Sadly enough, school shootings have become so common they rarely make the national news anymore. A recent school shooting in Tennessee did make the national news. Two things made this shooting unique, 1 the shooter was a transgender person. 2 it was a private Christian School. Let's get past the transgender thing. Transgender people are not the ones shooting up schools, just look at the evidence. Yes, even private schools can end up on the Evening News for the wrong reasons. The response by law enforcement was as good as anyone could hope for. Still six people died. The idea of more cops can prevent school shootings is kind of simple minded in my opinion. This problem has become so common, we think it is normal. It is not. This is an American thing. For years and years we have done the same thing, nothing. We wring our hands, send thoughts and prayers, and argue over semantics like what is an “assault rifle.” So given the state of the courts, at least one political party bought and paid for by the gun lobby and our apathy brought on by our seeming powerlessness what can realistically be done? I, for one, think there are solutions. It's too easy just to scream into the void about how nothing can be done. We must do better than that.
Let me run three ideas by you.
1. Of course sensible gun safety legislation should be passed. That alone will do little in the short term.
2. We need to rethink how these events are portrayed in the media. Instant fame?
3. One more thing, people need something to do, something to be a part of and hope for the future. All right let's dig in.
OK let me make everybody mad now. Guns, by themselves, are not the whole problem. Hear me out. We've had semi automatic handguns (1911 .45 caliber anyone?) for more than 100 years. We've had semi automatic (M-1 carbine, M-14, mini 14?) rifles widely available for decades. So what has changed? A clear path to instant fame is conducting a mass shooting. Still, there are some measures that would be helpful. Things such as people with Domestic Violence histories should not be allowed anywhere near a gun- FULL STOP. No more guns for violent offenders. Maybe be able to sue the living shit out of gun manufacturers? If I buy beer for a minor, yup, I'm in trouble with the law. What about giving a mass shooter access arms and ammo? Parental culpability in these crimes? There's more solutions beyond gun regulation.
The news no longer comes from the morning paper or even the 6:00 PM news at the end of the day now. The news comes directly to you via your phone or tablet or computer. Making mass shooters (school, movie theater or church) instantly famous or infamous, I believe is a serious mistake. We need to rethink how these horrific events are covered and portrayed in the media. We have to balance this against freedom of the press. I would withhold the shooter's name for three to five years and instead focus on the victims. It may sound grim but we should see the horrors of such an event for ourselves. If the American public saw what the aftermath of one of these events really looks like, I don't think we would stand for nothing being done. Change would be decisive and swift. There is little if any follow-up coverage of the people or community after a mass school shooting. If the shooter is killed, that's it. We may also hear about a trial years later. I guess the road to recovery is not sensational enough. There is one more important thing we must do, preemption via hope.
We must do a better job of addressing the causes of mass-shootings. After a mass school shooting there's always talk of “mental health.” That's a pretty generic term that gets thrown around a lot, “mental health.” Sure, we need more access to professional counseling, counselors in schools and affordable psychology. But why? Over the last generation or so, people (men in particular) have become more alienated from society. There is a growing sense of despair and hopelessness that's only reinforced by mass media and social networks like Facebook and Twitter. They make money off of people's outrage and despair. A way to counter despair is finding positive things for people to do, that's more constructive then doom scrolling on a phone, tablet or computer. We need things that bring people together, for now I'm thinking about young men. We need community centers with good things to do, everything from basketball to computer classes, car clubs, sports leagues, activist groups and yes I'll say it, even gun clubs. Humans have not evolved to simply stare at screens. We must have social interaction that is accessible to all. We need to address some of the larger ills of our society that lead to dark places.
Perhaps instead of unemployment, we could have guaranteed employment. There are needs that our capitalist system does not address very well. Things like elder care, childcare, and preservation come to mind. Sure, you can get these things but they are often cost prohibitive. I'm not sure capitalism is the best replacement for government services, such as corrections. How do we realistically put a price tag on justice or criminal reform? Companies running prisons is just creepy in my opinion. What is getting paid by how many cells are full actually doing for justice, much less helping people reform? I think there are a lot of things that need doing that don't necessarily respond well to market forces.
There is one thing we can say with utmost certainty, doing what we have been doing about gun violence, nothing, can only get the same result. Yes, access to guns is a factor, but like many of our problems, there are no simple solutions. School shootings, workplace shootings and church shootings are symptoms of far deeper systemic problems that have built up over decades. That said, I think gun control measures can still be helpful in the long run. But until we actually address the causes of resentment, alienation and apathy the violence will continue and probably worsen. I see gun bans as a possible long-term solution. We cannot simply snap our fingers and make millions of guns disappear.
Guns that have been around a long time...
 |
| 1911 pistol semi-auto 8 rounds |
 |
| M1 carbine semi-auto 15 rounds |
 |
| M-14 semi-auto 20 rounds |
 |
| Mini-14 semi-auto 20-30 rounds |
