How do we end mass shootings? We all wish they could be stopped. Unfortunately, the answer to this question is not readily apparent and in the past Congress has chosen not to act rather than to pass common sense gun control legislation. They have done this again and again regardless of how heinous the act or how many die in these senseless shootings.
The House bill that passed recently proposes a number of measures that will have an impact on gun violence, although the likelihood that the Senate will pass it in its current form is slim. Hopefully, a compromise can be struck but my fear is that again Congress will do nothing. Admittedly, even if legislation is passed, it may not decrease mass shootings.
However, there is something we can do that may have an impact and we don’t have to rely on Congress to actually do something. Stop releasing the name of the shooter. I believe that many of the individuals who commit mass shootings do so in part, to gain fame and notoriety. They want to have their names broadcast by the national media for days or weeks on end. If the media agreed to cover the shootings but never mention the name of the shooter, it would provide a disincentive for some individuals who might otherwise commit mass murder. Perhaps it is a pipe dream, but something, anything, is better than nothing!
David Dodgion, Draper
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