The attempted mass shooting at a San Diego mosque earlier this month has quickly faded from the headlines, at least nationally, but the local Fox affiliate is still digging into the suspects and their backgrounds and has uncovered the fact that the dad of one of the killers was the subject of a "red flag" gun seizure petition last year.
According to KUSI, it wasn't the father's behavior that triggered the Gun Violence Restraining Order. Instead, it was concerns about his son that led Chula Vista police to file the "red flag" petition.
In the emergency order, police outlined concerns about [name redacted by Bearing Arms] behavior, including allegations that he idolized Nazis and mass shootings. The documents also stated that he had previously been placed on a 5150 psychiatric hold, which allows for involuntary mental health detention in California.
In a declaration filed in February 2025, Marco Vazquez included photos of a gun safe stored inside a locked closet. He stated that he and his wife were aware of their son’s mental health struggles and had removed nearly 30 firearms, ammunition and sharp knives from their home.
Marco Vazquez also wrote that he and his wife closely monitored their son, including supervising his internet use and missing work to keep a closer watch on him. He said [his son] was undergoing therapy and that the firearms would not be returned to the home until both his wife and the teen’s therapist believed it was safe.
He also stated he had no intention of allowing his son access to the weapons.
It's worth noting that the killer was already on law enforcement's radar long before he and his accomplice decided to target San Diego's largest mosque with the intention of carrying out mass murder.
According to KRIS-TV, the suspect began dressing up like serial killers, which led to two fellow students reporting their concerns to an assistant principal at the high school the suspect attended.
The teen also came to class in 2024 dressed as Dexter, the fictional TV character who lives a double life as a blood splatter expert and serial killer.
“He also admitted to dressing up similarly to the recent health care CEO shooter,” Chula Vista Det. Nicholas How wrote in a court document. The detective was referencing Luigi Mangione, who’s accused of killing the late UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
The day after the welfare check in 2025, school resource officers and an emergency psychiatric response team met with [the suspect]. He told the team he was becoming increasingly infatuated with mass shootings and World War II.
The teen told the resources officers he had been doing a lot of research on the dark web, so it couldn’t be traced back to him.
According to the television station, the "red flag" petition was approved by a judge but was dismissed two weeks later.
Apparently, though, the troubles continued. The California Post, claims the suspect walked out of a mental health facility the day before the shootings took place.
That indicates that the suspect's parents still had their concerns as well, even if they didn't realize how close their son was to actually carrying out a mass shooting of his own. I can't help but wonder if either of them were aware of the options for voluntary off-site storage of firearms on a temporary basis. There are at least two gun stores in Chula Vista that offer that service, though California law still makes it a bit of a hassle to do so.
Hindsight is 20/20, and its easy to second guess the decision by the suspects' parents in the days, weeks, and months before this shooting. There are plenty of weird kids out there who may exhibit an unhealthy interest in serial killers or other disturbing topics who will never go on to commit any act of violence, and even removing every gun from the home won't stop someone who is intent on inflicting pain on others. Still, when it gets to the point that your child has admitted to an obsession with mass shooters, is taking steps to hide his internet searches, and is receiving mental health treatment, I'd say the parent is faced with a difficult decision: either remove the son from the home or take every step possible to prevent them from gaining access to your guns.
Editor’s Note: The radical Left will stop at nothing to enact their radical gun control agenda and strip us of our Second Amendment rights.
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