The Horror of Children Killing Children

Illustration by Golden Cosmos

 The least heard words regarding the unspeakable tragedy in Uvalde, Texas were "this is not the time for politics". It took about 32 seconds before the mass shooting turned political. First by the President, then again today by political wannabe, Beto O'Rourke.

The next words were finally mentioned but will be ignored. "There is a mental health crisis in our country."

To be sure. I have another question though. What turns an 18-year-old youngster into a mass murderer.  Yes, of course, they have mental problems, but why?

You see, I don't consider an 18-year-old an adult.  I know all the arguments as to why they are. I just don't happen to agree with most of them.  Obviously, some of them are far too impressionable to be able to make wise decisions. So who is failing them?

First and foremost, I have to look at the parents. How can they be so self-absorbed they cannot see the problems their children are having? Or are they just so ill-prepared they shouldn't have had kids in the first place?  I mean, what kind of a horrific argument could anyone have with their grandmother that would lead to shooting her in the face?

Then on to school officials? Interviews at crime scenes with kids to find out what a schoolmate was like should be coming from faculty who should be on the lookout for odd behaviors.  Our teachers did that way back in the dark ages when I was in school! We didn't have mass shootings back then either.

There are so many places to point fingers I can't even count them.  The least of which is more gun laws. Let's look at actually enforcing the ones we have. 

I'm not a big gun person. I have friends who have concealed carry permits and I must admit they make me uncomfortable.  I see the other side of it too and instances where those carrying have saved lives. We have open carry here.  That really makes me feel uncomfortable because I see it as more of an in-your-face action than one of safety. Funny, those laws are strictly enforced.

Back to the state of mind though.  It saddens and scares me that ballpark eighteen-year-olds are capable of such actions.  That they are so deranged at such a young age. And that they, in cold blood,  can take the lives of those so young they've barely gotten their foot in the door of life.

Let's stop the blame game for political ends.  Please. Please. The political season is upon us for the next several months. Let's not waste it with the vitriolic pettiness than is engulfing us. There must be some adults that are willing to come into the room.  Some younger than me, and smarter, but just as concerned and caring. Please. Please.

In An Aaron Alexis What Exactly Are We Looking For?

James, Holmes, Adam Lanza, Jared Loughner, Nidal Hasan and now Aaron Alexis.

What do these men have in common? They all had behavioral problems and patterns that warranted scrutiny.  They all snapped and killed massive numbers of unsuspecting victims.

It's ironic to me that we've been having a huge debate on privacy and governmental over reach yet not one of these people were "pinged" for untoward behavior. I suppose it's because nothing on their computers, cell phones or twitter accounts had the buzz words that would have indicated they were terrorists. Yet they are as surely as a radical Muslim.

The gun control advocates have their band wagon back and are already playing their tune but I don't think it will go any further than it has before.  Not even the most benign measures.  Americans are just not into it.

I think the debate needs to go back to privacy issues.  How many of us have met people who seem just a little off to us.  Maybe something we can't quite put our finger on but off putting never-the-less.  Should we pay a little more attention?  Or shy away which is the more natural instinct?

Every man on that list had red flags flapping in the faces of their acquaintances, bosses, friends and many times even family.  Yet nothing was done to forewarn authorities or their work places.  They just slipped through the cracks pretty much unnoticed until they struck.  Each and every one could have been stopped before it got to that point but weren't.

Political correctness?  Or discomfort with the situation? Sometimes I wonder if people like this are crying for help with their oddities just as a potential suicide victim does when he threatens to kill himself.  I don't know.

I do know that when those in the military are forgiven their misadventures or have a blind eye turned toward them we have a problem.  Where else in our society is there a structure that allows for scrutiny more then the military?

It's harder for families.  Even if you have a suspicion you don't want to admit to it. In school?  Don't the instructors and counselors have an obligation to their students, their communities and for that matter themselves to go to the proper authorities if someone is troublingly suspect?  But how do you know when that is?  It's a tough call.  But it's all an integral part of the problem that seems to be increasing in magnitude.

Guns are a means to an end.  I don't doubt for a minute pressure cooker bombs or the like would be used in lieu of them if guns were less available.

As our nation grows in numbers more and more unbalanced will be roaming our streets. How to curb their threat has no easy answer.  It would help, though, if we could understand why what would seem a minor grievance to most of us moves them to kill.  Kill. Therein lies the basis of the problem.  To date there is no cure.  Not even more gun laws.

Guns, Background Checks And Faith In Your Government

As the debate over gun control continues it seems the parameters are shrinking.  It would appear there will be no restrictions as to the type of gun one can own, limiting the size of clips is iffy; the only thing that has any chance are more in depth background checks.

Who should, and who should not be allowed to purchase a gun?  The usual suspects are there.  Felons.  The dishonorably discharged from the military.  Guilty of drug abuse.  Guilty of spousal abuse.  The mentally infirm.

In that short list you can see the criteria is not equal.  More definition is needed. Mental issues are the most prominent and the most difficult with which to deal.  Take a good look at Sandy Hook shooter Adam Lanza, Aurora shooter James Holmes and Gabby Giffords shooter Jared Loughner and it's obvious there is a vast void between sanity and the lack thereof.

They all had legally obtained weapons because they did not appear in any data base even though those who knew them well, including those who could have forewarned authorities, knew they all had problems. But on what basis could authorities been informed since none had committed a crime? There is a problematic area unto itself.

I don't blame the data bases nor those who maintain them.  We have laws that disallow mental shortcomings from becoming public record.  It has it's pitfalls to be sure.  The records of these young men all speak for themselves.  But again, no harm no foul.  Do I see the beginnings of a pattern?

Who should decide who should be in those data bases?  The idea of them makes me nervous because of the potential of purposeful misuse.  This is where trust in your government comes in.  I don't have enough to have faith in either their judgement nor of anyone they might appoint because everything is tied to personal gain.  It's a caustic view but those officials have no one but themselves to blame for the fact I have no faith in them.

Just as it its anticipated we will have "death panels" determining health care options especially for seniors, who will these people be and how would they deal with the one size fits all tendency we've seen so far?  The same idea applies to those who will determine a definition for mental stability.  Who will they be and what will the criteria be?  How will privacy issues be handled?

Instead of tackling this issue, Connecticut, Colorado, New York and others pending are passing the easiest legislation and creating a Constitutional mess while they're at it.  I have to agree with the critics who say it won't solve the problem.  It probably won't even slow it down.

I read on a daily basis about shootings in neighboring Spokane.  Not all the shooters would fit the mental instability definition under any circumstance.  What they do have in common are guns and the willingness to use them, bad judgement and probably tempers. How do your break all that down?

Our President loves to create commissions.  Usually as a way to delay having to make a hard decision.  He could, however, create one for the gun problem, staff it with experts from the fields of mental health and criminal behavior other than his cronies and give them the time and freedom to do a decent study.

Then, if it makes sense, implement it. Creating outlandish legislation for the sake of creating legislation doesn't solve anything except to increase, rather than decrease gun sales.  Having Homeland Security buy up all the available ammunition won't do it either. One can always buy the equipment at the local sporting goods store and load their own.

It reminds me a circular firing squad.  Everything gets hit except the cause of the problem.

The Wild West Lives ~ If We Don't Kill Each Other Off!

Do you know that Utah's governor is about to sign legislation making the Browning semi-automatic pistol the state gun?  Why in the name of reason, does a state need a state gun?  Arizona is looking to do the same with Colt revolver!

Guns.  I don't know whether to hate them or embrace them.  I'm no stranger to them.  Hub grew up in Montana where owning guns was akin to owning jeans.  His dad gave me his .38 police special as a gift.  His grandmother gave me her .22 rifle and his mom made him stay at the alter waiting for me under threat of her .25.  I've never fired any of them.

Other than that we own several, I usually don't give them much thought even though the news always seems to be full of stories about gun violence.  I've written a few times about contemplating taking a course in order to get a carry permit.  I've never acted on it.  My curiosity about the culture just isn't that strong.

I've written often about my objections to being allowed to carry weapons in our National Parks.  Now states are beginning to look at legislation to not require permits to carry concealed weapons.  Even more worrisome, to me, is the idea of allowing firearms on college campuses.  The argument that it could prevent tragedies such as the one at Virginia Tech is problematic.

Imagine one deranged student beginning to shoot and all those around him doing the same thing.  I see a mass slaughter far worse than anything a lone gunman could do.  Oh, I know, there are hundreds of scenarios for either side of the argument, but it makes me queasy thinking about it!

So here we are.  In the west, Alaska and Arizona do not require permits for concealed firearms.  Wyoming, Colorado and Montana are nearly there.  Idaho and Texas want them allowed on campus.

Representative Allen Jaggi, R-WY, says guns in the right hands make a safer society.  Guns in the right hands.  Like maybe law enforcement?

I'm not against the second amendment, but let's bring some good sense to the issue.  Bad guys will always be able to get guns.  We know that.  But having every Tom, Dick and Mary who wants to carry a concealed firearm is asking for unintended consequences.

There's enough of that going around as is and around here it's aggravated by gun happy law enforcement.  You'd think with all the violence in the world,  be it people fighting for their freedom in far away lands or nut cases taking pot shots at our legislators, I'd think the public, even in the west, would be sick of guns.