Another mass shooting, this time in Oregon, and a another round of we didn’t see it coming, except the signs were likely there that something was wrong and nobody paid attention.
The Supreme Court has ruled Americans have a “right to self defense” and that right is inherent in the Second Amendment. To carry or not carry is an individual decision up until the time that impacts a third party, such as a business, organization or other entity. The third party has rights in dictating who has the right to enter and enjoy the property, goods and services. This conflict has led to the creation of ”gun free zones”. The owner or manager gets to assert authority over their property by banning the possession of firearms on their property. This assumes that everybody with a mind to possess a firearm follows the law. Current events show that “gun free” zones do not work. This week’s mass shooting in Oregon, the Aurora Colorado shooting, Virginia Tech, etc, etc, and etc all happened on premises designated as gun free zones.
The question that I pose is does imposition of a gun free zone pose a greater obligation and conversely greater liability on the owner of the gun free zone? Consider the State and Federal government laws regulating the carrying of weapons. Typically, in governmental environments where weapons are prohibited security is upgraded, the courthouse, police stations, and government offices. However, in most businesses, churches and schools that are “gun free” that I have seen, there is no increase in security.
If the business owner takes away a patron’s right to self defense, by banning guns and does so without a corresponding increase in security measures has that business owner created an attractive nuisance? Does the owner assume an added responsibility when a third party decides to act out? In the Oregon shooting the Community College employs one unarmed security guard to patrol a campus of 3000 students. Title 9 has been used to beat colleges over real and perceived violations of student rights. Does ten dead qualify?
If you were to set up a rodeo arena, a swimming pool, a playground and a willing participant in appropriate activity is injured as a result you, as the owner, still have some liability exposure. Heck, if somebody acts inappropriately and without invitation you still have liability.
I maintain that enhanced communications and political correctness are direct factors leading to increased mass shootings. Watch for the friends, family classmate interview as they describe the shooter as shy, withdrawn loner, socially awkward, and weird. What will emerge is either an individual with undiagnosed or untreated mental illness.
Here is the Oregon shooter’s profile on a on-line dating site:http://news.yahoo.com/oregon-community-college-gunman-sympathized-with-va-tv-shooter-shared-newtown-school-shooting-documentary-062320159.html”/>
Loner, lives with mother, never dated, exhibited more than passing interest in mass murders, expressed sympathy for one in particular, against religion. It may be too early or he is so detached from his surroundings that there is nobody to offer the obligatory,”he seemed like a nice guy, maybe a little strange”. Where have we seen that description, in the past?
I have a suspicion that the Internet plays a role in building these monsters. I am not blaming and I can see no fix for the problem, but a necessary first step would be to admit it is there. Before the communications break through that we have experienced in the past thirty years disturbed individuals like this gunman suffered in silence. On a good day, even the crazy know they are crazy and inappropriate thoughts are not to be acted upon.
With the advent of the Internet the most twisted among us can find validation. Years ago when the North American Man Boy Love Association (NAMBLA) was in vogue. I conducted an Internet search of the organization. What I found is that in the first fifty entries there was not a single adverse reaction to the organization. A prospective pedophile could find encouragement, validation, how to tips, and indignation at the arrest of other pedophiles. Run a search on mass murders and you will find individuals who celebrate the act. You don’t even have to run a search just read the comments on any articles. I know 90% of the provocative comments are just assholes being assholes and they have a right to free speech. I told you I an see no fix for the problem other that to realize the next mass shooter is out there and he is interacting with friends, family,and neighbors. In these interactions, he is liable to be half a bubble off.
I am from a less politically correct time. Every neighborhood had a kid or an adult like this, he didn’t fit in and among his peers was capable of some bizarre behavior, I refer to it as “rubbing shit in his hair.” I don’t know or care whether it was an act of defiance or a cry for help. Pretty soon the the general reaction would be, “there’s that wacko, rubbed shit in his hair!” After a steady barrage of , “hey there’s the wacko, “chances he would take exception to the attention and act out in some manner. Call it bullying if you want to but in our own way we recognized that this guy didn’t fit into the herd. In acting out the guy who rubbed shit in his hair attracted attention which caused his introduction into the system. Maybe that was enough to break the cycle.
In these days of Politically Correct thought and speech, one is not allowed to point out that our intrepid shooter has rubbed shit in his hair. That would be a micro-aggression or something. The best you can do under PC (if you choose to notice at all) is to say: “You have rubbed shit in your hair, I never would have thought to do that, you must be a very creative person!”And then like the King with no clothes everybody ignores the guy wandering around with shit in his hair, in celebration of diversity. In the meantime he just gets crazier and crazier, wondering, “what do I have to do to get their attention.”
This is not a gun control issue, it is a mental health issue. The White House pointed out that there are 300 million guns in American. That means that 299,999,996 guns were not used in a felonious manner in a community college in Oregon yesterday.
Consider, unsophisticated villagers with little or no education generally have no problem identifying the village idiot. This is a conclusion beyond the reach of a room full of psychologists.