“Pure evil,” as Police Benevolent Affiliation President Patrick Hendry rightly described, got here to New York Monday night within the type of a deranged gunman behind a mass capturing at a Midtown workplace constructing that claimed 4 lives, together with a police officer.
This gunman, Shane Tamura, had traveled by automotive shut to three,000 miles over current days from Las Vegas to wreak havoc and loss of life upon 350 Park Ave., which homes various companies, together with the NFL. Tamiea, who had a historical past of psychological sickness, believed he had suffered from CTE — a mind situation related to soccer gamers that may solely be identified in a autopsy examination — and appeared to have focused his rage on the NFL earlier than taking his personal life.
But his private ache can’t justify the acts of pure evil he dedicated Monday — which claimed the lives of younger Police Officer Didarul Islam, who was working an off-duty safety element when he was gunned down; Blackstone government Wesley LePatner; Rudin Administration affiliate Julia Hyman; and safety guard Aland Etienne.
These victims had households and pals who now mourn their sudden and horrific loss. On prime of that loss, their coworkers endured the trauma of listening to the fired photographs, seeing the bloodshed, and being locked down, then finally led out of the constructing with their palms up — a picture witnessed in numerous different mass shootings in America this century.
No matter ache the killer professed to have was inflicted exponentially on Monday upon a complete metropolis. The horrific actuality is that there was nothing the NYPD or anybody entrusted to guard town from violent criminals may do to cease this deranged killer.
Regulation enforcement sources stated Tamura, regardless of his psychological well being historical past, managed to have a hid carry license in his house state of Nevada. He additionally managed to amass the M4 army assault rifle — which is constructed to fireside lots of of ammunition rounds per minute.
New York has a number of the nation’s hardest gun legal guidelines, however they might not cease a killer from Nevada, who bought his weapons out of state, from coming right here and committing homicide. This tragedy, like so many others which have befallen our land, speaks as soon as extra to the pressing want for Congress and the President to do greater than provide “thoughts and prayers” for the victims.
We’d like new gun laws, and we would have liked them yesterday. We’d like a federal crimson flag legislation that can forestall folks with extreme psychological well being points or severe legal backgrounds from with the ability to get hold of firearms.
Lawful gun homeowners, in ballot after ballot, agree with increasing background checks and different laws to assist preserve firearms out of the mistaken palms. It’s time we take heed to them, and acknowledge that inaction within the face of mass loss of life is one other type of “pure evil” in our midst.
Name the President. Name your senators and Members of Congress. Name them now and inform them to behave to forestall one other tragedy like this from hanging our metropolis as soon as extra.
