(Our view) Stepping up for the innocent

Published 5:15 am Friday, November 9, 2018

The nighttime attack on a popular California club Wednesday left at least 12 people dead and leaves a chilling reminder that random disregard for life has become too familiar with the frequency of mass killings.

The loss of a veteran sheriff’s deputy, who was set to retire in a year, serves as another reminder that law enforcement officers face tremendous danger in the line of duty.

Ventura County Sheriff Sgt. Ron Helus was talking to his wife when calls started coming in about a shooting at the Borderline Bar & Grill, according to the Associated Press.

“Hey, I got to go handle a call. I love you. I’ll talk to you later,” he told her, according to Sheriff Geoff Dean.

It was the last time she would talk to her husband. He entered the club along with a California Highway Patrol officer and began exchanging fire with the gunman who was later found dead among the employees and patrons who were also shot down.

As often is reported, the man who opened fire took his own life. The shooter, identified as Marine veteran Ian David Long, 28, who served seven months in Afghanistan. After a disturbance at his mother’s house, he was evaluated by mental health professionals who suspected he suffered from post traumatic stress syndrome. But those health care professionals also determined that he could not be involuntarily committed for treatment.

The shooting, on the heels of the horrible attack on a Pittsburgh Jewish synagogue will no doubt renew debates about gun ownership, mental health and hate speech. All of those topics are appropriate, but often they fade quickly until the next incident occurs.

The Borderline Bar & Grill is known as popular hangout for a largely upper middle class area. College students were in attendance Wednesday for a night themed for country music. Off-duty police officers are known to enjoy the club as well, and several of them were inside at the time of the shooting and helped save lives.

Nestled in the city of Thousand Oaks, an area known for low crime and an overall comfortable setting for families, the violence confirms that safe havens are not always safe in present-day America. This scenario has played out countless times in churches, schools, malls and at open-air concerts. The club had security personnel, including one who was the first to be shot outside the establishment.

The unpredictable nature of those who storm crowded venues puts everyone at a disadvantage.

The ongoing arguments over safety will shift back and forth from government responsibility to the breakdown of values in society. Perhaps both arguments are correct, but when will the politics be put aside and steps come forward to ensure safety for innocent?

In the meantime, individuals, who had no connection to a killer, have been murdered while trying to enjoy a night out with friends.

It’s time for some real discussions and solutions that make sense – let the grandstanding end. This is not a Second Amendment issue. The horrific events deal with protecting individuals in communities across the nation.