Stay calm and don’t post stupid shit

[solarbird]

Okay, everything just got worse. How much worse depends upon what actually happened. The conspiracy theorists will declare it an assassination attempt by [insert slur of your choice] and there will be more violence as a result. They will stick to this no matter what facts come out, so that damage is done.

[ETA: Yes, I am aware the shooter’s location is now known, eliminating the following hypothesis. It was not released information at the time of original writing. The rest of the post remains valid and important.]

The least bad reasonable explanation I can think of is that it was a dispute between two rally attendees and one of them pulled a pistol to shoot it out and everyone in the world got very unlucky.

Since most people are looking in one direction – the Dear Leader – this means a high percentage of shots are going to be in that direction in this scenario.

(Something like 40%, let’s say. 40% chance of getting into an argument with someone in front of you, 40% chance someone behind you, 20% left or right, less because those are more likely to be people you came with. These are example numbers only, not real statistics, intended solely to give you the idea, do not quote as valid, etc.)

Regardless of how it turns out – and as I type right now they appear to have the body of the shooter, so identification will be forthcoming – for the time being, here’s what you do:

• stay calm, and
• DO NOT POST STUPID SHIT

Do not get your admins in trouble, do not get yourself in trouble. If you have violence fantasies of your own, keep them to your goddamn self right now, I fucking mean it.

The mods, by which I mean the FBI and the Secret Service, are not asleep.

114 days remain, and our job just got harder.

Posted via Solarbird{y|z|yz}, Collected.

Comments

[jessie_c]

Hufflepuff says that "...the shooter “fired multiple shots towards the stage from an elevated position outside of the rally venue.” The Secret Service personnel “neutralized the shooter, who is now deceased.”" Which sounds an awful lot like an assassination attempt to me.

Time will tell who it was doing the shooting.

[solarbird]

That was not public at time of writing. But yes, it certainly does.

Hate to burst your bubble, but...

[marahmarie]

The media (our media, not theirs, though maybe theirs too) says the shooter shot down into the crowd/possibly at him from a rooftop.

Re: Hate to burst your bubble, but...

[solarbird]

That was not public at time of writing.

But yes, the shooter's now-reported location makes it unquestionably not a crowd dispute. Unfortunately.

[shaddyr]

Do not get your admins in trouble, do not get yourself in trouble. If you have violence fantasies of your own, keep them to your goddamn self right now, I fucking mean it.

Louder and again, for the people who are sadly clueless.