A few thoughts about the mass shooting that took place in Vegas Sunday night:

1. It makes me heartsick to even have to blog about this. I love Vegas, and for the same reason most other folks do – it’s a place to go to get away from the troubles of the world, not find yourself a victim of it.

2. The sad truth is, if someone wants to commit mass murder there’s not a whole lot to stop them unless their family, friends, and neighbors somehow pick up the scent. Just like what happened in San Bernadino and elsewhere, it’s gonna come out that folks knew about this guy and what he was capable of, and whether out of fear or just blindly going on about their daily lives said nothing or did nothing.

3. Want my take on it? No? Well, I’ll give it to you anyway: the guy was a loon and a gambling addict who got tired of losing at the casinos and decided to teach Vegas a lesson it would never forget. You read this and perhaps the motive becomes fairly obvious. Think about it: can you imagine the impact on Mandalay Bay alone? Would you want to book a room there now? I sure wouldn’t. Not only will it be forever stained by being the scene of this tragedy, but they’re going to get ass sued up the yang-yang for damages by any and all affected. I’m not sure that’s right, but if in fact they allowed the guy to check in under his girlfriend’s ID that’s a major problem and neglect on their registration desk’s part. I know every time I’ve checked in to any hotel – never mind in Vegas – they always ask for an ID to go with the credit card on file. Not that it might have prevented the massacre if he was forced to show his ID and not allowed to register if he didn’t, but that in itself opens the door very wide for lawsuits.

4. It’s so predictable what happens whenever there’s a mass shooting. Generally speaking, you get (most) politicians and civic leaders offering up sympathies, prayers, and concerns for the victims and their loved ones, then liberals and Democrats who don’t even wait for the bodies to cool before they traipse in front of the cameras and call for gun control. It’s sickening, but then again you’re talking about sick people who see everything through a political lens and are sick in their very souls. Michael Savage has called liberalism a mental disorder, and it’s people like this and this and this that only confirm Savage’s diagnosis.

5. You can look at the vast majority of mass casualties by gun violence in a single setting and see two common threads: the guns were illegally purchased, and they occurred in a gun-free zone. I’m OK with tightening up regulations wherever it makes sense, but gun control ain’t the answer. It’s the mature response in times like this to recognize that guns don’t kill people, people do.

6. It makes me wonder about stadium settings and how many baseball parks and football stadiums are within shooting range of a hotel or high-rise buldings. I guarantee you Toronto Blue Jays players and the folks at Skydome see the world a bit differently today. Same thing with the Cubs and Wrigley Field, and any number of other locales.

7. It also makes me wonder why no one has attempted this kind of thing before. I mean, you have a virtual killing field anytime you have high-rise buildings and a concert or a sporting event within range. At least the poor folks at the Highway 91 event could at least start running. Can you imagine a full stadium with people seated in tiny rows and aisles as a means of escape? Not to mention the players on the field. It’s a sad state of affairs for someone to contemplate, but that’s the world we live in.

8. And it makes me recall that visit to Vegas a couple of years ago when me and fellow Goodboys “Killer” Kowalski and “Doggy Duval” McLaughlin were staying at the Palazzo, and Killer and I witnessing those Iranians starting to bust up the bar in the middle of The Venetian casino. It all happens so fast around you, but who knows what would have happened if those guys decided to shoot up the place instead of smashing a bunch of $50K chandeliers. I guarantee you if they had I wouldn’t be blogging right now.

9. Kudos to the Wynn for taking additional security measures. I’ll be going there in December – can’t wait – but you have to be realistic about things in this day and age. And it’s going to be everywhere. It’s sad, but that’s the way it is: you can bet this kind of thing will be springing up all over the casinos, clubs, and hotels.