{"id":3881,"date":"2016-06-20T11:00:38","date_gmt":"2016-06-20T16:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/skepticink.com\/backgroundprobability\/?p=3881"},"modified":"2016-06-20T11:55:05","modified_gmt":"2016-06-20T16:55:05","slug":"mass-murder-means-motives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/skepticink.com\/backgroundprobability\/2016\/06\/20\/mass-murder-means-motives\/","title":{"rendered":"Mass Murder: Means &amp; Motives"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Every great tragedy could conceivably\u00a0have been prevented by some wise and forward-looking policy.\u00a0In the wake of any particularly tragic event,\u00a0it is impossible to prevent political partisans from claiming that their own preferred policy would have made the world a safer and better place. (It is also impossible to prevent people from trying to change the subject to\u00a0relatively unrelated hot-button issues, but that is a <a href=\"https:\/\/skepticink.com\/backgroundprobability\/2015\/10\/04\/the-tragic-segue\/\">whole other post<\/a>.)\u00a0 How one responds is typically determined by where one falls on the political spectrum.<\/p>\n<p>Whenever someone takes it upon themselves to mass-produce untimely death in shocking quantities, here in the U.S., the typical progressive reaction is to go after the means of production.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Weapons of war like those used in Orlando and San Bernardino have no place on our streets.<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/jTFExpjcPd\">https:\/\/t.co\/jTFExpjcPd<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HillaryClinton\/status\/742482739257958400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 13, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Some fights are too important to stay silent. Preventing gun violence is one of them. Stand strong <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ChrisMurphyCT?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@ChrisMurphyCT<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/LEl7iSLCgF\">https:\/\/t.co\/LEl7iSLCgF<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HillaryClinton\/status\/743157530780655616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 15, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>We may well debate whether the bills <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/us-news\/sen-chris-murphy-we-must-avoid-trap-inaction-gun-policy-n595221\">under consideration<\/a> in the Senate would actually prevent many future mass shootings, and whether it is a good idea to condition the exercise of a constitutional right upon a secret watch list which has almost no due process protections built into it. It is beyond dispute, though, that the Democratic Party is at least pushing for prevention based on regulating the <em>means<\/em> favored by active shooters.<\/p>\n<p>The conservative approach, by contrast, is usually\u00a0to go after the ideology, motivations, and background\u00a0of the killer.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Reporting that Orlando killer shouted &quot;Allah hu Akbar!&quot; as he slaughtered clubgoers. 2nd man arrested in LA with rifles near Gay parade.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/realDonaldTrump\/status\/742066996767031296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 12, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">What has happened in Orlando is just the beginning. Our leadership is weak and ineffective. I called it and asked for the ban. Must be tough<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/realDonaldTrump\/status\/742096033207844864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 12, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">In my speech on protecting America I spoke about a temporary ban, which includes suspending immigration from nations tied to Islamic terror.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/realDonaldTrump\/status\/742464168482201602?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 13, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@realDonaldTrump<\/a> reiterates support for proposed Muslim ban after <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Orlando?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Orlando<\/a> shooting <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/0SBFHuHYoj\">https:\/\/t.co\/0SBFHuHYoj<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/TuYlN367x9\">https:\/\/t.co\/TuYlN367x9<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; CBS News (@CBSNews) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CBSNews\/status\/742339943419125760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 13, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@realDonaldTrump<\/a> calls for racial profiling in wake of Orlando terror attack. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/X6h9iMnrog\">https:\/\/t.co\/X6h9iMnrog<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/yEL3iWonEe\">pic.twitter.com\/yEL3iWonEe<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Fox News (@FoxNews) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FoxNews\/status\/744621705755140097?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 19, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@realDonaldTrump<\/a> says the Orlando mass shooting was not about guns it was about terrorism. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/zcTquz41r1\">pic.twitter.com\/zcTquz41r1<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Dennis Welch (@dennis_welch) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/dennis_welch\/status\/744311003215650816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 18, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>We should avoid falling into the either\/or trap here, limiting ourselves to addressing <em>either<\/em> means or motives or else trying to limit our analysis to a single root cause. Kaveh Mousavi <a href=\"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/marginoferr\/2016\/06\/15\/orlando-shooting-the-sinful-executioner\/#sthash.Sg004kXZ.dpuf\">explains<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Yes, it\u2019s about Islam. Yes, it\u2019s about the Muslim community. Yes, it\u2019s about the undercurrent homophobia and transphobia of the American culture. Yes, it\u2019s even about the recent advances of LGBT made recently, and the reaction of a committed homophobe to the events. <strong>Yes, it\u2019s about guns.<\/strong> Yes, it\u2019s about the global dominance of Islamic terrorism, which might inspire radical Islamists to carry out such attacks. Yes, it\u2019s about toxic masculinity. Yes, it\u2019s also about Islamophobia, and putting the Muslim minority of the West in a besieged position. It\u2019s about all of these things.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Emphasis mine. Kaveh embraces the full complexity of the problem, nestling the means of mass shooting in among a lengthy list of complex and often interrelated motives, where it would have stuck out even if I hadn&#8217;t put it in bold text. Skeptic Ink&#8217;s own <a href=\"https:\/\/skepticink.com\/lateraltruth\/2016\/06\/18\/orlando\/\">Rebecca Bradley<\/a> takes a similarly nuanced approach by pointing out that all manner of ideologies are capable of\u00a0radicalizing their adherents:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>I think that Omar Mateen is <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Anders_Behring_Breivik\"><span style=\"color: #dd3333\">Anders Breivik<\/span><\/a>, is <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Baruch_Goldstein\"><span style=\"color: #dd3333\">Baruch Goldstein<\/span><\/a>, is <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/John_Allen_Muhammad\"><span style=\"color: #dd3333\">John Allen Mohammed<\/span><\/a>, is <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Colorado_Springs_Planned_Parenthood_shooting\"><span style=\"color: #dd3333\">Robert Dear<\/span><\/a>, is <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2000_Jarafa_mosque_massacre\"><span style=\"color: #dd3333\">Abbas al-Baqir Abbas<\/span><\/a>, is <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mark_Essex\"><span style=\"color: #dd3333\">Mark Essex<\/span><\/a>, is <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Nidal_Hasan\"><span style=\"color: #dd3333\">Nidal Hasan<\/span><\/a>, is <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Dylann_Roof\"><span style=\"color: #dd3333\">Dylann Roof<\/span><\/a>, is <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Rizwan_Farook_and_Tashfeen_Malik\"><span style=\"color: #dd3333\">Tashfeen Malik<\/span><\/a> and her husband, is <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Tamerlan_Tsarnaev\"><span style=\"color: #dd3333\">Tamerlan Tsarnaev<\/span><\/a> and his brother. The common thread is pernicious radical ideology, whether based on race, ethnos, religion, or sexual orientation.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Once we&#8217;ve wrapped our heads around the scope and complexity of what we&#8217;re facing, we have to ask ourselves which approach is most likely to be effective going forward: addressing motives or regulating means. The First Amendment protects those who preach hate in the name of any given radical ideology and ensures that the federal government avoids persecuting (or supporting) any particular religion, whereas the Second Amendment protects those who seek to bear arms. One of those two provisions\u00a0is going to have to be narrowed if we hope to craft a long-term policy solution at the federal level.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Every great tragedy could conceivably\u00a0have been prevented by some wise and forward-looking policy.\u00a0In the wake of any particularly tragic event,\u00a0it&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":3308,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3881","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-current-events"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/skepticink.com\/backgroundprobability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3881","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/skepticink.com\/backgroundprobability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/skepticink.com\/backgroundprobability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skepticink.com\/backgroundprobability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skepticink.com\/backgroundprobability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3881"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/skepticink.com\/backgroundprobability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3881\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skepticink.com\/backgroundprobability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3308"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/skepticink.com\/backgroundprobability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skepticink.com\/backgroundprobability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3881"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skepticink.com\/backgroundprobability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}