64-year-old Stephen Paddock is porno nerden izlenirresponsible for an attack that left at least 58 people dead and more than 500 people injured in Las Vegas last night -- but don't worry, officials want you to know, at least he's not a terrorist.
Over the past 12 hours, elected officials and select media outlets have been extremely careful about how they've chosen to describe the man responsible for the largest mass shooting in modern American history (only massacres like Wounded Knee in the 19th century were larger). A lone wolf. A man who doesn't fit the mass shooter profile.
Trump and media outlets like Breitbart, always quick to call Muslim terrorists, terrorists, selected to exercise much more restraint this time around and instead use polite euphemisms for white, male, American Paddock.
SEE ALSO: Here's where Trump spent the past 10 days as Puerto Rico collapsedOf course, some of the media's caution is obviously warranted -- you wouldn't want to make the same mistake the president did when he labeled the criminals behind a Philippines robbery "terrorists." Still, Nevada's definition of terrorism doesn't require motivation for a violent act to quality as terrorism. Their state law defines an act of terror as: "any act that involves the use or attempted use of sabotage, coercion and violence which is intended to cause great bodily harm or death to the general population."
There are perfectly sound legal reasons to hold back on calling Paddock a terrorist as of right now. But there are no perfectly sound legal reasons to have a double standard. Trump was quick to identify the man behind the London underground bombing as a "loser terrorist," against the advice of officials. He then used the opportunity to push for his Muslim ban.
This time, Trump is far more reticent. And he's not alone. Nevada Sheriff Lombardo has so far refused to call Paddock a terrorist on the grounds that: "We believe it was a local individual. He resides here locally."
Here's what officials, public figures and sometimes sloppy headlines have chosen to call Paddock thus far:
1. "A lone wolf"
A "lone wolf" gunman opened fire on people attending a country music festival in Las Vegas, police said. https://t.co/rGJ5SIDp3B
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) October 2, 2017
2. "A sole actor"
3. "A local individual"
4. "A gunman"
5. "Sole aggressor"
6. "A licensed pilot and hunting enthusiast with no criminal record who owned a $400,000 home in a Nevada retirement community"
7 . "Typical Vegas guy"
Shooter's Brother Says Stephen Paddock was a Typical Vegas Guy https://t.co/K1jWyKtWon
— TMZ (@TMZ) October 2, 2017
8. "Doesn't fit mass shooter profile"
Stephen Paddock Doesn't Fit Mass Shooter Profile https://t.co/DKMBe0ikaA
— TMZ (@TMZ) October 2, 2017
9. "A distraught person just intending to cause mass casualty"
10. "Just a guy who lived in Mesquite who liked burritos"
“He’s just a guy who lived in Mesquite who liked burritos,” is how Eric Paddock described his brother, Las Vegas gunman Stephen Paddock pic.twitter.com/q3MUgIa2Ws
— CBS News (@CBSNews) October 2, 2017
11. "Las Vegas lonewolf"
The Las Vegas lonewolf has been identified by police as ‘a local’ and named by media as Steven Paddock https://t.co/CBFWqHQbcd pic.twitter.com/SvQzfumVqc
— Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) October 2, 2017
12. "A friendly gambler who was hardly ever home"
13. "Crazed lunatic of hate"
14. "No apparent connection to terror"
15. "An act of pure evil" committed by [blank]
Donald Trump on January 20: “this American carnage ends now.”
— Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) October 2, 2017
Donald Trump on October 2: “warmest condolences” to mass shooting victims.
Learn more about how you can help victims of the Las Vegas attacks here.
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