As I was leaving work today, I was told to be careful. The implication, I suppose, that because of the awful things that had happened earlier today that with the suspect then still on the loose, that I should be afraid walking home. That perhaps I shouldn’t go out for dinner if I was planning it. That maybe I shouldn’t go out for a bike ride after work even if it’s nice out, because who knows?
And I appreciate the concern. I get the fear. But you can’t wall yourself off from life because of some slim possibility that something will happen. You can’t hide from fear. For those of us who live or work or play in Seattle, well, it’s our city.
It’s not the city of the gunmen. It’s not the city of the drug dealers or the gangsters. It’s not the city of criminals. It’s our city.
Obviously, none of this is to say that we should ignore crime or murder on a policy level, or that there aren’t policies that we should implement to prevent future tragedies of this nature. I hope this prompts us to look at our gun culture and our culture of violence. What it should mean is that we can still live our lives in our city.
Not to worry, Carl, the shooter is dead. Police also confirmed the same shooter was responsible for both shootings.
It is OUR city.
And our sympathy is with the victims and their family and friends of this thoughtless and preventable gun violence.
“Obviously, none of this is to say that we should ignore crime or murder on a policy level, …”
“Ignore” is the operative word when you talk to Republicans about gun violence.
” … or that there aren’t policies that we should implement to prevent future tragedies of this nature.
It’s obvious to everyone (except Republicans) that we need tighter gun laws. One thing our legislature could do is repeal the state law that preempts local regulation of guns. In Seattle, it’s illegal to carry a knife, but the city can’t do a damn thing about people packing guns.
Sorry Orb…
It’s Ian L. Stawicki of ELLENSBURG..
idiot..
This hits very close to home for me. I hang out at Cafe Racer some times and I know at least 4 of the 6 victims from today.
Great post Carl and spot on.
Condolences, Chris. Not something I’ve had to live though just yet.
Another mentally ill guy with a gun.
The man was rushed to Harborview Medical Center, where he was in critical condition. Police sources identified the man as Ian L. Stawicki, 40, of Ellensburg.
http://www.kimatv.com/news/loc.....38715.html
Mental health services have been neglected in our state for years, because citizens don’t want to pay taxes and legislators have other priorities, and this is part of the price our communities pay for that neglect.
And how the hell did a mentally ill person get two handguns?
The NRA’s answer to this will be, “the victims should have had guns, too.”
It isn’t necessary to repeal or amend the Second Amendment. It can stand as is. All we need is a reasonable interpretation of what it means. There’s nothing in its wording that necessarily implies that anyone can have a gun or that government can’t impose reasonable regulations on the right to keep and bear arms — even if it’s an individual right and not just a right reserved to states to maintain their National Guard organization.
Who in their right mind would argue that violent felons or mentally ill people have a right to keep and bear arms? And if states may prohibit such people from possessing guns under a “reasonable regulation” theory, then is it not also a “reasonable regulation” of Second Amendment rights to require background checks of people buying guns at gun shows? And what kind of assholes would oppose such a requirement, thereby making it easy for homicidal madmen to get guns?
One of the local news web sites had a comment from McGinn about how the solution to the violence crisis we’re experiencing is more laws against guns and more programs for youth. Which are nonsensical responses to a crime perpetrated with most likely illegal guns by a middle-aged adult.
It’s like nobody even thinks anymore, I swear.
@13 What thought have you brought to this conversation? More guns and fewer programs to keep youths off the streets so they won’t join gangs? Is that your idea of a reasoned response to our violence-saturated our society?
This problem, in case you haven’t noticed, is bigger than one mass shooting by a middle-aged mentally-ill perp from an eastern Washington cow town, although we also ought to be asking ourselves how such an individual got access to two handguns.)
Hve you asked yourself why there’s so much more gun violence in American society now? I firmly believe violent video games have something to do with it. (There also are other causes, of course.) These entertainments desensitize youths to the reality that when someone is dead, they’re DEAD, gone forever, can’t be revived, don’t come back, death is permanent, etc. When the act of killing becomes robotic, it loses its meaning. Victims are merely targets — blips that fall over when you click on them. It’s not a big step from there to pulling a trigger and watching a person fall over. After all, s/he will return for the next episode, right?
In an age when hardly anyone goes to church anymore, who is teaching young people that life is sancrosanct, no one has a right to take it, the trigger of a gun is different from a game console joystick? Does anyone under the age of 50 even understand the meaning of the word “ethics” anymore?
I’m not at all surprised by where we’ve ended up.
In my opinion, a basketball court is an infinitely better place for a bored youth to spend his spare time than a video arcade, in terms of the impacts on society, and if you can’t see the value of that investment then you are a fool.
@13 I’m pretty sure McGinn was talking about more than just today’s murders, especially if he used the term “violence crisis.”
A few of the murders seem to be gang related so I assume that’s what he meant about the youth programs. But a lot of them seem to be random and I’m not sure what you can do about random killings except try to keep guns out of the hands of unstable people.
How do you know he had the gun legally?
Fact is, you dont know. You’re just another stupid ignorant asshole.
exactly.
Ed Schultz says to live in fear:
http://hotair.com/archives/201.....president/
Making you scared of the alternative is all Obama’s got going for him this year. Today’s news has new unemployment claims up, 2012 Q1 growth revised down. Good thing he’s got that good news presidential poll coming out of WI that Darryl used. Walker’s up by 7+ over Barrett and yet we’re supposed to believe that Obama’s up by 8 over Romney. Don’t stop, believin’.
From what I read, he was from Seattle, his brother who ID’d him was from Ellensburg. Not that it really matters.
@16 “How do you know he had the gun legally?” Well, whaddya know, he did.
“Fact is, …You’re just another stupid ignorant asshole.”
Yes, you are.
Living in Fear??
How about what the left wing nutjobs are doing to Conservative Bloggers??
When you can’t win the argument, lefty’s resort to this kind of terrorist activity. Disgusting. Although the lefty’s on this website probably think it’s cool. Right?
Although the lefty’s on this website probably think it’s cool. Right?
Of course not. Project much?
How do we know the righties didn’t set it up to make themselves look like poor blameless victims? Sounds like a dirty trick your side would do.