Since Parkland, there has been some excellent commentary about gun control. Some of it comes from Parkland's surviving students, who, through their conviction, courage, and poise, are showing why their generation is a lot more compassionate and solution-oriented than mine. A young man named Cameron Kasky, after spending part of last Wednesday hiding in a classroom with his little brother and wondering whether or not they'd survive, stated that, "My generation won't stand for this." The Washington Post published a factual article, which relates government policies to observed outcomes, about gun control in the US and abroad.
And then, there was ... (holding nose and keeping the article at arm's lenth) a dumbfoundingly illogical post, When Will the Shooting Stop?, by a John Horvat II of Crisis Magazine. I'm not sure whether this man is simply naive or whether he's the sort of politically scheming, diabolically nefarious manipulator who would run Russian bots if he had half a chance. Either way, Horvat claims to know exactly what causes school shootings, and the answer is ... liberalism! Not guns. Not mental health issues. Just liberalism!
Horvat opines that school shootings are a moral problem (no shit!), but not a gun problem. Dude, you do realize that 17 people were shot to death? With a military grade assault weapon? But the real problem, according to this dipshit, is that liberalism is causing social disintegration.
How? Because, apparently, liberalism:
1) Promotes extreme autonomy and freedom without acknowledging authority (so you mean, like, the Bundy brothers?), and
2) It erodes societal values and institutions that protect us from people who are inspired to shoot us because they have too much autonomy and freedom because liberalism.
He tries to develop this circular argument by claiming that the breakdown of stable, Christian families has led to the creation of "shooter-monsters" against whom society is defenseless.
True fact: Societies are not "defenseless" against "shooter-monsters". After horrific mass shootings in Dunblane, Scotland, and Port Arthur, Tasmania, both of which occurred in 1996, societies came together to demand change. As a result, the UK and Australia passed very strict gun control laws, and there hasn't been a school shooting in the UK since, while gun violence in Australia has gone way down.
We don't have to sit by helplessly and allow "shooter-monsters" to kill our children. There are proven solutions, starting with stricter gun controls, to this problem.
In another circular argument, Horvat goes on to claim liberalism deprives life of meaning because it breaks down meaningful social relations, leaving shooters so lonely that they apparently have no choice but to shoot. And then it's also because of God, or rather "not God". Because if you don't got God, then you gotta shoot people. And because liberalism sins against God. Or something.
And, finally, Horvat offers his solution to school shootings. They will stop when and only when "Christ is enthroned as King"!
So there would be no shootings in a Christian theocracy? I hate to be the one to point this out to him, but European Christendom was a depressingly violent and brutal time and place.
As Steven Pinker points out, societies are becoming increasingly ethical, kind, and civilized, and the likely reason for this is ... liberalism as it presents in Enlightenment values. Murder rates in the US have dropped precipitously over the past 30 years. That mass shooting deaths have increased, amidst an increasingly peaceful climate, is almost certainly because of the proliferation of assault weapons. Horvat's claims are entirely meritless. He presents a confused jumble of personal opinions and prejudices as facts, while entirely ignoring any real analysis of the situation.
Thank God for the rising generation! Because the "Enlightenment is working", we seem to turning out compassionate young people who can solve problems logically and have the self-confidence to challenge the prevailing wisdom (or lack thereof).
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