As many of you have heard, a 19 year old with severe mental issues went on a sniping binge in the largest shopping mall here in Omaha yesterday. He killed 9 people and wounded 5 others using a modified SKS rifle.

Here is what I posted on Free Republic in response to a thread on the matter:

It was obvious this kid (and even if he was 19, he was still a kid in my eyes as he had never grown up emotionally) had planned this for a while. He timed this with the President’s visit, knowing most law enforcement would be away from the store. He had previously scouted the store, as he knew right where to go to have the best vantage point for ‘sniping’ of all the malls in Omaha (Van Maur has a big open area, with a nice railing around the third floor where one can brace a gun...no other store has as good of view in any of the malls in town)

All the warning signs were there of the kid about to go off, like the original poster stated. This is a tragedy that could have been stopped by those who knew the kid.

And, of course, CNN immediately trots out things like ‘mall security’, and ‘are you safe in a mall’ instead of looking at the real cause of the problem: clueless idiots not paying attention to signs right in front of them.

To the poster that said an SKS is not an assault rifle: sorry, yes it is. It may be only single shot, but it is a variant of a fully automatic gun. Though it might be used by some for hunting, it is not what this area calls a hunting rifle by any means. This SKS, according to witnesses, was also firing 3 round bursts. This means it was modified back to its assault rifle roots.

I am very much a supporter of the 2nd Amendment, but the weapon the kid was carrying is exactly the weapon banned by the assault weapon law. That brings up the question on how someone mentally instable like he was could get a hold of one of these weapons. Rumor was he stole it from his step father. But this also means none of those assault weapon provisions in law would have prevented this, thus proving how useless they are. A psychopath can get a hold of one of these weapons, yet law abiding citizens cannot defend themselves and thus end up becoming victims. One person with a pistol to defend themselves could have prevented 8 other deaths, but you won’t hear that on the liberal media.

Now, a little clarification: 'Robbie' the shooter had more than enough signs pointing at a kid that was a ticking time bomb. He lost his girlfriend, his job, etc. all within the last two weeks. He was to be in court next week for a misdemeanor charge against him. He had a fascination with guns, killing, and threatening people. His step father owned the SKS, and 'Robbie' not only knew about the gun, but how to break in to take it. He showed the gun off to the stupid woman he was living with the night before, for God's sake!

The feigning of surprise by the lady and her son, who was 'Robbie's friend is a bunch of baloney. Unfortunately, the kid did this just after the President had left Omaha, thus all the national media was still in town. CNN is having an absolute field day on this, filled with half-truths in order to promote their agenda. Thank god for our local folks as they have a clue on how to report for the most part.

Yesterday was a tragedy. Let's not make it even worse by misinterpreting what really happened to fit a political agenda.