Alessandra Ashford

On August 26, a white gunman killed three black victims in a racially motivated attack. The shooting has restarted pushes for stricter gun laws across the country.

On August 26, a white gunman took the lives of three black victims in a Jacksonville Dollar General. After these killings, he committed suicide in order to not face the consequences of his actions. This mass shooting was clearly racially motivated, as the gunman had racist symbols and art all over his body. The police also found manifestos on his person that supported this theory. This shooting was not caused by guns. It was caused by hatred toward African Americans and the shooter’s mental health issues. Guns don’t kill people. People kill people. 

The shooter had racist symbolism all over his body; he wasn’t trying to hide anything. This emphasizes his poor mental health, as no reasonable, level-headed person would willingly display themselves as a racist, hateful monster unless, of course, they were one.

It is reasonable to assume the gunman committed suicide for one of two reasons: he didn’t want to face consequences for his crimes, or that he had an underlying mental health issue that meant he was going to commit suicide regardless. This is the crux of the issue, that mental health should be emphasized more than gun control. At the end of the day, if someone is dead set on committing a crime and committing suicide right after, they are going to acquire a means regardless of any laws or regulations. Criminals don’t follow laws by definition. If guns were not a viable option for a mass murderer, they would very likely seek another option such as a knife or a bomb.

There is nuance to this issue. The United States should not be a laissez-faire society ruled by guns, nor should it be a society where gun ownership is a criminal offense. There should be regulation, just as there should be legal gun owners. According to the Gun Violence Archive, in 2022, there were 645 mass shootings. In a nation with 81 million registered gun owners, that is roughly 11.4 times less than the current national automobile death rate. While it is not okay by any means, it is not a strong justification for intense anti-gun legislation.

In conclusion, rather than blaming the weapon that a gunman used, we should look toward the root causes of any mass murder event. We should consider mental health, growing demographic and political divides, or even past criminal history in an effort to prevent any future incidents from occurring.