Government to blame for shootings

Understandably, we want rapid accountability and we want shootings to stop. It is also inexcusable to rush to judgment and assign blame before all the facts are known. Some say it is guns out of control. Others — that the police were mistaken in delaying action. I believe both sentiments would be wrong.

School shootings are the worst symptoms of systemic government failure. Government fails repeatedly, predictably and reliably at (almost?) all levels. Schools are “gun-free zones” — except for the criminal killers. The FBI, arguably the world’s greatest police force, has had so many epic failures over such a long time, it is embarrassing. Some of the most egregious include Waco, the Atlanta Olympics bomber, the Unabomber, the decades of the KKK. What if we made our criminal-legislative decisions in a thoughtful, reasoned manner and not simply as a knee-jerk emotional response to the disaster du jour?

What if instead we had: good “red flag” laws; good mental illness treatment protocols; stop demonizing police; stop relinquishing our rights and responsibilities to government for our personal defense and protection; start to take back control of our lives from government and the non-elected, and non-accountable “experts,” stop pretending evil does not exist; and recognize we ought put some, no matter how young, good-looking, or sympathetic in places away from society for very long times?

On this Memorial Day weekend, we should be honoring our fallen who sacrificed their lives to protect our freedoms. Instead, we mourn the murder of the innocents. And we blame everyone but our own government. Let’s reclaim and use our freedoms. God help us.

Mitch Levin, M.D. Winter Park