
<p>While the headline refers to “the gun issue,” what we really need to address is “the crime issue.” ; Understandably, a mass shooting draws a lot of media attention. ; They result in multiple deaths – usually, but not always, of innocent people in a single event.</p>



<p>Conversely, individual murders that happen on a daily basis account for many times more people being killed in acts of violence. ; On any weekend – every weekend &#8212; in America, more people will be murdered than in the worst of the mass shootings. ; Most will die from gunshots, but many more from other means – knives, bludgeons, poison, vehicles, or bare hands.</p>



<p>Guns get the most attention because they are involved in most of the killings – especially those that take down innocent people for no apparent reason. ; And it is not just mass shooters. ; We have an entire other category labeled “serial killers.” ; They were the rage in a past era.</p>



<p>In many ways, murder is like cancer. ; There are many types – and each must be diagnosed and treated differently. ; We have to address the specific incidents and take a deeper dive when patterns appear.</p>



<p>While the political debate centers on the gun, that is likely the least productive approach to reducing mass shootings. ; In addressing the issue, however, we should recognize that it is NOT the primary CAUSE. ; These crimes are committed by people. ; Somewhere at the foundation is a cultural explanation for mass shootings that have evolved in America in the past 50 years.</p>



<p>In investigating crimes, the first concern is … motivation. ; Why did that person commit that crime? ; Find motivation and you have a killer. ; Does a gun have the motivation? ; Does a gun have the ability to act independently? ; Do guns get indicted and incarcerated in any crime in which they are involved? ; Of course not.</p>



<p>There are two facets to the gun/murder/crime issue in America – enforcement and prevention. ; Crimes flourish when there is a lack of enforcement. ; At Uvalde and Parkland, we saw tragic failures of enforcement and prevention on a grand scale. ; But we see evergreen enforcement failures thousands of times every day in America – as police, prosecutors and judges do not apply the full force of the law.</p>



<p>Enforcement is what we do – or do not do – at the time of the crime and the legal actions that follow. ; In terms of this commentary, that is an issue for a later time. ; So, what about prevention. ; That is the issue of the day no matter if you are focused on guns or mental health.</p>



<p>Recognizing that mass killings have become part of our nature, we need to take direct action to mitigate the problem. ; That includes – but is not exclusive to &#8212; the use of guns or any other weapon of choice. ; We also need to understand that the problem goes well beyond mass shootings.</p>



<p>So, what remedial steps are needed to address the current crimes?</p>



<p>The first step is hardening the targets, especially schools because they have become the target of choice in the most senseless and depraved killings – and because we owe a heightened level of protection to the most innocent and the most vulnerable. ; ;</p>



<p>Banks maintain guards, alarm systems, and even chemical countermeasure because they are natural targets for crime.  ; After 9/11, government and private buildings, airports, and entertainment venues installed all kinds of defensive measures – barriers, metal detectors, armed guards, body searches, bomb-sniffing dogs, no-fly lists, mandatory photo IDs, and others.</p>



<p>We have also added protection to our schools. ; Locked doors, resource officers (that we dare not call “armed guards” for political reasons). ; They have proven to be insufficient because school unions and Democrat politicians beholding to school unions refuse to take additional security procedures – such as allowing “resource officers” to have so-called assault weapons. ; They say it looks bad. ; Worse than 19 dead children huddled in a bloody corner? ; The school unions protest having armed teachers, but, then again, they have never been a positive force in education.</p>



<p>Those who focus on guns complain that the deranged killers often have more firepower than the security forces. ; That should make amping up the firepower of security forces a no-brainer. ; Schools may need more than one “resource person” on duty at strategic locations at all times. ; Not some guy or gal who moseys around and goes out on a coffee. ; Arming teachers would increase the defensive fire power.</p>



<p>The most important preventative measure is to identify and stop those planning or potential planning a senseless mass killing – for whatever reason. ; Obviously, we have failed to do that – or we would not have this horrific history of mass shootings.</p>



<p>We have made initial steps in that direction with so called “red flag laws” that enable people to report persons who show evidence of potential murder – most give strong indications of their intentions to family, and friends, and most importantly on social media can see their malignant intents and mindsets.</p>



<p>The problem with new regulations, procedures, and restrictions is that they are well intentioned and even good ideas, but they will not do diddly-squat in changing the culture – in getting to the bottom of why America stands out in mass murders – at least if you do not include in the calculation the mass murder culture of Islamic terrorists.</p>



<p>Ironically, there may not be much more that we can do since most of these horrific crimes occur when current rules and procedures are not followed. ; People do not say something when they see something – or worse, authorities do not respond when they are informed. ; ;</p>



<p>Red flag laws that are designed to interdict the potential shooter are not triggered. ; Shooters who should not have a gun – felons and mental patients – are able to obtain guns illegally. Doors that should be locked are not. ; “Resource persons” are not on campus or do not do their job. ; Parkland and Uvalde are both examples of those failures.</p>



<p>Doors should be locked, but the rule was bent by a teacher who left the door unlocked in order to return from the parking lot. ; I attended school more than 70 years ago. ; At the time, my elementary school – and later high school –had doors that automatically locked from the outside when they closed. ; We had what was called “panic bars” on the inside to exit. ; And that was before mass shootings. ; I have been in buildings in which one-way emergency exits are equipped with alarms – silent and public.</p>



<p>There is still room to improve protective and preventative measures. ; ;</p>



<p>There are reasonable gun laws that could be enacted. ; Of course.  ; have previously called for a ban on bump stocks that turn a legal semi-automatic rifle into an illegal automatic rifle. ; That should be a no-brainer.</p>



<p>Universal background checks are a no-brainer – although how they are administered and implemented can be debatable in terms of both First and Second Amendment rights. ; ;</p>



<p>You cannot identify the felon or the mentally ill unless you can check a database. ; I have supported a three-day “cooling off” period between the purchase and receipt of the gun while databases are checked. ; That might have made a difference in Uvalde.</p>



<p>But database checking is only as good as the data it contains and the willingness to check it out. ; Many states have laws that forbid ownership of guns by people who have spent in treatment for mental illness.</p>



<p>Large volume magazines should require a special permit, if not outlawed altogether. ; But even that puts only a small impediment in the way of mass shootings. ; Magazines can be changed in just a couple of seconds. ; However, those hospital records are not always provided to the database – and states do not have a common national database. ; A ban on gun ownership that was applied in one state is not seen on the database of another state.</p>



<p>Banning the so-called “assault rifle” is relatively meaningless since it mechanically operates like any other semi-automatic weapon. ; You must pull the trigger for each bullet – and you can do that in a fraction of a second for each shot. ; The essential difference between a “regular” rifle and the so-called “assault rifle” is how they look. ; Even the old assault rifle ban dealt with features, not the basic operation of the gun itself.</p>



<p>Age restrictions are also problematic – although they are constitutional. ; My state of Florida currently has a restriction on the purchase until the age of 21.</p>



<p>The problem lies in the fact that owning a gun is a constitutional right. ; Driver licenses and the consumption of alcohol are not rights. ; They are what are legally known as “privileges.” ; They can be regulated. ; Unlike cars, guns are legally used by youngsters of almost any age – sports shooting and hunting with mom or dad. ; ;</p>



<p>Age restrictions in terms of purchasing a gun are not as effective as people might think since POSSESSION by youngsters is perfectly legal. ; A child who may not be able to purchase a gun can get one as a birthday gift. ; But having an age restriction on the purchase of guns and ammunition may be a good idea – although the benefit in fighting crime or stopping mass shootings is questionable.</p>



<p>Hardening the targets and placing more restrictions on guns are not the only remedial things we can do. ; Stricter enforcement can play a role. ; While mass shooters never get away with it. ; They often die at the scene or face the harshest punishments American justice can hand out – live in prison or be sentenced to death.</p>



<p>But the vast majority of murders are not committed by mass killers, they are committed by individuals – sometimes premeditated or the result of sudden passion. ; They are committed by warring gangs killing each other – and too often innocent bystanders.</p>



<p>Rather than defund and restrict police action, we should enlarge the on-the-ground police force in high crime areas – oust prosecutors who do not prosecute and judges who do not sentence. ; In Chicago, I had proposed a law that would increase penalties for malicious illegal ownership of a gun – excluding technical violations of ownership. ; One would be a criminal charge and the other a civil matter.</p>



<p>These are just a few of what I consider common sense remedial actions – hardening targets, tweaking gun laws and enhancing law enforcement  ; HOWEVER … the bad news is that none of these will demonstrably change the culture that is underlying the never-ending mass shootings. ; It may derail a nutcase shooter or two, but until we divine and address the fundamental underlying cultural causes the rampages will go on … and on. ; Mass shootings are caused by a sick mind … period. ; Most of the remedial proposals are more likely to make us feel better than do better.</p>



<p>So, there ‘tis.</p>

We will not end mass shootings until we deal with the mind of the shooter
