Giant cache of weapons proves U.S. is a terrorist dream come true

It’s time to connect the dots.

Investigators analyzing the San Bernardino shooting now believe that shooter Syed Farook was following the al Qaeda manual.

“The suspects explosive devices are nearly a carbon copy of the bomb constructing instructions provided in the very first issue of al Qaeda’s online magazine called ‘Inspire,'” CBS’s Pat Milton explained.

Related: This mass shooting pattern might be the most disturbing

And if he’s following the manual, it isn’t surprising that his neighbors and his mosque didn’t see anything unusual about him. Because as psychologist Xavier Amador told CNN’s Don Lemon, that’s in the manual too.

“Lay low. Don’t grow a beard. Mix in. Blend in,” he said.

So how do you know?

Someone organizing a mass killing needs weapons and ammo &#8211 usually more than a regular person would buy just for self defense. And that, coincidentally, is the one thing we do not track in this country. Because obviously collecting weapons doesn’t make you a terrorist, like the collector who made the news in North Carolina a few weeks ago.

Sheriff deputies found at least 7,000 guns at the South Carolina home of Brent Nicholson while they were serving a subpoena. It took law enforcement two days to seize all the weapons, which also included 500 chainsaws and crossbows. They are still cataloging the arsenal.

The man was not a terrorist. But I think we’d have to admit that if you are a terrorist living in a country where anyone can secretly collect that many guns, it’s pretty much a dream come true.