So I work for the County of Santa Barbara Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Services Dpet. This email

[upaloopa]

was sent to us this morning. We are a few miles from Isla Vista.

A note to the County of Santa Barbara family...

Words cannot express our sadness over the events of Friday night. I know all in the County family join with me in offering our assistance to those impacted and stand ready and willing to support the healing of the friends and families of those killed and injured in Isla Vista. All should be proud of the County family and your work over the last several days to ensure support to our community members and fellow employees. The incredible outpouring of support and the willingness to jump in to do whatever necessary was inspiring.

I am thankful for the extraordinary and heroic actions of law enforcement officers to stop the violence, medical responders providing treatment to the injured and our mental health professionals working throughout the community to provide much needed support to all impacted.


The incident touches the County family in many ways and many of you may have a personal connection to those killed or injured. Therefore, I wanted all to be aware that counseling services are available at 805-893-4411. This line is staffed by many our own staff as well as community volunteers. In addition, a number has been set up to address general community questions at 805-893-3901. I will make all aware as additional resources may become available. Please know that I am also available to you to address your questions or concerns. Never hesitate to reach out to me, any member of my office, or your department head if anything is needed.

While joined in sorrow over these tragic events, we stand committed to the healing of the community of Isla Vista and all we serve.

Mona

My hope is that some gunners would read this and get outside of their fetish and see how we are affected by the gun culture.

[YarnAddict]

1. What about the knifers and their fetish

since half the people he killed were killed with a knife.

[upaloopa]

3. Typical no caring just selfish bill shit!

[phil89]

4. Is there a National Knife Association

Who are the knifers?

[YarnAddict]

5. Don't know what the NRA has to do with this

since there isn't any evidence that Elliot Rodger was a member, or had any connection at all with the NRA.

[upaloopa]

8. Does this tragedy give you any pause

Do you have any feelings?

[YarnAddict]

27. Of course I do

My heart goes out to the families of all the victims, and I hope and pray that those wounded will recover fully.

The thing is, I feel for ALL the victims, including the three he murdered with a knife. They didn't end up sort-of-dead, or half-dead; they are all just as dead as the three he killed with the guns. And even if he had never purchased a gun, they would have still been dead.

Just because I don't have a political agenda that their deaths doesn't fit, doesn't make their deaths ay less tragic.

[upaloopa]

29. The knife killings play right into your hand don't

they?
Takes the heat off guns a bit yes?
He still killed with guns

[YarnAddict]

31. He was a mentally ill person

who killed six people by two different means. He also used his car to attempt to kill others. And if you read his manifesto, it certainly was his intent to use his car to kill.

Even if you could confiscate every gun in the country, destroy them, dump the pieces in a very, very deep hole, cover them with concrete, then plant flowers on top, he would still be a mentally ill person who would kill.

Don't know why no one wants to address the issue of mental illness, which is the only way to prevent people like him from killing.

[RockaFowler]

38. He was mentally ill - yet he was able to get a gun legally

That is a NRA issue then . . .

[YarnAddict]

41. Should every person

who has ever seen a psychiatrist be denied full rights of citizenship? How about anyone who has ever taken an antidepressant? Or been diagnosed with Aspergers? What else should be decided based on a person's own medical history? Do we really want to go there?

How about better access to treatment to enable mentally ill people to recover, or to cope with their illnesses?

[upaloopa]

47. He is not the first or last to kill with guns

Our gun culture is like no other country's
It is time we stop listening to bull shit like yours and call it like it is. Gunners in this country contribute to these deaths with their purchases of guns and ammo and deserve no respect in descent society. You should be shunned for your self centered indifference to the countries suffering!

[YarnAddict]

48. Hyperbole much?

I don't own a gun; I'm just trying to inject a little common sense into this subject.

I am not indifferent to anyone's suffering. I feel the utmost compassion for ALL the victims in this tragedy--including those killed/injured by ER's knife and car, which seem to be completely overlooked in all the frothing at the mouth over the fact that he ALSO used a gun.

Deserve no respect???????? For my opinion???????? Wow.

(BTW, I think the word you were attempting to use was "decent." "Descent" has a much different meaning. Just saying.)

[MohRokTah]

10. The NRA has EVERYTHING to do with this.

The NRA opposes rational gun laws such as increased background checks that cross state lines.

Do you?

[YarnAddict]

25. And how would such rational gun laws

have prevented this tragedy?? I believe the guns were all purchased in California. And even if they hadn't been, since he had never committed any crimes, he wouldn't have shown up in any databases.

[MohRokTah]

26. Well let's see. New Jersey has about the most rational gun laws in the country.

You must be interviewed by law enforcement and you must provide letters from two people who vouch for you owning guns. The letters are checked.

No way in HELL could Elliot Rodger been able to obtain guns under those requirements.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

30. According to the Brady campaign NJ is #3, CA is #1

http://www.bradycampaign.org/sites/default/files/2013-scorecard.pdf

[YarnAddict]

35. In other words,

the strict gun laws didn't prevent this??? Shocking.

[YarnAddict]

39. Who knows?

His mother met his "needs with extreme precision." She even bought him a BMW. If he wanted a gun, she probably would have written a letter for him. Maybe his dad would have also. Parents often tend to stick their heads in the sand and avoid the truth about their children.

[MohRokTah]

40. Can't be relatives. eom

[Skittles]

23. OMG

YOU JUST DO.NOT.FUCKING.GET.IT

[Hekate]

33. He gets it all right. He just doesn't want to. nt

[Skittles]

46. OH and HE doesn't touch guns

[GeorgeGist]

6. I agree. The whole killing culture should be indicted.

Happy now?

[YarnAddict]

7. Sounds better to me

The fact is, this wasn't a "gun problem," it was a "mental illness problem" and all the gun laws/restrictions/etc. that we can come up with wouldn't have prevented multiple murders committed by this guy.

[Le Taz Hot]

9. Funny how it's never ever the guns with you guys.

Your gun fetish does not trump other people's right to live.

[YarnAddict]

12. What's funny is

that I've never owned a gun, and have probably never even touched one. My b-i-l, however, is a hunter, a gun collector, abides by the laws, and has never hurt anyone.

Can you please tell me what gun laws would have prevented Elliot Rodger from killing anyone in this case?

[MohRokTah]

11. No, this was a gun problem.

Sounds like you are part of that gun problem, too.

[YarnAddict]

13. Nope.

Don't own a gun, and never will. Just don't want to see law abiding gun owners' rights infringed when all the laws in the world would not have prevented Elliot Rodger from becoming a murderer. On the other hand, better mental healthcare for him probably would have prevented this whole situation.

[MohRokTah]

14. And I don't want to infringe on anybody's rights.

So long as every gun owner shows up to monthly meetings of the well regulated militias, I'm fine with it. Everybody in the National Guard has every right to own a gun.

[YarnAddict]

15. Obviously the 2nd Amendment

is written so vaguely as to have created debate for more than 200 years. If it was as clear cut as you seem to be, this whole issue would have been settled long ago.

[MohRokTah]

16. One SCOTUS justice is all it takes.

All it will take is one more SCOTUS justice who is willing to rule that the second amendment does not grant a personal right and that it mut be tied to membership in the militia and the madness ends.

Just one.

[YarnAddict]

17. And if you think that will ever happen

I have a bridge to sell you. Please try to remember that SCOTUS really isn't supposed to pull their rulings out of their asses; they are supposed to rely on prior rulings, intent of the founders, and the Constitution itself.

[MohRokTah]

18. SCOTUS ALWAYS pulls their rulings out of their asses.

You're really naive to think they don't.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

37. That's an interesting legal paradigm you're depending on.

[liberal N proud]

28. Where are the rights of the victims?

Did you ever think about what they lost so that the gunnuters can continue to shoot up society?

[YarnAddict]

42. Most "gunnutters"

don't shoot up society. Only the mentally ill do that, and it is far better, for a lot of reasons, to treat their illnesses than to restrict the rights of law abiding citizens.

[liberal N proud]

43. Yeah, everyone who has a short fuse and blows someone away is mentally ill

Easy to blame.

[YarnAddict]

44. Yeah, I pretty much think that's true n/t

[liberal N proud]

45. Talk about a closed mind

[Puzzledtraveller]

21. No, acknowledging an epidemic of mental illness

might shatter the illusion that all is well with our society, values and priorities.

[Puzzledtraveller]

19. Only if we can convict George Lucas for murdering Star Wars.

[hunter]

20. Good Job, undercover gungrabber!

Our mission to demonstrate that all gun owners are insensitive pricks is working!

[Paladin]

22. +1.

[Skittles]

24. they are DISGUSTING

not a SHRED of decency

[Hekate]

34. +2

[Hoyt]

32. He was subduing them with a gun, it appears.

[Tikki]

2. I hope so, also.

UCSB is my alma mater and I have been pretty shook up about the murders in IV.

When I attended I was an older student with children at home just slightly older than most of the students there.

I watched in joy as students made their dreams began.

I spent my whole working life around students; to see the sadness overcome the Campus, Community, State
and Nation feels like I need to do something to help.


Tikki

[Hekate]

36. Hi upaloopa. This is my home, too. In times past I worked at UCSB, then the County...

Since retirement I've kept busy with one County Commission or another.

I share your grief along with the entire community.

The contributions to this thread by those who defend the rights of the hate-filled to collect and use lethal weapons are beyond disgusting. How can they? How dare they?