The recent mass shooting that left 11 people shot, 5 of them dead, at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International airport, is a sobering reminder to some that gun violence continues to plague society.
Some will argue that more gun control is needed, others will say that more guns on the streets could have helped prevent this
and other similar tragedies.
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The shooter, Esteban Santiago, 26, who is caught on surveillance video (courtesy of TMZ) the moment he begins to fire his weapon, had a long history of mental instability.
The FBI new this, and after Santiago walked into their office and expressed this mental instability, it warranted officials to order him to a short stint at a psychological facility last year.
This firearm, the alleged one used in the shooting, was recently returned back to him after being confiscated for security reasons in Alaska.
Santiago is being charged with “an act of violence at an international airport resulting win death,” which carries the federal death penalty.
Back to the gun control issue.
The argument from the pro-gun control lobby will be that deeper screenings are needed to root out individuals with mental issues, opening the door for more intrusive background checks against everyone else.
As far as the pro-gun lobby, the point will be made that if more people carried guns, and if guns were allowed to be carried at airports, this shooting could have been prevented.
For those of us who have carry and conceal licenses and are trained to react to situations like this, the outcome could or would have been different.
It has been proven time and time again that citizens carrying a firearm legally, serve as shield for others when law enforcement is not around.
But with all this said, the Fort Lauderdale airport shooters mental instability is the sticking point that everyone looking to reign in guns will emphasize and build their case around.
Before the shooting, the Florida Legislators had a couple of gun bills slated to be heard in committee. One of the bills was allowing open-carry in the state.
With what happened last week, will lawmakers look to quietly scrap the bill from consideration?