It seems odd that anyone would have to actually write something about mass shootings. Why is this even a discussion? It should go without saying: “Don’t kill a couple dozen or more fellow human beings with military grade weaponry.” or “Please refrain creating a micro-genocide because you’re feeling undervalued as a person.” For some the answer is to arm everyone and turn America back into a wild west, while a growing number of others seem to want current gun laws enforced and new gun laws enacted.
Now, I do genuinely believe in greater gun control. Some may chalk this up to the fact that I don’t much care for firearms myself. “If I only loved it like the members of the NRA love it,” the argument goes, “I’d never utter such a stupid response.” I love a great many things and appreciate their restrictions. I’d love being able to drive my car well over 100 mph, but I also realize that study after study shows that higher fatalities occur after a certain point on certain roads. I am willing to get a photo ID to demonstrate that I can operate a vehicle in the United States and am willing to accept the responsibilities that go along with that.
It is true that the information we have about gun violence is not perfect, but anyone objective observer will tell you that this is because those who actually monitor gun violence are not permitted to really compile the main data. The NRA clearly doesn’t want this data to be parsed out as they are the “K Street” arm of the gun manufacturers. Many people are leaving the NRA for the same reason they are leaving a great many other organizations that represent the industry at the expense of the members.
Still, many non-Republican news outlets concede that though gun restrictions do help a bit and clearly common sense laws should be enforced; they are not a panacea. This is not an either/or issue. There is a gradient and America has told itself a story so much that it is now far out of line with common sense.
Indeed we should be honest, gun restrictions will only take a person so far. The most recent shooting shows that while the person did pass a background check to buy a firearm; though any sensible person would see it was a bad bet to sell to a person who had shown a history of domestic violence, cruelty to animals, and a “discharge for bad behavior” by a branch of the armed services a gun.
But I want to talk about the deeper issue. The Republican talking point has been that it is a mental health issue. Clearly this is just a talking point, because they have stonewalled against actually doing anything that would address that issue. So let’s just say this is where we stand after this mass shooting. The Democrats are not beholden to the NRA and so are willing to listen to their base about firearm restrictions. It is a noble goal, but won’t fix the whole issue. The Republicans owe too many people too many things and so are afraid to actually even review gun fatalities or propose any legislation that would address mental health concerns. A bit may change, but giving an inch today is seen as being weak; so in the meantime, this is what we have.
Yet, behind all of this is a bigger issue that never makes the rounds: this is a moral issue. Christians believe that while you cannot legislate morality, the law can curb bad behavior. We have spoken to the curbing bad behavior and making sure people who egregiously violate the bad behavior are held accountable; but this is just plugging the dam.
Right now there is a constant stream of discussion on just who this shooter is. He is a villain. Yet, celebrity is often times just being honored in a society which has no clear definition morality. I often wonder just what would happen if police departments kept all this information to themselves? What would happen if we didn’t gawk and stare at the warped individual who decided to “go out in a blaze of glory”? What if our opprobrium were truly genuine and we denounced these people in no uncertain terms? This is not hushing things up or sweeping things under the table. Go through your television shows and see how many “reality television shows” are just scripted “people behaving like animals.” Think of the excuses we make for that singer or political commentator or thespian we happen to enjoy. Until violence ceases to be glorified in our culture, we are going to continue to have mass shootings. We can limit them by better mental health or better documentation about firearms purchases; but only when these people have some sort of non-celebrity-oriented moral code will we see any real change as a society.
To date, the institutions in our society aren’t really doing much to address this issue. Violence sells, morality is difficult, telling people they have issues is uncomfortable. Yet, until our society does the hard thing of embracing a morality that does not honor death and ignoring “fame for fame’s sake,” it is obvious that these things will happen over and again. Shame the violent and shun those who practice wholesale evil. Finally, realize that the same evil they have done could be done by you. We have all missed the mark; and there is always the danger we could look to emulate those who have given into the darkness.
