It is my belief that the significant cause of mass shootings is the culprit, the shooter, not the gun. When did we, as a society, become so irrational that we believe an inanimate object has a will of it’s own. That it can somehow jump up and commit a heinous act of a mass shooting.
As crazy as this sounds all we need to do is listen to our anti gun advocates. Repeatedly they have said, “the only way to stop mass shootings is to create stricter gun laws and to ban some types of guns.” With more than than 20,000 gun laws currently on the books it seems that if the gun was the problem, mass shooting should have been eliminated many years ago.
There are four types of mass shooters. First, there is the rampage shooter. This individual is maddened by some event in his or her life to the point that they believe their only recourse is to punish society for the unfairness or mistreatment they have been dealt. Their only option is to kill. The higher the body count the more satisfaction.
The rampage shooter will then choose a “soft target”, in which there lies innocent and unsuspecting victims doomed at the hands of the killer. The local mall, theater, restaurant or a large event are just a few potential targets the killer might engage.
The second type of shooter is the workplace shooter. This individual, much like the rampage shooter, feels they have wronged. In this case it is the place of employment that has been unfair. Relations with other employees have become defective. Or the conflict may have been fostered through management do to some inappropriate actions by the soon to be killer. Revenge is the compelling motivation. The individual longs to even the score, by inflicting pain on other as they have inflicted pain on him or her.
The potential killer becomes angry, eventually deranged, he or she is prompted to return to the workplace to have their way. The workplace, in most cases, is a soft target. The terminated employee is very well versed in, not only the layout of the workplace, but where the most populated areas await his destruction.
The third type of is the school shooter. This may be a student currently enrolled in educational facility, an alumni or one of the two previous examples.
Schools provide several advantages for mass killings, especially when the killer selects an elementary establishment. Many schools have little or no security, making them very soft targets. The youthful student pose no resistance for the shooter. Therefore he or she may have their way as they initiate their killing spree. It must be recognized here that many schools are taking steps to improve security at their facilities and they should be applauded for their progressive actions.
The final example of an active shooter is the terrorist. Defined as a person who uses unlawful violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political and or religious aims. Their misguided endeavor is to kill as many people as possible to illustrate their cause. More bodies equate to more news coverage from around the would. This is precisely what the shooter desires. His or her mission is accomplished proportional to the extent of media coverage. Media coverage induces fear and terror among citizens. Fear causes people to change their lifestyle to the degree they will give up freedoms for a sense of security. Therefore the terrorists succeeds in their mission.
Every example provided here demonstrates the mental deficiencies of the shooter. Understand that some of these killers have resorted to other means to achieve high body counts without the use of guns. Confiscating a truck to run down people on a busy street or the use of explosives to effect the outcome they desire.
Until society establishes a mode for recognizing these threats before they are able to inflict chaos and grief, we will never see an end to such tragedy. The MADD (Mother’s Against Drunk Drivers) organization has seen great success in reducing teenage drinking. This was accomplished through initiating awareness programs and stricter laws for those who committed the crime. However they did not ban the automobile.
Mass shootings are not issues relating to guns. Instead it is issues of the heart and mind. It is evil lurking around the corner. Our country is one of the world leaders in innovation. We can and will initiate steps to put an end to mass shooting. But we cannot effect change when all the focus is on the gun.
