Allegedly the shooter targeted his former girlfriend, (who was killed). The Shooter has been named in other publications, but I won't name him before the Police name state they have their culprit/murderer..

the male ego + semi automatic firearms. guns make everything worse.

These heinous crimes are committed mostly by males. Why is that?

I wish there was really a Hell so the NRA and their tools - those fucking soulless politicians - can burn for eternity!

@3.....It is largely because of the social and subsequent media neglect of men, particularly boys.

So horrifying. It was almost ten years ago that a student of mine in Phoenix killed two and then himself in a similar circumstance.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-…

@3, http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/18/opinions/g…

@5: that is seriously incorrect. if it's "media neglect of men", why are there so many folk, and country, and blues songs about it? men killing women who reject them is as old as humanity itself.

if i'm the dad of the ex-girlfriend he killed, i'm feeling the death penalty right now.

(Some) men think they have the right to own women. History is full of cultures that had that belief as a central tenet. I don't know what we can do to rewire the reptilian brain. Even having a female President won't help, seeing as how having a black President didn't do much for racism in entitled white guys.

hormones and guns don't mix; perhaps even worse than anything else and guns.

@5&8:

There is a whole genre of music known as "The Appalachian Sweetheart Killing Song"

It's not about the man being rejected by the woman. @3 wanted to know why all these heinous crimes were committed by men I gave him the general reason as to why it is always men.

@9: Sorry, but there's no racism in the story to embellish your narrative. The shooting was motivated by rage from a break-up of a relationship with the shooter's girlfriend.

I found The Stranger's coverage of the mass shooting in Munich last week to be particularly interesting... because there was no coverage. None. Bupkus.

I'm guessing The Stranger didn't cover it because they couldn't blame Germany's lax gun control laws or the NRA and because the shooter said he was actively seeking the fame and publicity the media would inevitably give him.

The Stranger simply doesn't like to cover stories that don't fit their agenda.

I've been saying for years that mass shootings are perpetuated by the media (and now social media) who fetishize deranged killers and give them the posthumous glory they so desperately crave. And the Munich shooter proved my point.

As a side note, I'd like to note that guns and semi auto rifles are harder to get than ever before. 25 years ago I remember buying a German H&K 91 over the counter with nothing more than my driver's license and a 4473 form. Why weren't there more mass shootings back then?

It's because Columbine and the media's masturbatory coverage of it hadn't happened yet.

@14: you blame the stranger for ignoring Munich, and then turn around an blame the media for inspiring more killers?

I'll concede that the coverage of these crimes has emboldened copycats. Lanza in particular - he chose that target to achieve infamy. it worked.

btw, don't read nefarious intent into their neglect of the Munich story. Hanlon's razor.

@7: That article sums it up pretty well. He especially does a good job of clarifying the role of social context and how it's not as simple as blaming violent video games or whatever.

@13: We've had multiple mass shootings, including the largest on record, committed this year alone. Wonder how many Germany has had?

Sorry that last was @14.

@13: I was not trying to make a connection between this particular news story and racism. I was trying to say that it's extremely difficult to educate people not to do stupid shit when their culture encourages it. Racism, misogyny, they're US cultural problems. In general.

@19: Okay. But you still made that extrapolation to one degree or another. In addition, our culture, polite society at least, does not encourage racism, misogyny, homophobia, etc. The problems in our society do, but not the culture itself.

@6- you failed them. You are solely to blame for their actions.

Our Dear Max wrote "if i'm the dad of the ex-girlfriend he killed, i'm feeling the death penalty right now." That's why we shouldn't have the relatives of victims making that decision.

Many years ago in Iowa, a friend of mine was executed in front of a restaurant full of people. A gunshot to her face with a pistol that was said to be popular with the Isreali army. Her family, against the death penalty, made a statement about how they object to the death penalty, and are happy that Iowa doesn't have it. (and promptly got a huge amount of grief from the pro death penalty types. Thank God this was before social media)

I personally get a good deal of grim satisfaction that her killer (who was just 17 at the time) will most likely spend his life in prison without possibility of parole (although he recently asked to be re-sentenced, after the 2012 supreme court decision prohibiting life-without-parole sentences for minors). I hope he has a good long life, and has plenty of time to stew over how he ruined his life.

Bui and Ivanov were both students at UW Bothell.

Catalina, just what was the point in saying that gun was said to be popular with the Israeli army? You don't usually make such irrelevant remarks.

Sarah dear, just that the gun was popular with the Israeli army, Or maybe it was an Israeli army gun? There was some connection to the Israeli army. That's what was in the paper at the time.

It was a .44 magnum, if that helps. Is that a military thing?

@20 no he didnt, you're just stupid.

Catalina was probably referring to the IMI Desert Eagle, a pistol manufactured by Israeli Military Industries, a weapon manufacturer.