http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-27562917
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8ZEjruo5eI
https://www.youtube.com/user/ElliotRodger/videos
This is gonna further fuel the gun control debate. Personally I don't think it's wise that someone who is being treated for mental health illnesses to have custody of guns regardless if they are owned legally. They should have been confiscated particularly under the advice of family and after his recent alarming behavior. A tragedy for all parties involved. I don't know what the mental health services are like in the US but here in the UK; they are desperately underfunded and many homegrown murder-suicide incidents still occur with disorders being a proven factor in the reports.
It's a tough subject and lessons will be learned but each person and incident has to be based on its own merit. Taking away his guns still wouldn't have prevented the stabbings and after being assessed by deputies; they were operating in their remit to allow him to remain in the community after no immediate threat was identified up on a recommended visit. This will be scrutinised to buggery no doubt.
Elliott Rodger could have easily gone on a knife-wielding rampage alternatively and perhaps done more damage than with the guns in an area so the guns can't be entirely to blame but the bottom line is his risk to the public would be greater enhanced with them. If his family suspected he was a threat in which they did alert police; should they have taken steps for his safety and brought him home and does this fly-by visit by deputies work effictively? They are doing what is asked and although they determined no threat; it was wrong. I don't believe they were to blame as Rodger could have conned them and I firmly believe they did their work under the correct criteria laid out in such circumstances.
Perhaps incidents like this are completely non-preventable and more needs to be done for people with mental health issues and quicker also particularly if they demonstrate the alarming behaviour Elliott did in the 24 hours before his rampage. I think they need to address gun ownership with people who are at, or pose a future risk i.e the mentally unstable but overall; is this a failure of many parties or just something that could happen to anyone, anywhere?