Final thoughts

It has been a sad 24 hours for those of us from Pittsburgh. We've learned about the victims, the killer and the circumstances surrounding the Tuesday night shootings near Bridgeville, Pa. The facts are helping us to understand why it happened, but they can't possibly explain anything to grieving family members. That leaves me with some final thoughts before we move forward.

The basic facts are that the killer obviously was psychotic, he purchased the handguns legally and hated women. Although he did purchase the weapons legally, he was using double magazine clips that held 30 rounds for each of his two 9mm handguns, meaning he did not have to reload while firing nearly 50 shots in about a minute. These clips are apparently legal in America after the assault weapons ban expired in 2004. My one question is: Why would any law-abiding gun owner need to fire 30 bullets before reloading?

Crimes like this have been happening across our country for years; Columbine, Virginia Tech and many others. They are meant to create terror, no differently than the 9/11 attacks. But just as travelers began flying on airplanes the following week, people here also began moving forward with their daily lives. Some of the businesses in the shopping center that is home to LA Fitness were bustling with a few curious spectators gawking at the numerous satellite news trucks in the parking lot. I had one thought as I drove past the crime scene to a neighboring shopping center to buy groceries: If these angry, psychotic killers think they can terrorize us and change how we live our lives, they are wrong... We will not live in fear.