A gunman wearing a bulletproof vest and “lying in wait” opened fire on officers responding to a domestic disturbance call Saturday, killing three of them and turning a quiet Pittsburgh street into a battlefield, police said.
Back story:
Poplawski feared “the Obama gun ban that’s on the way” and “didn’t like our rights being infringed upon,” said Edward Perkovic, his best friend.
It's easy to blame people like Glenn Beck for inciting these tragedies -- it's similarly as easy to blame Grand Theft Auto or a rock lyric for other shootings.
Then again, when it comes to these recent shooting sprees, we're not talking about easily impressionable children responding to fiction. These are adult perpetrators with easy access to firearms who are possibly motivated by reputable (in certain circles) real-life politicians and news commentators.
Fewer people, however, would be susceptible to these violent influences if education were a higher priority and mental health issues received the attention they deserve.