Giving killers notoriety inspires more murders
By The Bakersfield Californian
I know that the latest shooting will bring a cry for gun control. If one stops for a moment and visualizes a world with no guns, you immediately want to believe that these events will no longer happen. But they will, because the gun isn't the mass murderer -- the suspect is.
Yes, mental illness is a huge factor in all this and we in society need to do a better job dealing with the mentally ill. I am a strong advocate for more money to address this problem in our society. But we know it won't go away. So the answer for some is to ban guns. We have already banned illegal drugs, yet the drug users still have them. The same would happen if there was an attempt to ban guns.
So what steps can we take to minimize the possibility of this occurring again? I think a look into the psyche of these mass murderers is a start. What do they want? What is their motive? If you take a look at newspaper front pages and television newscasts nationwide, you will see what they are looking for.
Notoriety validates their lives, so they begin to plan. Fortunately, not many will follow through, but one is too many. I realize the dilemma the media face with letting their readers and viewers know the facts, but need we make a martyr of a mass murderer? Maybe the next mass murderer won't act on his impulses if he knows he won't get the results he wants.
Donny Youngblood
Kern County Sheriff
Bakersfield
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