He ordered the guns entirely legally, by stating an intent to hunt and attending a sport shooting club. The explosives came from fertilizer, which he bought legally because he had a farm or something.
They interviewed his father recently; that was just heart breaking. He said it would have been better for his to son to commit suicide. Can't imagine the remorse he is feeling right now...
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
He claimed he developed his tactics by playing Modern Warfare. Well I'm not hardcore; I've played it quite a bit. And I'd probably shoot myself by mistake if I ever touched a firearm.
edited 26th Jul '11 2:50:17 PM by Rationalinsanity
Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
His father hadn't seen him since 1995.
I don't think they had much of a relationship.
Lost in Space
If he attended a shooting club he could have learned marksmanship; modern shooters do a convincing job of simulating tactics, so that's believable. The whole fertilizer = explosive thing is standard stuff, too. Dum-dum ammunition — there's a question. Hard to believe they sell that in gun stores.
But still, no conspiracy here. I think part of the problem is general disbelief that an act like this can be committed by someone without an organized terrorist group behind them. But, of course, those of us who are realists understand perfectly well how such things are possible, outside an Orwellian police state.
edited 26th Jul '11 2:53:20 PM by Fighteer
"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Agree that he needs a fair trial even just to show that regardless of what he has done that the system will keep going despite him and that he has achieved nothing through his actions.
Seriously it makes my blood boil hearing people trying to rationalise or justify what he did on the basis of 'at least he took a stand for what he believed in'. Whatever your ideology no way is that ever justified. Those kids had the right to express their support for the Labour Party just as much as others have a right to express support for a conservative party.
Decemberist
Seeing what he did is a great justification for making a halt to lenient judicial systems.
The sin of silence when they should protest makes cowards of men.
Silence Is Golden
Allow me to disagree. Think of the innocents.
The Quiet One. No OTT. No unfunny. No squick. No crusades. Harmless and clean.
I doubt the state of the legal system would have affected his actions. He had a mission in his mind and (according to his writings anyway) he was willing to die for it. Strange he apparently surrendered without a fight.
Besides; can't Norway keep people who are considered a danger to others imprisoned indefinitely?
Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
Lost in Space
How does changing the judicial system in any way affect what was already done? It's not like this guy is ever getting out of jail again. We may want some kind of horrific punishment out of a desire for revenge, but the damage has already happened. No amount of retribution will bring those people back, and it's exactly what this guy wants. Let him rot in a prison cell and die in ignominy.
"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Deterrence is an iffy thing, would anything deter somebody like this/
Silence Is Golden
^Perhaps "They will keep you alive for decades" or something.
The Quiet One. No OTT. No unfunny. No squick. No crusades. Harmless and clean.
Decemberist
State-sponsored username
Dumdum ammunition: According to Swedish newspapers they are sometimes used for hunting which could explain how he got hold of them.
edited 26th Jul '11 3:22:09 PM by mahel042
In the quiet of the night, the Neocount of Merentha mused: How long does evolution take, among the damned?
Silence Is Golden
Thread hop: Once again. Why arent we calling it terrorist attack?
I will always cherish the chance of a new beggining.
Decemberist
Wallace had people with legitimate, noble ideals and the will to sacrifice for them to follow him. 99% of the people who admire Breivik are teenagers that think Evil Is Cool and skinhead kids. Most of them are dirty little rats that would chicken out at the sight of anything resembling considerable danger for them.
(shrugs)
edited 26th Jul '11 3:35:24 PM by MilosStefanovic
The sin of silence when they should protest makes cowards of men.
Cuz calling it a lone rampaging gunman is more accurate.
The Martyr effect...I prefer to avoid the risk, let him grow old in jail as a sign of the futility of his actions.
edited 26th Jul '11 3:35:57 PM by blueharp
Silence Is Golden
It wasn't intending to strike terror? Only to lash out?
Wait, aren't most "terrorist" attacks like this too?
Perhaps this guy wants to be lynched and martyrized, becoming a symbol for the far-gone, I mean far-right.
The Quiet One. No OTT. No unfunny. No squick. No crusades. Harmless and clean.
Decemberist
An invitation to riot?
No thank you.
And really, you do not make justice for individual cases.
Zzzzzzzzzz
What did I say on the very first page about the thread not turning into punishment fantasies?
...if you don’t love you’re dead, and if you do, they’ll kill you for it.
Decemberist
No, justice should be tailored according to individual cases. If there's a leak in the system, fix it. Nothing is unchangeable.
Also, riots are awesome. I don't know how can somebody dislike riots - I regularly go to them simply for the sake of shouting, swearing, charging and channeling my frustration that way.
Sorry.
edited 26th Jul '11 3:50:06 PM by MilosStefanovic
The sin of silence when they should protest makes cowards of men.
I don't think we should go any further down that road.
Not all riots are awesome. Look at Vancouver. Now can we please can back on topic?
Even in Norway, how hard is it really to get your hands on weapons and explosives? But they should also be able to trace them back to the supplier. I'm sure he developed his tactics and got his equipment from somewhere, but to imagine that he's part of a terrorist conspiracy is a bit far fetched. Terrorists don't like employing wild cards like this: too much of a chance he'll spill the beans or otherwise do something erratic and crazy that leads to them.
"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"