Grieving the loss of his son, Richard Martinez spoke Tuesdat at the memorial hosted by University of California Santa Barbara for all six students lost in the stabbing and shooting rampage that occurred last Friday. Martinez, father of murdered UCSB student Christopher Michaels-Martinez, has been making strong statements advocating gun control.
A criminal defense attorney, according to Fox5 San Diego, Martinez has also made an effort to use the media to reach out to the father of the murderer, Hollywood director Peter Roger. No word on whether Roger has yet contacted Martinez.
The Los Angeles Times recalled Martinez pushing for more stringent gun control laws in his speech, calling on the audience to put pressure on elected officials to act. The Times later updated its article to report: “Martinez never said the word gun throughout his entire speech.”
Two California Democrat state legislators came out with a “gun violence restraining order” just two days after the mass killings, according to AWR Hawkins of Breitbar tNews. The measure would allow guns to be taken away from owners who have no recorded mental illness, but are reported by a family member who asserts that the owner has a mental health issue. Hawkins reports that the organization responsible for the idea also advocates gun confiscation for issues such as “drug or alcohol abuse.”
At the scene of the IV Deli murder of Michaels-Martinez, one sign advocating gun control was affixed to the outer wall. Not long after, another sign advocating “knife control” was placed right next to it.
However, as Hawkins reported, the failed Senate bill that would have expanded background checks would not have prevented the Isla Vista murderer from obtaining guns.
In speaking with Breitbart News last weekend, UCSB student Lindsay spoke of a desire to not see the attacks last Friday night that left six dead and 13 injured, politicized.