We grieve over the November 30 shooting and killing of four students at Oxford High School. With 150,000 other victims of shootings since the Parkland shooting in Florida in 2018, we’re frozen and confused when it comes to taking action against gun violence.
There are about 400,000,000 guns (Wikipedia) in US hands. The horse is out of the barn. It seems little can be done. Guns only make it easier to act out many forms of anger and anxiety. The culprits are the NRA and Republicans who resist change and wide-spread study of the roots of the shootings.
The Prevention Institute recommends that we reduce easy access to dangerous weapons; reduce firearm access to youth and individuals who are at risk of harming themselves or others; hold the gun industry accountable and ensure there is adequate oversight over the marketing and sales of guns and ammunition; engage responsible gun dealers and owners in solutions; insist on mandatory training and licensing for owners; require safe and secure gun storage.
U.S. Sen Chris Murphy is the loudest voice in Congress on gun shootings. He recently chastised his Republican colleagues over gun violence and abortion in a fiery speech on the Senate floor, accusing them of lecturing about the “sanctity of life” on the same day that of the Oxford killing by fifteen year-old Ethan Crumbley.
What can we do? We can find and encourage more Chris Murphys and we can study the killers. We make a mistake when we say killers suffer from mental illness such as depression, obsessive compulsion, anxiety, paranoia, and PTSD. That list is a mistake and a net that’s too wide.
A better form of research (NAMI) shows an increased risk of gun violence comes from a history of domestic violence; use of alcohol or illegal drugs; being young and male; and/or a personal history of physical or sexual abuse or trauma.” Ethan Crumbley did speak out repeatedly for help.
Tom Klein
Bowling Green
