I will have to avoid the TV news for a few days. I have kids in my house and I certainly don’t want them seeing the endless replays of the grisly facts. Like everyone, I feel tremendous sorrow for the victims and their families, but I also wonder why it takes an event like this for people to even address why violence so prevalent in our society today.
I have some positive suggestions for how to move forward.
First, I don’t think these shootings should be covered on national TV for days on end to the extent that they are. In fact, I think they should barely be mentioned at all, and the shooters should remain as anonymous as possible. Some of them undoubtedly are seeking fame and publicity and the way our media reacts to these tragedies makes that dream come true. I’m interested primarily in one fact: was the shooter taking prescription medication? I realize many popular medications have bizarre side effects that some pill companies may seek to conceal. I know these shootings never happened until we put half the country on pills. So is there a cause and effect? This is a health study we desperately need right now.
The gun lovers are never going to give up their guns and I wouldn’t be so stupid as to ask them. It’s a right they will defend to the death. I get that, but can we make a few changes, like closing the gun show loophole, and restricting mental patients with a history of violence from obtaining weapons? I’d also like to see taxes on some weapons greatly increased so a national fund can be created, a fund that would compensate the families of the victims. Not that any amount of money could replace the life of a single child, but simply that all these gun lovers and violence worshipers should contribute to easing their suffering. I also think violence pornography needs to be better identified and taxed as well. Sponsors of violence pornography should be forced to pay into the fund. And so should consumers. So we need a special tax on violence pornography video games and violence pornography TV shows.
Ken Kesey had a novel idea, inspired by his grand-daughter. Ban the bullet. Make it very hard to get anything but rubber bullets and paint pellets, which are perfect for target practice, which is the only thing most people do with their guns. Lead builets, on the other hand, should be much more closely controlled.
Of course, the gun lovers need guns to protect themselves against the government. As if a civilian population in this country could engage the government in open warfare in the streets? Those days are over. The only revolution that will succeed from here on is a non-violent one. We really need much more respect for the grandmasters of peace, people like Gandhi and Bob Marley, and we need more celebrations of peace, and more respect for peaceful cultures, especially the counterculture, which is as American as rock’n’roll and apple pie.
At the second Whee! festival in Oregon, the Merry Pranksters unveiled plans to take on the gun lobby in the usual Prankster fashion (by tricking the bozos). Check out the video:
There are always great ideas that come after a tragedy.
It doesn’t look like, and I could be wrong, anything’s changing towards guns.
I’m no expert on the subject and don’t claim to have ANY answers that would change what’s been going on yet I wonder, Is it true that states that allow carry/concealed laws have lower gun crime rates?
Is it now a good idea to have teachers trained and carrying guns, like some airline pilots?
Do we need “marshalls” in the schools?
Just 2 days ago I was talking to a professional boxer. He teaches classes and trains at the gym I attend as well as fighting professionally several times a year. At night, he’s a “Bouncer”.
He and I agreed that with the popularity of MMA and UFC type fighting you can never tell who’s “carrying” or who’s the experienced fighter. it changes the way we view our world (he and I both work in bars regularly).
If society knew that anyone could be carrying a gun and is ready to use it. Wouldn’t that have folks thinking twice before committing a crime?
It appears that people will always be able to buy guns and ammo, and go commit violent crimes. But what if the moment ‘they’ start shooting, ‘they’ are shot themselves?
Almost 40 years of practicing karate, martial arts, boxing and MMA has taught me that the only time one uses karate is if one absolutely, I mean, ABSOLUTELY has to. But when one does. the outcome is unquestionable. I think carrying a gun may become the next martial art. Sad? Yes. But we can no longer bring knives to gun fights.
Steven Hager wrote: “was the shooter taking prescription medication?” To which I would add: “or was he taking prescription medication and stopped abruptly?”