Isla Vista's Tragedy

 

Elliot Oliver Robertson Rodger took the lives of innocent people because he was frustrated about being a virgin.

YouTube videos posted by Rodger the previous week to the Isla Vista shooting showed a sweet and gentle soul. Truth was he was a twisted and delusional man planning to torment those women who refused his advances.

On Friday May 23, Rodger went out on a shooting spree he had planned out as revenge against women. Rodger wrote a densely detailed manifesto outlining his gruesome plans to kill and the reason he gave for his actions was the belief that women hated him.

The document Rodger wrote explaining his plans was titled "My Twisted World: The Story of Elliot Rodger". This document records every insult and humiliation the he claimed to have suffered "at the hands of humanity, particularly women".

 "All I ever wanted was to fit in and live a happy life amongst humanity, but I was cast out and rejected, forced to endure an existence of loneliness and insignificance, all because the females of the human species were incapable of seeing the value in me," he says in the manuscript.

He blamed women for making him feel that he was alone and claimed that the way they treated him created hatred within him. Not only did he feel that no woman would ever love him, but he was also obsessed with the fact that many had refused to have sex with him. Being 22-years-old and a virgin was something that very much frustrated Rodgers and contributed to his hatred toward women.

Rodger had planned to behead his roommates and kill his stepmother and brother before going around UC Santa Barbara to shoot at people and stab them. He was specifically looking to kill good looking people and any couples he came across at a house party that was being thrown.

In his shooting rampage he killed six people near Santa Barbara, California. Three victims were found at Rodger's residence and two women had been shot outside the Alpha Phi sorority house at the university. After his rampage it has been reported that Rodger by taking two tranquilizers and shooting himself in the head with two guns in his black BMW.

"I moved to Isla Vista with the goal of losing my virginity and attaining the life I desire," the document says. "If I am unable to have it, I will destroy it."

Rodger destroyed the lives of many. His actions took the lives of six people and broke the hearts of many. Veronika Weiss age 19, a UCSB student from Westlake. She was bright, athletic and outgoing. Many looked up to her and said that she had the characteristics of a leader.  Katherine Breann Cooper age 22. She was said to be a sweet girl. She was,"A self-proclaimed princess," her friend Courtney said. "I know that she has her crown on in heaven." Christopher Martinez age 20. He was described as a great guy and his death took its toll on his father who spoke of the incident the day after on behalf of his son and all of the victim and their families.

Richard Martinez, Christopher's father,lashed out at politicians and the National Rifle Assn. for refusing to support more restrictive gun control measures.   “They talk about gun rights. What about Chris’ right to live? When will this insanity stop?" Martinez said. "When will enough people say, 'Stop this madness.' We do not have to live like this. Too many people have died. We should say to ourselves, 'not one more.'"

Lisa Hopper, a 19-year-old student at UCSB, saw Christopher after he had been shot. She knew Christopher and tried to administer CPR but her state of shock made it difficult to do so. She was upset that she could not save Christopher and cried when she had stated that he was dead.

The incident is upsetting and heartbreaking. This kind of thing has happened several times before and it seems that once everyone is starting to get over one incident another one happens. It is ongoing and like Richard Martinez, I feel it is due to the lack of gun control. People claim that they have the right to bear arms, but these incidents prove that having that right proves to be too much for some. The weapons themselves are not the problem, but the hands the fall into. Some may think that having weapons means having power, but that is not true. Power is having access to weapons and not using them to hurt others even though we know we can.

As of right now our country has faced far too many incidents proving that the people do not have the power and ability to put aside their weapons and deal with their problems in a peaceful manner. Having the "right" to bear arms may be in the constitution but that does not mean that it should be a guaranteed right to all. Not everyone should be able to purchase a gun, because not everyone can handle the responsibility that comes with it. People may want to have guns to protect themselves, but if we made restrictions then their would be less of need to have them. Sure if you truly want to use it for protection you should be granted that privilege, but we need to be able to find a way to only allow access to those who can handle it. Check their mental health, historical background, family history, and whatever else that may be crucial in assuring that those who have guns will not use them to harm others. People may be upset about the long process but it is better to assure people the right to live then allow them the right to have weapon that kills.

Rodger obviously had problems, and some had been well aware of them. His own father had admitted to police after the incident that he truly believed his son would do something so horrific. If his own father had known his son had problems then why not help him? How is it that Rodger had access to guns? Surely if whoever had allowed him access to the weapons had known Rodger's history this would not have happened.

Rodger was lost in his hatred and felt alone. That does not justify his actions, but it does explain why he did what he did which is important. It is something that we should learn from. Because if we ever come across someone who discusses how they are in a state of despair and have no desire to live, we should recognize the possible outcomes. Even if the worst possible outcome is a massacre, dealing with the issue is better than ignoring it.

To all of those who lost someone in the Isla Vista, just know that none of the victims deserved to die. You may ask yourself why Veronika? Why Katherine? Or why Christopher? But there is no answer. It was just something unfortunate that happened. Even if there was a reason as to why they specifically were victims, that would not help make it better. Focus on the good things they brought into your lives and be grateful to have known them. It is hard to lose someone, especially when it happens unexpectedly. The best thing to do is to carry on their memory by pursuing to do good in the world as they had.