The Other (Would Be) Killer

James Howell is neither Muslim nor an IS supporter. Not on the terror watch list, either.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — An Indiana man who said he was headed to a gay pride event had a loaded assault rifle with magazines rigged to allow 60 shots to be fired in quick succession, along with 15 pounds of chemicals mixed and ready to explode, according to police in California.

James Wesley Howell, 20, of Charlestown, also had two other loaded rifles, ammunition, a stun gun, a buck knife and a security badge when he was arrested early Sunday in Santa Monica, authorities said Tuesday.

[...]

Alone, each item found in Howell's car might not indicate anything sinister, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Keith Schwartz said. But together, they "just don't pass the common sense test."

"I cannot in good conscience think of any reasonable reason that somebody would be traveling across the country with all of these things," he said.

[...]

Authorities haven't disclosed any evidence that Howell intended violence at the LA Pride event in West Hollywood that attracts hundreds of thousands of people.

Friends in Indiana described Howell as a gun enthusiast with a short temper.

  TPM

I wonder how many of those are out there.

In October, he twice was accused of pulling a gun and making threats, once against his then-boyfriend and once against a neighbor.

Howell was convicted in April of misdemeanor intimidation for the incident with his neighbor. Under the terms of his probation,Howell was not allowed to have weapons or leave Indiana.

[...]

On Tuesday, the sheriff's office in Clark County, Indiana, said Howell also is the subject of a sexual assault investigation. The alleged incident occurred May 31, about two weeks before Howell's arrest in California.

[...]

Howell's attorney, Pamela Jones, told the judge there was no evidence Howell planned to detonate the chemicals. She said a black hood found in his car was "just a clothing item," and nothing indicated Howell planned to use it as a mask.

So, now that Congress has determined from the Orlando massacre that we need to prohibit people on the terror watch list (which the Orlando killer was not!), what will they come up with for this incident? Well, nothing, of course, because Howell did not make it to the parade. No media focus. If he had made it, I'm assuming the Congressional response would be pre-crime legislation.

..but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.