What
makes for a safe space anymore?
Three mass shootings have recently made news—Buffalo, Uvalde, Tulsa.
Yesterday, we
made a rare trip to our local mall where we ate our evening meal. As we were leaving,
my wife said she found herself looking around to see where she could hide if
there was a shooter. We began to analyze her idea.
*****
As usual, there
are a lot of opinions about how to stop gun violence. Our elected
representatives debate. Gun control keeps popping up like a virus that won’t go
away.
Yesterday (2 June 2022),
the American
Medical Association injected their ideas. They focus on the means to
quickly kill a lot of people. See what they wrote.
- increasing the purchasing age for semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21;
- banning the importation, sale, manufacture, transfer or possession of high-capacity ammunition magazines and bump stocks and related devices;
- closing the “ghost-gun loophole;” and
- creating federal requirements for safe gun storage and establishing strong penalties for any violations.
- (AMA, 2022)
*****
THE MEANS
TO KILL
Perhaps it
is obvious to say if you cannot obtain a weapon that would kill a lot of people
in a few minutes, your ability to do so is limited.
It is
equally obvious that a lot of people want to own weapons designed to kill a lot
of people.
Compromise
is in the air. What will happen is not at all clear.
But this
focus on means ignores other ideas of prevention.
THE
OPPORTUNITY TO KILL
As we read the news stories, we become painfully aware of how easy it is to effectively kill a lot of people before police or security personnel can do something.
Living in a secure world is a frightening thought in some ways. Ironically,
some have likened it to turning schools into prisons—secure units.
Perhaps it’s
like living in a plane every day. A place where everyone’s gear is searched.
There’s electronic screening. And you only have to deal with people who use
their bodies.
When I
think about the mall, schools, hospitals, churches…public places…it seems
overwhelming to think about security.
We went to
a church one Easter. An armed officer was by the main entrance in front of glass
doors opened by happy faces. Some seemed to know the officer as they milled
around talking. A man walked in with a backpack. It wasn’t inspected. How
secure are people when one officer, distracted by friends, and wearing a holstered handgun might have to deal
with a heavily armed shooter carrying their gear in a backpack? Turns out the backpacker had a computer. So, how many glass
doors at churches and schools are bullet proof? I don't know. I know glass breaks.
I once went
to a restroom in a government building. A security officer was in a gun-metal
gray stall with his pants on the floor covering his shoes. Next to the pants was
his handgun on the floor. I knew it would not be funny if I grabbed his gun.
So, I didn’t. I did suggest the risk to a supervisor. I hope that act of
carelessness isn’t repeated.
Administrators-Pay
Attention to your buildings. You can do a lot to reduce opportunity without
creating a fortress. You might be able to create policies but people will need
reminders and building experts will likely be needed to reduce the opportunity
for a mass shooting.
MOTIVE
Short of mystery
stories, the identification of a motive seems to be a journalist’s quest for a
story. Who really knows why people do what they do? Statements on social media,
in letters, shouted by would be killers often express motives. People give a
lot of reasons for their behavior. A killer’s reasoning is not the same thing as
explaining “why” an event occurred. Reasons often ignore the power of pain and
emotion that can fuel plans to kill.
EXPRESSED
INTENT
Publicly broadcast intent to kill is different from motives.
In the book, The
Violence Project, we learn that 86% of young men aged 20 and below leaked
their plans before a mass shooting. This looks like a red flag. What do you
think? Would you take it seriously if you read a post about a young man
planning to shoot someone or posting photos of his recent purchase of weapons capable
of shooting a lot of people in a few minutes?
MORE
If
interested, I suggest reading The Violence Project. Perhaps you
will think of some ideas for your situation.
I obviously
hope building administrators and work supervisors will examine their space
today to maximize security beyond superficial trappings yet offer a pleasant
environment.
Gun Violence: Prediction, Prevention, and Policy
Attacks in Crowded and Public Spaces
FBI - Active Shooter Resources
FBI file - Making Prevention a Reality
FBI Plans for Houses of Worship
Guns in the Home- Keeping Kids Safe
Columbine- Reviewing an oft referenced story.
Please check out my website www.suttong.com
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Geoffrey
W Sutton
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