Just six months. Within the space of
just six months we have witnessed four mass shootings in the United
States. Aurora, Colorado; twelve dead. Oak Creek, Wisconsin; six
dead. Happy Valley, Oregon; two dead. And finally, Newtown,
Connecticut; twenty-seven dead. After each of these instances, people
were left pondering the obvious: “Why?” The Oak Creek Sikh Temple
shootings seemed to have a ideological motive behind it; the
perpetrator was affiliated with white supremacist and neo-Nazi
groups, and it was deemed to be a hate crime. The three remaining
incidents appeared simply to have been senseless acts of mass murder
committed by individuals with no agenda or motives whatsoever.
Nevertheless, the people wanted to know why; and a variety of reasons
were given; none of which, in my opinion, went on to provide a
complete, comprehensive answer.
One reason provided was, obviously, the
lack of a more restrictive gun control laws. It is quite easy to come
to that conclusion, after all, not only does the Constitution of the
United States gives its citizens the right to bear arms, the United
States, with a staggering 270 million guns in civilian hands as of
2009, also comes in first in a comparison of the number of privately
owned firearms. But depending solely upon the total number of
privately owned firearms will lead us nowhere in this debate. What
must also be given equal importance is the rate
of privately owned firearms for every hundred people. In that list
too, the U.S comes in first, with 88.8 firearms per 100
people. The fourth country on that list is Finland, with 45.7
firearms per 100 people. Yet, while 9,146 gun related homicides were
reported in 2009, only 22 were reported in Finland (although, the
word “only” loses all its significance if one remembers
the Talmudic saying that “Whosoever
destroys a soul, destroys the world entire”).
Now take a closer look at these numbers. If 45.7 firearms per 100
people yielded the murder of 22 people, mathematics dictates that
88.8 firearms per 100 people would have resulted in approximately 43
deaths. But mathematics has no influence upon the Human psyche, and
instead of 43, the United States ended up with 9,146 deaths. Clearly,
the extent of this disparity indicates that the issue here is much
larger than the mere regulations of guns. However, that being said, I
must also add my personal views regarding the possession of guns. In
my opinion, private
possession of fully automatic assault weapons should be prohibited; a
thorough background check of any individual who wishes to own a gun
must be conducted before any form of firearm is sold to them; and
above all else, every gun owner must handle his or her firearm
responsibly; for instance, keep them stored safely and securely to
prevent unauthorized use and out of reach of children. Everyone
should have the right to own whatever it is they wish to own, as long
as they do not use it – or allow it to be used – in order to
infringe upon the rights of others.
It has also been argued that violent
movies and video games are to be blamed for these attacks. Yes, the perpetrator of the Aurora shootings can be placed on display to prove
that point; but that is just one person. What about all those
millions of others who watch violent movies and played violent video
games, who go on to live perfectly normal lives? Besides, if movies
and games depicting violence did in fact lead to violent acts, then
how come movies and games set in a peaceful environment do not lead
to acts of peace? I, at least, am yet to come across a Farmville
player who has been inspired to take up farming because of the game.
Movies and games are not the only
source of gore and carnage. The scriptures of all great religions are
much bloodier than anything Hollywood has produced (in fact, on
occasions, the film industry has actually borrowed stories from the
various religions to make a profit). And then, of course, there is
the local news. With all the stories about shootings, robberies,
aggravated assaults, and political wranglings, these news outlets
paint a dismal, horrifying picture of the world in which we live, and
they do it with a smile on their face. They paint pictures of reality
that are much more grotesque than anything that Dali came up with. In
some, these images inspire horror; in others, hatred; and in still
others, an opportunity to put their grandiose ambitions and agenda on
full display. Everyone knows the names of Osama Bin Laden and Timothy
McVeigh; how many know the names of their victims?
But the violence displayed in the news
media does not wholly answer why these massacres take place either.
The news media are doing only that which they have been trained to
do, and have every right to do: report, and occasionally, comment.
The fact that their subject matters are so despairing and terrifying
is not their fault; that is, sadly the reality of the world we
inhabit. And as for those who use the news to promote one propaganda
or the other, they have always been able to do so, long before
modern journalism even came into being.
So, where does all this leave us?
Nowhere, to be precise. We started off by asking why these mass
shootings take place; we discussed three possible answers – lax gun
control laws, violent movies and games, the news; none of them were
completely satisfying – not to me, at least. But maybe, we have
been asking the wrong question to begin with.
Other than the shooter involved in the
Wisconsin tragedy, the perpetrators of the shootings in Colorado,
Oregon, and Connecticut had a few things in common: They were all in
their early 20's and they were all described by those around them to
be nice and smart. One of them was pursuing a Ph.D in neuroscience;
another “loved hanging out” with his friends; the other enjoyed
skateboarding. And their actions left all those close to them in
shock and disbelief.
In their early 20's. In their early 20's.
They all had their whole lives ahead of them; they could have
contributed so much to the society. Yet they – at least two of them
– chose to end, not only their lives, but the lives of so many
others, leaving us all shocked, horrified and confused.
The question should not be why these
people did what they did; but rather, it should be what pushed these
seemingly normal individuals into taking so many innocent lives in
such a barbaric manner. For in the answer to that question alone
shall we find the tools that will help us prevent such attacks in the
future.
No one is born evil. No one. Which is
why it is imperative that as we remember the victims of these mass
shootings, pray for their families, and their communities, we also
remember Adam Lanza (1992 – 2012), Jacob Roberts (1990 – 2012),
and James Holmes (b.1987). They, and others like them, hold the key
that will explain how a Human Being turns into a monster; that in
turn will help us in preventing such metamorphosis; and that, in
turn, will eventually lead to a world where parents can send their
children to school, fully assured that they will be able to see them
smile again.
