This is a VERY assumptive thing, but I highly suspect this fellow wanted to be caught. Odds are, he only would have surrendered to someone in a position of authority (a policeman). As with many folks who do this sort of thing, he seems to want this to be a long, slow suicide; he wants to prove how clever he is by making the news. I would not be surprised if he attempts to represent himself in court (though that would be a really dumb move...as would pleading insanity, since it's obvious this was thought about months beforehand with the gun/explosive ingredient purchases. I suspect someone will try, though).
Again, this is assumptions -- I could be completely wrong! But I did a lot of research into serial killers/mass murderers when I was in college, because this is the kind of thing that interests me.
Personally, the idea of everyone carrying around a gun "for their own safety" scares the crap out of me. We haven't reached a point in our time where everyone could understand the effects of something like that -- and hence, things would happen that wouldn't happen if everyone wasn't carrying a gun. It's not dissimilar to legalizing all drugs (which is a concept I agree with); it'll take years before we get used to the causes and effects of it. Guns make it more complicated because they're designed to kill, and like with drugs, people can lose track of themselves easily -- we're emotional creatures. I wouldn't want to get into an argument over a seat in a movie theater with someone who's armed, thankyoukindly, but that is a situation that could present itself if folks start carrying guns around all the time.
I dunno. I've lived in places where the cowboy days haven't quite left yet and seeing folks carrying handguns is common. I never felt safer knowing folks were armed -- and reading the police beat in the paper, where those guns were used far too often for my tastes (and not always in acts of anger; accidents happen, and it wasn't uncommon to read about them), I wasn't the only one.
I find it curious that in every incident like this, the typical arguments come up: "We should probably regulate firearms a bit more," is usually presented quietly before being crushed by "Guns don't kill people, people kill people." "You can't take my gun away!" "Well, if he didn't use guns, he would have used something else...the crazies always find a way." They're the same arguments every time...and they'd have a point, admittedly, if incidences like this didn't keep happening =p
Edited to Add: And to be cheeky, you realize that by putting your faith in your firearm and bringing it with you see movies, this mindless terrorist has won, right? Fear over rational thought. *shrug*
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2012-07-22 04:18 pm (UTC)Again, this is assumptions -- I could be completely wrong! But I did a lot of research into serial killers/mass murderers when I was in college, because this is the kind of thing that interests me.
Personally, the idea of everyone carrying around a gun "for their own safety" scares the crap out of me. We haven't reached a point in our time where everyone could understand the effects of something like that -- and hence, things would happen that wouldn't happen if everyone wasn't carrying a gun. It's not dissimilar to legalizing all drugs (which is a concept I agree with); it'll take years before we get used to the causes and effects of it. Guns make it more complicated because they're designed to kill, and like with drugs, people can lose track of themselves easily -- we're emotional creatures. I wouldn't want to get into an argument over a seat in a movie theater with someone who's armed, thankyoukindly, but that is a situation that could present itself if folks start carrying guns around all the time.
I dunno. I've lived in places where the cowboy days haven't quite left yet and seeing folks carrying handguns is common. I never felt safer knowing folks were armed -- and reading the police beat in the paper, where those guns were used far too often for my tastes (and not always in acts of anger; accidents happen, and it wasn't uncommon to read about them), I wasn't the only one.
I find it curious that in every incident like this, the typical arguments come up: "We should probably regulate firearms a bit more," is usually presented quietly before being crushed by "Guns don't kill people, people kill people." "You can't take my gun away!" "Well, if he didn't use guns, he would have used something else...the crazies always find a way." They're the same arguments every time...and they'd have a point, admittedly, if incidences like this didn't keep happening =p
Edited to Add: And to be cheeky, you realize that by putting your faith in your firearm and bringing it with you see movies, this mindless terrorist has won, right? Fear over rational thought. *shrug*