[Josy]

A grandfather shot dead his daughter and her six children before taking his own life at a home in Bell, Florida, police have said.

The children range in age from three months to 10 years old, said Gilchrist County Sheriff Robert Schultz.

The authorities have identified the gunman as Don Charles Spirit, 51.

Schultz said a colleague responded to reports of a shooting on Thursday afternoon and on arrival made contact with Spirit before he killed himself.

Don Charles Spirit Spirit was in prison in 2006
"I haven't seen anything like this at all," said Schultz.

"This county, this community is going to be devastated from this. It is a small county, we are all family here.

"We're asking for prayers for this community and the families involved."

After Spirit took his own life, police found the other seven bodies in the house, although there were other people there who were still alive.

Spirit, who was known to police previously, was the only suspect, said Schultz.

According to the Florida Department of Corrections, the grandfather was once behind bars for a gun charge, and was released in February 2006.

Bell is a town of about 350 people located 30 miles west of Gainesville.

Multiple shootings in the US have happened in schools, colleges, military institutions, shopping malls and homes. Each time innocent victims die, but this rural community has been shaken by the multiple killing, says the BBC's Tom Esslemont in Washington.

It is likely to reopen a painful debate about gun ownership, but is unlikely to change deeply entrenched polarised views, our correspondent adds.

So sad

[Kizzy]

Wonder why them and not others in the house?... Anywhere this would be shocking, but in a community of 350 it's magnified I bet.

[Niamh.]

I heard this on the news this morning, it's just awful, how could anyone kill 6 children like that and a 10 month old baby? horrific

[Creggle]

Sick ****, glad he's dead at least.

[LukeB]

OMG

[Brother Leon]

Damn. I know this is going to create more anti gun cries, but really people like that or in that mind state will find a way regardless.

[Niamh.]

"The Orlando Sentinel reported that in 2001 a man named Don C Spirit accidentally shot and killed his eight-year-old son Kyle with a high powered rifle in a hunting accident. Florida Department of Corrections records show he was released from jail in 2006 after serving three years for firearms offences relating to that incident."

http://www.theguardian.com/world/201...ad-say-reports

[Josy]

Originally Posted by Niamh.

"The Orlando Sentinel reported that in 2001 a man named Don C Spirit accidentally shot and killed his eight-year-old son Kyle with a high powered rifle in a hunting accident. Florida Department of Corrections records show he was released from jail in 2006 after serving three years for firearms offences relating to that incident."

http://www.theguardian.com/world/201...ad-say-reports

FGS

[Z]

Say what you like but if it wasn't so easy to access guns, it wouldn't be so easy for someone unhinged to do this to 7 other people and then himself. Sure he might have found another way, but they'd have had a better chance at survival if he didn't have to just point and shoot at them.

[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by Z

Say what you like but if it wasn't so easy to access guns, it wouldn't be so easy for someone unhinged to do this to 7 other people and then himself. Sure he might have found another way, but they'd have had a better chance at survival if he didn't have to just point and shoot at them.

[Ninastar]

Originally Posted by Brother Leon

Damn. I know this is going to create more anti gun cries, but really people like that or in that mind state will find a way regardless.

exactly. if you ban guns, these thugs will find ways of getting them anyway.

so sad to hear this though... poor babies

[Z]

Originally Posted by Ninastar

exactly. if you ban guns, these thugs will find ways of getting them anyway.

so sad to hear this though... poor babies

No one's denying that, but the figures speak for themselves. The USA allows its citizens to own guns. More people die from gun crime there, accordingly, than they do in say the UK or Germany or France or Canada. People still die there from gun crime, but nowhere near as many.

[Scarlett.]

Always Florida Man.

[Marc]

Ridiculous

[Z]

Originally Posted by Chewy

Always Florida Man.

[Ninastar]

Originally Posted by Z

No one's denying that, but the figures speak for themselves. The USA allows its citizens to own guns. More people die from gun crime there, accordingly, than they do in say the UK or Germany or France or Canada. People still die there from gun crime, but nowhere near as many.

I know, but you also have to consider the sheer size of America... Yes, banning guns would prevent as many shootings, but the criminals would still find ways of getting them.

And probably another unpop opinion, but I think the police officers would need guns too. So would you ban the police members having guns too? I think that would be an even worse idea. I think it's bad enough that the police officers over here don't have guns... it's a scary though, the US police not having guns...

I;m not a guns activist at all... (yay guns!!!!!!!11) but banning them would really be completely useless.

I'm all for stricter regulations, that definitely needs to be done, but there's no way in a million years they would ever ban guns. I wish there was a way for gun crime to be completely diminished over there, but sadly I don't think there is.

[Creggle]

Originally Posted by Z

No one's denying that, but the figures speak for themselves. The USA allows its citizens to own guns. More people die from gun crime there, accordingly, than they do in say the UK or Germany or France or Canada. People still die there from gun crime, but nowhere near as many.

Thats more down to the fact USA has 50x our population tbh, if somebody wants to shoot someone they will do so regardless of where they live.

[Z]

Originally Posted by Ninastar

I know, but you also have to consider the sheer size of America... Yes, banning guns would prevent as many shootings, but the criminals would still find ways of getting them.

And probably another unpop opinion, but I think the police officers would need guns too. So would you ban the police members having guns too? I think that would be an even worse idea. I think it's bad enough that the police officers over here don't have guns... it's a scary though, the US police not having guns...

I;m not a guns activist at all... (yay guns!!!!!!!11) but banning them would really be completely useless.

I'm all for stricter regulations, that definitely needs to be done, but there's no way in a million years they would ever ban guns. I wish there was a way for gun crime to be completely diminished over there, but sadly I don't think there is.

Originally Posted by Creggle

Thats more down to the fact USA has 50x our population tbh, if somebody wants to shoot someone they will do so regardless of where they live.

China and India are the only countries in the world with larger populations than the USA and they don't have any freely available gun crime statistics that I can find - but they don't have reputations for gun crime, which I would put down to the fact that only criminals have guns which they've gotten illegally. Everyone in the USA who owns a gun is a potential criminal. That's not an accusation or meant to be condescending, it's just that if you have a gun in your home, you are equipped and prepared to shoot somebody with it. Why else would you own one? If you want to shoot someone, you're going to do it, but if you can't easily access a gun then you're not going to do it so easily. I would argue that if you make it more difficult to get a gun, it's more difficult for your average person to lose their cool and do something mental.

[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by Z

China and India are the only countries in the world with larger populations than the USA and they don't have any freely available gun crime statistics that I can find - but they don't have reputations for gun crime, which I would put down to the fact that only criminals have guns which they've gotten illegally. Everyone in the USA who owns a gun is a potential criminal. That's not an accusation or meant to be condescending, it's just that if you have a gun in your home, you are equipped and prepared to shoot somebody with it. Why else would you own one? If you want to shoot someone, you're going to do it, but if you can't easily access a gun then you're not going to do it so easily. I would argue that if you make it more difficult to get a gun, it's more difficult for your average person to lose their cool and do something mental.

Not to mention cases where kids get their hands on those guns and kill themselves or other people accidentally and having gun ranges for children, who can forget that case of the 9 year old girl shooting her instructor with an Uzi recently

[Gusto Brunt]

Such a cowardly SELFISH act. Makes my blood boil.

[Xtopher]

Florida, no wonder.

[andybigbro]

Omg.

What is wrong with some people in this world!!!

[MB.]

Because constitution

[Ninastar]

Originally Posted by Z

China and India are the only countries in the world with larger populations than the USA and they don't have any freely available gun crime statistics that I can find - but they don't have reputations for gun crime, which I would put down to the fact that only criminals have guns which they've gotten illegally. Everyone in the USA who owns a gun is a potential criminal. That's not an accusation or meant to be condescending, it's just that if you have a gun in your home, you are equipped and prepared to shoot somebody with it. Why else would you own one? If you want to shoot someone, you're going to do it, but if you can't easily access a gun then you're not going to do it so easily. I would argue that if you make it more difficult to get a gun, it's more difficult for your average person to lose their cool and do something mental.

no idea what China and India are like, but I'm pretty sure they are pretty dangerous too? No idea about what their gun crime is like, but still, it's completely different cultures.

We never owned a gun whilst we stayed in the USA, but I honestly don't blame someone for owning one. I mean, you hear of the most horrific crimes (because again, America is huge, Imagine 50 of the UK... there would be some pretty horrible crimes anywhere that size) If I was a home owner, I personally wouldn't own one, but I honestly can understand why someone would. Aside from crazy wild animals that can manage to get into homes, there's also crazy wild people. If someone broke into my house, (even here in the UK) I would fight them with whatever weapon i could find. Whether that be a table leg or a glass bottle or maybe even a kitchen knife, I would defend myself in any way that I could.

Why would a strange come into my house? I wouldn't feel sorry for a burglar or a murder who got shot/killed/stabbed or W.E in someone elses house. I know it's a little harsh, but I wouldn't. I think the main reason people have guns in their homes, is because of how dangerous it is. I know I'm stating the obvious, but it's true. Banning guns would mean that criminals would still have them, and people who need them to protect themselves wouldn't.

Besides, if you banned guns, what do you think would happen with the people who want guns? They will find something else dangerous to use. I read an article (which I cant find now... damn it) that when firearms were banned in the UK, knife crime almost doubled... Here's another chart though, i don't know when guns were banned here in the UK, but surely it was a while ago, so then why are these crimes so high, after it was banned?





Christ, all the makes me sound like I love guns, but I honestly don't. I just don't think people understand what it's like to live in such a dangerous country. I personally feel like in such a dangerous place, you have the right to defend yourself, even with a gun.

As I said though, there needs to be a hell of a lot more stricter regulations. The crime rate with guns is embarrassing over there.

[Kizzy]

The rise in gun crime is due to the rise in gang related crime I would have thought.