Less than halfway into October, there have been seven mass shootings (injuries and deaths that include four or more people). When it comes to what this tells us, one may wonder how a relatively high number in situations like these can be the case over a short frame of time.
However, such a rate only days into a new month doesn’t come as a first occurrence in terms of a high frequency among these tragedies, especially when three of which have taken place on the grounds of one of the most vulnerable and seemingly safest of settings dedicated to public use, institutions of higher education.
To refresh your memory, let’s recap:
October 1st- Umpqua Community College shooting. 10 dead.
October 8th- Shooting at Northern Arizona University. One fraternity member dead, three of his brothers injured
October 9th- Shooting at Texas Southern University. One freshman dead.
To concern ourselves with all questions that come predictable as to who did this and why, what circumstances lead to the trigger being pulled, etc. has been brought up and discussed as part of an at nauseum routine commonly misconceived as initiatives to take action.
With common knowledge although, these methods of reaction often lessen until the next major massacre happens.
However, when you see your own fraternity brother fall to the ground as a single bullet pierces his heart and ends his life, or the classmate you make small talk with everyday take their last breath as a result of someone’s uncontained madness and hate, one has to take note of the common theme that allows the darkest of human minds to reconcile their rage with the resource of using a weapon that comes with the utmost responsibility and privilege that should only be meant for the clinically sane.
Gun control should not be an ugly word. The mentality is not in any way associated with the sacrifice of the second amendment. No one is blaming guns themselves either, so many people can stop sharing their cute and witty memes suggesting otherwise on Facebook.
Right now, anyone, regardless of psychiatric history, can milk the federally required “mental competency” exam in order to purchase a firearm. As for gun shows, anyone may walk up to a vendor, public or private, and acquire their desired pistol in a matter of seconds once their form of payment is presented.
With this in mind, how can we feel safe when these mass shootings aren’t happening? Now don’t get me wrong, I am not in any way citing fear or urgency, but we need to consider the loopholes in our ownership of weapons policy and legislation. Loopholes that lead to the deaths of civilians at shopping malls, movie theaters, and students of all ages starting with first graders who come to school to eagerly meet their friends and learn the foundations for their lifelong intellect that was savagely cut short.
So at the risk of repeating myself with questions that I mentioned earlier, how many more? What can we do?
How can we stop disregarding the intensive need to provide mental help for these perpetrators, rather than negligently and unintentionally offering them the worst way to exercise their despair?… by causing more of it.
