I’m also angry at the media for how they cover these events. Both SayUncle and Ahab today have talked about once instance of stupidity, but I’m sure the day will be filled with it.
We’ve had firearms as a technology for centuries now, and self-loading rifles for one of those centuries. These horrific murder-suicides are a recent phenomena.  What changed? Our media culture changed. News is no longer about disseminating information, and keeping the public informed.  News is entertainment, and what better way to keep people glued to their TV than “Mass Murder in Nebraska!” and talking about the deranged perpetrator for the next several days, 24 hours a day.
Somewhere out there, there is another person who’s life is crap, who feels powerless, who is watching this, and entering his own murder-suicide fantasy. The media, who are only happy to portray a man with a gun as a force that strikes fear into the hearts of mere mortals, by parading the victims before the camera to talk about how scared they were, by prattling on about the power of the weapon he used, and by repeating the killer’s name far and wide to the point it becomes a household name.
I stated yesterday that I doubt the possibility of armed resistance plays much into selection of venue for the mass shooter. They choose malls and schools because it shocks us, and scares us. There have been studies that show this happens less often in areas that have concealed carry laws, and I believe this, but I think it’s less about the shooter thinking rationally and more about the culture.
A culture where firearms are more common, and people are familiar with them, won’t tend to breed these types of killers. Why? Because to people familiar with firearms, the gun is not a talisman. It’s not an object of fear, control, veneration or prestige; these are ideas that are promoted by our media culture. I believe these incidents are less likely to happen in a society that has a healthy shooting culture, not only because of the decreased likelihood of getting away with it, but because a man with a gun isn’t portrayed as powerful by that kind of culture. A man with a gun is your neighbor, the town police man, or the grocer up the street.
It’s obvious that firearms play a role in these shootings, but I don’t think you can fully address the issue without addressing how our media and entertainment cultures portray them.
