Questions

Since when has mass murder been a political issue?

Last week, 17 students and staff were gunned down in a Florida high school. Others were wounded. The shooter was an expelled student with a long history of troubled behavior.

Apparently, the FBI was warned about him. Local social services and local law enforcement knew of him because of multiple contacts.

Despite this, he was able to purchase a semi-automatic assault-style rifle and carry out his killing spree.

Since that horrific day, a cry has gone out that this should never happen again in America.

This is about the only consensus there is.

Many are calling for tighter gun controls. Some, avoiding the gun issue, are calling for more emphasis on mental health issues. There are those who are decrying and blaming the ineffectiveness of the FBI. Some are talking about armed guards and higher fences at schools.

The horror and the carnage have affected nearly everyone, but there is no agreement on what needs to be done to avoid such massacres in the future.

There may be hope, however. Students who survived the attack are outraged and motivated, demanding a solution to the continuing violence. They may be the only non-political group in the discussion. They don’t care about party labels. They just want the carnage to stop.

These students are promising activism and effort. Tuesday about 100 of them went to the Florida state capitol to address legislators. A rally in Washington D.C. is planned for March.

They are demanding more from politicians. So far their proposal is not blindly focused on any one solution, although gun control is their primary issue. The crux of their effort is to make schools safe, and they just want political leaders to act, to do something to make it so.

These students could be the rallying point for those who have had enough wanton violence.

It gives some hope.

But schools are not the only places that need to be safer. We have seen massacres at churches, concerts and dance clubs to name a few. So far, nothing of consequence has been done to address underlying causes.

Mass murder should not become a political debate. The issue should not be bogged down in ideology. It should not be addressed (or not addressed) in simplistic terms.

Many factors contribute to the spate of mass killings in the country. They all need to be approached.

In a previous column here in the wake of the Las Vegas shootings, it was predicted that once the horror and emotions ebbed, the country would simply lose focus and wait for the next tragedy to occur.

Well, that next tragedy has occurred.

Another may be upon us before any serious effort is directed at ending the onslaughts.

Do we continue to wait?

Are we going to simply hide behind political posturings or are we going to use some common sense regardless of political pressures and declare war on the war against innocents.

Gordon Forgey

Publisher