NY Times article
Washington Post article
If you haven't already heard, there has been a mass shooting in the Navy Yard in Washington D.C. Thirteen people are confirmed killed, including the gunman, Aaron Alexis, a Navy reservist. The video attached does a great job of explaining the play by play of this sorrowful day. Currently, the FBI is searching for evidence and conclusions regarding the matter and Mayor Vincent Gray stated "We don't have any reason at this stage to suspect terrorism, but certainly it has not been ruled out." Since 9/11, it seems like every crime committed is at first linked to terrorism; is this becoming an hackneyed thought or should we always suspect terrorism?
On another vein, I think it is interesting to look at the media's profound effect on the spread of the information. This horrific murder scene with at least 13 dead has gone viral. Do you think that the media's, especially the internet's, ability to bring people together during this tough time is a positive or does it get unaffected people riled up over something completely unrelated to them. If you want to stay up to date with the events as they happen, be sure to check out the Live Blog by the Washington Post.
5 comments:
It’s extremely unfortunate that gun massacres are so fresh in recent memory – and the gun control debate along with them. But just hours after the killings, commentators on both sides of the gun control issue have again leapt to reignite the debate. David Frum received significant heat for his posts on Twitter earlier today:
http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowldc/david-frum-ghoulish-rules-for-crisis-twitter_b116096
And at the same time, conservatives have leapt to the defense of gun enthusiasts. Here’s a post from the corner about background checks:
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/358635/universal-background-checks-not-so-fast-charles-c-w-cooke
Meanwhile, gun control advocates like Senator Diane Feinstein have also issued statements:
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/09/16/political-gun-debate-starts-anew-after-navy-yard-rampage/
I personally have been extremely disheartened by the gun control gridlock. As of now, this event seems to have only added more fuel to the fire. And if policymakers in Washington decide to pass legislation, the answer will undoubtedly be due to the fact that another mass shooting occurred. I predict that the chances of this are slim if not negligible, but it’s food for thought on the issue as a whole.
Also at the moment, Obama appears to be juggling a variety of issues, including coordinating a response to the UN’s new forensic evidence of chemical weapons in Syria and dealing with replacing Bernanke in the Federal Reserve. It’ll be interesting to see which issue the media and also the president choose to prioritize.
As Brandon conveyed, it is so demoralizing to see yet another mass shooting in this country. I believe that everything that needs to be said regarding gun laws has already been said. The prevalence of such gun massacres in the past few years has led the vernacular of the gun control debate to become familiar to all of us, so no need to mention such things. However, as Brandon brought up, as the gun control debate proceeds, what will be the event that finally sparks change? If the massacre of 20 young children and 6 adults didn't fuel legislative changes, I am dubious that this event will.
I definitely recommend checking out the twitter link Brandon posted. My favorite Frum tweet was "Gun ownership is essential to freedom, as in Serbia & Guatemala. Gun restrictions lead to tyranny, as in Australia & Canada." Hilarious? Yes. Depressing? Also yes.
Although this tragedy obviously rekindles the gun control debate, after reading more articles concerning this massacre, another issue that should be brought to light is having the available resources, treatment, and therapy to those suffering from mental illnesses, especially to those who have worked in the military. It is confirmed that Alexis has suffered from PTSD. Though stricter gun laws could have definitely prevented this, securing proper aid that could help these individuals is equally, and probably more important.
I agree with Celene, and this whole murder case is more than just gun control. Yes limiting gun control may limit the number of similar crimes, but I believe reform for mental illness will lead to a greater long term effect. Also, as Joey stated, can we rely on gun control reform to avoid crimes like these? Obviously, the American government hasn't made a drastic change in the issue.
I believe that the media's focus on events like these is a positive influence and allows us to become more aware of what is happening. In my opinion, one of the major reasons why these shootings spark so much anger is that people are getting tired of not seeing a change. When will the American government realize that this is something that needs to be changed? As Rick stated, while gun control may limit similar crimes, there is a much bigger issue to examine here. I feel that this topic is overlooked.
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