~ Serious article ~ Colorado shootings. Can anything be learned?

[Tòmachan ~blogs admin ~]

I never intended to cover this story with an article, purely out of respect for those injured and killed in Colorado; but I feel certain words need to be said and heard. If you haven't heard about it - and I'll be rather surprised if you hadn't -, around seventy people were shot at a midnight screening of the Dark Knight's rising and twelve people were murdered on top of this number; the youngest being only six years old. This is nothing less of a tragedy and yes, I shouldn't have to state the obvious but I'm going to anywho. Now, the reason for the attack is rather unclear but - once more - if you pay attention to certain news stations or public figures, the reasoning for it was rather different.

• It is the result of not enough gun freedom, and it is a continued attack on Judo-Christian faith = people aren't scared of hell.
• Not enough regulations.
• It was a tea party nut job.
• Yada, Yada and Yada.

If we ignore those talking points for a moment, there's also this group that are arguing that these points are simply taking focus away from the one person who should be focused upon. The shooter. That no one else is truly as guilty or to blame as the man who pulled the trigger. This I disagree with and I disagree with it purely because you're not looking at the overall picture. If you focus on why there's crime in an area, you look at their reasoning. Perhaps education is poor, poverty is a major factor or maybe they're just crazy. We could focus on the attacker, the shooter and treat it as an isolated indecent. We could ignore all the shooters before this point and continue along blind to the actual problem.

Allow me a moment to create a metaphor for example. If you're full of poison to the extent that you're leg is needing removed whilst there's still poison elsewhere; you're not treating the problem. You're treating the after cause and sooner or later, another piece is going to be chopped off and removed. We don't know what caused this man to go bonkers, to go crazy and become a domestic terrorist; but we do know one thing. Bullets kill people.

I'm just going to put myself out there - and feel free to tell me why I'm wrong in a civil manner - and suggest perhaps they're right. Not enough regulations. Returning to the first point, that someone else should have had a weapon to stop him. Really? More flying bullets would have made things safer? Ignoring the fact that he was wearing body armour and the likes; that has to be one of the dumbest things I've yet to hear. Of course people should have the right to defend themselves, I've two swords for Christ sake. If someone were to break into my house, my obvious choice is plain to anyone's eye. 

But the fact of the matter is.

If you defend the right to bare arms in public, to own semi-automatic weapons. You're caring more about the rights of the shooters, the attackers. The vile creatures that take the choice to murder and harm others; than you care about the risk to which others are exposed too. Again, if I'm wrong do write in and tell me why that is. Of course, one could suggest criminals don't obey the laws and that they would get a hold of weapons anyway possible. To which I point out those who have committed these shootings, these killing sprees. They are not hardened criminals with criminal records. For god sake, the most they could rap on the suspect is a car ticket.

With that said however, my thoughts go straight back towards the victims' and families of victims. No one should need to go through this, no one deserves to go through this. It was but a thoughtless, sick and acid-like attack. If I were praying a man, my thoughts and prayers would go directly to them in their time of need and mourning. 

In the end though.
If we don't look for solutions, for ways to avoid such awful situations.
You're going to be praying for many a person who lost their life in a senseless way.

Again, if you think I'm wrong or right.
Leave me a comment.

If you believe it to be more complex, that gun regulations wouldn't solve the problem.
Leave me a comment.

If you believe me to be a bleeding heart socialistic liberal commie.

Leave me a comment, but minus the swearing.

We all don't learn if I'm the only one writing folks, I want to hear what each of you has to say.

And with that there's just this left to say:

[David Ranseen]

Ryan, you are spot on with the apathy thing. As an EMT, I've personally seen a lot of little tragedies that didn't make the news. As a human being who watches and reads the news, I've seen a lot of big tragedies that did. I guess the biggest lessons for me are:

1. Become aware. This isn't just an issue for police or EMS or legislators to figure out. It's an issue for all of us. At what point does personal freedom trump security and the general welfare? Do we really need CCW permits and guns in every home? Do we really need guns to protect ourselves? Would having another gun in the theater have made any difference? These are all issues to debate...endlessly.

2. Avoid the blame game. As an EMT, I have had it up to here with armchair experts and pundits. We like to have a scapegoat, someone we can load all our troubles on and forget about them. We blame permissive societies, lack of religion, violent media, or the "freaks" of society. We blame the police for not having "seen this coming", politicians for not having legislated, doctors for not having diagnosed, neighbors for not having called. All of the vileness and vitriol of humanity comes out. We even blame the parents of a six year old girl for having taken their daughter to see a movie, as if it's their fault that she was shot and killed by a random, senseless act. By doing so, we avoid the actual issues at stake. Which leads me to

3. Focus on solutions, not on problems. Addendum to that, be aware that A) there may not be only one solution, and B) that even a dozen solutions may not actually solve the problem. Do we need better healthcare, to catch mental illness before it manifests? Do we need better community policing, so citizens think of police officers, not as the enemy, but as partners? Do we need more community involvement, so that we might "see it coming" next time?

4. Sometimes, you don't see it coming. People are weird, and they do weird things. Most of the time, they're just weird. But as for "warning signs", sometimes you just don't see them. Hindsight is 20-20 vision.

5. Avoid overreaction. We do not need metal detectors in movie theaters. After Columbine, some police agency made a video, later shown on "Bowling for Columbine" (I used to like Michael Moore), where a teenager showed how many guns he could stash on his person. I think the point was to make school administrators aware, but the issue is that it engenders a certain distrust in people who should trust others.

6. The truth resists simplicity. Did this guy have a fantasy life that took over his real one? Did he just decide to go out and hurt people? I don't think there are any simple answers, especially when it comes to the human mind.

7. And most important, DON'T STOP LIVING. Don't avoid movie theaters any more than you've avoided schools for the last ten years. Don't look over your shoulder every second expecting to see a gunman. Trauma is hard, but not moving on from trauma is harder. Trust me, I know.

Sorry I don't have any real solutions to the problem, just more questions. That's all for me

DFTBA.

[Tòmachan ~blogs admin ~]

To me it sounded like they made it up completely.

 

The attacker was wearing a gas mask when he committed the attack namely because he was throwing make swift or actual smoke bombs in, before pulling his guns and shooting the victims. As for the Jocker part, he apparently told the police that he was the Jocker; or something to that effect. Whether or not that's true, and not just the media creating nonsense out of nothing is up for debate till more solid facts come forth.

[Julia]

That is interesting. The media around here (in Austria) claims the shooter had a mask just like Bane or red colored hair like the Joker to mimic his favourite villians - meaning he did it for being such a fan of the movie. To me it sounded like they made it up completely.

[Tòmachan ~blogs admin ~]

Thirdly, the shooter should be labeled as a terrorist..

Amen to that. If he was crazy or not, he is still a domestic terrorist. I'm really getting sick and tired of the media portraying whites who do such acts as mentally disturbed people whilst those of ethnic backgrounds are evil immigrants or terrorists. This man did nothing more than terrorise that mall and the movie screening. He is on par with those who'd blow you up or invade.  

[Tòmachan ~blogs admin ~]

now when it comes to semi auto is where the line blurs for me, on one side if you ban semi auto it would lower the amount of fatalities and injuries but then if there were ever a point the government went past it boundaries and there was a need for revolt there would be absolutely no chance in being able to restrain the government in way of force.

 

I really can't understand this line of thinking. The government is controlled by democracy, when they unleashed the patriot act most if not all went along with it in the wake of the 911 attacks and still there was no call for governmental take down in the name of freedoms. I can't quite understand the fear of the government, other countries invading; but not my own government. 

 

Example of regulation or ban making things worse.... prohibition. Do we need something like that happening with fire arms

 

Drink is addictive, drugs are addictive. 

Guns however are not addictive. 

[Mobeen]

Ok firstly, Thom.... get some sleep buddy lol. Secondly, in my opinion, no one should have any sort of gun (with the exception of cops and etc..). Thirdly, the shooter should be labeled as a terrorist..

[Jacob Lenfestey]

My personal beliefs are that unless you're military or have a reason specifically to have a automatic weapon that it should be banned, now when it comes to semi auto is where the line blurs for me, on one side if you ban semi auto it would lower the amount of fatalities and injuries but then if there were ever a point the government went past it boundaries and there was a need for revolt there would be absolutely no chance in being able to restrain the government in way of force. Example of regulation or ban making things worse.... prohibition. Do we need something like that happening with fire arms?

[Tòmachan ~blogs admin ~]

Reason Magazine: "Last December, London's Evening Standard reported that armed crime, with banned handguns the weapon of choice, was "rocketing." In the two years following the 1997 handgun ban, the use of handguns in crime rose by 40 percent, and the upward trend has continued.

 

The scale of gun crime is ~Nothing~ in comparison to the states or else where in the world who're openly allowed to buy guns. Crime is at a thirty year low, with fewer and less homicides since 1987 and not to mention your source via the BBC is from at least four years ago. 

 

"53 percent of English burglaries occur while occupants are at home, compared with 13 percent in the U.S., where burglars admit to fearing armed homeowners more than the police."

"Your chances of being mugged in London are now six times greater than in New York."

 

Provide up to date findings.

~~~

That call didn't happen because we're all worried about being labeled paranoid or prejudiced when we see something that just doesn't look right.

 

Well, had gun owners been subject to usual mental evaluation, I doubt very much so that this would have happened. Or at least, red flags would have been detected by more than his mother.

[Andrew Coleburn]

After tragedies such as this one, everyone always talks about how it could have been prevented, and how we can prevent them from happening in the future. And in some cases, this is completely valid. Some tragedies could have been prevented if people were paying attention (ie: VT shooting, Columbine, Fort Hood). However, I think that the tragedy in Colorado is not one of these situations. And, damn, that makes it even more terrifying. As I see it, and I've been trying to follow the news updates as they come out, this was a spree killing. Impossible to profile, impossible to predict. and it is so much more comforting to think that something couldve been done, i realize. but i honestly think that this was an unpreventable tragedy. sure we could have strickter regulations and such, but i dont think that would help at all. people will still be able to get weapons. I hope that the truth all comes out with this tragedy, and we can find out James Holmes' motives, and maybe we will learn something that we can fix in out society to prevent such a thing from happening in the future. but i know that that truth, as always, will resist simplicity in the most frustrating and terrifying ways. 

[Jamie]

Someone knew this person. Someone had to have known or at least suspected something was wrong with him. If someone had made a call about his "bizarre behavior" maybe there would have been an investigation which could have led to this situation being avoided entirely. That call didn't happen because we're all worried about being labeled paranoid or prejudiced when we see something that just doesn't look right.