No one is saying it’s an excuse, it’s terrible! However, if you really knew him, his family, and his upbringing, you would know this was not him. What if someone you knew personally did something this terrible and tragic and you knew it was not in "their "normal" personality? Wouldn't you defend or express their "normal" character but not condone the crime? Its two different things...there are killers with intent and illegal guns and there are people who try to be responsible and then have lost hope in this country and its leaders or lost jobs and feel desperation and thus onset delusion...with saying that, guns aren't the problem, he could have used his car, bombs, etc...to hurt others BUT I do believe that there should be more "physiological" testing or backgrounds for carry/conceal permits...

Further, though his Tweets are very passionate and seemingly intense, his conviction of the direction of the country and belief systems is his right to an opinion....his acts regarding to I-96 drivers or retaliation thereof are certainly not acceptable by any standards!!!!! But... are you attacking or exploiting his beliefs or his acts or is it that because of his beliefs (observantly Conservative or more so a Constitutionalist), that his acts are, or would be, obvious or natural to occur?

Excellent comment! I don't believe anyone is all good or bad. It sounds like you know him...and I am very sorry for what you all are going through...especially Mr. Casteel.

I'm sure there are things about Mr. Casteel that i would like and even agree with. For example, I am very passionate about certain topics. I have been called out by people who love me for being over-the-top at times. I am an educator who feels very let down by my state government...especially Tom McMillin. I may have even used the word hate and his name in the same sentence.

I have Bipolar Disorder and have had my family and friends intervene. I understand that the closest people to the person with illness often don't see the severity. I can only guess that if they knew, they would gone through the courts and petitioned for involuntary hospitalization. That is very difficult for families. Mental Illness affects the entire family.

We need to be held accountable for our actions...but accountable with appropriateness. We need mental health courts (are you listening Jessica Cooper?), and we need to address insurance discrimination and societal stigma.

On a personal note...I am not attacking his beliefs. I am concerned that people will make broad generalizations about mental illness because of his actions.

I am against infringing on anyone's 2nd amendment rights because of mental illness. This demographic is not even close to the top of the list for violent crimes involving a weapon. Whether I like it or not...this topic will come up because of Mr. Casteel's actions. I also have to admit that the fact that he tweeted about always carrying is relevant in hindsight only. I would not have cared otherwise.

His tweets do tell a lot about his state of mind and thoughts. He has a right to his opinions...but his tweets were big red flags.

Kristen,

See what watching FOX news does to a normal human being. Some people actually believe everything they read or see on the internet, others take all information with a grain of salt knowing that all media is biased in one way or another and that you need to read everything and then come to your own conclusion.

Apparently getting your news from a single source leads to mental illness, reading his comments and the retorts of others, I think we have a epidemic of insane people. That or some people are already in a questionable mental state and then are subject to singular irrational information put out by a trusted but questionable source and that information stimulates a mind that was already at its breaking point and then sends that individual into loony land.

I wonder if there's a correlation between the shooter and the victims, did the victims have Obama sticker on their cars?

Sorry I should have included this link - https://twitter.com/RaulieCasteel read for your self and come to your own conclusion, or not.

I don't think there's a correlation between the shooters and cars. All the research about mental illness leads to mental illness being genetic and environmental. I find that many people I meet with in my volunteer work have had delusions regarding religion...Jesus speaking to them, vivid images, etc. I have never had these, but I truly believe religion & politics use that same area of the brain.

There's no doubt his news sources contributed to his paranoia, but I could say the same about other people with MSNBC. You take that along with our technology devices, and we can be inundated with information whether we like it or not. There are times I need to take a break from it...but I know to take a break.

In the end it's up to us to seek help or our family/friends/coworkers need to intervene through the courts.