I typically stay within the realm of sports in my weekly column.
But today, I must talk about something else.
I woke up Thursday morning to the news of the mass shooting in Thousand Oaks, Calif., in which 12 people were killed at a country music bar Wednesday night.
The Associated Press reported one other person was wounded and 15 suffered minor injuries.
By the time officers arrived at the scene, the 12 victims were found dead. The gunman was also found dead after shooting himself. The motive for the attack was under investigation.
It was also reported the gunman was a former Marine who served for about five years including a seven-month tour in Afghanistan.
He was interviewed by mental health specialists earlier this year after a neighbor reported a disturbance. Authorities said he might have suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.
The gunman had ties to Hawaii. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, Third Marine Division in Kaneohe Bay, AP reported.
He was married in Honolulu in 2009, but he and his wife were separated in 2011, citing irreconcilable differences, while he was deployed to Afghanistan. They were divorced in 2013.
I don’t like to admit this, but I feel with every incident of a mass shooting reported on the national news, I am more and more desensitized.
The news itself is horrible and I feel for the victims, their families and everyone involved. I feel angry and sad at the same time with every incident reported.
But to be quite honest, every time it happens, the first thing that goes through my mind is, “Damn. Another one.” As if it’s a normal, everyday occurrence.
That should not be normal.
And then I came across this piece of information as I read up about what happened in Southern California:
USA Today reported that what happened in Thousand Oaks is the 307th mass shooting in the United States in 2018.
Let that sink in — 307.
Through 311 days in 2018, there have been 307 reported mass shootings. In those 307 mass shootings, 328 people died and 1,251 were injured.
Those numbers should leave you dumbfound.
This problem should have been resolved by our government after Columbine. That was in 1999.
It’s been almost 20 years since then, and the problem has only escalated — especially recently.
Our country had its general election earlier this week. I urge the leaders of our country — newly-elected and re-elected, red and blue — to work together and pass laws for effective gun control.
Look, I’m not in favor of totally banning firearms.
Some people need it for protection. Some people hunt or shoot targets recreationally. Some people are enthusiasts (for which, I personally believe that right should not include owning semi-automatic weapons and anything military grade).
OK. Assuming one passes necessary background checks and is registered, owning a firearm should be legal.
But this has to stop.
How many more deaths have to occur before our leaders say enough is enough?
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Nick Celario, sports writer, can be reached at 245-0437 or ncelario@thegardenisland.com.
Semi-automatic means one pull of the trigger discharges one bullet. A rifle for hunting, a shotgun for shooting clay targets, and a handgun for protection are all semi-automatic. Therefore it is a contradictory statement to say that “ Look I’m not in favor of totally banning firearms.” while saying later on that “for which, I personally believe that right should not include owning semi-automatic weapons and anything military grade”. By saying you do not personally believe in the right for anyone to own a semi-automatic weapon you are saying you believe in a total firearms ban.
Nick…307 “mass” shootings? Get your facts straight and stop parroting USA Today, NBC etc. The real number is half of that–154. See quote below from The Sun. Still not something to crow about but do some fact checking beforehand.
“The not-for-profit group Gun Violence Archive defines a mass shooting as any in which four or more people are shot, including those who are injured but survive, and not including the shooter.
By this measure it records 154 mass shootings in the USA in the first 178 days of the year.”
RG DeSoto
Aloha RG, Do bombings count as serial or mass killings, as to car bombs and dropping bombs from planes, etc., I’m thinking more about international and inter and intra religious bombings, sure is a lot of that world wide. Just sayin’.
Charlie
Aloha Kakou, Aloha Nick
It seems ironic to ask the government for help with this violence when they are part and parcel to it.
The definition, as you well know, of stupidity is doing the same thing over and over..etc., same result…!
Our government takes boys of any religion from high school and makes men out of them by turning them into killers of other men and women and children in war zones in far off lands out of sight from the rest of us in the USA.
Then these killers return home with a military killer training and some with PTSD, and some of them have emotional problems and some to the extreme resort to extreme violence such as some of the 308 serial killings this year has shown. It’s probably known how many of the 308 were gun trained in the military; but while the military in this era has a need to make killers out of Christians, it may be time for a change.
We have military wars, trade wars, drug wars, etc., none of which have proven to be totally successful in the long run, if not complete failures, as we keep doing the same thing over and over with samesame result…having them at a loss to people and economies.
So perhaps we need a new War Concept that needs trying for the benefit of all.
Let’s introduce TOURISM WARS, or maybe a better word is Tourism Challenge.
The Country every year with the most Tourism Visitors based on that countries per capita population gets a financial award from what would otherwise be spent internationally on war. Of course this would be a $$$ loss to the world’s military industrialists, Bomb and Bullet makers but the benefits would be worth it to innocent men, women, and children.
All it takes is a mind change with Mind Training…out of an old deep dark unable or see out of RUT, and up into a new View from up top on high seeing for miles and miles of Happiness.
Competition could be, instead of jets, smart bombs, tanks, AK47’s, mortars, drones, and hand grenades; but instead in food, cultural events of dance, costume, songs, children’s shows, arts, entertainment, visitor attractions, music, quality health care, and scenic views (lucky Kauai); and the competition awards $$$ could be segmented so not a single winner takes all. And poor countries or other conditions that would place a country at the bottom each year would be awarded $$$ to upgrade their infrastructure, provide jobs in place of drugs, better wages instead of corruption, better health instead of crime.
Year after year raising the Awards instead of the Weapons.
Worldwide Tourism Challenge…after all who doesn’t need a Vacation, especially to see another country and see what the people are like there.
After all maybe those Capitalists, Communists, Socialists, Kingdom dwellers, Tribalists, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Non-Theists, and Cultists, are really all just like each other and just plain humans with same needs of Love, Family, Food, Shelter, Education, and some Freedoms, etc.
There are some tiny countries in the world still surviving and each has something unique to share and show the world.
Wouldn’t you rather be in a Tourism Challenge than a Nuclear Challenge.
One is Sane, Reasonable, Friendly, and Perpetuating as can be done year after year. The other, Military War and silly really Nuclear Weapons, is so limiting and filled with Ignorance.
Besides which would you prefer being on the Golden Gate Bridge looking at the 7 Hills and the Beautiful City of San Francisco; or shooting down from same bridge at an attacking armada of ships form the Sahara Desert.
This new way of Inter National competition beats the old tired bloody way any day any way.
Mahalo,
Charles
This article cites 307 mass shootings injuring 1251 and killing 328. I don’t mean to minimize the victims and agree it has to stop but this is hype. A mass shooting is any shooting that injures 4 or more people. By contrast, Chicago alone has had 2,590 people shot 480 fatally this year with some of the strictest gun laws in the nation. We live in a fallen world and until there is a change of heart, the numbers will rise.
You’re absolutely right to wake up to how “numb” we are becoming to this disturbing violence. Although I take issue in doing harm, I am professionally trained and certified in the use of hand guns and rifles.
Join us in obtaining your training
Nike,
I highly recommend you take a Hawaii Hand gun and Rifle, hunters training class. That will quickly change your mind about the issues.
Mahalo
With respect, your surface level words on the complex issue of gun control may influence your readers into ineffective emotional thinking and actions versus focusing on practical, effective remedies. Stick to sports writing. When you know as much as you do on sport subjects as you do on gun control, then write about it.