I’m still having a real problem after watching the murderer’s video. The one he took himself. It’s haunting me, and every ounce of me wishes that at some point in that video, we saw someone step in with a firearm of their own and take this guy out. The video proves there was plenty of time for someone –anyone– to act.
I’m not here to debate gun control or mental illness. It’s apparent to me that someone who does something such as this is mentally ill. Or pure evil. Likely a combination of both.
The thing is, after reading about this man’s past, nothing was going to stop him from his attempt at gunning down innocent lives. This is a person who will fail at all attempts to reason with him. His state of mind, for years, was not right.
People like him are out there. They’re going to do damage, even with ten million gun laws on the books. This particular man waited a full two weeks before he could pick up his handgun that he had purchased. The wait didn’t help, and neither did the background check.
The truth is, pure evil exists. This man was just that. Not only did he wait for the right time to strike so that it was captured live on TV, he took it to a whole new level by recording it from his perspective. The sick, twisted and determined nature of this will show anyone how insane he really was. Did I mention determined? This act was not an overnight decision. It was carefully orchestrated for maximum exposure and shock value.
What if he had been denied the firearm at the gun store? The next logical step for a determined individual is to buy one illegally, or to steal one. If that fails, what’s the next step? What if he were to improvise a bomb and use that instead of the Glock he chose?
My point is, nothing would stop him from his attempt at destruction.
I don’t want people to walk around in a paranoid state their entire lives, I want people to be prepared. Sure, we live in tough times, but the odds are in your favor when it comes to being a victim of a similar crime such as this. But it does happen. It did happen. Why not have some tools available to give the intended targets a legitimate chance at fighting back?
