The real tragedy of yesterday’s senseless massacre by a 19 year-old at a mall in Omaha, Nebraska, is that it is no longer news. Incidents of mindless mayhem by young people in the US have been occurring with despairing regularity this year. I am aware that this latest atrocity will have absolutely no influence on America’s champions of the right to bear arms; so I am not even going to go there.
In a suicide note left behind by the shooter, Robert Hawkins – who, almost inevitably, turned his gun on himself after the carnage was over – indicated that he wanted to go out in style. It is truly frightening that, in the twisted mind of this tortured young man, going out in a blaze of glory literally meant going out with guns blazing. Perhaps he pictured himself as the lead character in Halo 3. Who knows? Randomly gunning down innocent bystanders was his idea of making a statement. Horrifically, he is part of a growing group.
Disturbed youngsters are not restricted to America, of course. They exist all over the world – India sure has its fair share of them. The difference is that, outside the US, they can go only so far to express their rage and frustration. I’m sure some of them would love to shoot down a few of their perceived tormentors, but they cannot for the simple reason that they cannot lay their hands on a handgun or rifle. Surprising as it may seem to many Americans, guns in private homes are a rarity in most countries outside their borders. I know some would argue that a young man intent on violence could attack and kill innocents with a knife or a metal bar but, let’s face it; he probably would not get past the first victim before he was overpowered.
In America, however, guns are almost part of the furniture in many households. It has always seemed slightly weird to me that parents are very strict about their teenage kids drinking alcohol, but have no compunction about them having access to a firearm. I believe some even take pride in teaching young Bobby to shoot, and brag about his prowess with a rifle. Some parents would disclaim that they keep their guns securely locked away but, realistically, a young man desperate enough to contemplate murder will somehow find a way to get hold of his dad’s rifle or handgun. A home is not Fort Knox, after all.
And so it goes on. Hopefully, this massacre will be the last one of 2007, but it is quite probable that there will be many more in 2008 and in the years to come. As I’ve been told ad nauseum by my American friends; guns don’t kill people, people kill people. That thought should provide them cold comfort if, God forbid, one of their loved ones ever gets caught in the crossfire.
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Comments: 42
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Great topic.
I was taught to fire a weapon & my husband was a U.S Marine for 12 years.
There are no firearms in my home. ( save a non serviceable antique Civil War gun my son inherited upon my grandfathers death )
It is too easy to obtain a firearm in this country.
I agree with that.
I have heard several other countries do not allow them.
here are no guns allowed in Mexico either, yet murder by gunshot is common.
If a teenager, who is mentally ill- and there are many out there that are, chooses to kill themselves, there are many ways they can choose to do it.
I think its sad that Guns have become the weapon du jour for these incidents- which seem to happen more and more.
I really feel that the Parents bear some responsibility towards their childs actions. Lack of discipline as well as too much Tellie/Video games, leads to these kind of problems. Its not easy to raise a child today.
As a Music teacher, I see children of different varieties all the time. Most of them are very sensitive, creative little souls who need encouragement in order to suceed. As adults- we need to help guide these kinder- not teach them violence. There is enough time in adulthood to learn that- if they want it.
I know how to shoot a handgun, and am pretty good with with a rifle. I don't hunt however, and am quite adverse to violence-especially that which involves the use of guns. Life is too precious.
I am also not against laws concerning ownership of guns.
Wolfgang
So if it's the ppl. Why are we so mess up compared to other countries? Especially, hence these gun crimes have no motivations at all.
To be fair, last year's massacre at the Virginia Tech University, body count 32, was perpetrated by a young man with handguns. But he was able to obtain 2 9mm handguns and enough ammunition for an army, so that when he ran out of bullets in one gun, he could switch to the other, making it impossible for unarmed students and faculty to rush him and disarm him.
It is a shame that mentally disturbed individuals are just as smart or smarter than the rest of us when it comes to the application of deadly force and getting their hands on the best weapons to kill the most victims.
The television, the internet and video games are responsible for raising the kids now. Parents don't have the time or can't be bothered or they are just naive enough to believe that children can raise themselves as long as you give them everything they ask for and food and shelter.
Oh, and Centrist, don't be so sure that we're more messed up than other countries - Firoze always likes to paint that picture, he leaves out the fact that there are more murders committed in his homeland in a year than there are in the US. Just because they aren't allowed to carry firearms doesn't mean that they're not offing each other at an alarming rate. I posted links to the facts on that a while back on one of Firoze's other articles.
I'm with you, Carol. Parents ~ BOTH parents ~ have an obligation to their children to know where their kids are, who they're with, and what they're doing with their allowance. EVERY MINUTE OF THE DAY.
If they don't hear what we say, don't see what we do, another force is teaching them. It begins in every home............with or without guns.
I don't own a gun and there was never a gun kept in our house while I was growing up. But I'll bet I could get my hands on one in about 20 minutes and fifty bucks if I wanted one. Murder and suicide are not caused by what's in a person's hand; it's caused by what's in their head.
I still can't help but believe in most cases like this that youth/people are desensitized to violence from the types of entertainment/exposure so prevalent today, and otherwise wouldn't contemplate this type of action. Death by cop, and out in a blaze of glory scenarios in games, movies, TV etc. are prevalent. It has to play a factor with troubled youth/people... but still mostly ignored.
There aren't easy answers to why, or how to prevent mental illness that leads one to do things like this, but throwing out the 2nd amendment isn't one of them.
And by the way, I wish people and the media that are so quick to use the word "assault rifle" would bother to find out what one really is... They have been illegal to own or buy for a very long time by the common public.
I have long pointed out that if someone is coming at me with any weapon other than a gun, I have a chance of getting away; I cannot outrun a bullet.
What I find is sad is that these people, insane or not, don't reverse the order of their rampage and use the gun on themselves first rather than last.
Not so long since, we had the sad death of an 11 year old child in Liverpool, shot innocently as he was walking home from football practice.
And I live in a country with very, very strong anti-gun laws. I like that state of affairs and can only marvel at countries which allow 'normal' people to go out and buy guns like assault rifles.... For god's sake.... ASSAULT RIFLES?
Congrats on being featured on Gather! Quality content is what makes this place so great!
You cannot buy an automatic rifle in the United States, but you can in Switzerland.
It must be something other than guns -- now what could that be?
This acts seem terrible yet they are to be expected in a violent society.
America has been at war for as long as I can remember.
We glorify guns and fights and violence in our movies.
We take away hope, time and affection from our children.
Now we have reality shows as if reality was not bad enough, we have to invent it.
This children are a product of their time and culture.
We have taken away discipline in the schools, in the home and are eradicating the foundation of our beliefs, the precepts we loved and lived by, the ten commandments.
Now we have the ten suggestions.
Thow shall not kill , is one of them and we grew up with those firm beliefs engraved in our brains from day one. I would rather brain wash people with that ,
rather then " there is no evil".
My opinion is that we are all responsible.
We also have to look at the roll that the big drug companies, and the food industry play in our overall health, mental and physical...It all plays a roll in who and what we are as a nation.
My, you are empathetic, aren't you??
YOU, sir/ma'am, whatever you are, are the one VERY "mixed up."
Got a magic wand? No? Then stop rejecting the idea that we need to hand out fewer assault rifles to Step Dads of crazy 19 year olds.