Once again the facts concerning the Orlando massacre at a nightclub frequented by gays leaving at least 50 dead and another 53 injured dribble out and tend to get suppressed or distorted. The father gives information about a specific incident when his son reacted angrily to seeing a same sex kiss in public that logically [albeit a bit irrationally) ties his son's behavior to the massacre - hate against the LGBT community. This gets downplayed in favor of "official" speculation that (because his name sounds "Muslim" despite being born and raised in the US) that his motivation MUST have been Islamic terrorism - i.e., the Islamophobic notion that anyone of Afghan descent has to be a terrorist, or they know another person of Afghan or Middle Eastern descent who may or may not be a terrorist, etc. etc.. Consider that there is no connection or logic that the killing would make any statement or advance the cause of ISIS, but there is a direct connection to his demonstrated hatred of gays and the massacre. As his father said, religion had nothing to do with it. Those seeking to hijack the deaths and maiming of those at the Orlando night club to support an anti-Muslim agenda are only displaying their religious and ethnic bigotry. The ONLY benefit ISIL could gain from the incident would be public bigoted reaction ascribing the cause to ISIL when the entity in fact knew nothing about it and was never actually involved. We need to mourn the senseless deaths and honor the loss of human life, not allow the tragedy to be hijacked as a xenophobic ploy. This incident is described as the worst massacre in recent history in the US. We need to pause and reflect upon the magnitude of the tragedy.
But all this speculation as to terrorism again deflects from a central issue. How might a recurrence be prevented? Do we just shake our heads and say the event was "regrettable, " but do nothing? Again, and all too often, the question of whether some reasonable regulation of lethal weapons might have made a difference. And once again hysteria will deflect rational debate, because "guns" is not a unitary concept. There is a difference between a starter pistol, a shotgun for duck hunting and an AR-15 automatic rifle with a maximum capacity magazine. Only the latter could have possibly caused the destruction seen in Orlando. Why do we still allow the threat to public safety these weapons pose?
Mateen was a "law abiding gun owner," up to the very moment that he pulled the trigger and began the mass killing. As such, he had open and legal access to automatic weapons only designed and used for mass killing of humans. We now also learn that he had a history of violent mental instability and domestic abuse, in addition to homophobia. None of these factors was at all useful in denying him access to lethal weapons of mass destruction. We must at least consider, if not accept, that these conditions are OUR fault as well as the responsibility of the shooter. We condone profligate gun ownership and use, and a culture that says that the answer to gun violence is more guns!
We presume that an individual is entitled to lethal instruments (such as automatic assault weapons) until AFTER they have misused them and the carnage has occurred. Imagine if we gave car keys to every child and only took away their "right to drive" the dangerous instrumentalities only AFTER they had killed or maimed someone while operating the vehicle. Instead, we apply reasoned regulation. We allow children to use certain vehicles [bikes] and later allow them use of cars and trucks (with certain limitations as to class of vehicle) after they have had training and passed a test to show that they know how to operate the vehicle safely. Accidents still, happen, of course. But the result of reasoned restrictions is a lot safer than if the norm were that all of our streets looked like the sets of the "Fast and Furious" movies full of mayhem and destruction.
Until we can have an honest and rational discussion about reasoned limitations on gun sales and usage, and a willingness to hold those in the business of producing and selling weapons accountable, we must accept the fact that we are not only condoning, but are indeed complicit in, these mass shooting incidents.
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