Couple ‘Self-Radicalizes’, and Murders

Last Wednesday at San Bernardino, California, the largest mass shooting in the USA since 2012 took place. The couple, Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife Tashfeen Malik , armed with a handgun and a .223-caliber rifle each, brutally slaughtered 14 people at a holiday-party.

This act of terrorism has been investigated thoroughly by the FBI, who later “uncovered evidence… of extreme planning”. The couple somehow ‘came prepared’ for the attack, with ‘tactical gear’, and at least 4 firearms total. This was in California, where some of the nation’s strictest gun control laws exist. The FBI has also found smashed cell phones, seen as an attempt to destroy ‘digital footprints’. As investigation went, it looked “More and more like self-radicalization,” a law enforcement official said, suggesting how an issue with religion might have sparked the killings.

California has passed several gun control laws (many called for by President Obama) , which are a few steps beyond gun-control requirements set by federal law. For example, everyone planning to buy guns in California is required to go through several background checks, both submitted by the buyers themselves, and conducted by the dealer, using the FBI database. They must also pass a written test, in order to receive a Firearm Safety Certificate, and there is also a mandatory 10-day waiting period for all sales.

Authorities investigate the crime scene

These measures did not prevent the 14 deaths and 21 injuries on December 3, 2015. The couple, traced via their firearms were revealed to have obtained the handguns legally a few years ago, while the rifles were from one of Farook’s former roommates. The roommate is believed to be innocent.

This deadly shooting has led to many proposals, including by President Obama, proposing stronger gun control laws, and  “I mean, I say this every time we go one of these mass shootings, this just doesn’t happen in other countries,” said Obama. He also urged lawmakers to pass a law, preventing individuals on the “No Fly List” from legally purchasing firearms.

Meanwhile, 2016 US Presidential Candidate Donald Trump is calling to ban Muslims from entering the US…