No doubt this shootist/shooter kept HIS guns because he felt that fearful need to be lethally armed at all times - like family holidays - just in case some bad guy broke down the door to steal his Christmas prezzies. Or, in case he got angry with his family members, so he could more easily gun them down.
I wonder if he was belt-carrying rather than holster carrying with his Santa suit?
It is especially macabre that the shootist dressed as Santa Claus, a fiction figure. Maybe he was just shooting at the traditional partridge in a pair tree and instead accidentally took out the six other people and himself. From the report, he may have used a silencer.
The issue here is weapons in the hands of people who have poor impulse control making them dangerous when they go off their nut and start killing others, or themself in suicides.
And note that this took place next to a large school, thank God not during a time when there were students in attendance.
But I'm sure it seemed absolutely essential to the Santa Shootist that he have his guns with him, that no one better intefere with HIS second amendment rights, and I'm sure that he would have told us had we asked that he was absolutely the best possible judge of when to use his firearms that he was wearing.
Because you just don't hear people claim maybe they shouldn't be armed, no matter how clearly they should not be.
A quick perusal of the international news didn't turn up any other holiday mass shootings in other countries - with or without Santa suits worn by the shootist. I don't believe we can ascribe less holiday stresses to other nations; rather it appears their gun restrictions work to keep firearms away from the trigger fingers of the dangerously stressed.
From MSNBC.com and the wire services:
Motive mystery after 7 shot dead on Christmas Day
Gunman who killed 6, then self at home reportedly was dressed as Santa
GRAPEVINE, Texas — Police in a Dallas suburb dubbed the "Christmas Capital of Texas" searched for clues on Monday to explain the apparent murder-suicide rampage that left seven family members dead among holiday presents.The dead — four women and three men, one of them believed to be the gunman — were found late Sunday morning in an apartment living room in the town of Grapevine by police answering a voiceless 911 emergency call, authorities said.
The gunman was said to have been a middle-aged man and a source with knowledge of the investigation told NBC Dallas-Fort Worth that he reportedly was dressed as Santa Claus.
Two pistols were recovered from the home, said Sgt. Robert Eberling of the Grapevine police department, who called it a "gruesome crime scene" and the worst outburst of gun violence in the town's history.
Circumstances of the shooting remained sketchy, but Eberling said it appeared as though the bloodbath unfolded during a family holiday celebration as one man opened fire on six other people in the apartment, then killed himself.
No one was found alive by police arriving at the home, he said.
A community of about 46,000 people some 20 miles northwest of downtown Dallas, Grapevine is known for its wine-tasting salons and was recently proclaimed by the state Senate as the "Christmas Capital of Texas" for its abundance of annual holiday-season events.
"This is obviously a terrible tragedy," said Mayor William Tate. "The fact that it happened on Christmas makes it even more tragic. This appears to be a family situation and anyone who has a family will be incredibly saddened by what happened."
Voiceless 911 call Police dispatched at about 11:30 a.m. local time on Sunday found the bodies in the first-floor living room of a two-story unit in the Lincoln Vineyards apartments.
The 911 caller never spoke to police, and officers did not see the telephone when they arrived, officials said. Eberling said he believed police had to kick in the door to enter.
Many of the nearby apartments are vacant, and police said no neighbors reported hearing anything on a quiet Christmas morning when many people were not around.
Eberling said the victims appeared to have just opened Christmas presents when the shooting started, and there was no visible sign of forced entry or a struggle.
"By all appearances, they're all part of the same family," Eberling said. "It's a gruesome crime scene to say the least, with that many victims in that (small an) area suffering gunshot wounds."
Two of the dead were believed to be in their 50s or 60s, while the others appeared to be young adults, ranging in age from about 18 to 20 years, according to police.
Authorities said the victims were all related but did not immediately identify them and did not speculate on a possible motive for the shooting.
The bodies remained in the apartment well past dark as investigators worked into the early hours of Monday morning processing the crime scene, police said.
Lincoln Vineyards is a middle-income complex near Colleyville Heritage High School, one of the area's most highly regarded schools.
Several neighbors said children frequently played in front of the apartment, and they regularly saw young adults leaving for work.
Vanessa Barerra said the killings were especially disturbing in light of Grapevine's reputation as a safe place to live.
"I did research and chose to live here because of the safety and the school district," she said. "I'm glad my kids weren't here. They're with their dad."
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
