I do understand the frustration the public feels at the
Country’s inability to stop these mass shootings. I’ve given it a lot of thought. I don’t have a good answer. Nobody seems to have a good answer. Perhaps, the most viable single answer is
swift and severe punishment for the perpetrators of this violence. Although, I realize that potential punishment will have
little or no impact on the likes of someone like Aaron Alexis.
However, am I the only one who feels that the criminal trials
and the associated publicity for mass killers Nidal Malik Hasan (Fort Hood Massacre)
and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (Boston Bombing) are more about theater and stacks of
money for a few (attorneys, media moguls), rather than about justice? In the meantime Hasan has had the opportunity
to star in his own extended theatrical production. And, Tsarnaev has developed his own fan base,
including having his picture on the cover of Rolling Stone.
You might even say that Alexis had more than his allocated
fifteen minutes of fame – going out in a blaze of ‘glory’ so to speak, sort of
like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
It’s disgusting; but the public eats it up. Maybe, we should have the executions of Hasan
and Tsarnaev broadcast on national television.
I’m sure it would be one of the highest rated programs in history. On the other hand, the resulting legal appeals
will probably go on for many years, maybe decades, before any execution. By then, the public will probably have moved
on to other interests.
Let’s discuss guns for a moment. In the early stages of the Navy Yard
shooting, it was reported that an unknown shooter, armed with an AR-15 was
roaming the halls and shooting people.
As it turned out, Alexis had a Remington Model 870 pump shotgun – with sawed-off
barrel. For those who do not know,
shotguns are normally plugged to hold only three shells (with plug removed the 870 will hold five); which means that he (Alexis) would
have reloaded many times while killing 12 and wounding several others. Circumstantially, he also acquired a Beretta
semi-automatic pistol which he took from a security officer. In this incident, the size of the magazine of
his initial weapon (the shotgun) played no role in the killings.
Regarding the first reports that the shooter had an AR-15, I
would like to ask journalists if they could name the make and model of one weapon
other than the AR-15 or AK-47. In fact,
I would like to ask the President the same question. I’d be willing to bet that they would draw a
blank.
On a personal note, I would not want an AR-15 or an AK-47 if
someone wanted to give it to me – nor would I want a sawed-off shotgun, which
incidentally is illegal. I would not want
a high capacity magazine for a gun. If
said items were banned, said law would impact me not at all. Do I think such a law or laws would curtail
mass shootings or killings? No, I don’t
believe it would. As I’ve said before,
there are thousands of gun control laws at the federal, state and local levels. Strong enforcement – not so much.
We have 320 million people residing in the United
States. We have over 7 billion people on
this planet. There are lots of ‘nuts’
out there. If you want to encourage one
to come forward on some future rampage, what would be a good way to do it? How about a picture of one of his predecessors
on the cover of Rolling Stone?
True Nelson
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