The FBI has confirmed that on January 5, 2018, someone who was close to alleged Florida shooter Nikolas Cruz contacted the bureau, warning that Cruz had repeatedly expressed a desire to kill people, bragged about owning guns, posted disturbing thoughts on social media, and consistently exhibited erratic behavior. An FBI spokesman said, “under established protocols, the information provided by the caller should have been addressed as a potential threat to life.” Bureaucrat-speak to justify ineptitude is offensive, but so is blaming guns for problems caused by mentally defective people. Cruz’s deportment caused cops to make 36 trips to his home in the six years before the massacre; that’s an average of one visit every other month since 2012. 20 such visits since 2016, according to Broward county Sheriff Scott Israel. Nikolas Cruz had been expelled and banned from the school he shot up, and he was known to teachers, students and administrators as a violence-prone creep of questionable sanity. The only armed cop on the scene, a deputy Sheriff, waited outside the school for over four of the six minutes it took for Cruz to massacre his victims. Students who needed Dirty Harry got Barney Fife.
In the late 1970s, I was a student at Mason City high school. At MCHS and at its parochial counterpart, Newman Catholic, there was always a small arsenal – which included semi-automatic shotguns and ammo – in vehicles in the parking lots during hunting season. Students hunted pheasant, ducks and other quarry and then drove straight from the fields to class. One could differentiate the good hunters from the not-so-good by the amount of bird blood pooled on the floor under the lockers. But there was never a mass shooting and even following some aggressive fights, nobody ever shot up a school.
Gun control supporters often ignore cases where armed citizens saved lives by taking out losers intent on snuffing out innocent victims. In April, 2017, an Uber driver with a concealed-carry permit shot and wounded a gunman who opened fire on a crowd gathered in Chicago’s Logan Square. In 2015, two armed men, angry over a ‘Draw Muhammad’ cartoon contest at a Texas school arena, tried to kill its participants and sponsors. They got about halfway across the parking lot before being blown away by some alert, armed Texans, who prevented the perps from unleashing carnage. Designating places as ‘Gun-Free zones’ ignores the fact that many such zones have become shooting ranges for the mentally ill, who often are just angry nobodies wanting to exit this world as a somebody. Arming teachers and other school personnel, as President Trump favors, could stop these perps dead in their tracks.
Our Constitution isn’t designed to effectuate drastic governmental action of the sort desired by most gun control activists. It’s written to preclude sweeping change, absent a strong public consensus favoring broad, game-changing reform. Such consensus is presently nonexistent with regard to banning 15-round clips, or making it harder for law-abiding citizens to obtain firearms.
Stricter background checks for guns bought via private sales could make it harder for crazies to obtain them, but most mass shooters bought their weapons legally. Updating and improving databases is a wise expenditure of tax dollars and should be facilitated. Banning bump stocks might lower crime, and Mr. Trump is doing that. Some gun control proponents claim those who oppose their more draconian proposals are tacitly enabling murder. That’s nonsense. Yes, America is plagued by mass shootings. But it’s caused by self-destructive, entitled, unstable people, and shortcomings in law enforcement. Guns aren’t the problem.
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Todd A. Blodgett served on the White House staff of President Ronald Reagan, and the campaign staff of President George H. W Bush. He also worked for the Republican National Committee, and the FBI. Mr. Blodgett lives in Clear Lake, and is a member of the Iowa Gun Owners and a Life Member of the NRA.
@ Grandpa, it is not difficult to see why you read Mr. Blodgett’s fascistic diatribes. You, old man, are a right wing, chauvinistic, racist nut bag.
The sooner you join most of the other neo-Nazis from your racist generation, in your next life, the better off it will be for us who remain.
Your 1950s views never worked even in the ’50s, grandpa. But as a white man (superior race, right, Gramps?), you never gave it a thought.
Hopefully, you are many of your kind and you smoke. Your redneck outlook is so passe’ that you offend me.
If do smoke, good. Keep at it. Your type is not needed, and never was.
Puff, puff away, old man. The sooner you and your generation leave this earth, the better.
You are disgusting, and probably wish Hitler had won WW II.
I am done with you.
I am 77, seen lot’s of real bad things happen to our country in the last 50 or so years. Why, this kind of crime did not happen even 30 years go.
But how can we expect to deal with judges and politicians who are reasonable on these mental issues when we have people in high places thinks its just fine & dandy for men to say they are women and vice-a-versa?
This country was not set up for lots of the kind of folks we got here now, long as they are here we will keep right on having problems like this.
As a old man I can say what ever the hell I want, and so I will tell you now whats wrong. Too many people with too much time on their hands thats what.
Why are lots of these welfare people so fat? How come blacks think we owe them anything when I never did own any slaves?
Why do government workers get better pensions and wages then lots of them that pays those salaries and all?
How come so many so-call smarties thinks crooks will obey laws against guns?
Why do we keep paying people that can’t even pay there own bills welfare money to breed on? If you cannot support your self, then don’t you go making babies until you are off my dime.
How can anybody say this terrible thing down Florida way is a tragedy but look they other way when little babies gets killed every day with abortions? Both are just awful, but neither is worse then the other.
Why do so many women think they have to try to be equal to men? Back when ladies stayed home and did not bring babies in to the world before being hitched this kind of bad stuff did not happen.
Why do young men today let their women have so much lee way? The bible says no to that.
Why can’t folks see that kicking God out of the schools is what has cause these bad things?
Thank you for looking at this.
Larrey L., Calling others names (e.g., gun grabbers) is not helpful to this discussion and says more about you than those who have posted here. I can only speak for myself, and say that I am not asking you or anyone else to surrender your liberties; yet society does require structure/organization in order to function in an effective way. What that structure will be in the future is debatable. Although you disagree with having a discussion about banning assault style weapons, the students from the Florida High School started a national conversation in an attempt to stop these senseless killings of children and others, and they deserve credit for doing so in spite of the fact that they did not start it in the place you deem necessary. And consider this; maybe you are wrong.
Its heart-breaking to hear a father talk about dropping his daughter off at school and then that she was shot in the back – I figure it’s a sign of intelligence for us to keep an open mind and have a respectful discussion with everyone, including those who we don’t agree with.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWA0rukqrYQ
IF that sheriff barney had fed Cruzs criminal info into a National data base – Cruz would not have been permitted to purchase that gun – public servants all the way from the teachers in that school to the Fife sheriffs department are to blame – slackers – liberal POS. You do know the school and the sheriffs dept had an agreement not to reports school problems to the public – believe it or not the school received more money for less criminal activity _superintendent was imported from chicago and sidekick of the NAACP. More sicking as more comes out -now 4 sheriffs deputies that were there the whole time chickened out while the killings were actually taking place. Yea right give us your gun – we will protect you — FK off bitches.
Todd, I would like to add “my 2 cents” and pray Tyrone, Carol Patnode, and the gun grabbers take a pause to ponder this quote by President Samuel Adams, and my comments.
From Samuel Adams, our second President:
“A general dissolution of principles and manners will more surely overthrow the liberties of America than the whole force of the common enemy. While the people are virtuous they cannot be subdued; but when once they lose their virtue then will be ready to surrender their liberties to the first external or internal invader.” — Samuel Adams
For decades we all have witnessed the decline in civility and the loss of our “virtues”. In the early 60’s President John F. Kennedy told us there was a movement underfoot to “change our culture”. Clearly that movement has been successful, but it also brought about what Samuel Adams was warning us about.
It is my belief John F. Kennedy’s discovery and Samuel Adams warning has come to pass. Our expedited cultural shift over the last 60 years in America “is” the root cause of school shootings and violence, not assault rifles.
Ban all the guns you want, but it isn’t going to change the “general dissolution of principles and manners” displayed by today’s American citizens!
THIS IS WHERE THE DISCUSSION SHOULD START if we are ever going to end the violence.
Brower county sheriffs debt were told to step down ? Who gains ? – liberal demorats and their unrelenting push to nullify the 2 amendment and disarm ALL Americans – Working fine for those European stupid liberals and now their defenseless against the millions of muslim killers the globelists are shipping in. Don’t fall for MSM like CNN to warp your mind – think for yourself.
The only people we can trust is Trump, the NRA…and the Russians.
the very first problem is the Media. they beat a story about a shooting to death, put the perp’s name in big letters on front page. some goon (who is a few cards short of a full deck) who has been shunned all his life and bullied sees that and says wow I want my name in big letters on the front page of the paper so he goes out and acts. its the media that starts it and then ends it with the huge name letters on front page.
I just now seen what Tyrone says down there its assault, he goes I will rip your white face right off. Bullies like this Tyrone, they make it bad for all the coloreds, the threats they say scares people. Old guys like me, we did not grow up being against black folks. Always liked the Harlem globe trouters listen to Louie Armstrong, ate alot of Aunt Jemima pancakes ect. We would treat the coloreds just like regular people, there are still some good ones around, yes.
But there fewer and farther between this is just a shame it is.
Tyrone you stop hating on people no more saying you will rip off their faces. I and the wife we will pray for you but no more threats, hear? Your a lucky boy Tyrone if you would of talked like that to me and mine back in the day we would of stuff your tongue up your black ass and fed you to the carp in the Winnebago river.
MC J.D., do you know how weird you sound? So you and your lawyer friends just sit around and talk about Mr. Blodgett and his politics, don’t you and your friends have anything better to do?
If we found out people did that about us, we would think you’re a real creepy creepy.
We notice you did not answer Mr. B’s questions. How come?
Cat got your tongue Mr. J.D., it sure looks like it.
NRA bought and paid for Republican politicians aren’t going to do a damn thing.
If slaughtering elementary school kids didn’t create new laws, this won’t even phase them.
And give me a break. Trump is all talk. No limits. No regulations. Bigger bullets. Longer barrels.
Anything to make up for those tiny orange balls hanging between his legs.
Could care less what this guy has to say.Riding your Dad’s $ lately
Some of the comments here make me sick. Vince says we should still have slavery, and warns he will shoot a blogger, Tyrone, who says he will rip somebody’s face off.
No, Jason Juenger, just because Carol Patnode said “assault weapons” does not mean that the rest of her post “becomes moot”.
ISEA is right, people should be more careful when they wear guns, yes. But I do know its okay in the state of Iowa to carry guns and drink, as long as you’re not drunk.
The skeptic in me thinks Mr. Blodgett just enjoys pushing people’s buttons to see what our reactions are going to be. Well I am not surprised he is against more gun laws, just bummed so many bloggers lose their cool when they take Toddy’s bait.
Don’t you people have something better to do? I know, I am commenting here too, but I am calling you people out, not looking naive or making threats against anyone.
No, Mr. Koller, we do not want laws named after us, but we must pass some laws to get guns out of the hands of the bad guys. Yes, these massive shooters all men, no woman has done a mass shooting that I know of. Okay, off my soap box.
Well, well, Toddy boy, you have again succeeded in stirring the pot, this time about your favorite subject, guns and ammo.
If the post from ISEA, below, is true, you might want to rein yourself in somewhat. I know Carol (Patnode), who understands this issue quite well. Carol is correct in calling attention to your shortsightedness regarding this worsening problem. Mental health is a factor which can’t be overlooked, it and always will be.
You might also find it of interest that you and I have some mutual friends, most of whom are Republicans. And they aren’t on your side here (we have discussed you and your views on several occasions). Even these registered Republicans want more stringent laws to keep guns out of the hands of unstable people.
You know such people, don’t you, Mr. Blodgett? They probably pack the room at your GOP caucuses and share your adoration of the orange haired clown whose presence at 1600 Pennsylvania avenue is deplorable.
This Op-Ed, Toddy boy, is deplorable.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4T41M7cCqsU
This is what we know: 1) No other developed nation comes close to the rate of gun violence that has occurred in the United States. 2) And yes, American is plagued by mass shootings. The most recent was a gunman that killed 14 students and 3 staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Todd Blodgett’s opinion is that the ONLY problem is with the unstable people and in law enforcement. His attempt to keep the focus off banning assault weapons falls short because they have been a weapon of choice in many of the shootings; and the most recent gunman legally purchased his assault rifle a year ago. If we don’t consider this information as “part of the problem” we are not doing our due diligence.
Let’s follow the lead of the courageous young people who have initiated a movement referred to as the “March of Our Lives” and help to facilitate a discussion of all the ways in which Americans can help to prevent this in the future. The time has come to do something to stop this madness.
Mr B, this is one of your best columns ever, you sure hit the nail on the head.
Agree with Allen, tho, the haters will go after you like white on rice.
Pay them no mind, they do not get it.
Your report should have started with the difference between how children are raised today compared to when you were in school. Parent are not raising their children as they should be. They are not holding their child accountable so now we have kids that think they can do whatever they want without realizing there will be accountability at some point. Our system should have made checked that person’s actions long before 17 died. Too many failures but it starts at home. Wake up parents. Either understand what will be expected of you when you procreate and stop that process now.
Good post Mr. Blodgett. I’m sure there will be some posters on this site that don’t/won’t agree with you, just because they don’t like you, or what you say. I agree with you that guns are not the problem, so that makes two of us that understands what’s going on.