# Mandalay Bay (Las Vegas) shooting **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 2, 2017, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mandalay-bay-las-vegas-shooting/797797 "2017-10-02T07:41:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 16
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2017, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mandalay-bay-las-vegas-shooting/797797/301 "2017-10-04T00:36:21Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > I won’t be surprised if there’s a Boston connection; AFAIK a Boston news channel was the first to air pics of the guns. Access to a closed crime scene like a hotel room would be tightly controlled. They will find out. It’s just dumb. I didn’t need to see a picture of the shooter with a hole in his head. ---
**Author:** ![WreckingCrew](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wreckingcrew/32/4080_2.png) [@WreckingCrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WreckingCrew)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2017, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mandalay-bay-las-vegas-shooting/797797/302 "2017-10-04T01:03:50Z")
That reporter works in Boston now, but just moved there last year from Las Vegas. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2017, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mandalay-bay-las-vegas-shooting/797797/303 "2017-10-04T01:19:44Z")
A news report claimed the shooter had installed cameras outside his door to better tell when police were closing in. I think we can finally say that this guy had a detailed and excellent (which I hate to say) plan. Apart from an unknown motive, this guy is pure evil. Like father, like son. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2017, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mandalay-bay-las-vegas-shooting/797797/304 "2017-10-04T01:40:01Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Apart from an unknown motive, this guy is pure evil. Like father, like son. He did have a brother, who seems to have missed out on the PE allele. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2017, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mandalay-bay-las-vegas-shooting/797797/305 "2017-10-04T01:41:30Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > He did have a brother, who seems to have missed out on the PE allele. So far. He might be the family slacker. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2017, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mandalay-bay-las-vegas-shooting/797797/306 "2017-10-04T01:45:40Z")
News tonight said he showed up at the hotel with ten suitcases. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2017, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mandalay-bay-las-vegas-shooting/797797/307 "2017-10-04T02:04:10Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > He did have a brother, who seems to have missed out on the PE allele. Just to expand a bit: Terrorist=murder+personal agenda This guy (thus far released by authorities) had no agenda and basically killed for fun. Gun control wouldn’t have stopped him. Harsh sentences wouldn’t have stopped him. As human beings, there is literally no way this type of killer can be deterred. There is no evidence trail nor series of grudges to help us understand. There is no discernible sense for what this guy did. What does that leave us? ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2017, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mandalay-bay-las-vegas-shooting/797797/308 "2017-10-04T02:12:20Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Optimism. What if he understocked and ran out before the police reached him. Or caution–what if one or more guns jammed? What if it got too hot from continuous firing? Better to have them and not need them than to need them and not have them. > [@Loach](#): > > Reloading takes more time than picking up another loaded weapon especially if he had drum magazines like I suspect he did. Or maybe it’s just that he had all these guns and he wanted to use them all. When it’s possible to know the plans of these types of mass shooters they often have fantasies of taking out all the cops that come to get them. In their mind they are John Wick taking out bad guy after bad guy and grabbing new guns one right after another. When reality feels much different they end it. I see, but \*\*23 \*\*guns? All the ‘benefits’ that come with multiple guns (let one cool down while the other heats up, spares in case of jamming/malfunction) could be had with just 5-6 guns. 23 guns is heavy, and each additional gun just means greater potential for getting caught/suspicion - and also means needing many different types of ammo. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2017, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mandalay-bay-las-vegas-shooting/797797/309 "2017-10-04T02:26:52Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > I see, but \*\*23 \*\*guns? All the ‘benefits’ that come with multiple guns (let one cool down while the other heats up, spares in case of jamming/malfunction) could be had with just 5-6 guns. 23 guns is heavy, and each additional gun just means greater potential for getting caught/suspicion - and also means needing many different types of ammo. It’s possible to have many guns that all use the same type of ammo. In this guys case, it sounds like he had 23 guns and only two ammo types. As for getting caught, what exactly was he going to get caught doing? Until he broke the window, he hadn’t violated any laws I’m aware of. Bringing 23 guns with you on a road trip to Vegas is … interesting, but it is not, to my knowledge, illegal in Nevada. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2017, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mandalay-bay-las-vegas-shooting/797797/310 "2017-10-04T02:29:56Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > It’s possible to have many guns that all use the same type of ammo. In this guys case, it sounds like he had 23 guns and only two ammo types. > > As for getting caught, what exactly was he going to get caught doing? Until he broke the window, he hadn’t violated any laws I’m aware of. Bringing 23 guns with you on a road trip to Vegas is … interesting, but it is not, to my knowledge, illegal in Nevada. It might be illegal to have guns in MB without permission. Private property owners can ban firearms on their property, iiuc. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2017, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mandalay-bay-las-vegas-shooting/797797/311 "2017-10-04T02:36:31Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Just to expand a bit: > > Terrorist=murder+personal agenda > > This guy (thus far released by authorities) had no agenda and basically killed for fun. Wow; how much evidence have they divulged about possible motives, that you feel comfortable typing this sentence (even with the disclaimer)? ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2017, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mandalay-bay-las-vegas-shooting/797797/312 "2017-10-04T02:45:30Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > He did have a brother, who seems to have missed out on the PE allele. [Four brother in total, apparently](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/10/03/new-details-emerge-about-las-vegas-shooter-stephen-paddock-and-girlfriend-marilou-danley/?utm_term=.9b2b228b9a3f). From that article the shooter was the eldest and estranged from brothers #2 and #3, only dealing( mostly at a distance )with #4. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2017, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mandalay-bay-las-vegas-shooting/797797/313 "2017-10-04T02:47:48Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > I see, but \*\*23 \*\*guns? All the ‘benefits’ that come with multiple guns (let one cool down while the other heats up, spares in case of jamming/malfunction) could be had with just 5-6 guns. 23 guns is heavy, and each additional gun just means greater potential for getting caught/suspicion - and also means needing many different types of ammo. Using a bump fire device uses up a magazine very quickly. The targets will spread out quickly so getting as many rounds off early would be important to him. The quickest way would be with no magazine changes. Or his John Wick fantasy that was playing in his head showed him using gun after gun. Or he just had a lot of guns and wanted to use as many as he could in his last act. To me someone planning mass murder going a little overboard with the amount of guns doesn’t seem too unusual. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2017, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mandalay-bay-las-vegas-shooting/797797/314 "2017-10-04T02:51:16Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > To me someone planning mass murder going a little overboard with the amount of guns doesn’t seem too unusual. I think this is a good point. I mean: why would you expect that something a crazy person did should make sense to anyone but the crazy person? They’re _crazy_. That’s what crazy _means_: they don’t make sense. ETA: Forgot to mention: > [@Loach](#): > > Access to a closed crime scene like a hotel room would be tightly controlled. They will find out. It’s just dumb. I didn’t need to see a picture of the shooter with a hole in his head. I think it’s far more likely that someone with authorization to be in the room took the pictures and then gave them to someone they knew who gave them to the press (or they stupidly leaked them directly to the press themselves). ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2017, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mandalay-bay-las-vegas-shooting/797797/315 "2017-10-04T02:52:23Z")
[Reports cite](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2017/10/03/investigators-hunting-down-motive-behind-las-vegas-shooting-rampage/726320001/) officials reporting 12 of his weapons were outfitted with bump stocks. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2017, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mandalay-bay-las-vegas-shooting/797797/316 "2017-10-04T03:03:58Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Wow; how much evidence have they divulged about possible motives, that you feel comfortable typing this sentence (even with the disclaimer)? Because some family or friend would have come forward. And, as we have seen, law enforcement leaks. I feel very comfortable making the statement. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2017, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mandalay-bay-las-vegas-shooting/797797/317 "2017-10-04T03:06:23Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > I think this is a good point. I mean: why would you expect that something a crazy person did should make sense to anyone but the crazy person? They’re _crazy_. That’s what crazy _means_: they don’t make sense. > > ETA: Forgot to mention:I think it’s far more likely that someone with authorization to be in the room took the pictures and then gave them to someone they knew who gave them to the press (or they stupidly leaked them directly to the press themselves). I seriously doubt he was crazy; whatever that means. His planning and execution was precise and coldly effective. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2017, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mandalay-bay-las-vegas-shooting/797797/318 "2017-10-04T03:12:28Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > I seriously doubt he was crazy; whatever that means. His planning and execution was precise and coldly effective. This. Evil and sane are not contradictory in the least; plenty of evil deeds are very sane and rational. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2017, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mandalay-bay-las-vegas-shooting/797797/319 "2017-10-04T03:20:02Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Because some family or friend would have come forward. And, as we have seen, law enforcement leaks. > > I feel very comfortable making the statement. You know nothing about this man and nothing about his friends and family. So the fact that you have no information has somehow led you to conclusions? :rolleyes: There’s no sin or shame in simply waiting for information before one draws conclusions; it’s okay for that to be the narrative. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2017, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mandalay-bay-las-vegas-shooting/797797/320 "2017-10-04T03:21:11Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > I seriously doubt he was crazy; whatever that means. His planning and execution was precise and coldly effective. > [@Velocity](#): > > This. > Evil and sane are not contradictory in the least; plenty of evil deeds are very sane and rational. I’m gonna guess that y’all have no first hand experience with crazy people. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mandalay-bay-las-vegas-shooting/797797.md?page=15) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mandalay-bay-las-vegas-shooting/797797.md?page=17)