I've avoided writing this blog as I knew it would require I dig into the thoughts I have regarding the mass shooting (yet again) in Parkland, Fl. I'm familiar with that area, it's by Coral Springs, Fla in west Broward county. I lived on the east side of Broward in Ft. Lauderdale for 5 years. It's where I met my wife. When the place is a little more familiar it's harder to deal with tragedy. I probably passed by some of those parents, maybe even spoke to some of them at one point or other. They would have been my age when I lived there as a young bachelor. They probably would have lived closer to the beach at that time of their lives like most 20 somethings in Ft. Lauderdale. I may actually recognize some of the faces of the parents of kids at that school.
I have avoided the news. I don't want to know about it. It's not that I don't care, but I feel that the way these things are handled just set us all up for another mass shooting. It's just a matter of time. Nothing is done, and so it goes on. The only people that really benefit are those in the media who love giving us all the gruesome details. They also profit nicely from the increased attention. They trumpet (most of them) the need for more gun control as if there is no other answer. The right does not think or accept that that is the problem. I tend to agree with their logic, but that doesn't mean they can just ignore the whole thing. So-- The media goes into hyper coverage to maximize their revenues. The left screeches for gun control. The government does nothing. The NRA refuses to budge. Nothing is done and so it goes on.
My thoughts on possible solutions that probably nobody will listen to;
1) Mental Health. We must invest, at the local level, state level and federal level in a heartier and more severe reaction to mentally ill people. If someone says they want to "shoot up a school" and they make other comments like this (as the kid did - his name shall be nameless in this blog) then they need to be interned into a Mental Asylum. I don't know if we have those anymore because I don't hear about it. If they aren't around, then build them.
2) Media- What motivates these people to kill ? It's the attention ! These sick people feel a need for acknowledgment. They crave attention. They need notoriety and attention in an otherwise meaningless existence. It's what fuels their fire, and the media feeds their flames with what they crave. The first step to stopping these mass killings is we must stop any and all attention regarding the actual killer. I know it's hard to do, but it serves no use but to amuse us and entertain us to see the monster that committed the crime. CNN, et al know this. It's what the sharks feast on. It's what makes their eyes roll to the back of their heads when they sink their greedy teeth into the meat of the latest mass killing. "19 year old white male" is all they need to tell us, unless of course he's still on the loose. Focus on solutions, not "what happened". We all know what happened. We've seen it enough times.
3) Sensible gun control- I think the NRA and gun control advocates need to give in a little and agree to restrictions that might close loopholes and keep guns away from maniacs and felons as best can be done. They should be smart and hire a public relations company and explain their intentions. Will it make a big difference ? I doubt it, but it will keep the left happy and relieve the tension. You can't just cross your arms and refuse to give up anything - otherwise other ideas are minimized and even ignored. I don't think it's the NRA's fault, but they aren't being smart about all this and their refusal to react is what's preventing any progress on the other fronts. Give in a little and demonstrate a very sincere interest in fixing this issue. Show some flexibility in the name of stopping all this carnage.
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