By Eamon Scarbrough
On Monday, September 16, 34-year-old Aaron Alexis, a former Navy Reserve, walked into Building 197 of the Washington, D.C., Navy Yard with a shotgun and killed 12 people. He was killed in the ensuing gunfight with the police.
This incident marks the sixth mass shooting in the last nine months, and the 20th mass killing this year.
Some say that the rise in mass shootings is due to the country spiraling downward, and some will even go as far as to say that it has all been staged by the government.
One thing, however, remains true, despite what anyone may say: People are committing mass murders, and they’re doing it with a greater frequency.
There have been so many of these killings that the name “mass killing” was created for this event. Although “mass killing” is not an official title, it has stuck as more and more of these types of incidents have been happening.
USA Today has even created a database of all the mass killings from 2008 to 2013. It is possible to search for mass shootings by state, the motivation for the killing, and even how it was committed (with blunt force, stabbing or gunfire, for example).
These incidents have become so prevalent that all of the data can be compiled into a database. And there will surely be many more mass killings to add to the list.
Of course, violent crimes and murders are an everyday reality for some. For example, this Fourth of July weekend in Chicago, Illinois, 11 people were killed in a gang-related shooting. There were many more injured, including a five-year-old boy.
But while violent crimes are a reality in some places, there are mass killings happening almost everywhere.
This is an ill portent for cities and towns with relatively low crime rates: A heinous act such as the one at Navy Yard could happen anywhere.
Surely no one in Newtown, Conn., would have thought that they would lose 27 of their beloved citizens, 20 of them elementary school students.
However, these crimes have become a stark reality in recent years. No one is powerless to prevent these crimes, and everyone should be encouraged to seek help for those who may need it.
Aaron Alexis shot out the tires of a Honda Accord parked adjacent to his house in Seattle, Wash., because the construction workers who drove it had “mocked him.”
Many of the perpetrators in these crimes seem to be outcasts in the eyes of society. People who are looked down upon by society could always use a friend, and being kind to someone who is not welcomed by most people can at times be greatly rewarding.
While these tragedies may continue to happen, they can be slowed and even prevented.
Antoinette Tuff, an office worker at a school in Atlanta, Ga., was able to talk down a gunman who entered with the intention to kill.
As made famous by the 911 call made by Tuff, she told the gunman that she loved him, and that everyone had problems at times.
Despite an exchange of gunfire between him and police, no one was hurt, and Tuff convinced the gunman to surrender.
It may not always be possible to find a peaceful solution. However, those times that we can find such a solution offer a beacon of hope when it seems as if mass killings could mar this country’s history permanently.