Gun control emphasis evades fundamental sources of U.S. anti-social violence

War is Terror
War on Terror is Terrorism

Media, political establishment prevent discussion of social and political background says Joseph Kishore and I’m inclined to agree 
Editing, short comment by Carolyn Bennett

Circumstances surrounding Connecticut killing

More Information emerges

U.S. involvement in
Asymmetrical warfare

Killer who shot himself after killing his mother, Nancy Lanza, in her home, and 26 others at Sandy Hook Elementary School was 20-year-old Adam Lanza, officially confirmed by police on Sunday.

Guns, including the Bushmaster semiautomatic rifle, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition Adam Lanza brought to the school and used to kill 27 people were owned by his mother.

  

Adam Lanza's mother apparently taught him to shoot the weapons.

The shooter’s mother at some point “had removed him from his high school and [had given] him home schooling.”

The shooter was dressed in black army fatigues and a military vest when he carried out the killings.

The shooter’s mother, Nancy Lanza, as reported in the British Telegraph (citing an interview with Marsha Lanza, the sister-in-law), “was part of the ‘prepper’ or survivalist movement.

Involving the stockpiling of weapons and food in preparation for economic or social collapse and often associated with right-wing political conceptions, Survivalism has expanded as a movement, particularly since the start of the U.S. ‘war on terror.’

U.S. global war on terrorism

Adam Lanza had Asperger Syndrome, a mild form of autism, a common disorder characterized by difficulty interacting socially but “not associated with violent behavior.”

Whatever are the contributing or circumstantial factors in this tragedy, Joseph Kishore writes today at World Socialist Web Site, “[this one] and a series of similar mass homicides [after publication of Kishore’s article, another occurred in Colorado] are  —

Linked to the brutalization of American society

A product of the violence promoted by the state, 

including unending war, 

U.S. drone war

the institutionalization and glorification of state assassinations, and 

the propaganda associated with the ‘war on terror.’

“In the media and political establishment, commentary on the killing has focused on standard themes that follow every such tragedy—above all, the need for a ‘national conversation’ on gun control,” Kishore writes.

However, “while the ready availability of guns (the United States has the most guns per capita of any country in the world) facilitates homicidal impulses of certain individuals, this does not explain the regularity of mass killings in the United States.

Violence Turned on self

“From the standpoint of the ruling class, the campaign for gun control is tied to efforts to extend powers of the state, undermine democratic rights, and maintain the monopolization of violence by the police and military.”

Ultimately, he concludes, the focus on gun control aims at “evading the discussion of more fundamental sources of anti-social violence in America.”

Sadly, I agree with Kishore.

Sources and notes

“Connecticut shooting” (Joseph Kishore), December 18, 2012,   http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2012/12/18/guns-d18.html

Joseph Kishore also recommends: “Horror at Newtown” [December17, 2012]; and “Illegal stops by New York Police rise to 2,200 daily” [May 21, 2012]

Asperger syndrome (AS), also known as Asperger’s syndrome or Asperger disorder, is an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) that is characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction, alongside restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests. It differs from other autism spectrum disorders by its relative preservation of linguistic and cognitive development. Although not required for diagnosis, physical clumsiness and atypical (peculiar, odd) use of language are frequently reported. Wikipedia note.

Residents of Newtown, Connecticut, began Monday burying those killed in the mass shooting last Friday.

 Survivalism is a movement of individuals or groups (called survivalists or preppers) who are actively preparing for emergencies, including possible disruptions in social or political order, on scales ranging from local to international levels.

Survivalists often acquire emergency medical and self-defense training, stockpile food and water, prepare to become self-sufficient, and build structures (e.g., a survival retreat or an underground shelter) that would help them survive a catastrophe. Wikipedia note

NBC news today online: Updated at 5:50 p.m. ET: 

Four people were found dead Tuesday in Colorado in an apparent murder-suicide that began with a woman's plea in a 911 call and then the sound of gunshots. 

A vehicle found outside the home was later tied to a man who hours earlier was released after being arrested on suspicion of domestic violence. http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/18/15993440-after-no-no-no-911-call-4-found-dead-in-apparent-murder-suicide-in-colorado

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