Madness and Mass Violence in the Information Age
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Two unrelated mass shootings in one weekend. In war against gun violence in America, there are no easy answers.
The world looks on in horror today as news of two unrelated mass shootings over the weekend continue to filter through the U.S. news cycle. One happened in El Paso, Texas; one in Dayton, Ohio.
We all say it’s heartbreaking; we agree it’s all terrible; we acknowledge we’re all terrified.
What should we do about it?
The usual suspects are engaging in their usual call for gun control; yes, sensible gun control measures like the closing of gun-show loopholes, universal background checks and a ban on assault rifles are in the interest of public health.
Incidents of mass violence, when compared on balance to other forms of gun violence in America, are statistically rare. Mass shootings account for only a small part of the massive problem. Over 1,500 people have been shot in Chicago so far this year alone. 38,658 people were killed in incidents of gun violence in 2016; of that number 60% were suicides.
Anti-gun control advocates should abandon the slippery slope fallacy, stop reading “sensible gun control measures” as code for “slippery slope to gun confiscation” and be realistic about gun violence in America.
A slippery slope is a slippery slope. Passing intelligent, measured, voter-supported, bi-partisan legislation on divisive issues, after careful debate and expert testimony, in a democracy, is not a slippery slope.
It is the responsibility of good government.
The U.S. cannot afford to let hyper-partisan hysterics stall progress on issues that effect the lives and livelihoods of 330 million Americans. Other countries have mentally ill people, violent video games; they don’t have mass shootings every weekend, let alone twice a weekend.
On the other hand, gun control advocates need to stop pretending that sensible gun control measures, or even banning and confiscating all guns, will magically fix the problem.
You can learn to do anything on the internet: Like how to make napalm, pipe bombs, and other improvised explosive devices.
