Anybody want to take bets on how long it will be before people are calling for a ban on camouflage? No one will, of course. People will blame the rifle for this tragedy, not the pissed off mentally ill guy with the rifle.
NIAGARA, Wisconsin (AP) — A man wearing camouflage clothing and carrying an assault rifle walked out of the woods and shot four young people who had gathered at a river to go swimming, killing three of them and wounding one.
More than 100 law enforcement officers from at least 10 agencies searched Friday for the gunman, a middle-age man who was last seen near the town of Niagara, across the state line from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
Officers set up roadblocks and evacuated an unknown number of homes.
Nine young adults had gathered near a railroad bridge on the Menominee River when the gunman came out of the woods and opened fire about 5:30 p.m. Thursday, according to Sheriff Jim Kanikula.
Authorities have not determined a motive. The sheriff said there was no communication between the gunman and his victims.
What is clear in this story – we have a mentally ill individual with hostile intent who has an efficient killing tool. His victims are not similarly armed and are in a non-defensible position when attacked. Without more details, I can only guess that the attacker will a) have a history of violence and b) not be a concealed carry permit holder and c) would have used some other tool to carry out his attack had a rifle not been available.
We’ll see as this story develops.