"The nine people killed on October first were not victims of a mental illness. They lost their lives--inexcusably--because one man decided to kill them. And while violence may be unavoidable, we as a nation can ensure that the negligent distribution of armed weapons is not one of the reasons why." -- Molly Gardner
On October first, the United States added another college to its ever-growing list of campus shootings: Umpqua Community College, a small school in the even smaller town of Roseburg, Oregon. On only the fourth day of classes, Christopher Harper-Mercer, a student at the college, gunned down nine of his fellow classmates and faculty members, before killing himself.
While it isn’t the first mass shooting, it is one of the only in our nation’s history solely motivated by a hatred towards organized religion. The Los Angeles Times cited Harper-Mercer as “a hate-filled individual with anti-religion and white supremacist leanings.”
Sources also state that as Harper-Mercer entered the classroom, he told every Christian to stand, shooting them one by one. The nine slain include: Lucero Alcaraz, Treven Anspach, Rebecka Carnes, Quinn Cooper, Kim Dietz, Lucas Eibel, Jason Johnson, Sarena Moore, and Lawrence Levine. It was Oregon’s deadliest shooting in history.
And as far as gun control is concerned? Oregon’s Douglas County Sheriff, while expressing his deepest condolences, firmly opposes increased gun regulation. In 2012, he wrote a formal letter to Vice President Joe Biden stating that he would not infringe upon the constitutional rights of his Oregon citizens. Though his own county has become the latest to have a mass shooting, his stance is unaffected. “This is not an appropriate time to have conversation [around gun control],” he told LA Times reporters.
Yet increased gun control is necessary. Until social and political positions towards gun control shift, the United States will continue to see mass shootings--while this is a rare occurrence for countries where guns have been outlawed (like the UK, or Australia). Here in the US, this is the fifteenth statement following a mass shooting President Barack Obama has made since taking office in 2008, and he still believes the UCC shooting is inextricably linked to the lack of adequate gun control in the US.
His exasperation is clearly felt in his official statement. While the Oregon shooter was portrayed as an angry, mentally ill young man, President Obama asserts that mental illness did not murder those people--Harper Mercer did: “We are not the only country on Earth that has people with mental illnesses or want to do harm to other people. [But] we are the only advanced country on Earth that sees these kinds of mass shootings every few months.”
The American Journal of Public Health agrees. A study published by Dr. Jonathan Metzl and Kenneth T. MacLeish states, “Fewer than 5 percent of the 120,000 gun-related killings in the United States between 2001 and 2010 were perpetrated by people diagnosed with mental illness.”
Yet the cultural perception that violence is a direct product of mental illness remains rampant--a stigmatization that only perpetuates the disparagement of people with mental illnesses. Not only are most violent crimes not committed by mentally ill people, but mentally ill people rarely commit violent crimes. Guns are what make mass murder much more accessible than it should be.
In fact, murders notwithstanding, guns in the United States kill more people than cars do. But Car regulations are reassessed annually, however, and there seems to be a nation-wide dedication to improving automobile safety. New York Times contributor Dorothy Samuels wrote that this type of regulation simply does not exist for firearms: “Guns remain the only consumer product not regulated at the federal level for health and safety, in keeping with the wishes of the gun industry.”
Yet this industry does not provide the same functionality that cars do. In most parts of the country, not owning a car is not an option. And yet in most--if not all--parts of the country, not owning a gun is. The lack of nationwide interest in increased gun control must be considered a safety issue. It is the only way we can ensure future lives will not be lost, and that those who have already died will have justice.
Our President’s statement is a necessary one. Americans need to understand that the nine people killed on October first were not victims of a mental illness. They lost their lives--inexcusably--because one man decided to kill them. And while violence may be unavoidable, we as a nation can ensure that the negligent distribution of armed weapons is not one of the reasons why.
While it isn’t the first mass shooting, it is one of the only in our nation’s history solely motivated by a hatred towards organized religion. The Los Angeles Times cited Harper-Mercer as “a hate-filled individual with anti-religion and white supremacist leanings.”
Sources also state that as Harper-Mercer entered the classroom, he told every Christian to stand, shooting them one by one. The nine slain include: Lucero Alcaraz, Treven Anspach, Rebecka Carnes, Quinn Cooper, Kim Dietz, Lucas Eibel, Jason Johnson, Sarena Moore, and Lawrence Levine. It was Oregon’s deadliest shooting in history.
And as far as gun control is concerned? Oregon’s Douglas County Sheriff, while expressing his deepest condolences, firmly opposes increased gun regulation. In 2012, he wrote a formal letter to Vice President Joe Biden stating that he would not infringe upon the constitutional rights of his Oregon citizens. Though his own county has become the latest to have a mass shooting, his stance is unaffected. “This is not an appropriate time to have conversation [around gun control],” he told LA Times reporters.
Yet increased gun control is necessary. Until social and political positions towards gun control shift, the United States will continue to see mass shootings--while this is a rare occurrence for countries where guns have been outlawed (like the UK, or Australia). Here in the US, this is the fifteenth statement following a mass shooting President Barack Obama has made since taking office in 2008, and he still believes the UCC shooting is inextricably linked to the lack of adequate gun control in the US.
His exasperation is clearly felt in his official statement. While the Oregon shooter was portrayed as an angry, mentally ill young man, President Obama asserts that mental illness did not murder those people--Harper Mercer did: “We are not the only country on Earth that has people with mental illnesses or want to do harm to other people. [But] we are the only advanced country on Earth that sees these kinds of mass shootings every few months.”
The American Journal of Public Health agrees. A study published by Dr. Jonathan Metzl and Kenneth T. MacLeish states, “Fewer than 5 percent of the 120,000 gun-related killings in the United States between 2001 and 2010 were perpetrated by people diagnosed with mental illness.”
Yet the cultural perception that violence is a direct product of mental illness remains rampant--a stigmatization that only perpetuates the disparagement of people with mental illnesses. Not only are most violent crimes not committed by mentally ill people, but mentally ill people rarely commit violent crimes. Guns are what make mass murder much more accessible than it should be.
In fact, murders notwithstanding, guns in the United States kill more people than cars do. But Car regulations are reassessed annually, however, and there seems to be a nation-wide dedication to improving automobile safety. New York Times contributor Dorothy Samuels wrote that this type of regulation simply does not exist for firearms: “Guns remain the only consumer product not regulated at the federal level for health and safety, in keeping with the wishes of the gun industry.”
Yet this industry does not provide the same functionality that cars do. In most parts of the country, not owning a car is not an option. And yet in most--if not all--parts of the country, not owning a gun is. The lack of nationwide interest in increased gun control must be considered a safety issue. It is the only way we can ensure future lives will not be lost, and that those who have already died will have justice.
Our President’s statement is a necessary one. Americans need to understand that the nine people killed on October first were not victims of a mental illness. They lost their lives--inexcusably--because one man decided to kill them. And while violence may be unavoidable, we as a nation can ensure that the negligent distribution of armed weapons is not one of the reasons why.
