Just wanted to extend my condolences to those who lost friends and family. This was such a senseless tragedy, what a terrible loss of life due to someone who from all accounts was mentally unstable.
We have to find a way to make it possible for law-abiding citizens to buy weapons and yet keep them out of the hands of people like this. It reminds me of the recent case where a 10-year boy was given a rifle for Christmas (he already owned several others), and used it to shoot and kill his mother because she asked him to bring in some firewood from outside. I personally have seen a father hand his 3 or 4-year old son a loaded pistol to use for target practice. We need some common sense gun laws, beginning with making it a felony for a parent to let anyone under the age of 18 handle a gun of any kind. I would also suggest that states set up a way for schools or other organizations to report incidents of the kind that happened with the shooter in the Tucscon case, where the community college he was attending barred him from coming to class until he could prove he was mentally stable and not a danger to others. If there had been a way to warn authorities of his behavior, he could have been denied a weapons license. Instead, he was able to get a gun easily (in Arizona you are allowed to carry weapons concealed on your person with no restrictions), buy the necessary ammo, and perpetrate this horrible tragedy.
Sending good thoughts for the speedy recovery of the hospitalized victims.
-- Soapy
