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Mental health, not weapons, cause of Isla Vista killing spree

5/30/2014

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PictureThe face of a murderer. Screen capture from his video detailing his pending killing spree.
My views and opinions are my own, and do not necessarily represent those of my sponsors or other organizations I am affiliated with.

As a UCLA student, I spent many weekends at the UCSB campus hanging out with friends, and socializing in the Greek system which was recently targeted by a mentally ill individual this past Friday. My sympathies go out to the victims, their families, and their friends. We have seen one too many killing sprees, and I am part of this country which wants to see them stop.

As a community, we must come together to support each other and not allow people or arguments to divide us. We can agree to disagree, but realize that we all want a stronger and safer society. We need to figure out what caused this unstable person to lose it and decide that killing people, and himself, would solve his problems.

The causes of this killing spree were made very clear in the killer’s 137 page manifesto. He felt shunned by women who he felt should have been attracted to him, he was ashamed to be a virgin, and he wanted to exact revenge on these women and other innocent people who he felt were part of the world who treated him poorly.


The killer was an egotistical maniac who should not be sympathized with, but rather, understood so we can best understand the root cause of this violence. We must permit rational, reasoned debate and discussion to dominate our national discourse. Emotions cloud our judgement, giving us a false sense of security when we do what “feels right” instead of doing what makes sense. 

The killer seemed to have a very unstable home life with parents who did not fully understand the implications of their son’s psychological angst. He was obsessed with World of Warcraft, a computer game that allowed him to escape the real world. Unfortunately, even in the virtual world he could not escape the pangs of real rejection and isolation when his friends would play the game together at one person’s house, and not invite the killer. 

Bullying was a constant theme throughout the manifesto, and the killer clearly resented his bullies. Delusional thoughts of grandeur, fame, and wealth were recurring themes as well. 

Even though guns were used in the killing spree, so were knives, and his car. It’s clear that even if the killer didn't have guns that he would have still succeeded in killing a lot of people. To me, it doesn't really matter what a criminal kills with - guns, knives, cars, bombs, bats, hammers, etc. It all ends with the same result, unnecessary death and suffering. The cause is always a person or group of people who decide to use a tool for destructive purposes. 
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The killer's car after the incident ended with the killer's suicide. Photo by Jae C. Hong/AP.
The Santa Barbara killing spree puts a huge spotlight on mental health being the key cause not just for this incident, but for all crimes. Stronger gun control, knife control, or car control would not have helped, but a stronger mental health system could have. California has some of the strongest gun control laws in the nation, and they did not stop this attack. In this situation, it seems helpful to ask how this young person could have found help? We oftentimes focus too much on restricting inanimate objects versus helping mentally unstable people before they do bad things. 

I don’t blame guns, knives, cars, the killer’s parents, or even the bullies who the killer tied to his problems. Yes, bullying is wrong and can cause terrible pain and anguish, but that does not permit victims of bullying to commit crimes at will. 

I blame the killer. The singular person who performed the action. 

To add more color to the mental illness issue, approximately two-thirds of all gun deaths in the United States every year are attributed to suicide. This tells us that America has more of a suicide problem, whose root causes are many. 

However, just because it's the killer's fault does not let society off the hook. There are things we can and should take action on. If we can focus our efforts, money, and social services into tackling mental health I am confident this will help reduce deaths, both homicides and suicides. Filling our world with more love, compassion, and understanding will go a long way, as will standing up against bullying and giving a voice to the historically marginalized. 

This isn’t about holding hands and wishing things will get better. This is about taking concrete action and engaging people in our communities. This is about interacting more with our families, our friends, our co-workers, and even strangers who we may not have previously given the time of day. It's about getting off our phones and paying attention to what is happening right in front of our faces. This is about helping people in need. When you hear a cry for help, be there for that person. 

I am not one to pass the buck and let the government or someone else take care of a problem if I can help in any way, big or small. I commit to being more aware, patient, caring, and generous with my time for those in need. There are numerous support organizations that help the mentally ill and the disenfranchised. I encourage you research and find organizations in your area or online that align with your interests. Knowing what resources are available is the first important step, and if you feel so inclined to donate your time and/or money, then all the better.

I hope you will join me and the millions of other people in our country who want a happier, safer America.
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On NRA News tomorrow to discuss the UCSB killing spree

5/28/2014

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I went to UCLA and spent a lot of time on the UCSB campus in Isla Vista. It is literally a slice of paradise, and it breaks my heart to see so many people die at the hands of a crazy person. 

I'll be sharing my thoughts on the killing spree, as well as my article "Suck it, participation trophies."

I'll be on Cam & Co on www.NRANews.com at 1:15PM PST if you want to tune in. The recording will be up online and I'll post when that's live.

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My guest spot on Colion Noir's new show "Noir" on NRA Freestyle

5/28/2014

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If you haven't seen Colion Noir's new show onNRA Freestyle well then you are missing out!

I was a guest on the most recent episode which you can see on YouTube below. We chatted about smart guns and how they potentially pose both a danger and benefit to society. 

www.NRAFreestyle.tv

Coding while watching former googler @TopShotChris on Noir (@MrColionNoir) steaming from YouTube via Chromecast pic.twitter.com/FsQVvLxOwZ

— Chris Sierra (@crsierra) May 27, 2014
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"Suck it, participation trophies"

5/28/2014

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Great Facebook post from one of my junior high school friends:

"Just threw my daughter's tee ball medal in the trash without giving it to her. Suck it participation trophies."

I hate that so many of our schools and kids sports leagues won't award 1st/2nd/3rd place trophies for fear of "offending" kids or hurting their self-esteem.

The real world has winners and losers, and it's important to know how to lose as much as it is to win. 

When you don't lose, and don't know how to lose, it creates the foundation of an entitlement society. Where you always get something for nothing. Why try if you are always going to get a pat on the back telling you how great you are?

The current generation of college grads are coming into the workforce stressed out because they are getting rejected for the first time, being denied jobs they believe should be theirs. They are overmedicated on drugs to help them manage their stress and anger from these "failures."

Entitlement is so bad, it will destroy our country where no one wants to work for anything. 

I am so proud of my friend throwing away his young daughter's participation medal. 

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Train Like a Pro: SiRT laser pistol article in Shooting Illustrated

5/27/2014

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One of my go-to training tools is the SiRT training pistol by Next Level Training. Read about it at http://www.shootingillustrated.com/index.php/31746/train-like-a-pro-sirt-laser-training-pistol/.


I've also got an exclusive discount code for anyone who purchases SiRT products via www.nextleveltraining.com.

  • 10% off code: TS4
  • 20% off code for LEO/Military: TS4LE 

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POA vs POI

5/21/2014

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What is Point of Aim (POA) and Point of Impact (POI)?

Learn about the differences in this segment of Firearms Science.

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Situational Awareness

5/21/2014

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Situational Awareness: here's a story of what just happened to me this past weekend when I was at the 3-Gun Nation Regional Championship.

Something just didn't feel right as I was heading to my rental car in the hotel parking lot. I had my long gun case with me and walked by two gang banger types who were loitering and blaring loud music from their car.

Alert #1- guy asks me if I had guns in my case

Alert #2- he says he's seen a lot of other folks with cases

Seeing as I still needed to go back to my room and check out, I wasn't very comfortable leaving $6K worth of gear in the car. Since the guy saw me loading my car, I actually drove it a few hundred feet to a different part of the garage. 

I called security to check it out. When I returned in 10 mins the guys were gone.

The dudes could have just been hanging out, but I didn't want to be a victim and have my gear stolen. No sense in taking the risk.

A lot of thieves work in small groups, with one guy who tags the "mark" and then texts the mark's info to his buddies to put the theft in motion.

Situational awareness is an important everyday state of mind. 

Since not everyone owns guns, here's another good tip: avoid having your face in your phone when walking in public. It tells thieves that you're distracted and are a potentially good target. 



Live in the real world, not in a digital one.

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Living a Positive Life

5/10/2014

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Some simple, but savvy advice

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"Fat Flash Mob" in San Francisco

5/8/2014

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(From SF Weekly)

It's really important to me that folks get comfortable being whoever they want to be. Not what your parents, friends, or colleagues want you to be, not what you "think" society wants you to be or should be, but who *you* want to be.

This "Fat Flash Mob" video is fantastic- seeing so many confident people just happy to live life the way they want to live it.
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