The Michigan Church Shooting and the Contagion of Violence

There’s only one way to stop a contagion

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In Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, a former marine and Iraq War-veteran named Thomas Jacob Sanderson plowed a vehicle into a Latter Day Saints church, opened fire with an assault rifle, and set fire to the building.

He killed four people and wounded eight others. Then he died in a shootout with police. The fire consumed most of the building.

This is just one of 324 mass shooting in the U.S. this year alone. Mass shootings are so common, only the really big or creative ones get any attention in the national media.

Once again, people will ask, “Why?” Why did Thomas Jacob Sanderson attack this church? Did he hate Mormons? Did he hate religion? Was he mentally ill? Did he have PTSD?

People will fixate especially hard on the religious angle after the politically-motivated shooting of Charlie Kirk. What’s happening to our country when people cannot practice their First Amendment rights without getting shot?

Some people will say we need gun control reform to keep deadly weapons out of dangerous people’s hands. Others will say the problem stems from dangerous people, not guns. Sanderson weaponized a truck and gasoline, after all. Are we going to restrict…