The third biggest mistake we have made in the aftermath of the Newtown, Connecticut, murders is to assume than any of us has rare insight — or for that matter, much understanding at all — into why such unspeakable things happen.
Breathless description of the 20-year-old shy loner responsible for the 26 deaths and his single mother (the shooter’s first victim) — described as a “prepper” who’d amassed tins of food and guns in preparation for “the end of the world” — have been titillating, but sadly for those of us who try to take our craft of journalism seriously, not exactly relevant.
Is such information helpful to understanding young men’s struggles with mental health in our angst-ridden society? Or do such media tidbits simply do their bit to feed the next teenaged boy/young adult looking to give his life meaning through the notoriety of a media spotlight?
Maybe we should all take our lead from Toronto Sun columnist Warren Kinsella, who wrote Tuesday: “I won’t write his name, because that’s what the monster wanted.”
That said, media attempts to discourage any and all future attention seekers seems pointless. Can anyone definitely say that the carnage of Colorado’s Columbine High School, the Century Theater in Aurora, Colo, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Montreal’s Dawson College and École Polytechnique, W.R. Meyers High School in Taber, Alta., and now, Newtown, were solely rooted in the perpetrator’s need for media attention?
Do any of us have such a profound insight into the nature of mental illness to draw such a conclusion easily?
The fact is, there is no way to predict or identify such isolated acts. All the public money in the world does not give us access to the far reaches of dangerous minds, or perhaps even the minds of the 10 per cent of society that struggles with bouts of depression.
And for as much sense as it makes to stop giving killers a high profile, that won’t stop the killings, either.
We can only control what’s within our reach, which would seem to point to tougher gun laws.
However, the second-biggest mistake, post-Newtown, is to then assume that this is the only answer.
This does not justify the horrific stupidity we hear from the pro-National Rifle Association politicians in the U.S. who advocate arming teachers. Newtown is a clarion call to Americans that their gun laws that allow the sale of battlefield weapons and armour-piercing bullets are far too lax.
Too many dangerous guns are owned by too many Americans who shouldn’t be trusted with them. However, lest we Canadians act too smug, let’s note that the main instrument of death in Newtown was a semiautomatic rifle that’s also available for purchase in Canada, albeit with a longer waiting period. Let us also note that three of the above school shooting tragedies — Taber, Dawson College and École Polytechnique — were in Canada. Newtown is any town. No place is immune.
Let us also recall the shooting of Mounties in Mayerthorpe, Alta., and Spiritwood, Sask., and the shooting this summer at Quebec City’s Parti Québecois victory celebration — all of which occurred under Canada’s stricter gun laws. Tougher gun laws for farmers and duck hunters have not necessarily been the solution.
But the biggest mistake we can make is to view Newtown as unfixable.
The loss of these little lives has touched the humanity in all of us. We need to tap into that — our very human, unlimited supply of compassion and common sense. Regardless of how difficult it will be to do so, common-sense compromises can be found. They need to be found.
The biggest mistake will be to do nothing.
Murray Mandryk is a columnist for the Regina Leader-Post.
