Why Another Shooting?

As we begin a new school year, sadly we experienced a school shooting in Georgia last week.  While it has been a few days since the shooting, I have not heard of a motive for the shooting.  Therefore, my following comments are geared to the general thoughts on mass shootings.

Mass shootings in general can involve hatred, division, and polarization.  Their motive may involve attacking a group that the shooter stands against.  More specifically to school shootings, the student who does the shooting may feel isolated or rejected because of something about their own identity or struggles.  In this case, they strike out against those who they feel have rejected them.

Some mass shootings can involve gang rivalries.  People who join gangs are often looking for a sense of belonging and allegiance.  We are communal beings.  So, to look for a place where we feel we belong and are welcomed is natural.  Unfortunately, what we see in our nation is division.  We need to stop the division to set an example.  A place to start is politics.  I have not seen politicians resort to shootings to resolve their divisions.  However, their efforts to blame “the other party” make division seem okay.  The politicians have enough restraint to not resort to shootings.  Unfortunately, not everyone does.  We might disapprove of a person’s behavior but we must never reject the person or group holding a belief or lifestyle.

Mass shootings can also involve mental health issues.  Mental health issues are real.  We must work to make sure people are able to receive proper mental health treatment.  This includes making sure good counselors are available and affordable.  Affordable can include providing free treatment.  Someone might want to ask, “why should I have to pay for their treatment?”.  I offer two responses to that question.  First, do you want to help stop the shootings or not?  Mental health illnesses are real.  The second is that we realize that mental health is a legitimate and real health concern, it falls under the Corporal Work of Mercy to care for the sick.  It is also a Spiritual Work of Mercy to pray for those who struggle with mental health issues or rejection.

When there is a new mass shooting, gun control generally is mentioned someplace.  We need proper gun control but, as surprising as it may seem, guns used in mass shootings often were purchased legally.  People who own guns need to ensure the guns are securely stored so people who shouldn’t have access to them, don’t.  Parents need to teach their children about proper respect and use of guns.  We do need to make sure that those who struggle with mental health issues or are too young to make good judgments do not have access to guns or weapons of any sort.

What I have said so far are the standard arguments when mass shootings happen.  Advancing the discussion, if we are going to eliminate evil acts, we must first recognize the evil acts.

Here I do not necessarily mean recognizing the evil in a person.  We certainly need to do that.  It is not always easy.  Sometimes, with school shootings, someone noticed odd behavior by the shooter before the shooting but did not report it.  We need the courage and wisdom to report it.

In the shooting in Georgia, there was a previous report made against the student who did the shooting.  It was investigated and he was thought not to be a threat.  We need to seek more training for police officers as they investigate similar allegations.

If you suspect someone may be a threat for violence, please report it.

When I speak of recognizing evil, today I am thinking about the evil that leads to someone thinking it is okay to commit a mass shooting.

The evil of which I speak is the failure to respect life.

Before continuing, please do not think I am equating any of the actions that I am about to talk about to mass shootings.  My point is how a person could look at them and fall down a slippery slope to make a mass shooting seem acceptable.

To no one’s surprise I suspect, when I suspect of the failure to respect life, I begin with abortion.  Abortion says there is a child who is not wanted.  It may be because a rape (a tragedy), birth defects, or a threat to the mother’s health.  Abortion says the solution to these problems is to kill the child in the womb.  Abortions that are simply because the parents do not want a child can put us towards a slippery slope of saying any unwanted life can be discarded.  I want to stress that I am not saying everyone who has an abortion thinks this way.  I am pointing out the slippery slope that leads someone to not respect life, sometimes not even their own life.

Less so, euthanasia, now more commonly called assisted suicide or aid in dying, can lead one down a slippery slope of saying life is not worth living.  I do think the average person considering assisted suicide would never use it to justify a mass shooting but the slippery slope is there for those whose judgment is impaired or poorly formed.

Then there is the death penalty.  When one condones the death penalty, one is saying there are circumstances where killing in retaliation is acceptable.  Again, I do not think the average supporter of the death penalty would use it to condone mass shootings.  My concern is where it points one without good judgment on a slippery slope.  It says there are times it is acceptable to respond with violence.

When we think in terms of justifiable retaliation, we need to ask where the evil began and what will bring it to an end.  One does have a right to self-defense but where does it begin and where does it end?  For example, Israel’s current attacks against Hamas are a response to Hamas’ attack last October.  However, Hamas’ attack that day was not the first time there was an attack between Israel and Hamas.  There is a long history here.  We have a right to defend ourselves.  We have a duty to respect all life.  We must seek peaceful means to end the conflict.  When self-defense is necessary, we must use the minimum amount of force necessary.  We must be clear what our objectives are and respect all life in the process.

If we want to end mass shootings, we need to stop using violence as a solution.  Only when all life is treated with all the respect and dignity it deserves will we know universal peace.  Our worldview needs to have respecting life as part of its foundation.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff