Miranda Alam / Special to the Sun
Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson, center, speaks alongside Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., left, and Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer during a press conference for “The New Norm: Mass Shootings in America,” a summit held by Prosecutors Against Gun Violence, at the Sahara in Las Vegas on Friday, Oct. 4, 2019.
Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019 | 2 a.m.
Had the Oct. 1 gunman not taken his life along with the 58 innocent ones, his trial would have been lengthy, costly and especially painful for those injured, the fatal victims’ families and the rest of the survivors.
The hypothetical scenario is a conundrum for Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson, whose office would have prosecuted the killer.
The suspect’s suicide gives him “mixed emotions,” the elected official said during “The New Norm: Mass Shootings in America” event organized by Prosecutors Against Gun Violence, a nonpartisan group.
“Maybe it was a good idea that he shot himself and took his own life,” Wolfson said. “On the other hand, I call him a coward. He got off too easy,” adding that he would rather have prosecuted him and sought the death penalty.
The coalition brought together prosecutors from across the U.S., including from jurisdictions that have experienced mass shootings, to learn from each other and brainstorm ways to prevent the next one.
So, in a large meeting room at the Sahara Las Vegas, they did that on Friday, participating in a variety of panel discussions, including “The Role of the Prosecutor’s Office,” “The Mind of a Mass Shooter,” “Case Study: 1 October,” and “Preventing Mass Shootings at Public Events."
The coalition, birthed five years ago, aims to prevent gun violence by implementing strategies and lobbying for policy changes to existing enforcement laws.
Although mass shootings amount to a minority of gun-related deaths, they “galvanize all of us to focus on what we can do,” by learning from others while being motivated by them and translating proposals into a reality, said Mike Feuer, Los Angeles city attorney.
Prosecutors from various jurisdictions are “thirsting” for more information that can help prevent the next mass casualty event, said Feuer, one of the founders of the group, noting that the effort is not ideologically driven.
The group pushes for universal background checks and better combatting of gun trafficking and domestic violence. It advocates for measures to protect youth from gun violence, addressing mental health and “leveraging” technology to enforce existing laws.
Joyce Dudley, district attorney of Santa Barbara, Calif., spoke about protecting children — not only those killed during concerts or a movie — but also those killed through self-inflicted wounds with firearms not secured. Had a gunman, who killed six victims and injured about a dozen more, not killed himself in 2014, her office would have prosecuted him.
Pima County, Ariz., attorney Barbara LaWall also attended. Her office prosecuted the man who fatally shot six people and injured about a dozen others, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who suffered serious injuries. Giffords, who’s since left elected office, is a staunch advocate of gun control measures.
A day before the event with prosecutors, the groups Giffords: Courage to Fight Gun Violence and March for Our Lives hosted Democratic presidential candidates in Las Vegas for a gun safety forum.
Mateo Beers, who started the local chapter of March for Our Lives after the Parkland, Fla., shooting that left several students and faculty dead, attended both Las Vegas events.
Efforts through activism and partnerships like these can prevent mass shootings from becoming a norm, he said, adding that he was saddened that “we’ve become used to the idea that maybe next week, there’s going to be another one.”
