On Saturday, January 8, 2011, Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, a three-term Democrat, was shot at point-blank range at a public gathering in Tucson, Arizona. Her assailant, Jared Lee Loughner, initiated a shooting rampage, firing 31 rounds from a Glock-19. The assault left six people dead including a civic-minded nine-year-old girl and a congressional aide. Another fourteen people were wounded or injured. Though Giffords survives, she faces long-term rehabilitation, given the seriousness of penetrating brain injury.
Almost immediately, media began to report public responses including conspiracy theories and the potential link of the attempted assassination to right-wing campaigns featuring elected officials targeted for defeat. Ads featured the officials’ photos trained in the crosshairs of gun sites. A quick google of the phrase “gun site” (to determine its correct spelling) yielded several links, one in particular, AlterNet (1) with its ranking of the top ten Gun States, i.e., those with the highest number of gun-related fatalities and most permissive gun laws.
Ironically, Mississippi leads the list, being No.1 in gun deaths at 18.3 per 100,000 and 4th out of 50 for permissive gun laws; Arizona is No.2 with 15 gun deaths per 100,000 and 1st out of 50 for permissive gun laws. Arizona is followed by Alaska at No.3 (1.6/100K, 11th/50); Arkansas at No.4 (15.1/100K, 7th/50); and Louisiana at No.5 (19.9/100K, 23rd/50).
Loughner purchased his semi-automatic handgun legally at the Sportsman’s Warehouse in Tucson, and his ammunition from Wal-Mart. In 2000 Giffords, a centrist Democrat and “long-time gun owner” who supports gun owners’ rights, supported a ban on semi-automatic weapons. Her support for the ban resulted in Giffords receiving low grades from both the National Rifle Association and the lobbying group, Gun Owners of America. In 2008, she joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers sending an amicus brief to the Supreme Court arguing for the gun owners’ rights.
At the time Giffords issued this statement: “As a gun owner, I am a strong supporter of the Second Amendment. In February, I was proud to sign the Amicus Brief in District of Columbia v. Heller asking the Supreme Court to uphold the lower court ruling that overturned the long standing DC gun ban. We have a long tradition of gun ownership in the United States… It is a tradition which every law-abiding citizen should be able to enjoy.” (2) That said, one ponders the issues at play in the attack on Giffords.
The rush to accuse Sarah Palin and Fox News seems misplaced given the juvenile nature of their slurs and fantasies. The first thing that comes to mind upon seeing a public figure or media network post a photo of an elected official framed in an imaginary gun site is what bad form it presents. Professionals don’t do that sort of thing. Adults, other than comedians and buffoons, don’t talk about shooting, poisoning, choking, etc. anyone, particularly those on the opposing team. (3) It’s called sportsmanship, good manners, or common sense. Take your pick.
I’ve never understood people who fall under the spell of mean-spirited, though dominant, personalities capable of negatively swaying opinion towards another individual, cause, or coalition. I like to make my own decisions. If you rail too loudly and persistently against something in an attempt to sway me, there’s a good chance I’ll become suspicious of YOUR motives. If I’m going to dislike an individual, cause, or coalition, it’ll be based on MY experience and perception. Much like gun owners don’t cotton to having their right to bear arms threatened, I’m very protective of my right, ability, and RESPONSIBILITY to form my own opinions.
Armed attacks on the defenseless— be they elected officials in public places, co-workers in their workplace, or students in their elementary, high school, or college environs— are the acts of cowards and/or the insane. Is integrity and/or mental health of an individual the responsibility of the public at-large? Do we drop a dime or rat out the “crazy” person among us, or monitor and seek to assist them in some way? When do compassion and concern cross the line to dread and avoidance? A closer look at every mass murder gun incident in the last twenty years yields clues to the possibility of pending disaster. Peers and teachers saw the signs, but often parents were oblivious.
Loughner was banned from the Pima Community College campus for disruptive classroom behavior and irrational outbursts regarding his Constitutional rights. Re-enrollment was contingent upon the results of a mandated mental health evaluation. He was refused entrance into the armed forces due to his repeated admittance of drug use. Why would a person in such direct conflict with authority want to serve in the military, an organization structured upon a foundation of heterogeneity, intense common belief/focus, and the subordination of the individual for the greater good? His inability to fit into that system resulted in rejection. Ultimately acceptance and recognition, at some level, have been motivators for more than one assassin.
In 1980, Mark David Chapman killed John Lennon to attract attention. In 1981, John Hinkley shot President Ronald Reagan, and seriously wounded/permanently disabled James Brady to impress actress Jodie Foster. In 1999 in Columbine, Colorado, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 12 students, a teacher, and wounded 21 other students before committing suicide. Investigators struggled to understand what motivated the two young men, citing bullying, helplessness, insecurity and depression, the influence of popular culture, i.e., violent video games, music lyrics and the Goth subculture, as well as a need for attention. These reasons were proved wrong.
In 2007 at Virginia Tech, Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 people and wounded many others before committing suicide. Cho had a history of severe anxiety disorder that did not come to light, despite being declared mentally ill and court-ordered to attend treatment following charges of stalking. Cho’s status as a danger to himself precluded him from the purchase of firearms (a Glock-9); however, Virginia’s (No.28, 10.7/100K, 35th/50) out of sync (state and federal agencies) background checking system for potential gun buyers failed to flag Cho. (4) According to the NY Times, “The attacks received international media coverage and drew widespread criticism of U.S. laws and culture… sparking intense debate about gun violence, gun laws, gaps in the U.S. system for treating mental health issues, the perpetrator’s state of mind, the responsibility of college administrations, privacy laws, journalism ethics, and other issues.”(5)
A criminal complaint has been files by the U.S. attorney’s office in Arizona charging Loughner with “the attempted murder of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords… the murders of legislative aide Gabriel Zimmerman and chief federal judge John M. Roll, respectively; and… the attempted murders of legislative aides Pamela Simon and Ron Barber, respectively.” (6) The charge of federal murder is available when a government official has been killed in the course of performing official duties (7), and is potentially a capital offense. The Justice Department may seek the death penalty from the grand jury in the murder of U.S. District Judge John M. Roll. Attempted murder under federal law carries a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment. (8)
Congratulations, Mr. Loughner. Everyone knows who you are now.
You are in a lot of trouble…
What is the point in blaming hate speech? That’s the million dollar question. Hate speech isn’t the exclusive domain of Sarah Palin, Fox News, etc., INSERT PET PEEVE HERE. Isn’t it also the resulting polarization of our political system to prevent compromise and solution to our continuing economic and social problems? What possible good comes from deadlock? Is it that important to maintain the status quo, or worse yet, a significant imbalance of power that favors one faction to the detriment of another?
A former Republican turned Democrat, Rep. Giffords has been outspoken on controversial issues ranging from President Obama’s healthcare reforms, gun control, immigration reform, US-Mexico border policy, lowering government spending, tax cuts, as well as presenting a less liberal, more moderate stance for the Democratic Party.(9) Intelligent, educated, and sophisticated, she has been a Fulbright Scholar, a fellow at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, and the CEO of a family business. Giffords is a proponent of mental health funding, public education, and renewable energy sources, particularly solar energy. She is married to U.S. Navy Captain and astronaut Mark E. Kelly.
So why target an accomplished public servant for assassination? Friends say Loughner thought Giffords was a “fake.” Mark David Chapman thought John Lennon was a “phony.” “Columbine” author Dave Cullen concludes that Harris and Klebold killed randomly, without intended targets. Their victims weren’t the intended targets; their larger motive was to terrorize the entire country, and they did. (10)
Sarah Palin defends heated political debate, and denounces the media for blaming political rhetoric as instigating “the despicable act of this deranged, apparently apolitical criminal.” Yet again, we are operating in fear. Fear that could be assuaged by working together, sharing information and resources, and putting an end to interagency turf wars that let international and domestic terrorists and assassins slip through the cracks and loopholes in our system.
In closing, I think we all agree with President Obama’s belief that we can all be better and live up to Christina Taylor Green’s expectations for our country— not a liberal or conservative America, but the United States of America.
REFERENCES
1 Site Ranks Most Dangerous “Gun States”: Here Are the Top Ten. Altnet.org.
2 Girouard, April. Giffords A Longtime Supporter of Gun Rights. FoxNews.com.
09 Jan. 2011
3 Rindell, Steve. “Fox News: The No. 1 Name in Murder Fantasies”. 10 Nov 2010. Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR).
4 Luo, Michael. “U.S. Rules Made Killer Ineligible to Purchase Gun”. The New York Times. 21 Apr 2007.
5 Ibid.
6 McCarthy, Andrew. “Federal Charges in the Shootings”. National Review Online.
10 Jan 2011. http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/256757/federal-charges-shootings-andrew-c-mccarthy
7 Title 18, U.S. Code, sections 1111 and 1114
8 Title 18, U.S. Code, section 1113
9 Braithwaite, Tom. “Giffords Known for Moderate Views”. Financial Times.
10 Jan 2011.
10 Cullen, David. Columbine. New York, NY: Twelve Publishers. 2010.
