"Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik: "People Who Are Mentally Unstable Are Susceptible to the Rhetoric Going on in This Country"" and related posts

AMY GOODMAN: As we talk about terror in Tucson, the attack on people in Tucson who had come simply to speak with their Congress member, to speak with Gabrielle Giffords. She was shot through the head. A federal judge was killed, John Roll, as well as a number of bystanders. Many are also injured.
One of the major news conferences that was held this weekend was with the FBI director Robert Mueller. Extremely rare in an attack like this for an FBI director himself to come out to lead the investigation. He stood with Clarence Dupnik, who wrapped up the press conference. We"re going to go to a clip of what the Sheriff of Pima County had to say and then go to him live in Tucson, Arizona. This is Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik.

REPORTER: You"re a Democrat, and this is obviously more than just another case that came by your office, under you. You know these people, several of them, for a long time. I"ve seen you at functions with Gabby, and parties, when you guys both won. Tell us a little about your personal feelings on this matter.

SHERIFF CLARENCE DUPNIK: Well, it"s very hard. I have aI vacillate between extreme sadness and sorrow and shock and extreme anger.

REPORTER: Sheriff, I would like for you to [inaudible] your own comment, that freedom of speech does not come without consequences. Do you care to clarify that or elaborate on that?

SHERIFF CLARENCE DUPNIK: Could you ask the question again, please?

REPORTER: Certainly. Last night you made a pretty general statement that freedom of speech does not come without consequences. Do you care to elaborate on that?

SHERIFF CLARENCE DUPNIK: Well, I think that when the rhetoric about hatred, about mistrust of government, about paranoia of how government operates, and to try to inflame the public on a daily basis, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, has impact on people, especially who are unbalanced personalities to begin with.

REPORTER: Does he have an attorney, [inaudible]?

SHERIFF CLARENCE DUPNIK: I don"t know.

REPORTER: On Loughner and his criminal past, is it something that came up in background checks when he applied forwhen he bought the pistol?

SHERIFF CLARENCE DUPNIK: I do not know the answer to that question.

REPORTER: Sheriff, what are your observations about the state of the Arizona gun laws in light of what happened?

SHERIFF CLARENCE DUPNIK: Well, I think we"re the tombstone of the United States of America.

REPORTER: Could you explain?

REPORTER: Was that a reference to the town, Sheriff, or is that metaphorical?

SHERIFF CLARENCE DUPNIK: I have never been a proponent of letting everybody in this state carry weapons under any circumstances that they want. And that"s almost where we are. The legislature at this time is proposing that students and teachers be allowed to have weapons in schools and in college. You know, colleges ought to be run by the college presidents, not the Arizona legislature. But that"s the ridiculous state to where we have become. And we have one more question.

REPORTER: Sheriff, the woman injured that was injured yesterday who grabbed the magazine, was she injured prior to grabbing the magazine?

SHERIFF CLARENCE DUPNIK: As she was shot.

REPORTER: Before grabbing?

SHERIFF CLARENCE DUPNIK: Before grabbing the weapon.

REPORTER: Sheriff, what about the gun laws? What about any change in mental health law, the treatment of mental health for some of these people, as well? Is that any issue involved there?

SHERIFF CLARENCE DUPNIK: That"s an everyday issue for the entire United States, for the entire world. We have very, very serious problems in this com
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