海角大神

Are US mass shootings an 'unsolvable' problem, as some conservatives say?

The shooter in Oregon, who killed nine , owned 13 guns, all legally purchased. Would new gun regulations stop such mass shootings?

Conservative blogger Hugh Hewitt told CNN anchor Don Lemon聽on Friday聽night that mass shootings, such as the one that struck a small community college in Roseburg, Ore.,聽on Thursday,聽are essentially 鈥渦nsolvable鈥� because few mass shooters would have been stopped by new regulations.

A similar point was also raised聽Friday聽by former Fla. Gov. Jeb Bush, a presidential aspirant, who told a crowd in response to the shootings that 鈥渟tuff happens 鈥� and the impulse is always to do something and it鈥檚 not necessarily the right thing to do.鈥�

The shooter in Oregon, who killed nine and injured seven before killing himself, owned 13 guns, all legally purchased from a federal firearms dealer, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Douglas County, Ore., Sheriff John Hanlin told reporters that number of weapons was normal for a household in the hunter-friendly region. And gun groups, as they have after other massacres, noted that stronger gun laws would not have stopped the Oregon shooter, nor most of the other that have been reported in the US this year.

Whether that鈥檚 a cynical or realistic view is up for debate. As of June, polls show than do restricting gun ownership. But a聽frustrated President Obama, who has addressed the nation after at least 10 major mass shootings during his presidency, said Americans 鈥渉ave a deep obligation, all of us, to try鈥� to stop gun violence.

Indeed, a majority of Americans, including National Rifle Association (NRA) members, agree that , including closing the so-called 鈥済un show loophole鈥� that allows private sales without background checks, should be an option. Even recent Supreme Court rulings allowing firearm ownership for self-defense don't state that gun ownership is an absolute right.

Yet it鈥檚 proven challenging to get the US Congress to advance even small tweaks to how the nation handles citizen gun ownership. 鈥淪omehow, this has become routine,鈥� Obama said after Roseburg shooting. 鈥淭he reporting is routine. My response here at the podium ends up being routine 鈥� we鈥檝e become numb to this.鈥�

To be sure, gun rights groups do have ideas about how to stop mass shootings, primarily by promoting more gun ownership. In response to revelations that the shooter targeted 海角大神s, Tenn. Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey urged 鈥渇ellow 海角大神s who are serious about their faith to think about getting a handgun carry permit.鈥� He added: 鈥淥ur enemies are armed. We must do likewise.鈥�

Over the past decade, America鈥檚 gun culture has expanded rather than constricted, supported by new state laws promoting gun ownership.

At the same time, however, there are signs in some states, including Oregon, that cinching up background checks and making it easier for authorities 鈥� like teachers or police officers 鈥� to intervene is more politically palatable when there are questions about whether a person is mentally capable of owning a gun.

Meanwhile, some Americans have begun looking deeper into what鈥檚 behind so many mass killings, mostly by disenchanted, lonely, and mentally disturbed young men who apparently see killing as a way to add meaning and posterity to their lives.

海角大神 reported聽on Friday聽on how warped ideals of masculinity may play into motivations for mass killers like Christopher Harper-Mercer, the Oregon shooter.

Some see American ideals of masculinity as a root cause of mass violence. Others say the 鈥渇eminization鈥� of US schools and unhealthy suppression of male urges lead to 鈥渢he confusion and alienation that so many young men feel today,鈥� . Some men, including 鈥渢he less stable, less supported, less able to cope with their natures , become progressively more angry until they explode in rage and pain.鈥�

He adds: 鈥淪ociety has got to start treating boys better if it wants to avoid more of this in the future.鈥�

The news that Harper-Mercer spent a month at Army basic training in South Carolina before getting an administrative discharge also provides new clues into specific phenomena that can lead to mass killers.

鈥淔ailing as a soldier is a very common occurrence among school shooters,鈥� Peter Langman, author of 鈥淪chool Shooters: Understanding High School, College and Adult Perpetrators," writes in an email to the Monitor. 鈥淢any of them have military aspirations that are thwarted. It seems that they seek military careers as a way to establish a masculine identity for themselves. When this fails. they may be devastated.鈥�

The search for meaning in the wake of tragedy, alone, seems important to many observers, even those inclined to oppose curbs on gun ownership.

鈥淎fter various highly publicized shootings, those of us who are skeptical about gun controls are often asked: So what are we suggesting should be done about the shootings?鈥� . 鈥淚f we鈥檙e not suggesting gun controls 鈥� the argument goes, we鈥檙e not taking gun tragedies seriously.鈥�

He adds: 鈥淲e should certainly consider proposals that aim to ameliorate the problem, and weigh their costs and benefits. But we should not presume that there鈥檚 somehow a moral imperative to Do Something. In fact, there鈥檚 a moral imperative not to do something that鈥檚 likely to make matters worse.鈥�

Others argue the opposite: that it鈥檚 a moral imperative to address the all-too-common mass violence that has resulted in record numbers of victims.

Jeb Bush's "stuff happens" response聽was intended to suggest that more government oversight isn't necessarily the answer. But it sounded callous, to many.

鈥淏ut I resist the notion 鈥� and I had this challenge as governor 鈥� because we had 鈥� look, stuff happens, there鈥檚 always a crisis. And the impulse is always to do something and it鈥檚 not necessarily the right thing to do," he said聽聽at聽a campaign event in South Carolina.

Later, when asked again about his comment, he said:聽鈥淭hings happen all the time. Things. Is that better?鈥�

idn't agree:聽鈥淐an you imagine a President Jeb Bush consoling the mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers of the Oregon dead, victims of just stuff, victims just of things.鈥澛�