• When little kids can’t even play simple pranks in your country without being shot, your country has serious issues that desperately need addressing (but won’t because the administration is so corrupt)

    • HugeNerd@lemmy.ca
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      1 hour ago

      There are federal, state, town, and county layers of administration. They’re all corrupt. But not the parents.

    • dependencyinjection@discuss.tchncs.de
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      18 minutes ago

      Seriously. I’ll go to bed and leave the door unlocked, go for a run and leave it open so I don’t have to take keys.

      Walk home through sketchy areas in the early hours of the morning and live in Manchester a pretty large city.

      Twice in 42 years have I had someone try and attack me for no reason. Never had someone break into my house. Heck I went to work one day and left the keys on the lock outside and still nothing.

  • craigers@lemmy.world
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    1 hour ago

    Cop speak is always so frustratingly literal. They refer to the victim as “the male”. He’s 11. call him a kid and have some empathy

  • Scrungo@lemmy.ml
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    Had someone fire a gun at myself and 2 friends for doing this when we were teenagers. No vandalism, no destruction, just knocking on the door (friend happened to bang particularly fast and hard while screaming “Satan Loves You”) and hightailing it. I also live in the south, so guns a-blazin’, I guess.

    I’ve also been threatened with a gun and other acts of violence for dressing in all black and not believing in some bullshit god. Police have also been called on me for sitting in front of the mall in my trenchcoat while waiting on my ride as a teen. And I’ve had a cop train a gun on me while my friends and I were goofin’ around in their backyard.

  • Sanctus@lemmy.world
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    1 hour ago

    Even in the 2000s people would call the cops saying there was a robbery when they got dinged. We were like fucken 11 and a police helicopter came overhead it was fucken insane.

  • betanumerus@lemmy.ca
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    2 hours ago

    They have guns and the death penalty but somehow, they can’t put together that one leads to the other. It’s like the only thing that matters over there is the profit from selling the equipment.

  • RampantParanoia2365@lemmy.world
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    14 hours ago

    I’m not saying anything whatsoever would warrant this, but were the kids at least, like, throwing eggs? Knocking the mailbox over? To fire a weapon at someone for ringing your bell is just so unhinged that how could he even make it that far?

    • Sauerkraut@discuss.tchncs.de
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      I don’t care if the kid threw a brick through my window, murdering a child is completely unforgivable and there is zero justification for it.

      Imo, the only time shooting someone is even remotely justified is in the defense of someone’s life or as a very last resort when there are no other options.

    • MBech@feddit.dk
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      2 hours ago

      Simple really. Guns are treated like kids toys in the good ol’ USA, and “every single mentally deranged psychopath absolutely HAS to be allowed to own one, 'cause that’s the only way to stop fascism” - The National Rifle Association 1871-present

      • monotremata@lemmy.ca
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        2 hours ago

        Introducing the new Amazon Ring Defender–the only doorbell with a live video feed and live ammunition! Don’t like what you see happening on your doorstep? Now you don’t have to be home to defend your castle!

  • Echo Dot@feddit.uk
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    15 hours ago

    Oh but gun control laws are not needed are they America? But an old irrelevant document from 150 years ago says otherwise so clearly the matter is closed.

  • ArmchairAce1944@discuss.online
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    1 day ago

    Ding dong ditch used to be a staple of kiddie pranks… for fuck’s sake! Do none of these idiots have any real threat assessment? Or are they so desperate to shoot someone that they just wanna blast some kid and say they feared for their lives?

      • StarryPhoenix97@lemmy.world
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        Bro I used to be out doing shit on the streets at sleepovers at like 3-4 am. 11 is not the justification that you think it is.

        • HugeNerd@lemmy.ca
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          You only know that after the fact, from outside. I assure you the homeowner absolutely did not think of that at 11PM. Get real with your “who cares” nonsense.

          • SlippiHUD@lemmy.world
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            2 hours ago

            Someone rang my doorbell at 11pm, better shoot first and ask questions never.

            Noone could ever need help at 11pm.

            Also, are they just posted up in a chair with a rifle pointed at the door ready to fire when the doorbell goes off? Or did they open the door and identify the person running away before firing.

            The whole point of the prank is to run away before they can awnser the door.

      • bthest@lemmy.world
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        2 hours ago

        11 PM? So what? Is that when ‘the purge’ starts in that nasty rat hole state or what?

        • HugeNerd@lemmy.ca
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          1 hour ago

          It’s when kids, traditionally, are in bed. But you do you if 35 year olds do the ding-dong ditch in your holler, sounds like you’re a good fit.

    • sin_free_for_00_days@sopuli.xyz
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      14 hours ago

      I think they are just stupid, scared people who watch Fox 24/7 and really think bad things are happening everywhere. Or to put it more succinctly, they are little bitches.

    • Psythik@lemmy.world
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      17 hours ago

      As someone raised by conservatives, it’s #2. They fantasize about being in a scenario where they have to defend their home with a gun. It’s a core component of being a conservative.

    • Deflated0ne@lemmy.world
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      22 hours ago

      None whatsoever. They’re bloodthirsty savages. Itching for any excuse to murder someone.

      I give it 2 weeks before the shooter is being interviewed on Fox. Whinging about how he’s really the victim of some nebulous “woke mob” that drug him online for murdering a child.

    • cley_faye@lemmy.world
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      18 hours ago

      Or are they so desperate to shoot someone that they just wanna blast some kid and say they feared for their lives?

      Too many people are kept in check by fear of getting caught by the law and will turn into savage beasts at the slightest opportunity.

    • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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      Do none of these idiots have any real threat assessment?

      More that they’ve got a house full of guns, an ear full of “crime wave!!!” media, and a not insignificant amount of mental illness.

      “If someone rings my doorbell and runs away, they’re targeting my house for a burglary” is a thing lots of people unironically believe.

      Or are they so desperate to shoot someone that they just wanna blast some kid and say they feared for their lives?

      Definitely elements of that, too. But in the sense of feeling like they want to be the hero of a story they’ve heard on Talk Radio.

      A lot of these people are legit delusional.

      • prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        “If someone rings my doorbell and runs away, they’re targeting my house for a burglary” is a thing lots of people unironically believe.

        Is this really a commonly held belief? The fuck? Makes no goddamn sense whatsoever.

        • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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          It’s less a commonly held belief and more an urban myth that gets circulated via Facebook copypasta and local news elevated crime gossip.

          Makes no goddamn sense whatsoever.

          The theory is that you ring the doorbell a number of times and if nobody answers the door then the person must not be home. It is therefore safe to do a break-in and steal all the stuff. More elaborate and sinister theories entail a burglar who is exhausting their prey with sleepless anxiety, hoping to break in an assault/rape the homeowner once they’ve been burned out from sleeplessly monitoring their front door night after night.

          Slap on some fluff about this being a cartel strategy or the sign of a kidnapping ring in your area or whatever other bells and whistles you want to throw on the tale. If it’s a TikTok meme, they’ve brainwashed kids to gather information on behalf of the Chinese/Russian government. This is a prelude to an MS-13 blockwide invasion. Lizardpeople. The sky is the limit.

          Plays on mental illness like a fiddle.

      • burntbacon@discuss.tchncs.de
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        23 hours ago

        “If someone rings my doorbell and runs away, they’re targeting my house for a burglary” is a thing lots of people unironically believe.

        God help me, I’m going to lose it with the next idiot that I hear this shit from. My parents constantly regurgitate simulacrums of that line. Somehow we’ve moved on foolish grans mass spamming the emails about people putting tags on your car at the gas station to follow you home… but it’s ‘moved on’ to the insidious new middle-aged twats on facebook losing their minds about shit like kids being kidnapped from their school by secret russian/chinese/iranian/democrat black-ops teams.

    • YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.today
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      24 hours ago

      There is something ingrained in certain people I’m finding. I’m a big dude who can handle himself if need be, but I also have guns cause the state does too. Moved from a more liberal area to this purple pearl in a very red area. Had a girl over one night and heard some rustling outside the door. I put on pants and went to go check it out and she asked me why I wasn’t bringing my gun. Jackie, my sister in Christ, we are outside the downtown area of a fairly safe little tourist trap. At the absolute worst it could be is a small black bear that I just scream at. But I’m not going to jail for firing a gun near downtown(although that doesn’t tend to stop anyone else around here).

    • OboTheHobo@ttrpg.network
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      1 day ago

      Or are they so desperate to shoot someone that they just wanna blast some kid and say they feared for their lives?

      It is exactly this. These are deeply violent people who are actively seeking any reason to hide behind the excuse of self defense.

  • etherphon@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    Adults: “Kids never go outside and have fun anymore.”
    Also Adults: “If you step on my property I’ll kill you.”

    • ayyy@sh.itjust.works
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      Those are different adults saying those things. The gun nuts tend to instill irrational fear in their kids that they should never leave the house unless they are prepared for life-and-death warfare. It’s a sad cycle of paranoid abuse :(

  • LousyCornMuffins@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    i mean i’ve seen signs in austin, on the same lawn, that say “we don’t call the police” with a picture of a gun and “ring my door and i’ll shoot”

    lovely, warm neighborhood…

    • ArmchairAce1944@discuss.online
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      So doesn’t that person have any deliveries or visitors or anything? Imagine ordering a pizza and then being shocked when some anxious guy (anxious because they got tons of deliveries to make on a deadline or be fired) shows up?

      • ShaggySnacks@lemmy.myserv.one
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        1 hour ago

        I have one of those shootin’ people signs on my lawn. One time, I ordered a pizza. When the pizza delivery person showed up, they were acting mighty shady. So I shot them. That bastard may have been trying to case my place. When the beautiful boys in blue showed up. I showed them my badge and all was good.

        • Some person I made up for this post
  • Fredselfish@lemmy.world
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    I used to knock doors back in the 1990s raising money for Jump Rope for Heart. Not once did I have to worry about being shot. And that was in Texas! Also in 1999 I was a door to door sales man for Orange Solve. Again never had an issue For fuck sakes my grandfather sold life insurance door to door. We used to have door sales man and not mention religious people who would go door to door. Not once did you hear stories like this.

    I blame fox news. They have made these people so fucking scared. Life was more dangerous back in the 70’s-80’s for a kid.

    Guess that’s what they want to go back to. I hope this man gets life in prison. Goddammit I am sick tired of these fucks ruining and destroying our world. Fucking piss baby.

    • Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      3 hours ago

      This is different from just ringing doorbells. The article doesn’t say it and glosses over the fact that this kid was doing it for TikTok. The fuckin stupid ass TiKtOk ChaLLeNgE is to go up and kick the shit out the door as loud as you can, then run away after terrifying whoever is inside.

      It’s no excuse to shoot, but it’s not a simple “kid rang the doorbell”

      • bthest@lemmy.world
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        1 hour ago

        You might have a point if TikTok was a sex trafficking drug cartel or something. Otherwise it’s completely irrelevant bit of info. As if kids weren’t doing stupid shit like this before.

    • ChickenLadyLovesLife@lemmy.world
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      10 hours ago

      I canvassed door-to-door in Ohio in the mid-80s for a public interest org and I also never feared for my life. Although one time I had knocked on one door and was actually leaving the property when the homeowner opened his door and let his doberman out. This thing barked at me and seemed to be trying to bite me but I was able to keep my clipboard in front of his head. Anybody trying to defend themselves from a dog should try using a clipboard.

      However, I’m white. I had a friend from Sri Lanka who was working the same job and his experience was a bit different. One time he was walking down a road and heard a noise behind him, turned around and saw a car approaching him with a guy sticking out of the passenger window holding a baseball bat.

      • Fredselfish@lemmy.world
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        3 hours ago

        Holy shit that crazy. When I did door to door always had an uneventful experience. Even when I canvas here in Oklahoma it was meh. Guess other benefit ot being white.

      • Fredselfish@lemmy.world
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        That’s scary and so fucking crazy. We can’t fix these people. We need to one cut off Fox News and any right wing media, then we need to pump billions into education.

        We also need to lock all these people up in institutions until we can deprogram them.

    • ArmchairAce1944@discuss.online
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      In Louisiana in the early 90s a Japanese foreign exchange student was shot during a Halloween party when he accidentally knocked on the wrong house in costume. When he walked away, the home owner came out with a revolver and yelled ‘freeze’. He didn’t understand what that meant since his English was poor and he walked towards them and was then shot. He probably also thought that he DID go to the right house and as it was Halloween it was probably a gag.

      The home owner was acquitted, but it caused an international incident.

      • DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works
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        My mother told me about an incident where a ethnic Chinese man (or woman? can’t remember what I heard) in the US was going through the trash looking for those bottles/cans that you can sell for money (you know those that says 5 cent / 10 cent if recycled?), so there was a kid in the house who their parents left alone at home armed with a fucking gun and he started shouting at the man to leave, but he didn’t understand English, so the kid shot and killed the man, claiming to “feel threatened”. The shooter being a kid means there were no charges.

        That conversation basically set the atmosphere (as in, the mental picture that I have) of what America was like. Its probably one of the reasons why I (as someone who is also ethnically Chinese) have this self-imposed restriction of never going to a republican area or any racially homogenous areas (particularly those all white suburbs / rural places)

        I never looked it up, but let me know if you found an article that matchs what I was told.

    • Phoenixz@lemmy.ca
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      I hope they’ll lock up all of fox news, oann, etc as well as these lying fucks are the reason for people’s minds being so fucked up

    • ChickenLadyLovesLife@lemmy.world
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      10 hours ago

      On NextDoor somebody posted a link to this story and the comments were all “see? Kids shouldn’t be ringing doorbells and running away like this.” Maybe the real lesson is “don’t shoot kids in the fucking back”?

    • Zombiepirate@lemmy.world
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      The only way to stop a bad kid from ringing doorbells is a good guy with a gun.

      That kid was no angel.

      I’m sure I missed some right-wing thought-stopping platitudes, I may be back later with more wisdom.

    • redsand@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      The running away part adds a bonus felony in Texas in addition to the reckless discharge and I’m guessing murder II maybe negligent homicide.