Has anyone ever wondered why civilians are able to purchase large weaponry without much questioning? Why are there no bills that have passed for outlawing the possession of large guns for people who are not in the hunting business?
In the case of one individual; Jared Lougher went on a violent shooting rampage. The American gun laws, or should i say lack of American Gun Laws allowed Jared to go on this shooting spree. Lougher was able to simply go into a gun store and purchase a clip that supported roughly thirty-three rounds of ammunition. Why in the world would any American citizen need to use this many rounds? Other than if one is hunting..but even at that, there is absolutely no need for this ridiculous amount of bullets. The only reason I can think is that this man became a savage in his own mind and had no other reasoning but to simply kill his enemies.
Jared Lougher is a prime example of the story The Allegory of the Cave because no sane person in their own mind would ever attempt to go on a shooting rampage. The shooter, at his previous school, was required to do a mental examination due to continuous outbursts and was a constant disruption. Does it mean that anyone who is not one hundred percent mentally there should be checked for mental stability? Do we now have to make sure that of the seven billion people surrounding this world that we do a mental examination on every single one of them? This can keep happening if there is no bill passed to either completely outlaw the gun policy, or make it almost impossible to own a weapon.
This story relates back to the Cave because it is like man stepping out into the real world for the very first time. But, in this case man has a weapon to protect himself, as he has never been accustomed to seeing other people before. It is a completely insane thing to do; shoot someone, but for some unknown reason people continue to do it. Was Jared in a cave his whole life, afraid to enter the real world? And at first glance of someone who might be a threat to him...to shoot them?
Kyle,
ReplyDeleteIt is the fact that Lough was mentally unstable that was at the root of the problem, not the availability of guns. Lough was insane. So, do you think if he wasn't able to purchase a gun he wouldn't have tried any other method of killing? Of course not, he was crazy -- he would have found another way. Also I don't quite understand your argument that there is a connection between this shooting and the lessons behind Allegory of the Cave. Perhaps you can explain it a little better
Overall, I agree completely with the fact that it is absurd that many people who are obviously not mentally stable are able to buy firearms openly. It makes you wonder what the person selling the gun was thinking since it seems pretty likely to me that you would be able to tell if the person you were selling to (in this case Jared Lougher) should not be given a gun so easily. This is a contradiction because the same right that is put into place to protect us (right to bear arms) has also led to a policy that has caused many deaths through shootings like this.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I feel like the allegory of the cave is not as good of a comparison to the event as you suggest. Just because this man did something crazy like this shooting does not necessarily mean they have lived in a world like those in the cave. Those in the cave did not know true reality because they were literally shielded from it. They then developed their own reality based on the images they saw. In this case I feel like it is not a situation in which Jared must automatically have lived in a place that did not allow him to know reality, because why in this case would he want to shoot people simply because he steps out into the real world and realizes things are different than he has been accustomed to? I feel like people like Jared do things that stem from a neurological issue or any other possible environmental or societal factor that triggers their actions.