Sun Sentinel – by Wayne K. Roustan, Sally Kestin and Larry Barszewski
People with mental illness should not have access to guns, Broward Sheriff Scott Israel said Sunday, two days after an alleged gunman with known psychological issues killed five people at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
“Something has got to change,” Israel said in an interview with the Sun Sentinel.
Esteban Santiago, 26, the suspected shooter, is under suicide watch at Broward County Jail, Israel said, and is scheduled to appear before a federal judge on Monday. Besides the dead, six other people were shot. No names have officially been released.
“A person suffering from mental illness, in my opinion, should not be able to buy, possess or carry a handgun or a rifle, any type of firearm. Convicted felons — same. People who are put on no-fly lists — the same,” the sheriff said. “We shouldn’t be selling them weapons and allowing them to carry weapons.”
Israel called on lawmakers “to step up to the plate.”
“They need to be sick and tired of burying Americans in these mass-murder acts,” he said. “We need to take guns out of the hands of people that are suffering from mental illness.”
Israel didn’t know what form the laws should take, but said people diagnosed with mental-health issues, “should be put on some type of list that it’s mandatory that they not come in possession of firearms.”
Florida law already states any person who has been adjudicated mentally defective or been committed to a mental institution by a court cannot buy a firearm, and any person ruled mentally incompetent cannot possess a firearm.
The sheriff said he has compassion for the mentally ill.
“Those people are not problem people,” he said. “They’re people with very real problems.”
Israel did not attend Santiago’s interrogation, but said he spoke with detectives and the FBI.
“[Santiago] did say he was being controlled. He spoke of a chip that was put in his head, and he talked about being forced to watch videos of ISIS and things of that nature,” Israel said. “Then, there were times, later on, when he spoke about being hired by ISIS.”
George Piro, the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Miami field office, has stated it was too soon to determine if this was a terrorist act, but the bureau couldn’t rule out terrorism, either.
The sheriff planned to meet with law enforcement and the airlines to decide whether airport security needed to be improved beyond the current checkpoints, but he added that “it’s impossible” to protect every large public venue in America.
“Something happened in [Santiago’s] life, and it sparked violent behavior and mass murder,” Israel said.
Investigators still don’t have a reason for Santiago’s selecting the airport for his acts.
“We have no understanding at this time why he chose Fort Lauderdale,” Israel said.
wkroustan@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4303
Copyright © 2017, Sun Sentinel
The standard nonsense of a false-flag killing being used to disarm the American people. When will they ever give up on this old trick that isn’t working?
“People with mental illness should not have access to guns….two days after an alleged gunman with known psychological issues killed five people..”
That sounds sensible enough, or at least easily digestible by the average American TV viewer, but 600 new “mental illnesses” have been added to the roster in one year, just so everyone can be diagnosed with some kind of “known psychological issue” or another.
I don’t know why they even bother with this tired old game. This tyranny will result in war long before they convince anyone to give up a firearm.
How would “mental illness” be defined for this purpose? Where will the line be drawn?
Common ailments like depression, anxiety, and panic disorder are probably suffered by one-third of the population at some time or another. Are all those people going to be disqualified?
How about those with simple phobias, which are ubiquitous?
There is mental illness, and then there’s MENTAL ILLNESS. The depressed housewife on Prozac, or the stressed businessman who takes a Valium here and there for anxiety, shouldn’t be lumped in with the guy who believes aliens are talking to him through his microwave oven.
I have a better idea, Sheriff Israel: let’s disqualify psychopaths from owning guns. Yeah, I know that would mean you and your fellow pigs would no longer be armed. But I can’t see how that would be a bad thing. Let’s do it for the children.
mental illness equates dissent from tyrannical POV
naaah, would never happen…
“People with mental illness should not have access to guns, Broward Sheriff Scott Israel said Sunday”
Scott Israel….who?
Defense:
Wish I could find the full scene of his defense, He shows that the sisters are, everyone is, “Pixelated”. 😉 😀
Scott Israel?
WTF?
It’s obvious (((who’s))) running things in Florida.
How about Scott “I support the Zionist Jew agenda to take away American’s right to own firearms” Israel?
Or Scott “I put Zionist Israel’s goals ahead of policies that benefit Americans” Israel?
This name has got to be a fake f**kong joke.
Seriously.
I’ll try to research it tomorrow.
Could this article push the Zionist Jew disarmament of Americans any more than the fake shit that’s already been shown?
It’s so blatant that I believe it’s got to be a Zionist PsyOp.
If they pass this , every cop would qualify and would have to disarm
That is if they ever followed laws to begin with
If I am a Free man , all of my rights are intact
So, what ..do they expect all people with some form of any illness won’t have any civil rights or the Bill of Rights ?
Unacceptable, null n void
Do not follow tyranny
III
They best learn not to fuc with the terminally I’ll
, or any of us who could become
This ‘Dumb Bass -Turd’ can put his retarded self at the top of the list!
Crazy keeps getting thicker, I challenge anyone to find someone who doesn’t fit into one of these descriptions…
https://www.ccdu.org/sites/default/files/640×276/dsm.jpg
That Sheriff is pushing a “SOVIET” law!!! It is that simple. Ironic though. Most of his officers under the criteria of mental stability probably should not be allowed to even walk around free or own guns. They are mentally ill, drug addicted sociopaths. That Sheriff needs to be removed from office and replaced by someone who will defend our God given sovereign rights.