Pollyana

Two firefighters shot dead in upstate New York

Four firefighters were shot, two fatally, while responding to a fire in upstate New York on Monday, and investigators believe the suspect had deliberately set a trap to lure them to the scene.
The alleged assailant, who also died, apparently took aim at the firefighters as they arrived at an early morning house and vehicle fire in the Rochester-area town of Webster, Police Chief Gerald Pickering said.
Pickering said two of the firefighters who were shot died at the scene. The two injured firefighters were hospitalized in intensive care, officials said. An off-duty police officer passing by the area also sustained shrapnel wounds, Pickering said.

Words fail me

Alfresco

So very sad. Some seriously sick people in this world.

eddie007

Exactly when will the USA realize that gun ownership shouldn't be a fundamental right on which they base their own particular civilization?????

Pollyana

Part of my job is to call SES volunteers and send them out to jobs. Not that different to despatching firies to jobs. The last thing you think of when mobilising a crew is whether they will be attacked by the very people they think they are there to save.......

eddie007

Absolutely.... You don't want fireys having to have two thoughts about heading toward a fire....ambulance crews and firefighters...

And ny firefighters are a breed of hero revered by a good number of the American public....


What's the betting there will be calls to arm them in future

RedDragon2008

Be interesting to see the power of new social sites ie facebook versus traditional lobbying groups ie NRA

Political hard rock and hard plate which might see other contentious political issues played out.

What about the supply chain of ammunition? Can this be controlled?

ozzieeagle

I expect the solution from the US gun lobby will be armed firemen on all calls from now on.

It doesn't seem to have gelled with Uncle Sams Citizens how totally reckless these gunmen are and tis there way of committing suicide by causing as much mayhem and destruction as possible in most cases.... So the more firepower the merrier from the perpetrators point of view.

Japonica

Yeah, well, isn't the NRA's solution to school shootings to arm all teachers? I can see it now. Armed teachers, armed fire fighters, armed paramedics, where does it end?

From discussions I've seen online with many Americans, the idea of any kind of control or licensing is just so foreign that it's off the radar. The ones I've seen posting say that they need all the weapons and ammo they can get for when 1) when the government comes to get them and 2) after society falls apart and their neighbors come to rob their stockpiles of stuff.

eddie007

I have some very good friends who are americans.. Even after out "discussions" over firearm ownership

One is pretty high up in the USA armed forces and has his own office at the pentagon.....

He's probably the only one who doesn't have a gun at home.... And doesn't understand why anyone who isn't "at work" needs one....

cresta57

Eventually they'll all kill each other & it'll be a nice quiet place to go on holiday

eddie007

But if they all kill each other who will flip my burgers for me?

Beaverstate

315 million dead bodies will not be pleasant, quiet yes.

eddie007

Silent as the grave....



And a bit of a pongy old health hazard too I'd imagine.... Unless the Chinese came in, took over and increased man burger production.....

Amazulu

guns don't kill people, rappers do

Amazulu

soylent green is a great movie

charlton heston put his vest on