Focus on more than guns to address mass shootings

Published 1:30 am Friday, July 15, 2022

Mass shootings have become tragically common these days, accompanied by much impassioned debate about the gun culture and what should be done about it.

It seems to me that there is little focus on other factors, and there should be. Common traits about these shooters include more than the guns they use. Most are angry young men who come from homes that are dysfunctional, many with absent fathers. They are commonly on one type of psych drug or another. They are loners who spend a huge amount of time on the internet, as well as social media. None attend church.

The last couple of shootings happened in states that have red flag laws, background checks, and very restrictive gun legislation. Yet none of that stopped the shootings. Cities with the most restrictive gun laws are also called the “murder capitols” of the country! It is easy to be outraged and focused on guns, but facts tell us that gun restrictions don’t work. Look at Chicago, New York, or any other big city with strict gun laws, and they are all on a path for record-breaking murder rates this year.

We need to return to the traditional family structure and encourage fathers to be active in their children’s lives. We also need to take a close look at the kind of drugs that are being given to young boys and men, since most shooters are on these psych drugs. Could these drugs be a driver in suicide rates among youth? Young people need to spend more time in healthy social structures such as sports and church, less time on the smart phones.

I know that progressives will cringe at the suggestion of church, but look at the facts again. How many shooters are church-going? Ironically, churches are too often the target of these young shooters. Why?

Ron Jinkens

Arlington