Solving the Unsolvable
The issue with mass murder at all levels is a multivariate problem requiring more than feel-good, do-nothing legislation proposed by clueless politicians who know little to nothing about firearms.
I’m not arguing that firearms aren’t part of the problem of mass murders. Only an idiot would say that accessibility to guns by people intent on killing is not an issue.
What I do argue is the firearms are but a contributing factor, not the primary factor.
And I’m getting pretty tired of the political formulation of certain equations.
You know the ones of which I speak: they are the ones that begin “You are an “x”, that means you automatically believe in “y”, and therefore you are for every bad thing included in “z”.
I had this formulation used on me yesterday. A person who knows me only tangentially said: “You were the chairman of the county GOP, that means you are a 2A proponent, therefore you are OK with kids getting killed in schools.”
Of course, that is fallacious argumentation but to her, it didn’t matter – because that is the only way she can process the fact I exist, and I refuse to react solely based on emotional satisfaction.
I am a Republican, mostly because the GOP is the only political party that represents most of my views, I am also pro-2A because I believe constitutional provisions were put there for a reason and it wasn’t to hunt deer that wear Kevlar or populated plate carriers, but I am on record against murder of children.
We had a brief discussion about Uvalde a couple of days ago, and I use the term “discussion” liberally because it was mostly me listening to her tell me what an awful human being I was. “Brief” is an accurate description, because I am at such an advanced stage in my life, I do not suffer fools lightly – or for very long.
After she ran out of breath, I asked a simple question: Which, if any, of the proposals sitting in the Democrat controlled Congress right now would have stopped Uvalde?
Of course, she rattled off the standard talking points of “assault weapon” bans, banning so-called ghost guns, expanded background checks, banning private sales, a national gun registry and raising the age to purchase a weapon to 21.
Of course, none of that would stop a shooter who has convinced himself to kill.
She said, “At least they wouldn’t be able to kill so many.”
So, when I noted that meant she agreed that none of the proposals would have stopped any of the shootings, she launched into me about something the pro-2A people are claiming that was just misdirection.
Mental illness.
I must admit, I will have to agree with her a little bit on this one – largely because “mental illness” is a pretty large bucket with the propensity to become a massive “catch-all” for every complaint.
The definition of mental illness is defined as any disease of the mind; the psychological state of someone who has emotional or behavioral problems serious enough to require psychiatric intervention.
But what if it isn’t a mental illness?
What if it is a lack of learned behaviors of how to deal with frustration or bullying? What if it is the lack of learned life skills in conflict resolution, disciplined behaviors, or even just a sense of propriety? What if it is just a complete sense of entitlement or inferiority?
What if poor “mental health” is just learned behavior just because the potential killer never had their antisocial behaviors corrected at an age when correction might have been successful?
What if, as I believe is true in the rise of kids identifying as LGBTQ, society is simply creating these kid killers?
You must at least consider that "mental illness" might be becoming a "Get Out Of Jail Free" canard.
I get there are several of these killers who are mentally ill, but that is a category I would reserve for adults who have had every opportunity to know better, but kids? Kids see everything through an emotional lens, especially males. Their brains are just not developmentally ready for self-sustaining living – unless they have been taught well.
And if they haven’t, who would we blame?
You must ask why some adult isn’t helping these people in crisis. Are there no sane adults who are willing and able to step in? Are there no people close enough to these kids to see what is happening and know that a tragedy is just around the corner?
I know there are no pre-cogs as there were in Philip K. Dick’s Minority Report but looking back on every one of these mass murders, there were signs. I heard a report yesterday that 81% of the shooters were known to be a risk before they murdered.
Maybe there are no parents involved with the killers or the parent(s) they have are crap. Maybe their “Dad” is just a sperm donor who is as much a juvenile as the kid. Maybe their mom is an addict. Maybe nobody cares about them.
When you look at actual mass school shootings, there have been thirteen since 1966 perpetrated by 14 killers. In a population of 330,000,000 people, that means finding the 0.00000424% who will go into a school and kill other children, a practical impossibility.
On the other hand, it seems ridiculous to strip a constitutional right from the other 329,999,986 people in the USA to stop 14 people.
I don’t know the answer.
If I had the solution to mass murders at schools, I could stop all murders. I would stop kids in Chicago from dying from stray bullets, gangs settling scores on school campuses and child suicides.
It seems to me that such an asymmetric threat must be met with an asymmetric response.
What I do know is these killers tend toward soft targets where they know they will find defenseless people. It seems common sense to say that if they expected to face armed resistance, they would think twice.
I just want us to focus on finding a workable solution - and that means looking deeply and honestly at all components – and engaging in fisticuffs for political advantage isn’t going to solve anything.
As facts concerning the Uvalde tragedy become allowed, we are learning that Salvadore Ramos could have used a machete to conduct his murders, given the lack of training, spirit, and initiative of the Uvalde police. It would be very interesting to know where the police officer assigned to the school was during the two-hour siege. I hope the city, the school, and the police force are all sued out of existence.
Since LBJ unleashed his Great Society, men have been motivated to impregnate and then leave their sexual partners. The Federal government shares much of the blame for the destruction of black communities and inner cities in general.
Yes, children need fathers and, in lieu of that, they need mentors. But, since most of us are wage-slaves and have little left over after attempting to guide our own children, few are capable of signing up to be Big Brothers.
Not an overall solution. But, if I were an elementary or high school teacher I would have my own plan. Someone said a simple rubber wedge beside the door to be jammed under the door would prevent someone from entering. Lock down doors that segment areas. A shooter starts and the school doors shut. And lock.