http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/22/us...d.html?_r=1&hp
Gunman, it is noted, used an assault-style rifle.
Things to take away:
1. the guy was on parole for what must be a felony, and had a warrant for his arrest. His possession of that gun (or any gun) was illegal. He was breaking the law.
2. the relationship between the Oakland PD and the community is atrocious, it appears. When you get to the point that you have two officers laying in their own blood, and 20 people are taunting the police, that is beyond the pale.
3. We have areas of the country that are completely ruled by criminal enterprise. You don't get that from the nytimes article, but reading the comments of a sfgate.com article yesterday, that was the definite impression about what is going on in Oakland. Forget the terrorists in Afghanistan for a second, and consider the homegrown non-Islamic terrorists in our backyards.
4. CNN is reporting that this POS had "an extensive criminal history." You wonder why this guy was on the street and not behind bars. I support the 3-strikes law--we need career criminals removed from society. I'm sorry guy, but if you have 2 felonies, and you decide to rob a bicycle from my garage, you are going to prison for the rest of your life. How many crimes do you think the average criminal commits for every conviction? I will give you a hint: it is on average, more than one.