Weeping and Praying is Not Enough

It is always the same following a mass killing.  We weep and pray for the victims, but no action is ever done towards prevention.    I am personally sickened by this cultural lassitude in our country that continues to deplore these heinous acts of violence, yet does absolutely nothing to change laws that would at least decrease the number of these mass killings.

Of the last 62 mass killings in America since 1982 , no national  changes in gun restriction has happened. There remains  a great divide amongst Americans who want gun control and those who don’t.   I can only infer that the opponents of gun law restriction are in control of the nation , not the other way around.

It is always the same brainwashing.   The second amendment defendants saying that guns do not kill.  Bantered and lobbied on capital hill by the NRA, who spends millions making sure that every American has the unenviable right to purchase guns, including military assault weapons and as much ammunition as they want.

This simplistic and corrupt philosophy is extremely entrenched in so many mindsets of American citizens.  Gun toting America seemingly will continue to do nothing and in a few months there will be another mass killing somewhere and we will all decry the violence just like we are doing today and then go on with our business.  I am depressed and distressed that this will probably continue in my lifetime.

I can not understand these anti gun law folks incomprehension that guns make killing human beings very easy.   Assault type weapons that can fire up to multiple rounds of bullets are perfectly legal and easy to buy .  Anybody that would buy one of these weapons, I would consider to have very hidden agendas.

The mother of the latest mass killing gunman, who killed 20 children and 6 adults was “fascinated by guns”.  This divorced mother of two sons,  would take her children to shooting ranges on a regular basis.   Her son used her assault weapon gun to kill her before he headed off to the elementary school to kill innocent children and teachers.

The family who shoots together, kills together; would be very applicable in this case. Gun obsessed parents inoculate their children into a legal form of violence, as the only thing a gun is good for is killing plain and simple.

I find it incredible that her friends, or family did not see her gun preoccupation, multiple weapon collection and shooting range practices at least a little bit odd, if not dangerous, considering she  had a socially perturbed son.  Where was the divorced father views in all of this?

Guns and violence are so saturated in the American day-to-day life, that probably no one raised an eyebrow.    Daily news in any large city in America usually has multiple reported gun violence and murders.  If you live in America, it becomes routine to hear about these killings, whereas in European cities it makes big headlines because gun violence is so much less because of the very strict gun laws in European nations.

In Asia, Japan, which has one of the most strict gun laws in the world had only 11 gun related violences and deaths in a 2008 survey.    Out of every 1000 persons in Japan, only 6 own guns.

Australia adopted much stricter gun laws after a 1996 mass killing and has shown a 50 percent gun deaths since.

China too has very strict gun laws and a recent event further illustrates the obvious that guns kill, as a man on a rampage stabbed over 20 children, but none died.   Had he a gun, there would be multiple deaths. 

In America, that has the weakest laws there were 12,000 gun related homicides in 2008 and 587 who died from accidental gun discharges.   890 people out of 1000 in America owned guns at that time.    

Yet despite these stark differences, the majority of  Americans either don’t get it, or don’t care, because the right to own guns is much more important to them, than protecting innocent people from being killed by them.

Sociopathic and mentally disturbed people are everywhere in the world, not just in America.  But gun saturated America makes it so easy for them to commit their evil.

Anger is a normal human emotion, but out of control and with easy access to guns it will be lethal. Resolving a conflict with a gun kills. When some people are enraged, they lose reasoning and react unpredictably.  Therefore an angry argument with a spouse, neighbor, or an employer with accessible firearms can de deadly.

Then there is the proliferation of violent video games that can desensitize children around violence and killing.  A recent study in 2011 done by the University of Missouri showed a correlation between excessive use of violent video games, desensitization and aggression.

Mother Jones compiled data of mass killings since 1982.  Of the 62 mass killings mentioned above, three-quarters of the guns used were bought legally and majority were semi automatic hand guns and assault rifles.

Of the 62 gunmen, 44 were white males and only one women.  The average age was 35 years old, with the youngest being only 11 years old in Jonesboro, Arkansas.

American culture is a breeding ground for these types of killings.  Day in and day out exposure of media violence, in addition to the widespread popularity of intensely violent video games that youngsters are allowed to have.

Then you have multitude returning veterans who are angry and mentally mutilated, many suffering from PTSD who are at high risk of gun violence.

Increasing social divide in America, with the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer, eroding the middle class is another incubator for oppression induced anger.  Unbalanced persons will often strike out  towards the society they hold responsible for their difficulties.

Then there is the issue of mental health screening and care that is practically non existent except to the financially privileged.   But the majority of Americans don’t seem to want any sort of governmental intervention in health care either, as witnessed by the tooth and nail fight against universal care.

America’s toxic culture, plus refusal to enact strict gun laws, and unwillingness to provide mental health screening and care for the populace makes for a sick and explosive social soup.

It is only a matter of time, when another sociopathic or mentally ill person will strike again and the scenario will play out exactly as before.

Violence is normalized and saturated in America as a way of life and entertainment. Human beings beliefs are formed by their family of origin and culture, and rarely change unless they are individually touched. 

Fascination and love of guns has been going on for a long time and is woven into every fabric of American society.  Without change, you can continue to expect a lot more weeping and praying.