Millions of conscientious people around the word last Friday, and over the weekend, viewed with shock the turn of events that resulted from the brutal actions of a crazed gunman in Newtown, Connecticut. Twenty-year-old Adam Lanza, one callous, cold-blooded maniac, succeeded in drawing attention to himself by first murdering his mother earlier in the morning while she slept, before heading to the Sandy Hook Elementary school in her car to act out a premeditated massacre on twenty young pupils and six faculty members. Indeed, he ended his horrific rampage by turning his gun on himself when he realized that he was confronted by quick-responding law-enforcement personnel.
It was yet another school shooting, copying the likes of the Columbine and Virginia Tech disasters, and so many other gun-related school calamities that have taken place in recent times.
Grief-stricken parents, relatives and friends are now left to grapple with questions left unanswered. But the most common question is: Why? Why would anyone, no matter how troubled he might be, ever think about inflicting irreparable destruction to the lives of so many innocent, helpless, youngsters? They had done no one any harm. So, why should they be so suddenly cut off by the insensitive acts of a heartless mass-murderer?
In circumstances like these (and here of late there have been no scarcity of them both locally and further a field) people who mean well often share their heartfelt condolences with those who are “left to mourn”. In showing such sympathy, one sometimes hardly knows what to say to show the sincerity of his or her empathy. Very often, we feel susceptible. We sense that we are entrapped by the whims and fancies of the renegades who are troubled and sold out to committing vile acts of wickedness. Yes, like gruesome murder.
Violent crimes at the hands of gunmen take place everywhere. But in no other civilization is there so much carnage at the hands of uncaring criminals as it is in the “home of the free and the land of the brave”. In 1931 when Francis Scot Key wrote those lines, in “The Star Spangled Banner”, he envisioned America as a land of liberty, and a home for folks who were given the opportunity to live in peace after the valiant service of those who had fought with bravery for America’s freedom.
Nowadays, though, brutish killers in the U.S. “homeland” have gone berserk. They have gone to great lengths in trying to transform the nation from one of freedom and bravery into one of fear and dismay. Practically speaking, hard core criminals like Lanza seem to treasure the ease with which they can obtain and operate guns – the most convenient instruments of death. In the U.S., the gun has, without constraint, become the most effective means of destroying people, and those who set out to kill have no difficulty in purchasing one. Doing so is not much more difficult than buying a car.
I noticed President Barak Obama on Sunday night delivering an address to comfort an auditorium filled with distressed and disconsolate folk. He was speaking to America at large, but particularly to those who bore the brunt of sorrow and sadness for the loss of twenty tender youngsters and their 6 mentors. I marveled at his words. He uttered strains of painful sentiments over the senseless loss, and was almost brought to tears with pangs of emotion. He noted that action must be taken now to prevent such horrifying tragedies from being repeated. He asked, “Should we consider tragedies like this as the price of freedom?”
Well, the President must do something. After all, he has the responsibility to at least initiate legislation that would not just ban assault weapons, but control the possession of those guns that are known to be instruments of death on the streets, in theaters, in schools, and the like. Though the proliferation of guns is a complex issue, the President must take that “meaningful action” he spoke about in this his second term to put regulations in place that would make it a punishable crime for anyone, excluding security agents, police offices, or military personnel, and the like, to possess such weapons.
Guns are a contentious issue in the U.S. today. But we just can’t throw up our arms and walk away from this scourge. The second amendment right may make provision for civilians to carry guns, but it should not be used an excuse for mass-murder. We should never feel justified to blame gun-wielding mayhem on the second amendment right. It would be foolhardy to do so. Yet, the availability of so many guns in the U.S. appropriately matches this right. Since there is a right and freedom that supports the possession of assault weapons, every crazy Tom seems to take advantage of it. So yes, the “price of freedom” becomes a high ticket item that works to our demise.
It is said that the quantity of guns in America is almost equal to the number of adults living there. And there are multitudes of residents who own more than one. Still in time of recurring tragedy one frantically asks: Why? In my view, there are two glaring answers that should be evident to the discerning observer. First, like I’ve stressed before, the “home of the free” warrants that guns are readily available to those who wish to own them with no restraint. That’s why! One purchases a gun with only a limited degree of background checks, which provides sufficient certification. Secondly, the ones who carry out the most appalling murders with guns are those who, for the most part, are psychologically impaired but no one is brave enough to refer them to the appropriate agency so that they can obtain the meaningful kind of psychological treatment they require. Again, that’s why!
The mother of Adam Lanza was a case in point. She knew that he was troubled. Others too were aware of his wacky mindset. But who reached out to assist or to provide a psychological clinic for his treatment? In fact, it is reported that his mother, who herself was a “gun collector,” accommodated him with meaningful training on shooting ranges. How sad – making it convenient for a noted psychopath who could have benefited from therapeutic treatment.
Yet another possible factor that answers the question “why” is found in the home training of young people. When parents give their young sons the privilege to be entertained by reckless video games, and demeaning movies, then they are setting up themselves for trouble down the road. These forms of entertainment are actually channels of potential crime. Violent video games give boys a sense of power and masculinity. Boys usually wrap their minds around them, and think it is “cool” and fun to act out whatever they fanaticize in these games. Case in point: it is noted that the psychopath who gunned down several students in the Columbine mayhem was heavily obsessed with video games, and as he carried out his rampage he was constantly giggling with pride.
Well, we here on the home-front have our woes too. Apart from the fact that guns in our jurisdiction are just as easily accessible, I am convinced that our greatest problem lies with those who know the identity of the masked perpetrators but refuse to report them. That in itself provides a means of aid for our local criminals. I call it “the freedom to remain silent”. And every time we hear of another shooting in our once tranquil land, we shouldn’t really be asking why. We already know the reason – silence.
Until we rise up in disgust and protest publicly against gun-wielding hooligans; until we report what we know to the relevant authorities; until we put in place our own proper legislation that would eradicate the presence of guns in the hands of irresponsible thugs, then the church bell will continue to toll for one “undeserving” victim after another.
President Obama calls for “meaningful action”. May we too follow suit instead of remaining silently inactive.
