# Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords shot in the head? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 8, 2011, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congresswoman-gabrielle-giffords-shot-in-the-head/566904 "2011-01-08T18:36:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2011, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congresswoman-gabrielle-giffords-shot-in-the-head/566904/241 "2011-01-09T02:32:05Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > It would be remarkably strange for a psychotic like this to have an accomplice. Agreed. I must admit that I’m fascinated by the 2nd gunmen rumors, but my gut tells me that they won’t amount to anything. ---
**Author:** ![DxZero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@DxZero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DxZero)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2011, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congresswoman-gabrielle-giffords-shot-in-the-head/566904/242 "2011-01-09T02:32:54Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > It would be remarkably strange for a psychotic like this to have an accomplice. Maybe someone who supplied him with the gun. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2011, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congresswoman-gabrielle-giffords-shot-in-the-head/566904/243 "2011-01-09T02:33:40Z")
A second suspect doesn’t have to mean a second shooter, and it sounds like they don’t think anyone else was shooting. The NYT says police are looking for someone else who “may have helped” Loughner. That could mean helping him get the gun or who knows what else. ---
**Author:** ![lel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8797f3/32.png) [@lel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lel)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2011, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congresswoman-gabrielle-giffords-shot-in-the-head/566904/244 "2011-01-09T02:47:42Z")
> [@DxZero](#): > > Maybe someone who supplied him with the gun. It’s Arizona. He probably just went and bought a gun, I would imagine. ---
**Author:** ![ReticulatingSplines](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@ReticulatingSplines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReticulatingSplines)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2011, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congresswoman-gabrielle-giffords-shot-in-the-head/566904/245 "2011-01-09T02:50:23Z")
Initially when I heard about this, my faith in humanity dropped once again. But now that I think about it, I’m actually comforted a little - bystanders chased the guy down while he was holding a gun? How courageous is that? The other day here in DC someone got beaten in the Metro station and everybody just stood and watched, or filmed it on their cell phones. Nobody even hit the emergency button or alerted the manager. So try not to get shot in DC. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2011, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congresswoman-gabrielle-giffords-shot-in-the-head/566904/246 "2011-01-09T03:20:03Z")
> [@Baal\_Houtham](#): > > A lot more laid back than most nuts. > > Seems to believe that cryptic words games should be enough to open the eyes of the sheep. > > The only real ideology I saw was that he wouldn’t accept currency not backed by gold and silver. He is also upset about immigrants of the non-English speaking variety. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2011, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congresswoman-gabrielle-giffords-shot-in-the-head/566904/247 "2011-01-09T03:41:10Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > A second suspect doesn’t have to mean a second shooter, and it sounds like they don’t think anyone else was shooting. The NYT says police are looking for someone else who “may have helped” Loughner. That could mean helping him get the gun or who knows what else. BBC is saying something about someone “may have accompanied the gunman to the site.” Could be just some poor shlub who gave the jerk a ride to the grocery store without knowing what would happen. I’d disappear too! ---
**Author:** ![fuzzypickles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9d8465/32.png) [@fuzzypickles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fuzzypickles)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2011, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congresswoman-gabrielle-giffords-shot-in-the-head/566904/248 "2011-01-09T03:59:59Z")
The scariest thing about Jared Lee’s videos is that they don’t sound psychotic at all – loopy & strange, definitely, but not on the verge of going postal like so many others. You never know…you never know. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2011, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congresswoman-gabrielle-giffords-shot-in-the-head/566904/249 "2011-01-09T04:17:04Z")
> [@DxZero](#): > > I had a friend when I was younger who used to make similarly crazy statements based on this kind of “logic”. Things like “I am a mammal. Elephants are mammals. Therefore I am an elephant.\*” (Incredibly pedantic aside - [Fallacy of the undistributed middle](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallacy_of_the_undistributed_middle), if anyone’s interested) ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2011, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congresswoman-gabrielle-giffords-shot-in-the-head/566904/250 "2011-01-09T04:27:51Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > Whatever this thread might be, it is not a debate. I’m going to try for MPSIMS, first. > > [/Modding] I merged it into the existing thread, rather than close one of them or have multiple threads. This means there are a couple of discussions happening simultaneously. Hope it’s not too confusing. **twickster** , MPSIMS moderator ---
**Author:** ![DxZero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@DxZero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DxZero)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2011, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congresswoman-gabrielle-giffords-shot-in-the-head/566904/251 "2011-01-09T04:47:27Z")
> [@pravnik](#): > > (Incredibly pedantic aside - [Fallacy of the undistributed middle](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallacy_of_the_undistributed_middle), if anyone’s interested) Yep yep. that’s the what I was going for. Just forgot the terminology. Thats what I saw in my friend and thats what I see with these Youtube videos. Someone attempting to make a step by step argument for something but connecting things and ideas haphazardly. I guess with a schizophrenic patient it might be somewhat related to [Derailment.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loss_of_goal) ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Love](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Dr.Love](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Love)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2011, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congresswoman-gabrielle-giffords-shot-in-the-head/566904/252 "2011-01-09T04:47:29Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > He is also upset about immigrants of the non-English speaking variety. I don’t know if that’s what has him upset. E.g., > [@](#): > > You don’t allow the government to control your grammar structure, listener? > > … > > The government is implying mind control and brainwash on the people by controlling grammar ISTM that he is accusing the government of controlling people’s thoughts by controlling the engligh language, a la 1984. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2011, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congresswoman-gabrielle-giffords-shot-in-the-head/566904/253 "2011-01-09T04:51:55Z")
> [@tnetennba](#): > > Yeah, killing politicians isn’t political. Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn’t. One downside to the job is that you attract the ire of political enemies; **another** is that you attract the attention of apolitical whackaloons. ---
**Author:** ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2011, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congresswoman-gabrielle-giffords-shot-in-the-head/566904/254 "2011-01-09T05:33:06Z")
The Washington Post identified the dead child as Christina Taylor Green, born September 11, 2001. That’s a little freaky. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2011, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congresswoman-gabrielle-giffords-shot-in-the-head/566904/255 "2011-01-09T06:03:04Z")
> [@chizzuk](#): > > The Washington Post identified the dead child as Christina Taylor Green, born September 11, 2001. > > That’s a little freaky. A _little_ freaky? ---
**Author:** ![Lantern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d26b3c/32.png) [@Lantern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2011, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congresswoman-gabrielle-giffords-shot-in-the-head/566904/256 "2011-01-09T06:03:12Z")
This must be the first political shooting in the US in the age of Youtube/Twitter/Wikipedia and it’s impressive how quickly the Internet pulled out relevant information about the incident, from the crazy video and Loughner’s picture to news stories about death threads made to Judge John Roll. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2011, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congresswoman-gabrielle-giffords-shot-in-the-head/566904/257 "2011-01-09T07:02:43Z")
> [@godix](#): > > \ Almost no one will view the asshole who shot Giffords as a hero. I must respectfully disagree; I think there will be many extremists who will consider Loughner a hero (for the record, I’m not one of them - I think he did a terrible thing). ---
**Author:** ![Lantern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d26b3c/32.png) [@Lantern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2011, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congresswoman-gabrielle-giffords-shot-in-the-head/566904/258 "2011-01-09T07:19:49Z")
Do we know whether the primary target of the shooting was Giffords or Judge Roll? For example this NYTimes [report](http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/us/politics/09giffords.html?hp)seems to suggest that Roll was the first person who was shot: > [@](#): > > Ms. Giffords had been talking to a couple about Medicare and reimbursements, and Judge Roll had just walked up to her and shouted “Hi,” when the gunman, wearing sunglasses and perhaps a hood of some sort, approached and shot the judge, Mr. Kimble said. “Everyone hit the ground,” he said. “It was so shocking.” ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2011, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congresswoman-gabrielle-giffords-shot-in-the-head/566904/259 "2011-01-09T07:20:59Z")
I think the police have said they believe Giffords was the primary target. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2011, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congresswoman-gabrielle-giffords-shot-in-the-head/566904/260 "2011-01-09T08:02:13Z")
> [@Lantern](#): > > Do we know whether the primary target of the shooting was Giffords or Judge Roll? Well, you know reliable early reports are, but I read somewhere earlier that Judge Roll had at the store doing some shopping and upon leaving came over to say hello to Rep. Giffords, so it doesn’t sound at this point like he was a scheduled attendee. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congresswoman-gabrielle-giffords-shot-in-the-head/566904.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congresswoman-gabrielle-giffords-shot-in-the-head/566904.md?page=14)