The Name of Yesterday's Oklahoma's Massacre is Chris Harper Mercer
It took a long time for this to be made public. The police chief in Douglas County, Oregon the site of the latest mass shooter made a big point of saying you will never hear the killer's name from his lips.
Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin said Thursday night that police have confirmed the identity of the gunman who opened fire at Umpqua Community College in Oregon, but refused to say the man's name aloud.
Law enforcement sources previously told the Los Angeles Times that the gunman was 26-year-old Chris Harper Mercer, but a visibly emotional Hanlin said he wouldn't give the gunman the attention he probably craved.
"Let me be very clear: I will not name the shooter. I will not give him the credit he probably sought prior to this horrific and cowardly act," Hanlin said. "You will never hear me mention his name."
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-oregon-shooting-live-updates-htmlstory.html
This is an argument that has been made many times in the endless parade of mass shootings we've seen since Columbine.
Yet, I think there's something problematic about it. After watching this, Lawrence O'Donnell chirped in that he always does the same thing.
But the rationale for this is dubious. Today on MSNBC the Mayor of Roseburg where the shooting took place made the same claim that we need to stop publicizing so much about the shooters as this makes other unbalanced people out there think this is a cool way to get their 15 seconds of fame.
What I found troubling is the Mayor had given this as a response to the question of stronger gun laws. He says he'd be willing to look into it but that gun control is 'not a cure all' of which is what everyone from Mike Huckabee to Bernie Sanders has said.
http://lastmenandovermen.blogspot.com/2015/10/bernie-sanders-doesnt-think-gun-control.html
The Mayor seems to be arguing that the real cause is not the easy availability of guns but that the media inspires copycats by giving the killers' names and profiles.
So if we just don't give any information about him, their appetite to commit mass shootings will wane.
This seems to me entirely wrongheaded and to hide the name or background of the killer is counterproductive if we are interested in actual prevention. After all we want to get what led to this and how they got their hands on the guns.
If you refuse to profile them it's much tougher to prevent further shooters in the future.
So this argument seems wrong and I believe it's just a red herring to get us off the sent of what is needed-stronger gun control laws.
One argument I heard that makes a world of sense to me is why not require gun owners to obtain a license just like drivers do?
It would also enable us to catch if an applicant has some clear signs of being unbalanced.
Anyway, a further look into Chief Hamlin confirms my suspicions. He is a radical guns rights advocate.
A sheriff who's vocally opposed to stricter gun control legislation and has been linked to a fringe "constitutional sheriffs" organization found himself thrust into the spotlight Thursday following a deadly mass shooting at a community college in Roseburg, Oregon.
"Douglas County, Oregon Sheriff John Hanlin told CNN's Chris Cuomo Friday morning on "New Day" that he was focused on investigating the shooting, in which a 26-year-old gunmanmassacred at least nine people and injured several others, rather than on talking about his position on the gun control debate."
"When Cuomo pointed out that Hanlin previously said gun laws aren't the answer to mass shootings, the sheriff responded: "I want to stay focused on completing this investigation and focus on the families of the victims The discussion over firearms and control of firearms will occur. I'll dime in at a later time but now is not that time."
"Cuomo cited a 2013 letter Hanlin wrote to Vice President Joe Biden asking him to preserve the Second Amendment and informing him that Hanlin would refuse to enforce "unconstitutional regulations or orders"—meaning executive actions on gun control—in Douglas County. The letter came a month after the Sandy Hook Elementary school massacre, when Washington was abuzz with talk of enacting stricter gun control measures."
"Gun control is NOT the answer to preventing heinous crimes like school shootings," Hanlin wrote in the letter. "Any actions against, or in disregard for our U.S. Constitution and 2nd Amendment rights by the current administration would be irresponsible and an indisputable insult to the American people."
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/john-hanlin-gun-control-constitutional
Often conservatives claim that we shouldn't pass new legislation but enforce those already on the books. Chief Hamlin deliberately chose not to do that.
It took a long time for this to be made public. The police chief in Douglas County, Oregon the site of the latest mass shooter made a big point of saying you will never hear the killer's name from his lips.
Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin said Thursday night that police have confirmed the identity of the gunman who opened fire at Umpqua Community College in Oregon, but refused to say the man's name aloud.
Law enforcement sources previously told the Los Angeles Times that the gunman was 26-year-old Chris Harper Mercer, but a visibly emotional Hanlin said he wouldn't give the gunman the attention he probably craved.
"Let me be very clear: I will not name the shooter. I will not give him the credit he probably sought prior to this horrific and cowardly act," Hanlin said. "You will never hear me mention his name."
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-oregon-shooting-live-updates-htmlstory.html
This is an argument that has been made many times in the endless parade of mass shootings we've seen since Columbine.
Yet, I think there's something problematic about it. After watching this, Lawrence O'Donnell chirped in that he always does the same thing.
But the rationale for this is dubious. Today on MSNBC the Mayor of Roseburg where the shooting took place made the same claim that we need to stop publicizing so much about the shooters as this makes other unbalanced people out there think this is a cool way to get their 15 seconds of fame.
What I found troubling is the Mayor had given this as a response to the question of stronger gun laws. He says he'd be willing to look into it but that gun control is 'not a cure all' of which is what everyone from Mike Huckabee to Bernie Sanders has said.
http://lastmenandovermen.blogspot.com/2015/10/bernie-sanders-doesnt-think-gun-control.html
The Mayor seems to be arguing that the real cause is not the easy availability of guns but that the media inspires copycats by giving the killers' names and profiles.
So if we just don't give any information about him, their appetite to commit mass shootings will wane.
This seems to me entirely wrongheaded and to hide the name or background of the killer is counterproductive if we are interested in actual prevention. After all we want to get what led to this and how they got their hands on the guns.
If you refuse to profile them it's much tougher to prevent further shooters in the future.
So this argument seems wrong and I believe it's just a red herring to get us off the sent of what is needed-stronger gun control laws.
One argument I heard that makes a world of sense to me is why not require gun owners to obtain a license just like drivers do?
It would also enable us to catch if an applicant has some clear signs of being unbalanced.
Anyway, a further look into Chief Hamlin confirms my suspicions. He is a radical guns rights advocate.
A sheriff who's vocally opposed to stricter gun control legislation and has been linked to a fringe "constitutional sheriffs" organization found himself thrust into the spotlight Thursday following a deadly mass shooting at a community college in Roseburg, Oregon.
"Douglas County, Oregon Sheriff John Hanlin told CNN's Chris Cuomo Friday morning on "New Day" that he was focused on investigating the shooting, in which a 26-year-old gunmanmassacred at least nine people and injured several others, rather than on talking about his position on the gun control debate."
"When Cuomo pointed out that Hanlin previously said gun laws aren't the answer to mass shootings, the sheriff responded: "I want to stay focused on completing this investigation and focus on the families of the victims The discussion over firearms and control of firearms will occur. I'll dime in at a later time but now is not that time."
"Cuomo cited a 2013 letter Hanlin wrote to Vice President Joe Biden asking him to preserve the Second Amendment and informing him that Hanlin would refuse to enforce "unconstitutional regulations or orders"—meaning executive actions on gun control—in Douglas County. The letter came a month after the Sandy Hook Elementary school massacre, when Washington was abuzz with talk of enacting stricter gun control measures."
"Gun control is NOT the answer to preventing heinous crimes like school shootings," Hanlin wrote in the letter. "Any actions against, or in disregard for our U.S. Constitution and 2nd Amendment rights by the current administration would be irresponsible and an indisputable insult to the American people."
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/john-hanlin-gun-control-constitutional
Often conservatives claim that we shouldn't pass new legislation but enforce those already on the books. Chief Hamlin deliberately chose not to do that.
So Oregon is a very conservative state on guns and the county in which this occurred is extremely conservative. It's clear that local gun legislation here would face a real uphill climb.
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