Warped view of reality common denominator in terror

Both sides of the gun debate scrambled to find the "right" side of the issue, especially politicians hoping to translate the tragedy into votes.

The left naturally funneled the issue into the need for gun control, blaming the instrument of mass murder, while downplaying the ideology behind the Orlando attack in the name of tolerance.

The right pointed to the Pulse nightclub as a gun-free "soft target" where innocent victims were defenseless to defend themselves, while ignoring the ease with which a radical, already on the radar of the FBI, was able to buy a pistol and semi-automatic version of a military weapon only days before the assault.

Terrorism isn't confined to radical Muslims with "assault"-type weapons -- American Timothy McVeigh used a truck packed with fertilizer to kill 168, including babies, in a federal building in Oklahoma city.

Nor is it confined to a particular target -- gays, Americans, Muslims, Christians -- almost any group that can be categorized can be and has been a target of hatred.

What is a common denominator is a warped view of reality that sees the taking the lives of others as some sort of solution to a perceived wrong or a pathway to righteousness.

There's no reasoning with someone intent on killing a number of other people for whatever reason.

Only through the vigilance of everyone from private citizens to all levels of law enforcement can we hope to prevent further incidents of terror.