Yet Another Mass Shooting

A few quick random thoughts about the shooting this week in Minneapolis…

1. Obviously, thoughts and prayers are not enough. Lawmakers need to take real action. But I’m not going to hold my breath. The same old talk-but-do-nothing reactions to the tragic violence of mass shootings exposes the hypocrisy of lawmakers and an administration that want to be seen as tough on crime but will do nothing to actually address real violence. Instead, the fascist Republican administration lies about crime statistics in Democratic cities so it can justify turning our country into a police state. But, the national guard they’re sending in aren’t even there to fight actual crime. They’re there to intimidate political opponents and anyone who might want to protest their cruel, immoral, and illegal policies.

Photo by Max Kleinen on Unsplash

2. I grew up as a hunter in a hunting family. Technically I’m still a lifetime member of the NRA, even though it’s probably been at least 30 years since I’ve donated to them. I don’t hate guns. I support the right to own guns for hunting and protection. But, you don’t need high-powered automatic weapons for either of those things. Let’s ban private ownership.

3. Having a right to own weapons doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be restrictions. The second amendment specifically ties gun ownership to the need for a well-regulated militia (something that never seems to get mentioned). So, let’s regulate guns. Treat them like cars. Register and license them. Make people attend training. Require insurance for accidents. Hold people responsible for mis-use. Ban them from schools, churches, and government buildings. As for the militia part, it just reminds me how much of the NRA’s rhetoric is B.S. Didn’t they argue that we needed guns to stand up against tyrants? Now that we have a fascist tyrant in office, do we really want this to escalate to shooting? Protestors and resisters will get further faster with their guns at home locked in the gun safe where they belong.

4. I’ve seen it reported that the shooter in Minneapolis may have been transgender. As irrelevant as that is (some quick googling of stats seems to show most shooters are white cis-gendered men), it will unfortunately be used to further demonize trans people at this time when they are already being targeted. We need to stand up and protect our trans friends and family.

5. Finally, it strikes me that the American problem with mass shootings is not only a gun issue, however. It’s also the manifestation of a deeper spiritual and psychological existential crisis. I believe too many people in our modern culture have lost a sense of purpose and meaning. When the world seems out of control and we aren’t equipped to deal with it, when we fell powerless, it’s human nature to lash out. In the past, Americans relied on religion and the American caste system to provide stability and meaning (or at least the illusion of it). Religion has largely failed us and the caste system has been threatened by advances in civil rights in recent decades, which leaves many people without a foundational world view to understand and deal with reality. The rise of nationalism and the current fascist Republican government are also manifestations of this existential crisis. Of course, racism, poverty, and so many other critical social problems are not separate issues but are deeply interconnected with each other and this existential crisis.

What do we do? I’m not sure, but it’s not going to be enough to just protest against injustice. We need viable alternative visions, including a new spiritual reformation as well as new ideas about how government and nations function. We need new foundations for human community. (By the way, the rise of artificial intelligence not only complicates this, but also makes the need so much more urgent).

What are your thoughts?