Why I am focusing on this today. This shooting affects me particularly strongly because Daniel has received services from the various Regional Centers in the parts of California in which we have lived. They help parents like me get services for their special kids. I would honestly have a hard time being able to do anything without them. (Here is my post on this from yesterday.)
My fears. When I heard where the shooting took place, my first thought was wondering how many kids and developmentally disabled adults were killed. Seriously, it could have been Daniel and I in that building if we had lived one town farther east on the 210. We were part of a different Regional Center because we lived in Los Angeles County whereas the one where the shooting took place serves San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. The people who work there are all social workers who try and make sure that kiddos like Daniel can thrive and that means that they meet with the kids and parents at the center. I know the one we went to was a warren of offices and conference rooms so it is completely possible for someone to go in and hide in there. I’m also not surprised that the Health Department was holding a Christmas party there because they have a lot of conference rooms and meeting spaces.
The fact that the shooters were Muslim. This saddens me even more because it could be throwing terrorism into the investigation which could be a complete red herring. There are Muslims who commit crimes like these but there are also non-Muslims who do as well. My heart goes out to the Muslim community of San Bernardino and I pray that nobody “takes matters into their own hands” as people are wont to do.
Gun control. I was in middle school when the 101 California Street shooting happened and I remember the Brady Bill being passed. Believe me, it makes an impression when you’re seeing people fleeing a building on local TV. (I live about an hour southeast of San Francisco depending on traffic.) I’m absolutely livid that we cannot get meaningful gun control legislation passed, especially after the Bush administration failed to keep the Federal Assault Weapon Ban from expiring.
Mixed motive. As I’m writing this on Thursday afternoon (as opposed to Quick Take #3 which was Wednesday night), there is speculation that Syed Rizwan Farook (the male shooter) had ties to terrorists and that he went to Pakistan and came back with Tashfeen Malik (his wife). It is possible that he was radicalized in Pakistan… or he could have just gone there because he is of Indo-Pakistani descent and he wanted a wife who was from the same country/ethnicity. It is possible that he could have just been really infuriated with his coworkers over something. I agree with President Obama’s take that it could be both terrorism and workplace violence and this complicates things.
Why so violent? Another angle to this which I know my NRA-loving friend John would want me to mention is WHY Farook reacted so violently if this was a workplace issue. I know I’ve had coworkers who drive me absolutely crazy but I haven’t acted on any urges to take a gun and blow them away.
How common this is in America. This image from Facebook says it all:
Even Fox News reporters are commenting on this.
For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum.