ADN reports on a murder in Trapper Creek (which has a great pizza pub/German restaurant, by the way). Some people would see this as a person who just snaps and shoots their neighbors. I noticed these relevant facts:
The perp was a prohibited person. "Nelson also pleaded guilty in 2008 to two counts of felony assault and three counts of violating a restraining order, court records show." Possessing a firearm put him in violation of the GCA of 1968 as well as
Alaska State law.
There were warning signs and stalking prior to the culminating violent crime. "There were many footprints and snowshoe prints around the neighborhood that the residents believed to be evidence of Nelson spying on them through their windows, she said. There's something Verna Carey wants other people to know, Ehrman said.'When there's warning signs of mental illness or drug abuse, people shouldn't ignore it,' she said. 'Everybody in the community was worried about this guy.'"
There were additional crimes which were not charged prior to the culminating violent crime. "He'd built a reputation for saying strange things and shooting numerous bears and moose..." Wanton waste is a Class A misdemeanor in Alaska (i.e., as serious as you get without a felony). Moroever, had he been charged with this crime, then he could have been nailed for being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm.
When seconds count, the police are only... hours away? "...it was at least another two hours after she called 911 before troopers arrived..." Trapper's Creek is largely on the grid. There's road access. Maybe this subdivision is off the paved roads but it isn't too far. This just goes to show that people need to consider their own safety. Just like you can't count on the fire department to get to your cabin in a reasonable amount of time (that's why rural insurance is often much higher up here) police response may also be delayed.
Most people don't just "snap."
The anti-gunners promote the idea that your neighbor is on edge and is about to snap, so you should take his guns away before he kills you. If they didn't make the case that ordinary people are proto-murderers, then they would have no support for gun control at all.
ReplyDeleteThe question is, do they actually believe this crap? If no, then they are cynical liars promoting gun control for other reasons, and if they do, then they are living in abject terror as every one of their neighbors is within minutes of killing them.