Two Important Points Overlooked In These Mass Shootings

Two Important Points Overlooked In These Mass Shootings

     

     We got the heart-breaking news of two mass shootings yesterday. 30 people lost their lives. We only give secondary thoughts to the 42 people injured in these two insane rampages.

     When an assault rifle is used in a shooting, even the injured suffer grievous wounds. I will not go into graphic detail here. Those of you who served in the military know what I’m talking about. If you have worked in a hospital emergency room when gunshot wounds are treated, you know what I’m talking about. If you’re curious, Google will give you information. These people suffer terrible injuries that could result in disability. If the wounded are lucky to avoid this fate, they will suffer for years to come through rehabilitation, medical treatments, etc. There is the equal problem of who will pay for this care. Rarely are the shooters wealthy with a big estate that can be taken. Health insurers might pay some of the costs but not all the costs. Government might help. Sometimes private donors help.

      There is something more sinister and troubling than the wounded and dead. My wife summed it all up yesterday with the following words:

     “We are not safe anywhere.”

   

     A feeling of hopelessness and public outrage is going to follow. Where does it lead? The shooters are all males. In general, they rely on the internet to get their direction and warped ideology. You are going to start to see draconian monitoring of the internet that people in mainland China are accustomed to. You are going to see take downs of websites and the loss of free speech rights that will never come back. The US is going to become a police state in the name of protecting people. It matters not if Donald Trump or Elizabeth Warren is president (for example).

   Long ago, President Richard Nixon advocated preventive detention of those prone to commit serious and violent crimes. This was called The Houston Plan. The 2002 Tom Cruse film Minority Report pursued this theme.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0181689/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1

   With rapidly-advancing technology including artificial intelligence, it will become possible to identity potential shooters before they act. Even with the best technology and design, mistakes will be made. Innocent people will be incarcerated.