Add seven more, but this time the would-be Billy the Kid was among the dead.
To be fair, though there seemed no need for the group to rush to defend itself. After all, the NRA is the most successful lobby group ever and no doubt gets its word in soon enough, there was no immediate word from the gun rights’ group.
But even if there was no NRA the collective loss of memory the nation suffers every time there is a massacre would take care of it.
The San Diego Independent reported it brought "echoes of David Attias." Perhaps the university town should become a studio production lot.
The video game industry will also claim, again, that the violent games do not create violence.
One of the fathers of one of six victims killed in Isla Vista, adjacent to Santa Barbara, wasted no time Salon.
In fact, the killing has become so commonplace, their families have learned to “self identify,” as Salon called it, not waiting for police who are faster to kill than identify.
Richard Martinez said his 20-year-old son, Chris, was shot dead in a deli where he headed to buy a sandwich. His death was shown on the above surveillance cam video. “Why did Chris die? Chris died because of craven, irresponsible politicians and the NRA. They talk about gun rights, what about Chris’ right to live? When will this insanity stop?” said Richard Martinez.
The Daily Beast put it this way: “Here, in the good ole US of A, we’ve allowed a group of rich, entitled thugs who run an operation fronting for arms dealers—guys who represent a minority position on pretty much every issue having to do with reasonable regulation of firearms CNN Justice —to dictate our policies to cowardly, careerist politicians.
Because Hollywood was involved this time, there were even bigger promises to bring the violence under control. The father of shooter Elliot Rodger, that would be Peter Rodger, one of the directors of “The Hunger Games,” vowed to battle until he died to expand mental health care in America.
In the incident Friday, three of the six people murdered were stabbed to death, as promised they would be in Elliot Rodger’s script, a 137-page script/manifesto.
“My clients’ mission in life will be to try and prevent any such tragedies from ever happening again. This country, this world needs to address mental illness and the ramifications from not recognizing these illnesses,” said Elliott's father's lawyer.
It also become clear from the start that the younger Rodgers had actually received the best mental health available, far better than is available to most Americans.
As for film directors and Isla Vista, the Washington Post reported it was the second time the son of one of Hollywood's movie makers had committed mass murder in the university town. "This is not the first mass killing in Isla Vista: In 2001, David Attias, the son of a film director, ran over five people in a car, killing four of them. He was convicted of second-degree murder, then ruled insane and sentenced to a mental hospital."
Again, it was also clear that police had been warned this time, but cleared the younger Rodgers of being a threat. While a black likely would be thrown in jail for carrying a small stash of weed Elliot went free.
Police interviewed, finding him, a "perfectly polite, kind and wonderful human.”
It appeared Elliot had given plenty of warning that he was a loose hand gun. Just as in the Aurora “Batman” shootings, doctors had warned cops. The psychiatrist treating him had even suggested he be arrested. He was not, and the death toll in Aurora was higher, 12 killed and 70 wounded.
In Isla Vista, 13 were injured or wounded, including bicylists mowed down by the killer's BMW.
Law enforcement again congratulated itself, again, on its quick response, preventing more deaths. They learned their hubris from a nation that boasted of "The Power of Pride" after the 911 terrorist attacks.
Investigators said the multiple guns and hundreds of rounds of ammo were all purchased legally, which the NRA likely will say shows that gun control laws do not work.
The gun rights group, which has had perhaps the most successful lobbying record of any in the nation, also probably will try to obfuscate the questions by arguing over whether weapons were automatic or semi-automatic.
In his hate-filled video rant Elliot had said he would get “retribution” for all those who had taunted him and would “annihilate” anyone he encountered, even using his BMW to knock down bicyclists.
Elliot, who also was horney, had plenty of hate practice. had a record of posting hateful comments about women and blacks, the Southern Poverty Law Center, according to Ryot.org. His comments were posted on a site with the URL PuaHate.com.
Just like the threats of Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris were ignored before Columbine, Elliot had made at least one YouTube threat.
Sources:
Sacramento BeeAP
ABC
Video transcript
Daily Mirror
I watched that youtube rant that little creep posted from his luxury car. He ranted about all the people who didn't like him, but never thought it was because he was so self-centered and unlikeable. Saying he was mentally ill doesn't excuse his actions, nor that of the police. Did they send anyone with any psychiatric training? For goodness sake, his own mother deemed him dangerous enough to call the cops! There is a place for citizens to have firearms, but not everyone is capable of ensuring that they are stored and/or used safely. From the outside it looks as if the US is an armed camp with the guns pointed at fellow citizens.
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