Thought for the Week
Five years ago, a young man opened fire on a crowd of people in nearby Dayton, Ohio, where many of my friends live. Which is hardly even news. I mean, mass shootings happen every day in America. This one simply made the headlines because the numbers — 9 killed and 27 injured — were a little larger than average; in fact, there were several other mass shootings that week, one of which (in El Paso, Texas) produced three times as many deaths. So, Dayton was “no big deal,” right?
But here’s the thing:
The shooter had been suspended from high school for posting lists of people he wanted to kill and girls he wanted to rape; he regularly sang in “pornogrind” bands performing songs that celebrate rape and torture. In fact, his school was put on lockdown that year when he announced his plans for a mass shooting.
And yet he was able to purchase 100-round magazines and a semi-automatic weapon advertised by its manufacturer as “the sound freedom makes” while producing “an orchestra of metal and hellfire”? Should he have been allowed to kill and wound dozens of people in 32 seconds?
32 seconds. That’s how long it was before the police, who were nearby when he opened fire, took him down. Is greater availability of guns for the masses a solution? On the assumption that it is, my state has liberal concealed carry laws, and as a result lots of people carry guns. But no one could have–or did–stop him before the police did.
9 dead and 27 wounded in 32 seconds.
Yes, we have a cultural problem, and further tightening gun laws and establishing consistent psych evaluation-based red flag laws alone will not solve the problem. Not even close. But because our culture has changed, our laws must change, too. This isn’t the 1950s, and these killers aren’t Boy Scouts with 22s.
If we can address even a fourth of the issue—while we’re tackling the long-term issues of a society out of balance—we must try.
There might even be a fringe benefit.
In order to produce any significant change, our leaders would have to shake off their party-regulated stupors, to re-think and broaden their agendas, and to focus on caring for their fellow humans more than scoring political points. And that might just be…
The most significant change of all.
That’s devastated. Any shooting is horrific and we must NOT get used to this. We don’t see this in Canada. I’m so sorry that this is a reality for Americans. I posted about taking kids’ cell phones during classes to reduce the distractions that social media opposes, but Americans were upset because they said that their kids needed to be able to call home if there was a mass shooting. What a terrible thing to have to think about.
Terrible indeed, Sally.
I’m Canadian, and you *do* see this in Canada, and we have very strict gun laws. You’re just not hearing about it, because our government is very quick to censor it, and our media is very complaint.
When I was a kid, I remember being with my brother at an Army Surplus store. There was a display of rifles – one of several – right on the floor, like a rack of clothes would be in a department store. My brother bought a WWII sniper rifle and brought it home that day. Back then, no one thought twice if you saw someone with a rifle in their vehicle, or even carrying one in the street. And there were never the sort of shooting there are today. The more gun restrictions introduced, the worse things got.
The problem is not the guns. It’s the culture that has changed. A culture that is okay with things like aborting babies at any time for any reason, or is okay with chopping up the healthy bodies of children that have been convinced they are the “wrong” gender, or that euthanizes people rather than helping them (MAiD – Medical Assistance in Dying – has been legal in Canada for only a short time, and is now the third leading cause of death), or supports terrorists who slaughter innocents while blaming the victims, is a culture the creates individuals who no longer see other people as human.
You make a very good point in this statement today. How do get this (your) message across to the “powers that be”? The very fact there are bands performing “music” that promotes rape and gun violence is sickening. Why is this allowed? Of course, it would surely go underground if prevented from main stream entertainment. But still… I will say, since Trump’s reign, I have not seen as much hate, bigotry, meanness and rudeness in my life. Was it always there, we just didn’t have the tech media at our fingertips to really know? As the WWW said, “What a World, what a World!” Thank you for you blog. love and blessings,J
Joseph Yakovetic 4480 Powderhorn Place Drive Clermont, Florida 34711
mobile: 909.241.6088
SDG Soli Deo Gloria “To God Alone the Glory”
Love and blessings back at you, old friend.
Sadly, the hate and bigotry has been around for decades. It saw an increase during the Bush years (I well remember BDS – Bush Derangement Syndrome), and saw another increase during the Obama years. Especially with the race baiting. Then Trump was elected, and they really went into overdrive. In reality, though, this has been building up for at least 70 years, and is very deliberately orchestrated.
Hi,You say deliberately orchestrated. By whom may I ask.Yes, we are conspiracy theorists…Thanks for your response. I hadn’t thought about it for 70 years. I’ve been around that long. I do remember hostility with the Nixon/Kennedy debate and election. Another close race.Blessings,J
Joseph Yakovetic 4480 Powderhorn Place Drive Clermont, Florida 34711
mobile: 909.241.6088
SDG Soli Deo Gloria “To God Alone the Glory”
Mostly it’s neo-Marxists. It’s not something with any definite leadership or general organization. Mostly, just Marxists that have been slowly working their way into power, since the end of WWII (and probably earlier). Their first goal is to gain power at all costs, which they have pretty much achieved. They started with infiltrating the universities. In the US, they targeted the Democrat party, as they were more closely aligned already, and were easier to manipulated, but they are in the Republican party, too. In Canada, they largely control the NDP and Liberal parties (and, of course, the Communist Party), and every political party/level of government in Quebec.
Today, they have enough power that they don’t even try to hide it. In the education system, they have infiltrated all the way through to kindergarten, and you’ll see “teachers” openly talking about how they gleefully indoctrinate “their” kids. They view children as the private property of the parents that rightfully belong to the collective – themselves. They’re holding conferences, Zoom meetings, workshops, and have all sorts of websites.
Their second goal is to destabilize the “system”, which they have quite nearly accomplished. And by they “system”, they mean capitalism, which they define as private property ownership.
Note: they used the same words as everyone else, but not the same dictionary. In their dictionary “whiteness”, “white supremacy”, “the system”, etc. means “capitalism”. This is why they can claim an accomplished black people like Ben Carson or Clarence Thomas are white supremacists.
They truly believe that “capitalism” (as they define it) created racism, slavery (which they believe only existed in the US), the gender binary and the nuclear family, among other things. They are why went from racism being almost non-existent before Obama was elected, to increasing dramatically.
Their third goal is to destroy “capitalism”, and to do it in such a way that we – the general populace – will help them do it. Their using the same words but a different dictionary helps achieve that. When you see people talking about the eeeevil corporations, daring to make a profit, the eeeevil landlords who dare to own homes and not let people live in them for free, or the eeeevil farmers, poisoning our earth and our food, etc. that’s all neo-Marxist propaganda.
The ultimate goal, of course, is to usher in their Marxist utopia, a genderless world of they/thems, where the collective controls everything “democratically”, no one owns anything, and everything is “free”.
Right now, in the US, they are mostly using the Democratic party to achieve this, but they actually really hate the Dems, for not being socialist enough. They have to destroy Trump, of course, because they can’t control him, so they and the media (which they also largely control), have created a strawman version of him and his supporters and have whipped up the Dem base to hate them with a passion.
Whatever happens in November, the US is in serious trouble. There are groups right now, openly planning a violent revolution if Trump wins (another reason groups are trying to hard to get rid of your 2nd Amendment. They don’t actually care about gun violence or deaths). If Trump loses, they still plan to destroy “they system”, but can just do it through their Dem and RINO puppets. Harris/Walz are pretty openly communist and have been for decades, but they’ll get eaten alive in a heartbeat by the base they’re trying to pander to.
so true on all counts.
I can’t exactly hit “like” here, Mitch, but you’ve put your finger on a significant challenge that can only be solved by a variety of approaches. Guns are the number one cause of child death in our country. Guns. If it was cancer or heart disease we would put the pharmaceutical industry into overdrive looking for a cure. But it’s guns, and those who have wrapped themselves in their 2nd Amendment “rights” have laid a minefield in front of any approach to a solution. Never mind the “well regulated militia” part of the amendment. Never mind that it was inserted into the Bill of Rights as a sop to the slave states (as was the democracy undermining Electoral College). I pray that one of these days people will wake up and decide that protecting the people’s rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness— but especially life— takes precedence over the “right” to own deadly toys.
Guns aren’t illegal in Chicago | AP News
Guns are NOT the number one cause of deaths of children in the US! The people making that claim play fast and loose with their definition of “child”, for starters. A 20 yr old is not a child, but they are included in the numbers. They also include suicides, homicides, domestic violence, gang related crime, etc. These might involve older teens, but not children. Even if you consider an 18 year old a child, the leading cause of death is vehicular accidents. When using the under 20 yr old threshold, 1/3 of the homicides involve 18 and 19 yr olds. 20% are 15-17 year olds, and they are almost all gang related. No amount of gun laws are going to stop criminals from getting guns, since they already don’t care about breaking the law. 40% of all firearm deaths are suicides.Homicides for all age groups has increased since 2020, and is a consequence of the illegal lockdowns, police budget cuts, the refusal to prosecute violent criminals, and releasing violent criminals on bail.
You don’t cite where you get your statistics, but mine come from here: https://www.kff.org/mental-health/issue-brief/the-impact-of-gun-violence-on-children-and-adolescents/.
All your arguments, though, are beside the point. Guns play an unnecessarily large role in the deaths of young persons in this country. And honestly, your arguments against gun control are specious at best. You trot out the tired old bromide that criminals will still be able to get guns. Maybe. Maybe not if it’s a lot harder. And illegal guns raise the stakes and increase the penalty when they get caught. Plus, it’s not as if all the gun-owning criminals with criminalized guns would organize to take concerted action against the rest of us.
You accuse those who cite child death statistics of playing fast and loose with the statistics, but then you play games with them ages of the victims of guns as if it’s less horrible for a 20-year-old to die by a gun than for a 15-year-old. And you talk about suicide by gun as if that’s a reason to remove it from the statistical base.
The fact is that no civilian needs an automatic or semi-automatic weapon for any reason. Period.
Very few civilians need a handgun, and those only in special, licensed cases. They are anti-personnel weapons, pure and simple. Your home and person can be protected by other means.
Rifles or shotguns are useful for hunting and for ranchers and farmers to protect livestock and crops. I come from a long line of farmers and ranchers and I know the importance of these weapons as tools in those circumstances.
The 2nd Amendment reads: “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” That was never interpreted to mean that anybody could have any old weapon until the Reagan court, and then thanks to the intense lobbying and pressure of the NRA. Police are a well regulated militia. The National Guard is a well regulated militia. The Armed Forces are a well regulated militia. Through them we the people maintain our right to bear arms.
“A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
You do realize that the well regulated militia *is* the people, right? NOT the armed forces. It was never intended to mean official, government run forces.
Also, “arms” is a generic term and can include any number of weapons, not just guns, but it was specifically so that the ordinary person had the ability to defend themselves, even if it meant from their own government. Your constitution is more about limiting that your government can or can’t do, than what citizens can or can’t do. Which is one of best things about it.
And I didn’t bother citing data sources because 1) it’s a blog comment, not an article and 2) I’ve learned that when it comes to True Believers, it doesn’t matter how much data or information set forth, they will either reject it as “not credible” because they don’t like the supposed political leanings of the source or, like you just did with the age thing, start moving goal posts and gaslighting.
No, I never suggested the death of a 20 yr old is somehow less than the death of a child. I pointed out that including adults in the numbers and calling them children is dishonest. You are the one who did the very typical response of inserting your own interpretation of what I said into your own strawman to attack. I don’t play those games.
The reality is, the US does not have a gun problem. The US has a culture problem. A culture that is so very busy keeping God out of everything, then plays divisive and hateful blame games when people act in Godless ways.
Oh, and just to cut to the chase, before more word games are played:
militia
[ mi-lish-uh ]
Phonetic (Standard)
noun
1. a body of citizens enrolled for military service, and called out periodically for drill but serving full time only in emergencies.
2. a body of citizen soldiers as distinguished from professional soldiers.
3. all able-bodied males considered by law eligible for military service.
4. a body of citizens organized in a paramilitary group and typically regarding themselves as defenders of individual rights against the presumed interference of the federal government.
Note definition three in particular.
Brave and true words. Thank you.
My privilege, Rita.
The issue is that his mental health problem was not addressed early on. What were his parents, teachers, counselors, local police, social workers, therapists doing??? This has been an ongoing story where mass shooters have a “history” that was not addressed. The problem isn’t the guns. No matter how many guns or gun laws exist, they don’t change the person inside. If the guns aren’t available, they will use another kind of weapon. Our mental heath system is in crisis because case managers are overworked, there aren’t enough locked inpatient facilities, doctors rely too much on medication, and therapists are overbooked with patients and cost a lot of money. I’m speaking from 15 years of working in mental health. Whenever somebody was making such threats, we kept them in a locked facility to get them treatment. If the person targeted people by name, we were required by law to report it to the police and the person targeted. But some people are very crafty, lie convincingly, and manipulate their way out of facilities. Then there are the parents who deny that their child has a problem and refuse to involve the police or mental health workers. I’ve seen this over and over again, even when the person was actively threatening to harm the family! We need better education about mental illness in this country, the risks and dangers of not getting treatment for people, and more locked inpatient facilities. Shutting down the state mental facilities was a huge mistake. There’s no place to put a lot of these people. By the way, waiting until someone becomes a teenager is too late. You have to identify troubled kids and get them help while they’re still young enough to change. And there is no medication that can cure personality disorders. That requires years of cognitive and behavioral therapy. Thank you.
“Then there are the parents who deny that their child has a problem and refuse to involve the police or mental health workers. I’ve seen this over and over again, even when the person was actively threatening to harm the family!”
Bingo! I’ve seen that happen in my own family and the result is that the now-40+ year old former troubled child beat his fiance to within an inch of her life (he is 6’6″ and she’s barely 5’2″) and was sentenced last week to 14 years in prison. Unless he receives mental health treatment while incarcerated (highly unlikely), if/when he gets out he’ll be even more messed up. It’s horrible how he was allowed to escalate to that point by a mother in denial.
Interesting how this argument always comes up… as if it explains why the U.S. has ten times the number of gun deaths and injuries as any other country in the world. Does that mean the U.S. has ten times as many people with mental health issues as other countries? I seriously doubt it. Yes… most of the people who commit mass murder are mentally ill. But it is the absolute, unquestioned availability of firearms that creates this country’s unprecedented level of gun death. Besides blaming mental illness for gun violence I suspect you also favor ZERO controls of any kind on firearms… like background checks, or red flag laws, or licensing requirements. Am I right?
This is a horrific problem that is, as you write, multifaceted. But no other country in the world has more guns than people and so much death due to guns (with suicide a prominent data point).
The fact that the Democratic candidate for Vice President is a hunter and marksman from the heartland who has recognized that sensible gun safety laws are essential is an important step toward national sanity on this issue, I believe.
The country that has the highest rate of all-cause gun deaths is Brazil. When it comes to gun homicides, per capita, the US doesn’t even make the top 10.And the Democratic candidate for VP may be a hunter, but he’s hardly credible about anything. The guy lied about his service record, and couldn’t even get a job as a teacher without his wife making her new employer hire him, because they were a “package deal”. Seeing him physically abuse his special needs son on stage, yanking on his arm like that, should turn anyone off him completely.(and no, don’t bother with the usual accusations. I’m Canadian and have no direct state in your election. I just want the US to have good leadership again)
You are incorrect, listening to false information, Mr. Re-Farmer.
No, I’m not the one listening to false information. Might I suggest, you are the one listening to propaganda.
Also, I’m a Mrs.
Condescension is not a good look, btw.
How sad. Is there any reason, really, for anyone except in-service-military to have access to an automatic firing WEAPON of war? As far back as 1964, my entire family and the city’s entire squad of cops (though they didn’t know because we didn’t call them THAT time), faced death by an automatic weapon’s 2 clips from a seat at the kitchen table. Indeed, “Just come through that doorway…” My father would’ve passed ALL gun-buying/owning parameters, because he knew how to do so. Start with that issue, maybe: ban automatics, AND follow up abuses of it.
AMEN, brother! One other step that might be required to restore a little sanity to this gun-centric culture is to wean our political leaders from the teat of the NRA’s lavish contributions. Or impose strict limits to those contributions like those imposed by other countries.
No one needs a semi-automatic weapon for self-defense.
Complicated issue, to be sure. Strictly enforcing the laws we have on the books is a good place to start. Committing a violent crime (of any sort — including intentionally harming animals) should permanently disqualify a person from ever owning a gun.
It is awful no matter how many are killed or injured. I strongly believe that the liberal way guns are handled in the USA should be curbed. No matter the opinion, innocent people are being killed.
My thoughts are with those who have lost loved ones to such tragic events.
It is ghastly just ghastly. I don’t know what else to say.
Mass shootings in the USA are well publicised and get headlines here in NZ.
From this side of the Pacific ocean it’s easy to form the view that the USA is a very violent country and shootings happen all the time. Hollywood certainly helps to encourage that view.
On a purely objective basis, the number of shootings per head of population is stuff all. You are more likely to die of heart disease, or in a traffic accident.
Another point is the lack of social cohesion it seems. Why didn’t someone somewhere stop this before it was too late?.
How and why did the gun shop sell stuff to a mentally unstable person?. It’s not enough to say ‘not my problem’.
Banning guns doesn’t work, the mindset that allowed this to happen is the problem.
From what I understand, Chicago has the strictest gun laws in the country, yet leads the country in mass shootings. Laws are not the full answer. If guns are outlawed, those who shouldn’t have them will be the ones who do, buying them on the black market. So that’s not the full answer either. In addition, when violent offenders are immediately released back on the streets, there’s no deterrent for such behavior. Treating the criminals with leniency has proven not be be answer. The problem is multi-faceted and MUST be addressed by lawmakers with bi-partisan common sense and adoption of best-practices that are working in some municipalities. Accountability would surely be at the top of that list.
tragic and does not have to happen
😭💔
Agreed, Mitch. As a non-US citizen, this seems like such a problem unique to the US. There has to be something that can be done, and working across party lines is definitely an important start.
Tough, multi-faceted topic, hard to ‘Like’ this one but this is definitely one issue that needs addressing. Thanks for putting yourself out there, Mitch. Probably one of the most difficult and controversial conversations within your blog. I did ‘Like’ the variety of opinions…lots of food for thought 🤔 and one more great reason to pray for our country and our leaders.🙏🏻🇺🇸
I’m a bit shocked that most people in your State have guns. And that one of your readers says guns are the major killer of children in the USA. In my 72 years, living in four states of Australia at various times, I have never personally known anyone who had a gun – apart from my farmer relations for use on the farm. Growing up, we never even saw police carrying guns. The first gun I ever saw was a replica of an old style gun at Disneyland in California! Times have changed, Police in OZ do carry guns now. Knife attacks seem to be happening more in public spaces. And we have had a couple of mass shooting tragedies that saw us tighten our gun laws more. But shootings are not every day events, and the general population doesn’t carry guns. I’m not naive. I know that criminals, including bikie gangs, have them. But the average ordinary person doesn’t. We do have sports gun clubs with strict rules – that’s how we win the occasional shooting medal at the Olympics etc.
Thanks for the Oz perspective, Therese. Point of clarification: A lot of people have guns in my state, but I don’t know if it’s “most” people, and I’ve never seen anyone carrying one because, as the term implies, they are “concealed.”
Oh, Mitch. Your last paragraph says it all about what must be done. My heart goes out to victims and those left to suffer the consequences. Did you ever think our kids would be so scared to go to school or out in public? Or us…when we wonder what might or could happen? I was reading Missouri’s report on Mental Health for our kids. There is so much work that has to be done ~ starting in the heart and home. I don’t understand why we can’t put down “parties” to preserve and protect one another. 🙏🏻
Amen, Karla!
The right or need for everyone and his mother to own a gun that is pervasive in the US, a gun that can be used to kill a fellow human being, is something I simply can’t understand. My father was a hunter–he had a rifle he used to hunt moose and deer, the meat needed to supplement out food in the fifties and sixties when wages were much lower, but to shoot someone just because you don’t like them … that makes no sense.
The top three leading causes of death in Canada are cancer, diseases of the heart, and unintentional injuries, or accidents. This is from Stats Can from Feb 5, 2024. The idea that Canada is “covering up” mass shootings and that we don’t have a “free press” is also not based in fact. These things may be your opinion but they aren’t facts. The Conservatives in Canada would like to bring back the AR15 which is the most popular gun for mass killings. “Death with Dignity” is reserved for individuals with a thoroughly documented terminal illness. I may not agree with that last one but I am not suffering from uncontrollable pain and so I don’t judge those who are dying that way. I’m
Sorry that you feel that you should judge and are so suspicious of our government. May God grant you peace.
I spent part of my childhood in a rural community where rifles were common. Farmers needed them to protect their livestock from predators, and lots of people hunted. None were used to kill people. The problem is that today’s guns are capable of spraying a crowd with bullets, are too easily accessible, and our society has become increasingly tolerant of violence. Mental illness is also on the rise, as is fear and distrust of “others.” All that together makes for a very volatile mix and it needs to be addressed. Better gun laws are a start, but I honestly don’t know what the answer is. Thanks for bringing this up!
Thank you for your article Mitch. My son was a senior in high school in 1999 and knew several of the kids killed in the Columbine High School shooting. It affected him for many years as I know it did so many others. I don’t know the answer to solve this problem, but I know that the easy access to weapons, especially semi-automatic and military grade guns makes events like the one you noted possible.
I’ve hunted in my younger years and still own two long guns. I still hunt hogs occasionally (feral hogs are a major problem in Texas). I grew up with ranching and everyone I know had rifles in the house. Never once have I seen anyone hunt with an AR-15 or military style weapon. Just saying…
We live in a state where open carry is legal and you see it quite a bit here. Yet, we still have our fair share of mass shootings and I can think of only one case where an armed civilian took out a shooter. I just don’t see the logic in carrying guns in public.
Thoughts and prayers are not enough when these terrible things happen. Real action to change how the access to mental health and weapons is needed but unlikely to happen as long as the NRA continues to buy its way into our legislative bodies.
It seems like we are so accustomed to mass shootings, that only the really big ones get our attention these days. Entrenched positions, make it difficult to get anything done, even though a large majority of people agree on some basics. The tale you tell, leaves us questioning how a person with that many warning signs, could possibly have gotten access to weapons of any kind. The only way I know how to change that is to vote for people, willing to put people over guns.
As a Brit that lived and worked in the US for 13 years and still have many friends there, so I freak out when I seen the headline of another mass shooting in the US.
I do think the will of the people will force politicians to tighten up the gun control laws, but your right there is something damaged and out of balance in America where it is so hard for the majority of citizens to stop the vested interest of the minority, and definitely too much money in politics tempting congress to take the money for their reelection campaigns.
Well said, Mitch. The gun culture in the USA is deplorable.
So sad,
Hi, Mitch. Catching up on reading and responding. Your points are valid and well-versed here. I believe the gun laws need to change as well as the way we address mental health. Many mass-shootings have the backdrop of cases that should have been addressed by our social practices to help those mentally challenged. I do believe that it should take six months to a year to get a gun. Do extreme background research to extend the licenses, particularly when the requesters are so young. What do they really need a gun for? I believe deeper looks into the backgrounds would have revealed more information. I could be wrong though.
I agree, San. No right, including the right to bear arms, is independent of all others. Freedom is a right, but it can be taken away if a person commits a serious crime.