Most of Washington seems downright eager to transition from discussion of what precisely happened in Las Vegas to a debate on gun control. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi wants a select committee on gun violence. Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Mass., walked off the House floor during a moment of silence for Las Vegas to protest congressional inaction. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California wants a ban on “bump stocks.” Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia warns, “He was only stopped finally because he did not have a silencer on his weapon.” (Er, no.)
But before public attention shifts completely to the legislative fights, let’s not forget we’re still missing a big piece of the story: the murderer’s motive.
FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe told CNBC this morning, “This one is somewhat different than many of the ones we’ve dealt with in the past because we don’t have any immediately accessible thumbprints that would indicate the shooter’s ideology or motivation or, really, what compelled him to get there.”
Sometimes a shooter’s beliefs are reflected in the selection of the target. If you try to shoot up a bunch of Republican lawmakers playing baseball, people can guess what’s driving you. Jihadists call 911 and pledge loyalty to ISIS. Angry young men shoot up their high schools to avenge slights and social ostracism. A guy who shoots up an abortion clinic is pretty clear about his motivation. But the target in Las Vegas, a country music concert, appears to be just the most convenient gathering of lots of people in a small space.
The portrait of the gunman just gets stranger and stranger, not quite fitting any of the previous patterns. McCabe described “an individual who was not on our radar or anyone’s radar.” As noted in today’s Morning Jolt, quite a few mass shooters stirred enough concern by peers, family members or psychologists to get them to call the police with their concerns.
An unnamed investigator revealed this minor detail:
More details are emerging, investigators say, that suggest Paddock’s mental state was deteriorating before the shooting — significant weight loss, an increasingly slovenly physical appearance and an obsession with his girlfriend’s ex-husband.
Also oddly, he worked in the federal government for quite some time:
Mr. Paddock worked for the federal government for roughly 10 years, from 1975 to 1985, a spokeswoman for the Office of Personnel Management confirmed.
Investigators unearthed multiple job applications, with Mr. Paddock’s fingerprints on file, as part of records reflecting his employment as a letter carrier for the Postal Service in the mid 1970s; as an Internal Revenue Service agent from 1978 to 1984; and as an auditor focused on defense contracts, a job he held until 1985. He also worked in the 1980s for one of the companies that later combined to form Lockheed Martin, the aerospace contractor.