In the aftermath of the Uvalde school shooting (and the dozen other cities who have experienced a mass shooting since), I present: Disconnected Thoughts on Mass Shootings.
It seems impossible to discuss the aftermath of mass shootings because it’s a multifaceted issue. Some say it’s a gun control issue, some say it’s a mental health issue, others will say it’s a morals and values issue, or a school safety issue. Conversations on change stall because the debate focuses too much on what the cause is, rather than how to prevent it from happening again. Honestly, it doesn’t matter what the cause is, but we as a nation HAVE to do something to fix it. When dealing with a complex problem, it’s better to break it up into smaller, more manageable parts and attack it from multiple sides. Why can’t we do that here?
For those who say it’s a gun issue, then let’s get stricter requirements on purchasing guns. Let’s put the Assault Weapon Ban back into place. Let’s close the gun show loophole. Let’s implement a waiting period to purchase. Let’s make universal background checks a requirement. Let’s license and register all guns like cars. Let’s require better training, both written and practical. Let’s teach more about safe gun storage.
For those who say it’s a mental health issue, let’s make some changes. Hire more social workers and counselors for schools. Expand access to Medicaid so people can get mental health services. Subsidize student loans for people pursuing social work/counseling degrees so we can address the severe shortage of people in those jobs.
For those who say it’s a morals and values issue, what is your proposed solution? Many reminisce about the “good old days” when Mom stayed home and Dad worked 9-5 Monday through Friday as a produce clerk and made enough money to buy a house in the suburbs, take a yearly family vacation to Disney, and provide plenty of food and clothing for their 2.5 kids. So now we have to address minimum wage, affordable housing, inflation, student loan debt, and corporate greed. Phew, that sounds tough, but I’m willing to do it. If we want a world where kids are raised by their actual parents, in a situation where one parent can stay home and one can work, then we also need to address things like mass incarceration and drug addiction, while increasing access to abortion so people who are not mentally or financially prepared to be parents don’t have to become parents.
For those who say we need to bring God back into the schools, shut up and send your kid to a private religious school. In a public school, which God should we bring?
For those who say it’s a school safety issue, what do you propose? I’ve heard a lot about locking doors and creating one entrance point for all students, staff, and visitors. I’ve also heard about adding armed security/police officers, installing metal detectors, and increasing the frequency of lockdown/active shooter drills. Now there’s a bill in Ohio (about to be signed by the governor) to allow districts the option of arming teachers or other staff. So we’re going to turn our schools into prisons where students are intimidated every day by the security and the presence of officers in the halls. Given the ongoing issues between police and black/brown people, is this really the best solution? Studies have shown that resource officers serve more as a facilitator in the school to prison pipeline, rather than to deter school shootings. They spend more time making school discipline a police matter over spending their time ensuring schools are safe for students.
Expanding upon the idea of arming teachers, the current law in Ohio for teachers to carry guns requires approval of the Board and over 700 hours of training. The new bill, supported by almost all Ohio Republicans and none of the Democrats, will reduce those hours of training down to 24 hours, unless the specific Board requires more. The training includes “critical incident response,” “tactical live firearms training,” and “realistic urban training.” Schools would be required to notify parents that “one or more persons” have been approved to carry a gun, but would not be required to disclose who. Republicans refused to answer questions regarding liability, such as whether a gun was accidentally discharged or a student was injured. A 2019 survey among teachers indicated more than 95% believe teachers should not have guns. This is an increase from a different 2018 student where 73% of teachers believe they should not have guns. The samples from these studies included teachers who were private gun owners.
By the end of June, Ohio will be a very lax state for gun control laws. In 2020, DeWine signed a “Stand Your Ground” law, which removed the duty to retreat from a perceived attack before using deadly force. A law set to go into effect in mere days has significantly weakened the Concealed Carry laws. In addition to removing the training and background check requirements, the law no longer requires a person to immediately disclose to a police officer that they have a weapon. They are only required to disclose if the police officer asks. I wonder what will come next.
In the year after a record-breaking year for gun deaths, is this really the smartest course of action? Many groups are calling for stricter gun laws and many groups, including those related to police officers, are being very vocal in their opposition of these changes, yet Ohio forges ahead. Republicans have long been proud to say they “back the blue,” but they are removing such a simple protection of officers. Requiring someone to inform an officer they have a gun is a very sensible thing. It protects both the person and the officer.
I also have several questions about mass shootings that no one seems to answer. Forgive my repeating of racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, etc here, but stick with me.
We hear all of this discussion about young black males and how they’re all in gangs. All these gang members have guns and that’s why we have violence in the streets. Ok, so why does this violence not spill into our inner city schools? Almost every school shooting I can think of has been perpetrated in a mostly white, middle class school by a young white male. So if all our young black males are gang members with guns, why don’t they ever commit school shootings? Maybe it’s not about guns or school safety then.
The topic of bullying gets brought up a lot after a school shooting. This is definitely a big factor in motive. So why do fat or gay people not commit school shootings? I was bullied relentlessly as a student for both things. But I never grabbed a gun and shot up a school. Disabled people don’t commit school shootings either, and I’m sure they’re bullied for their wheelchairs or their leg braces. I’m sure kids who are developmentally delayed are bullied and excluded from activities, but they don’t commit school shootings either. Kids who are “different” are bullied, whether it’s because they like the “wrong” things for their age/gender/location or for some attribute they cannot control (being gay, wearing glasses, overweight, bad athlete), but they don’t commit school shootings. Why is that?
So if it is a mental health issue, shouldn’t there be even more shootings? According to a quick Google search, nearly 8% of the adult population is diagnosed with depression. Another search tells me 3% of kids and 8% of adolescents are diagnosed with depression, with boys under 10 being the highest group. However, by age 16, girls have greater incidences of depression. So why are (almost) all mass shootings committed by males? Veterans suffer from incredibly high rates of depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Why are more shootings not committed by veterans? Various other professions also suffer from high rates of mental health issues, including lawyers and doctors, so why are more shootings not occurring from those people?
So maybe it’s not any of those things. Maybe it’s really about toxic white masculinity. Maybe it’s about young men who have been raised to “be tough” and not deal with their complex emotions, while also being groomed to value the wrong things, so it all becomes too much and they snap and commit a mass slaughter of elementary schoolchildren?
So far, I’ve mostly covered thoughts about school shootings, but many apply to community shootings as well. These shootings occur at movie theaters, malls, grocery stores, medical offices, concerts, driving down the highway, churches, parks, and other public spaces. Some of these are specifically targeted due to personal vendettas, such as the recent Tulsa shooting where a patient was targeting a doctor and killed a few others on his rampage. Some of these are ideologically targeted, such as the Buffalo grocery store and the church in Charleston, because the shooters were white nationalists out to kill black people. But most of them are random. A crime of opportunity and victims who were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
An argument for placing more officers and metal detectors in schools stems from the protection certain public places have. For example, courthouses require you to pass through security before entering. Airports have strict security, with additional steps added constantly. Though there are differing opinions on the effectiveness, security includes metal detectors, armed security, prohibition on certain weapons, and random searches. But where do we draw the line? We want to be safe when we’re in public, but do we want to pass through a metal detector and submit to a body scan every time we need a gallon of milk or to deposit a check? Do we want armed security guards roaming around while the Pastor sings the Sunday hymn? When we do see someone with a gun, how do we know if they’re a good guy or a bad guy? Do all of these white conservative Christians want to put more guns into the hands of black men or men wearing turbans? I’m guessing not.
LOUD. SIGH. If you’ve stuck with me this long, I appreciate you. I don’t have any answers, but my head is full of thoughts. I’m tired of inaction or wrong action by our elected representatives. I’m tired of being afraid to send my kid to school. I’m tired of being afraid for my sister who is a teacher. I’m tired of living in a country where people worship guns rather than the safety of others. Part of me wants to hit the pavement and flood USPS with “vote blue” messages, but the other part of me feels exhausted by the mere thought. I feel people are not going to change their minds. I feel people care more about the economy or some single small issue and won’t vote blue for that reason. Not that even voting blue is a guarantee anymore (looking at you, Kyrsten Sinema), but I guess it helps. We get so caught up in who is the President that we forget who really holds the power. Our state legislation. Our Congresspeople. Our school boards. Our city councils.
I also want to acknowledge that nothing I said is meant to be exhaustive. I know there was probably a mass shooting by a bullied fat kid or a gang member or a gay Hispanic kid. I know that. But I’m generalizing, so don’t come for me.
