Responding to violence in America

Each time there is a mass shooting in America, the left starts beating the drums in favor of stricter gun-control laws. They seem to think that without guns there would be no mass killings; however rational people realize that guns are merely the implement that mentally unstable people use to kill. If guns were not available these unstable people who cannot control their rage or anger would use other implements to kill.

Americans have over a 225-year history of gun ownership, primarily as a means of protection or hunting. It has been only the last 40 years or so that we have seen the advent of mass indiscriminate killings in American society. The question to be answered is the reason for these mass killings? What has happened to our society other than terrorism that would cause an individual to indiscriminately kill a large number of innocent people? I think we can all agree that murder, especially mass murder, is committed by those who are not in control of their mental facilities and wish to harm others because of their own real or perceived problems or grievances.

Another example of violence with a short history is “road rage,” where a seemingly normal human being suddenly chases down and injures or kills another merely because they were impeded in some way. We see violence erupt at so-called “peaceful protests”and see instances where people are pulled out of their cars and beaten senseless or killed. Property is vandalized and set on fire, stores are looted and individuals robbed and assaulted. I think that if we are honest with ourselves, we can answer the question what has changed in American society by admitting our society has become ever increasingly more violent. In my day if you had a major disagreement you went outside and “duked” it out. Today they go outside with a gun or knife with the intent to kill or maim. Perhaps they will just wait and catch their opponent on the street and drive by and shoot them

Mass killings, especially school killings, capture the headlines for a week or more; however the number of daily murders kill scores of people and they are barely mentioned. The highest number of shootings occur in the large cities, with the highest number occurring in the African-American sections. Black-on-black shootings and murders are not widely reported as this type of reporting would be deemed “racist.” What are the reasons for this escalation in violence that continues to grow larger each year? We could debate this subject until we are “blue in the face,” but being a simple guy, I like simplistic answers. My short answer to this complex problem is “a national and individual lack of discipline.”

I like to think that the vast majority of us are born with an inherent ability to know right from wrong. Personal discipline is the necessary ingredient that is needed to choose the right thing. Most of us if we make the wrong choice we will feel guilt pangs and our conscience will bother us. The problem we face today is that we have so many in our society who are devoid of personal discipline and therefore they have no conscience. These people have little if any feelings for others and certainly do not feel guilty for their actions. You certainly can’t expect those who have never been exposed to discipline, morals or ethics to exhibit them!

To show you how badly our society has been degraded, the result of a DOD study on recruiting for the military concluded that 70 percent of our youth between the ages of 17 to 34 are unqualified for physical, mental and moral reasons. The military also plans to ramp up discipline training for new recruits as the majority have a difficult time following orders and respecting authority. It is no coincidence that the rise of violence, and flouting of authority and discipline, began with the rise of the Vietnam War protest movements. A large number of youth in that era embarked on a path of violence by setting off bombs, committing arson, destroying property and denigrating the government, military and flag of our nation. Instead of coming down hard on these protesters, the government tried to placate them, which only emboldened them to become more violent and anti-establishment. These malcontents have transferred their concept that it is permissible to use violence and other unethical means to achieve a political goal to their children and grandchildren.

The destruction of the family unit is almost complete in the black community and very high in the Hispanic and white communities. Single parents cannot spend the time needed to properly train the children. As a result children spend the bulk of time alone and unsupervised. They are running amok and as a result they join gangs or form other unhealthy associations. The bottom line is that we have large numbers of our youth who are under educated, lack discipline, resent authority, have no job skills, and are not motivated to work or perform. Failure in life is the only possible outcome for them and they will continue to be a permanent problem for society.

Our children and youth play violent video games and see violent TV programs and movies. The more violent the movie, the bigger the box office. We are spawning a culture of violence and in the end if not corrected, it will destroy society and us as well. I hate to be a pessimist, but I don’t see this trend reversing itself as long as we have a “politically correct” rather than a “politically responsible” society.

Heller is a resident of Lakeside.