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Breaking news: Shots fired on Capitol Hill

I know this thread is going to get moved to the Politics & Current Affairs board because of the direction it's going--and I can't post there. :( So I'm going to leave with this thought: From the latest I've heard, it could've been much worse. Sending good thoughts to any/all whose lives were threatened, including the child in the suspect's car.
 
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From what i see and hearing i think this lady was pointing out something . Look at what happen she rolled up to a site that officers was on duty working . Now who in America works a shift of work for free when its announced that a government shut down . So why was capital police working . See to much under the table things going on . But this lady gave her life and gave up her child i think the republican party needs to get it together and join hands with democrats and get the ball on the court cause they missing out on the three point shots or maybe half court shots . O i forget we can't jump .
 
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From what i see and hearing i think this lady was pointing out something . Look at what happen she rolled up to a site that officers was on duty working . Now who in America works a shift of work for free when its announced that a government shut down . So why was capital police working . See to much under the table things going on . But this lady gave her life and gave up her child i think the republican party needs to get it together and join hands with democrats and get the ball on the court cause they missing out on the three point shots or maybe half court shots . O i forget we can't jump .

There are certain government jobs which are not affected by shut downs. Imagine if airport security and TSA agency gets a to slack.
 
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Now the driver of a car is announced dead. The good question would be WHY? She was not armed. She did something stupid which looks to me like some kind nervous break down. She also had a 1 year old in car. For what she did she did not deserve a bullet.

Normally I would agree, but any time you nearly strike a police officer with your car they are likely to open fire. Especially that close to the White House and Capitol, and with what happened at the Navy Yard recently. From the video I saw, the police seemed to give her every chance to surrender. They had her stopped at one point and she rammed a police car and sped away. I think she really left them no choice. It's very sad that she didn't survive, but they don't train police to shoot to wound. Unfortunate that they didn't taser her when they were that close, but I think they were surprised she was able to get away from that.
 
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any time you nearly strike a police officer with your car they are likely to open fire .. They had her stopped at one point and she rammed a police car and sped away. I think she really left them no choice

From a UK perspective - where our police don't have generally carry guns but still manage to stop people who try to drive off - if the woman was unarmed (sadly, not an assumption you can so easily make in the US), they had plenty of choice, for example having police cars box in the suspect's car then bring it to a halt or have police ahead of the suspect's car lay tyre shredders on the road.
 
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The UK perspective is different though, not least because the public also don't carry guns. So the presumptions of all concerned are different.

A piece of advice I was given before the first time I visited the States was that if a cop pulled me over I should just sit in the car with my hands clearly visible and wait for them to approach me. If I did the normal British thing and tried to get out of the car and walk over to them to ask what the problem was they might assume I was armed and hostile, and such misunderstandings could be fatal. That's not suggesting that the cops are trigger-happy, but that a scenario which is essentially unheard of in the UK is a real risk that the US police officer must consider.

So I'm cautious about judging these things without full information about the situation and what was known to the officers on the scene. I would be much quicker to criticize the same outcome in the UK because there would be much less likelihood of a risk to the officers concerned (speeding vehicles are always a risk to the public, but that's a different discussion).
 
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The UK perspective is different though, not least because the public also don't carry guns. So the presumptions of all concerned are different

Absolutely - as I also said.

So I'm cautious about judging these things without full information about the situation and what was known to the officers on the scene. I would be much quicker to criticize the same outcome in the UK because there would be much less likelihood of a risk to the officers concerned (speeding vehicles are always a risk to the public, but that's a different discussion).

No question - I was merely pointing out that in less gun-happy locations, killing isn't the go-to solution. And I was inferring that this is a good thing ;)
 
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From what i see and hearing i think this lady was pointing out something . Look at what happen she rolled up to a site that officers was on duty working . Now who in America works a shift of work for free when its announced that a government shut down . So why was capital police working . See to much under the table things going on . But this lady gave her life and gave up her child i think the republican party needs to get it together and join hands with democrats and get the ball on the court cause they missing out on the three point shots or maybe half court shots . O i forget we can't jump .

You really need to get your facts straight.

1. They are not working for free. In fact, most of the government is functioning no differently at all. 1.3million+ government workers are not affected at all by the "shutdown". Around 800,000 were put on forced vacation that they will receive back pay for.

2. The Dems are the ones that need to get it together. Republicans have tried to negotiate, they have tried to pass bills to end the "shutdown. Reid and Obama have both said they will not negotiate on anything. It is their way 100% or nothing, that is not how compromises are reached. That is not how government works.

3. If the "shutdown" lasts more than a couple weeks I will stop receiving my disability check from the VA because Reid immediately shot down a bill to continue funding the VA. That being said, I hope that the Republicans don't cave and give in and destroy America and our entire healthcare system by funding Obamacare. But, it doesn't matter, nothing will get done at all until the Dems are willing to try to fix something.
 
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There is nothing to negotiate. The law was passed. It was upheld by a conservative Supreme Court. There was a national election almost completely based on your candidate and party promising to repeal the law. You lost. Get over it. I'm reminded of a whiny sore loser that flips up the game board and smashes the pieces when when they lose the game.
 
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Normally I would agree, but any time you nearly strike a police officer with your car they are likely to open fire. Especially that close to the White House and Capitol, and with what happened at the Navy Yard recently. From the video I saw, the police seemed to give her every chance to surrender. They had her stopped at one point and she rammed a police car and sped away. I think she really left them no choice. It's very sad that she didn't survive, but they don't train police to shoot to wound. Unfortunate that they didn't taser her when they were that close, but I think they were surprised she was able to get away from that.


Unfortunately US cops are not being trained to anything. Any police brutality includes senseless beating of someone. All the videos that I've seen, none of the cops know boxing or any variation of wrestling. Not to mention that most of them are at least 240lbs. They have no ideas how to disable people without point a gun at them or spraying a paper spray.

Someone already mentioned it. There are plenty of ways to stop the car. Shooting tires would be one of simpliest way. Shooting her was not necessary at all.
 
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Bullets actually have a tremendously low potential to blow moving tires. The tires rotation makes it very hard.

Why Didn't Police Shoot Out Miriam Carey's Tires - Business Insider
Shooting out tires - The Firing Line Forums

Yes, the latter's not a scholarly source, but I can't find the one I read up on three years back. Engine blocks are thick, heavy steel or aluminium, depending on your car.

Shooting Through the Engine Block of a Car - CT Gunsite Event | The Truth About Guns

This V8 blocked a lot of fire. Bullet penetration from small guns may be low-to-nonexistant.
 
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Bullets actually have a tremendously low potential to blow moving tires. The tires rotation makes it very hard.

Why Didn't Police Shoot Out Miriam Carey's Tires - Business Insider
Shooting out tires - The Firing Line Forums

Yes, the latter's not a scholarly source, but I can't find the one I read up on three years back. Engine blocks are thick, heavy steel or aluminium, depending on your car.

Shooting Through the Engine Block of a Car - CT Gunsite Event | The Truth About Guns

This V8 blocked a lot of fire. Bullet penetration from small guns may be low-to-nonexistant.


its a white house. I really think they got more than 9mm guns there. Shooting driver is the easiest and most effective solution.

They could have shot down last Boston bomber, but they didn't. There are ways to stop car without killing driver, but noone bothered.

Watch people start another racial profiling case again.
 
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