Banning Guns Will Reduce Mass Shootings, But Won’t Stop Random Killings

Another day, another shooting

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We hear the same narrative after every shooting. Groups of politicians either call for stricter gun control or cite mental illness as the reason someone decided to open fire on a group of innocent people. At this point, it’s insane that we have still not settled this timeless debate on gun control. Blood continues to be spilt yet we’re no closer to actually preventing these heinous crimes from occurring.

The criminal profile of these shooters is simple enough. A young male who views themselves as a loner and an outcast chooses to take out a lifetime of frustration on innocent people. These killers prefer firearms because at their core they’re cowards. Using firearms provides a disconnect from having to embrace the reality that they’re taking the life of an innocent.

The cold fact is that because these mass shooters are such cowards, the majority of them would lack the forwardness required to search out and buy a gun illegally. Thus, by banning the sale of firearms we deprive mass shooters of the convenience purchasing a gun legally gives them.

Here’s a truth that the NRA and most gun members will hate to hear. Banning the sale of firearms will reduce mass shootings. However, the banning of firearms will not stop the root of the problem. Your run of the mill mass shooter will likely evolve from firearms to improvising weapons. This will come in the form of homemade bombs, mass stabbings, and the use of other DIY murder tools. So, while banning firearms will reduce mass shootings, we’re still going to be stuck with these self-proclaimed outcasts who view killings as a way of expressing themselves.

Why is this? Well, if you take away the gun from a man bent on the killing of innocent people, he will find another way to kill those innocent people. Simply eliminating their tool of choice does not kill the root of the problem. Instead of only depriving would-be killers of their weapons, we should be depriving them of the ideology that has allowed them to fetishize mass killings.

If a killer feels an overwhelming urge to kill, they’ll most likely find their fix. Not being able to obtain a firearm legally may lead them to choose another weapon to fulfil that need. We need to understand that these individuals feel as if the world has turned its back on them. They are actively working to find an outlet to rid themselves of this existential dread they created for themselves. There is a possibility that society can work to eliminate these harmful urges.

We need to establish programs that let kids know that their feelings of loneliness can be treated. I’m talking about a D.A.R.E like a program that works to kill this ideology at a young age. It’ll allow future generations of would-be mass shooters to understand that there are resources that allow them to deal with their emotions in a healthy way. By creating a nationwide propaganda campaign aimed at children, we eliminate the root of the problem in regards to mass shooters.

It’s important to realize that our countries gun laws need to be seriously reconsidered. Even with the use of heavy anti-violence propaganda, there’s no place in our society that allows for the legal purchase of automatic weaponry. Yet, it’s equally important to realize that outlawing firearms is not the sole answer to the problem. Overall, it’s paramount that we stop this vicious circle of mass shootings and start to actually make some progress in stopping them. Even if that means changing the constitution.