The worst

Fifty-eight is the official tally of those killed by Stephen Paddock, the gunman who opened fire from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas, on a concert attended by thousands. More than five hundred suffered from gunshot wounds as well as from the chaos that ensued as Paddock fired at will into the crowd. Paddock eventually killed himself when police officers approached his suite. But police were surprised by what they discovered in his room.

Paddock meticulously planned the crime. Forty-nine guns, mostly rifles, thousands of rounds of ammunition, and materials to make explosives were found in Paddock’s room at the hotel and two of his houses in Nevada. Twenty-three guns and lots of loaded magazines were in the hotel. According to the police, Paddock had installed his own cameras to monitor those who were approaching his room. He was firing into the crowd for over ten minutes, with rifles fitted with a legal device that simulated full automatic fire. How was he able to bring in so many guns into the hotel?  Did his being a valued guest exempt him from security checks and searches by the hotel, or is it legal to carry a gun anywhere in Nevada?

The motive behind the mass shooting remains a mystery. ISIS has claimed responsibility for the crime, but the authorities are not buying it. The investigation is now focused on Paddock’s girlfriend, who happens to be a Filipina. According to Marilou Danley, she was given a ticket to the Philippines by Paddock days before the crime. Danley’s sisters claim she was being sent away so as not to be involved in the crime. Paddock also sent one hundred thousand dollars to her, apparently to buy a house. Danley is back in the US and is cooperating in whatever way with the authorities. She is not being considered a suspect. Paddock’s family is also at a loss. There was no indication of trouble. The only thing they knew was he was an avid gambler, as well as a real estate investor and speculator. Paddock did not also have any apparent interest in politics and religion.

The debate about the gun control in America will surely heat up. What I find surprising is that sales of the legal device that simulates automatic fire have apparently skyrocketed since the shooting, for reasons I guess only Americans know. President Trump is a known supporter of the Second Amendment. He has made no statement about gun control after the incident. The National Rifle Association (NRA) largely contributed to his campaign, so I do not expect him to say anything about gun control, unlike President Obama. Americans will have to figure out what exactly they are protecting, in light of what is the worst mass shooting incident in America to date.