Sunday, January 27, 2013

The Epidemiology of Gun Violence as it Relates to Mass Shootings

I've been wondering a lot recently about our country and mass shootings. But it's not so much about the acquisition of the weapons as it is about the chosen crime, or rather the chosen mode of the commission of the crime. What is it about our country, society, mores, and/or dominant culture that makes someone want to shoot several people at once? Seriously, there are multiple options for committing mass murder that don't involve being at the crime scene during the commission of said crime, and probably lessen, or at least prolong one's discovery. Further, is it the possession of high-powered weapons and artillery that drives one to commit such atrocities, or does the need for the aforementioned accoutrements drive one to seek them out? And just how wigged out does one have to be to just walk into a place with an automatic or semi-automatic weapon and just open fire with no regard for being seen or killed, as well. No, I'm not making light of the hundreds who/that have lost their lives in such a manner, but that is so death before arson or bombing, which if you watch international news, is so not the case in other developed countries. Think about meth. How long were we just using over-the-counter medications to alleviate cold and sinus symptoms and discomfort before we decided that we could use them to make one of the most ugly-making, self-destructive recreational(?) drugs ever? It's almost very chicken-or-the-egg-like. So, you've got a need to kill a lot of people at once, get super high, or do something else that is morally embarrassing, weak, detestful, distasteful, self-destructive, or nihilistic, and we bear in mind that necessity is the mother of invention. What will it take for a simple rock or stick to be a weapon of mass destruction, and the simple marijuana plant growing in the back yard provide your buzz? What is the x that makes one want to do things the hard way? Love of a challenge? Just wondering.