While I finish my take on President Obama's proposals for gun control, whatever we end up doing has to effectively address the case of convicted murderer Christian Oberender, the 13 firearms he has just been arrested for possessing, and the truly frightening note investigators found when they searched his home.
Oberender, 32, was convicted of shooting and killing his mother in 1995 when he was 14. It appears that he was institutionalized until he was 21 and then released despite continuing mental problems. Apparently his name was never added to the list of individuals barred from gun ownership and he was able to amass a small arsenal over the years. At this point I haven't seen any other details of his recent activities, if he was under a doctor's care or working, etc.
With his most recent interaction with the local law enforcement, it clicked with the Carver County Sheriff that this guy shouldn't have guns, despite a check with the Minnesota BCA yielding no red flags, and he was right. They also found this recently written note in his bedroom:
"I feel the good part of me fade away. I don't know how long I can hold it in for. I think about killing all the time," the note said. "The monster want out. I know what happens when he comes out. He only been out one time and someone die. ... The monster want to hurt people. There is so much pain in my heart and soul. Me want others to feel it."
Wow. If this isn't a situation that everybody agrees needs to be learned from and fixed, then such a thing doesn't exist. You can never be certain with these things, but I'm pretty sure that sheriff has saved a few lives.
Update: The Strib has a more detailed article this morning about the cracks that this guy was able to slip through. It looks like there is a whole bunch of work that needs to be done in properly accounting for people the state has already determined shouldn't have guns before we start adding other mental health professionals to that list.
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