It happened again.
On Thursday 15 February, in Parkland, Florida, a teenager went on a shooting rampage in a high school in that small community of 29,000.
There is a tremendous amount of discussion on countless internet sites, including Facebook. Sadly, there are many participating in these discussions who are Second Amendment and NRA apologists, attempting to discount people’s feelings about this tragedy, and explaining how “gun control” wouldn’t solve any problems, or, even more repugnant, blaming the victims for not doing more to protect themselves.
In one Facebook post, a mother stated she was worried and was happy her daughter was no longer in school, so at least that eliminated some risk to her. But she then stated, “But I guess this could happen anywhere.”
Yes, it could happen anywhere. It has happened in a movie theatre, at an outdoor music concert, and in a dance club.
It could just as easily happen at a mall, or in a grocery store., or in a church.
There aren’t any easy answers, but saying “It’s too soon to talk about it,” or finding excuses not to take action won’t help either.
These kids from Florida may be the catalyst for change. I hope so because the pontificating politicians have allowed this to continue.
And while we puff out our collective chests and claim that Canada is far safer, we are not immune.
Ask the families of the four RCMP Officers killed Mayerthorpe. Or the families of the three students killed and thirteen people wounded in the Brampton Centennial School shooting.
Or the 16 victims of Denis Lottie in the Québec Legislature shooting. Or the 25 victims of the École Polytechnique massacre.
I’m not sure what the answer is, but it seems to me that we, as a society, need to start showing more concern and respect for one another; that we need to learn and accept that people with mental health issues are not the demented caricatures portrayed by Hollywood; that mental health programs should not just be reactive but proactive; that jail should be the last resort when dealing with individuals who are broken and distressed.
And through all of this, there is a rallying cry to “ban assault rifles.”
“Assault rifles” has become a generic term for any weapon that resembles a military-issue rapid-fire rifle, such as the M-4 or M-15.
While the semi-automatic civilian weapons can, apparently, be modified so as to effectively become fully automatic, the fact is that it is not the weapon itself that is the problem.
The shooter in the Brampton incident used two hunting rifles, a .444 calibre, lever-action rifle, and a .22 calibre semi-automatic.
The problem is not the weapon, for any gun will kill.
The problem is the intent of the shooter. In this case, student Michael Slobodian had specifically targeted two of his teachers and was seeking revenge against the school system, which he hated.
In fact, any weapon will kill. A fully automatic rifle will kill more people in a short amount of time. It is what they were designed for. I watched a video clip of an interview with a former American soldier who stated that no one outside the military should have such a weapon. That there is no legitimate civilian use for a rifle that can fire 750-900 rounds per minute.
There are, of course, those who will argue against that claim.
There has been much finger-pointing as a result of this incident. The FBI was apparently aware of concerns regarding the shooter but failed to pass those concerns along to local law enforcement.
President Trump offered his condolences, while at the same time accusing the FBI of failing to detect and respond to this threat because they were concentrating on “the Russian thing.”
Apparently, a federal agency with over 35,000 agents is incapable of conducting multiple investigations.
Florida governor Rick Scott is calling on FBI Director Christopher Wray to resign, in light of the agency’s failure to act on information it held for a month.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions is insisting there will be an investigation into the DOJ and FBI processes in the wake of this tragic failure to act.
And that’s all well and good. This may help with similar threats in the future.
But what if the FBI and other law enforcement agencies had acted on the information? What would have happened?
Would Nikolas Cruz, described by other students as “creepy and weird” have gotten the help he obviously needed?
As I stated previously, all too often the mental health system is reactive, not proactive. People who “act out” and are socially disruptive tend to get incarcerated rather than admitted to a facility that could offer them the help they need.
I’ve read many comments from people who are dismissive of the notion that someone with mental health issues can be helped. It seems that they believe that the condition is unchangeable, and see all such people as psychotic maniacs that are better locked away for our protection.
No doubt there are some who are dangerous to themselves and others.
Most people with mental health issues are just normal people that have trouble coping with a particular situation in their lives. Without profession counselling, their inability to cope festers until it becomes overwhelming to them.
At some point, we need to redefine what a mental health issue is and recognize that there is help available. The stigma surrounding mental health is lessening — with ness the celebrities and others who have spoken out for Bell “Let’s Talk” and other awareness programs.
It sounds corny to say, but What the World needs now, is love.
Love and respect for our neighbours, friends and family can go a long way to reducing the sense of isolation felt by many with mental health issues. People with mental health problems are just ordinary people. People resembling the demented caricatures of Hollywood can be found, but more often than not they are just sad, lonely people who have trouble coping.
And all too often these people paint a smile on their face when they go out in public — if they go out in public — and answer “I’m fine” when asked how they are doing.
It’s too easy to demonize people like Cruz as “monsters”, and their crimes are indeed repugnant. However, I am reminded of the old adage” an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
We need to become a more caring society and act to make it easier for those who feel disaffected and downtrodden to get help before it becomes overwhelming for them.
Below is a clip of the emotional news conference given by student Emma Gonzalez, one of the Parkwood survivors. She and her classmates have had to grow up very quickly this week. These are not the “self-entitled snowflakes” that we often hear described.
These students are taking action because too many of the adults who were supposed to keep them safe have failed to do so.
They are organizing a March on the State capital, She is calling on students to register and vote in upcoming elections, and make their voices heard.
Others across the US are organizing rallies to make their voices heard.
Changes are coming. Most likely there will be legislation dealing with access to guns, but I also hope there will be changes to the mental health system so that people do not have to wait until they are in crisis to get the help they deserve.
I just read a meme on Facebook that says: ISN’T IT STRANGE HOW MENTAL ILLNESS HARDLY MASSACRES ANYONE IN CANADA, AUSTRALIA AND THE UNITED KINGDOM?
Yes, but “Hardly” is not “Never”. I outlined only a few of the incidents in Canada in the past 40 years. There are more. Fortunately, we have not had our own Parkland or Sandy Hook. But there is nothing to stop these from happening here.
Is it time to talk about this?
It most certainly is.
davidjroot 