Tony Strickland-- Accomplice To Mass Murder? Or Just Bad Taste?

Tony Strickland inadvertently stumbled into putting himself in the middle of the horrific controversy around the crazed shooting spree in his old district. The carpetbagger currently running for Buck McKeon's seat in CA-25 represented the state Senate district that included this weekend's Isla Vista murder rampage. Although Strickland dis a lifelong gun-worshipper himself, it would be hard to blame all the deaths on him-- although his robocall (above) that went out within hours of the killings, has shocked people in the new district he wants to represent.

The timing could hardly be more tasteless. Just yesterday, a UCSB student shot over a dozen people and killed six (three by stabbing)-- most of them fellow students. Tony Strickland actually represented Santa Barbara and Isla Vista in the State Senate until late 2012, and many of these victims were likely former constituents of Strickland's.

If you listened to Strickland's robocall up top, you are aware that he's an absolutist on weapons and an NRA die-hard-- regardless of how many innocent people get murdered. Lee Rogers, the Democrat he's running against, has a very different perspective:

The Second Amendment gives us an awesome right, but that right doesn’t come without responsibility. Responsible gun ownership is a must. I’ve hunted since I was a teenager. I own several guns. But we must keep guns out of the hands of criminals and those that are mentally ill. Access to guns kills people. We simply can, and must, do better in our country. Therefore, I support a 100% background check with no loopholes. We’ll never prevent every gun death and critics will always point that out, but if we can take reasonable measures to prevent some, or many, why wouldn’t we?

The heartbroken father of one of the dead boys has a message for murder accomplices like Tony Strickland and the people who elect his kind of craven human garbage. Worth paying attention to:




UPDATE

Strickland is ducking questions about the inappropriateness of his robocalls. Lee Rogers issued this statement:

"My heartfelt condolences go out to victims, their families and the community of Isla Vista… I’m outraged that without a thought for the victims and their families who he formerly represented, Tony Strickland used this opportunity in the moments after a tragedy to wave his flag of unwavering support for the NRA to try rally more votes. This is another example of how Tony is tone-deaf to the needs and values real of people and even to the beliefs of rank and file members of the NRA who want to stop gun violence through universal criminal background checks."

His campaign pointed out that Rogers is a gun owner and hunter who understands there are common-sense solutions to ending gun violence without infringing on 2nd Amendment rights. In addition to universal criminal background checks, Rogers supports the following:

• Closing the gun show loophole, which allows private citizens, who are not licensed firearms dealers, to sell guns without conducting background checks or keeping records.
• Creation of a "Do Not Sell" list with appropriate due process for those going through periods of mental illness.
• Adequate funding for mental health resources so there can be intervention when warning signs become evident.