about “Thou shalt not kill.” Ooops. “Been there, tried that.” said GOD. He even put it in writing on stone tablets so we wouldn’t forget. Maybe Man can do better, teach God a thing or two, ’bout that law thingy.
How about Murder 1? Murder 2? Manslaughter? There…ooops….nope….”Been there, tried that.” has said man since Cain killed Abel with an assault rock. Maybe laws about the act aren’t the solution. Maybe we need laws about the means. Maybe 20,000 and writing laws about the means…..those gun thingys…..especially those scary black one. Oooops….again…..NOT!!!!
The late Col Jeff Cooper commented in 1958, “Killing is a matter of will, not means. You cannot control the intent by passing laws about the means.”
Instead of “Build it Back Better”, how about “Put it back the way it was before the Johnson Administration.” You know, when families consisted of two guiding, loving parents. When kids feared God and Moms saying, “Wait til your father gets home.” When boys knew they were boys; girls knew they were girls….and weren’t confused about which bathroom to use. When kids carried shotguns/rifles in rear window gun racks in their pickups to school so they could stop off to hunt on their way home…..you know when no one cared and no one got killed by deranged young extremist kids…Right or Left. Like, you know, when in America all enjoyed the fruits of their own labor…..no labor, no fruits, no joy…….and didn’t hate others for being better at producing their own fruit……..instead of selling their votes for free shit as Government Plantation Dwellers expecting free paychecks, OBlunder phones, et el for all.
If they wanted to really fix America, seems they would be asking these “How abouts…”
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