Amid the shock of a California town over the recent deaths of six college students by a mentally-ill man, one of the victims' father lashed out publicly at the politicians who had failed to make the state gun laws more stringent following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings, Reuters said.
Richard Martinez, whose son, 20 year-old Christopher, was among the six who died at the gun of 22 year-old Elliot Rodger, said earlier rampages similar to the drive-by shooting would have been a sign for state lawmakers to take action on guns.
Telling CNN, said, "We're all proud to be Americans. But what kind of message does it send to the world when we have such a rudderless bunch of idiots in government? I can't tell you how angry I am. It's just awful, and no parent should have to go through this."
Rodger, who is a son of a Hollywood director, had stabbed three people in his apartment to death prior to shooting three people dead near the University of California at Santa Barbara. before the weekend. He later killed himself. All six people killed were students at the university, Reuters noted.
The news agency said that a proposed legislation to ban assault weapons, limit the capacities of magazines and extended background checks had failed to reach the Senate in April last year.
Rodger's victims were two woman and four men aged 19 to 23. Authorities have said that the eight of the 13 who were injured in the incident were wounded as Rodger had sped through the town with his black BMW while exchanging fire with the police.
Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown confirmed that his department had made contact with Rodger three times, which included a welfare check at the request of his family. Rodgers was cleared as Brown said his deputies had found him polite and courteous at that time. On the other hand, Brown said that Rodger was seen by a variety of healthcare professionals and said the young man was apparently mentally disturbed.
