Gun Madness in Pasadena

Three Pasadena children dead after being gunned down in cold blood as they walked home from a well-chaperoned Halloween party. Three other youngsters wounded in the same incident. What madness is this? And what can we do about it?

Surely someone can describe those who fired the semiautomatic weapons. Surely someone can describe the two cars they left in. Surely someone knows: Was this a random shooting? A street-gang initiation? Surely someone can phone a tip to the police. Let’s hope the $25,000 reward put up by the Pasadena City Council will help. (Perhaps some philanthropic person or organization will sweeten the pot.)

In the wake of the triple murder, Pasadena Police Chief Jerry Oliver said, “We need to control guns in this society, and it’s as simple as that, and anybody who says that we shouldn’t, all they need to do is take a stroll on North Wilson Avenue at midnight and see these young people out there, gunned down with very high-powered weapons . . . to know that we are in trouble with guns in our society.”

Oliver is absolutely right. Guns must go. This shocking murder should stiffen the spine of politicians to impose a broad ban on the manufacture, sale and possession of almost all firearms.

This Halloween shooting did more than take the lives of three friends and injure three others. It stole another bit of innocence from local youngsters who increasingly live with terror. America must respond with powerful new measures to restrict guns.