On Sept. 15, Aaron Alexis killed 12 people at the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) in Washington, D.C. Compared to previous events, the nation’s response seems muted. Aside from public figures like President Obama’s initial declarations of sadness, the national attitude is indifference.
The shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. last year instigated a nation-wide debate about gun control. The greatest legislative response was the proposal of the Manchin-Toomey amendment, a bipartisan bill drafted by Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) that aimed to expand background to gun purchases from gun shows and the Internet. The amendment was eventually defeated in the Senate.
Congressional response to the Navy Yard shootings is more tepid. Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said that it was unlikely Congress would pass any new gun control legislation in response to the shootings. Hoyer told reporters, “If past is prologue, that prologue is not very helpful.”
Even President Obama’s response to the shootings was muted. In Dec. 2012, the president wiped tears from his eyes during his speech about the Newtown shootings. During his speech at a memorial service for the Navy Yard victims on Sunday, Obama was far more stoic.
“But part of what wears on as well is the sense that this has happened before. Part of what wears on us, what troubles us so deeply as we gather here today is how this senseless violence that took place here in the Navy Yard echoes other recent tragedies,” Obama said. “As President I have now grieved with five American communities ripped apart by mass violence. Fort Hood. Tuscon. Aurora. Sandy Hook. And now, the Washington Navy Yard.”
The president’s sentiments reflect the nation’s apathy towards mass shootings. The Navy Yard massacre is the latest in a number of high profile mass shootings in the U.S. over the last few years.
Google Trends (which charts relative search interest of terms on Google) provides some interesting statistics. In Dec. 2012, when the Newtown shooting occurred, search interest in the U.S. for “Newtown” hit 100, the highest possible score. Following Navy Yard, the search interest for “navy yard” has only hit 35.
Given that Navy Yard has been a front page story for the New York Times, it seems odd that general interest has been so low. Why has public and political reaction been less fervent than it was following Newtown or earlier shootings? One of the more cynical theories put forth by analysts is that the public simply isn’t emotionally invested in the deaths of adults.
“A workplace shooting, no matter how big, just doesn’t seem unusual enough to generate public response,” noted gun-control advocate Matt Bennett said, speaking to NPR’s Liz Halloran.
Bennett’s comments paint an picture of the national response: business as usual. Reviving the gun control debate would be pointless. The defeat of the Manchin-Toomey amendment is indicative of this futility. If the deaths of 20 children in Newtown didn’t prompt the passage of major legislation, it seems unlikely the Navy Yard shooting will.
Gun control efforts in other countries have had greater success than in the U.S. The New York Times reports that in Chicago, gun stores are illegal. The city has also banned both assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, yet has one of the highest rates of gun violence. Chicago had 500 homicides last year, and recently a mass shooting occurred there as well: on Thursday, Sept. 19, four men opened fire in Cornell Square Park, wounding 13.
Japan also has strict gun laws. Most guns are illegal. Those that are not are heavily regulated. Unlike Chicago’s gun laws, however, Japan’s legislation has proven effective. The Washington Post reports that in 2008, a year marked by over 12,000 gun-related homicides in the U.S., Japan had 11.
Politifact (a website operated by the Tampa Bay Times which fact checks statements from political figures) reports that the rate of gun homicides in the U.S. is ten times higher than in other NATO countries.
How is it that gun control laws in Japan have significantly reduced gun violence? Why are similar laws here in the States so ineffective? Why is our nation plagued by violence?
If there’s one glimmer of hope in this story, it’s that Navy Yard may produce a much needed debate about mental illness in America.
CNN reported that prior to the shooting, Alexis had contacted two Veterans Affairs hospitals seeking help for psychological issues. Furthermore, he had told police that he was “hearing voices.” The day after the shooting, an FBI official said Alexis held “the delusional belief that he was being controlled or influenced by extremely low frequency electromagnetic waves.”
The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that 26.2 percent of Americans over age 18 suffer from a diagnosable mental illness. Approximately one in 17 Americans suffers from serious mental illness.
Mental illness is common, yet it is often overlooked. A report by the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors states that from 2009 to 2012, states reduced their spending on mental health by $4.35 billion. So far there has been no significant push in Congress to improve mental healthcare following Navy Yard.
A tragedy like Navy Yard reveals our national character. In times like these we should strive to build a better society. The nation’s response to Navy Yard, however, has been to look the other way.