This Sunday, April 22, Travis Reinking opened fire at a restaurant in Nashville, Tennessee, and killed four individuals doing so, adding to the list of many shootings this year. In the incident, the gunman arrived at the Waffle House and shot two people outside the restaurant, then shot two people inside the restaurant with what appeared to be an AR-15 semi-automatic weapon. An individual, naming James Shaw Jr, was able to stop Reinking from shooting more people when he came out of hiding in a bathroom, after the door was shot and Reinking was adjusting himself, as well as the weapon. Eventually, Reinking was taken into custody in a wooded area and will be held in the Nashville jail, and he is booked on four accounts of criminal homicide.
Discussion Questions:
1. As more and more shootings are continuing to occur, what changes should lawmakers make in order to break the pattern of shootings?
2. After a shooting in a public location like this, how should companies/businesses create a safer environment for future customers to prevent this from happening again?
Lawmakers should implement stricter regulations on what kinds of guns can be purchased, and implement regular check-ups—similar to the system Japan currently has for regulating individuals with guns, and they have an incredibly low homicide rate from shootings. In additions, weapons such as a semi-automatic weapon should not be available for the common citizen to access—these are “weapons of war,” why would a citizen need one? Companies and businesses could implement more security features, such as guards, to create a safer environment; however, this does not make the atmosphere one of a sense of security necessarily. Rather, this could cause people to feel more anxious, and avoid public areas or businesses with an actual location altogether. In my opinion, keeping customers—citizens—safe should be the responsibility of police and the lawmakers; unfortunately, they, so far, have not achieved this, and the companies may have to implement these security measures in order to ensure that their customers are in one piece and “profitable” for them. As dehumanizing as this seems, the most effective way for the companies to create a safer environment for customers is if they see that, by doing this, they will gain from it.
ReplyDeleteThe issue of stopping and preventing mass shootings is clearly very complex given the years of debate and lack of a solution surrounding this issue in America today, so there is no simple way to fix this. However, I believe that a step in the right direction would be to increase the comprehensiveness of background checks on people who want to purchase a gun. While this may not solve the problem, it should act as a larger safe guard to mass shootings, but in the end, there is no way to stop gun violence completely. If we outlaw firearms, or just semi-automatic rifles, like the AR15 used in the Waffle House shooting, people will still be able to buy them illegally, like any other illicit product, if they really want to and use it to cause terror if they really want to. And, because guns are so good at killing, we use them in war, hunting, and for protection, meaning that if we put heavy restrictions on everyone’s use of high capacity magazines and the fire rate of guns, our potential to use those firearms to hurt innocent people decreases, but our ability to protect ourselves also decreases. However, some things are just unreasonable for the majority of the population to own, such as automatic weapons because the potential for harm heavily outweighs the potential for protection, or a suppressor because cases in which someone would need a suppressor to kill someone silently are not generally cases in which the person is protecting themself. Given all of this, I don’t think there is anything businesses and companies can do to prevent harm on their customers from shootings because putting in bullet resistant glass, doors, walls, and other things just isn’t practical, and putting in metal detectors, guards, or implementing body searches to enter properties isn’t practical either. Also, the larger problem is about gun violence and gun related deaths, not mass shootings, because while mass shootings make headlines and that’s all we seem to hear, far more people die in “regular” gun related incidents than mass shootings. According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been 4,395 gun related deaths this year, and of those only 25 were from mass shootings.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to know that the shooter had many firearms and his licence revoked after he showed signs of mental distress. In this case the system did its job to prevent unstable individuals from having the materials to hurt themselves or others. The unfortunate bit is that this particular individual wasn't given the proper resources to maintain their mental health. And that the weapons sweep obviously wasn't complete. Its just sad to know that this will be a time where the US in particular was struggling with controlling the use of firearms and many lives were ended as the cost.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2018/04/23/waffle-house-shooting-travis-reinking-manhunt-continues-nashville-police-say/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.43f154aaff6c
The news is always buzzing with incidents related to shootings and guns. I think that this is really going out of hand and we have to do something to change. I don’t think that the business and companies should be the ones to change, I think that the government needs to change. Business and companies can only do so much to protect their customers and employees. Also, this incident was at a restaurant, so there isn’t anything that restaurant owners can do because it isn’t practical. In order to be able to stop this problem, I really think the government needs to take the initiative to take some action, regarding this issue. As mentioned in an older blog post, I think that the government needs to rethink the second amendment. Allowing people to have guns is way to risky and many people aren’t using it for self-defense, but rather to destroy the lives of others. Government should start working to do more background checks on the people who buy guns, raising the age which you can buy a gun, etc. I do think that in general most people shouldn’t be allowed to have a gun, only police should, because allowing anyone to buy a gun is what instigates the risk of them shooting someone. If no one had guns, then people wouldn’t have to buy them to protect themselves.
ReplyDeleteAs more and more shootings occur, we need to be more aware of the increasing dangers that come with owning weapons of mass destruction, including automatic rifles that can kill many people in just seconds. I believe that guns should not be sold to citizens, as I see no use for them in the hands of ordinary citizens. After a shooting in a public location like this, companies and businesses could instill more security cameras and background checks to ensure that the person is fully capable of handling a gun appropriately. People are abusing the second amendment and flipping it around, using it to defend their right to own weapons that can take the lives of innocent people.
ReplyDeleteShootings probably occur more often than the news state. We have to be more aware and police should be prepared in case of the occurrence. When guns being sold, the sellers should be more aware on whom they are selling to. For example, they should do thorough background checks. Additionally, investigators should find out why shooters are doing these sorts of actions. If they find the reasoning towards why people are creating these problems, the could most likely solve the solution. Also people might have not shot up a location if they did they did have mental issues in the past. Furthermore, restaurant owners can possibly install bullet proof glass to ensure some sort of safety from a far. It wouldn't be very visually appealing but it would ensure safety for those who eat at those restaurants. Lastly, even though you might want express your hatred towards one, assuming the reason for violence, that shouldn't be a reasoning to go up and shoot those people.
ReplyDeleteGood point, Mitchell. I also thought that when individuals are purchasing guns they should have a background check, but they should also give logical reasons for why they have the need for the gun. I found it interesting how you mentioned how having more security wouldn't be visually appealing, but what's more important, knowing that you're safe in a location or having the location look "nice"? Although, your point about the bullet proof glass would be an alternative to high security, and if this actually ends up happening, it should be a global change.
DeleteI believe that there should be something in order to create more security to ensure that there are less shootings happening. It’s hard to stop shootings from happening overall, but I think that if the lawmakers should enforce a stronger law to make sure that guns are being sold less frequently in states that use guns regularly. Also the government could put more effort in trying to prevent illegal firearm trading. As for the more open locations including businesses and companies should include more security cameras to supervise the people entering or exiting. Companies and businesses could also add metal detectors to the entrances of the store or building. Overall, I don’t believe this will stop gun shootings, but it could reduce the number of shootings that are happening now.
ReplyDeleteEvery other week we hear of shootings in the news, which is truly devastating. Recently school shootings have been very common. According to a CNN article, since the beginning of 2018 there has been 20 school shootings in the US were someone was hurt or killed. To lessen the amount of shootings that occur in the US I think that lawmakers need to create stricter gun laws. I think that if someone is going to buy a gun there should be an extensive set of tests to make sure that the person purchasing the gun is qualified to do so. Monthly check ups for gun users should also be put in place by the government to ensure that everyone who carries a firearm is qualified and mentally stable to be operating/possessing one. It’s sad to think that family friendly restaurants, like this Waffle House, would have to take safety precautions because of recent shootings in companies and businesses but it’s something that these places have to think more and more about. Security guards could be a possible safety precaution, though this could be expensive for family operated businesses, but the bottom line is that the government should have the responsibility of fixing this recurring situation.
ReplyDeleteEvents like this, are breaking headlines, which is an issue as a society we must answer. We even know that the shooter went against the ATF the most prominent gun group everyone is fighting, as a spokesman for the ATF said Mr. Reinking's father, may have violated guns laws if he knowingly passed the weapons back to his son, who was prohibited from possessing a firearm." Shootings are increasing in the past, in 2016 there was a "38,658 death count of people, who either died of suicide or homicide" (ETR). The law is made by lawmakers, and the lawmakers should be in pain and aching seeing their country is literally in fire. New rules should be made on gun restrictions; this will break a pattern that has been seen in the past month, and forward on. Creating new laws that ban or stricter will help with our country which is torn on the gun control topic. There is still small hope, even if lawmakers are not trying to help, Waffle House is, they are offering to pay for the funerals of all four victims; Taurean C. Sanderlin, Joe R. Perez, DeEbony Groves, and Akilah DaSilva. We must change our country which is hellbent on the idea of guns, we must change the laws or create new ones, and if lawmakers aren't going to change then, the people will.
ReplyDelete1) Lawmakers should create a stricter gun policy so only more mature adults are allowed to buy a gun. A person who is going to buy a gun should have a closely examined background check with no criminal records, no mental disabilities that could affect their behavior and use with a gun and they should over the age of 21 or higher with a valid reason to obtain a gun. It could also help if people are only allowed to buy small and less damaging guns like pistols instead of automatic rifles. This could decrease the damage done to someone if there was a shooting and there is less fire rate to give other people a chance to react quicker. These are some of many solutions that could be taken in order to prevent shootings like this to occur again.
ReplyDeleteHuh, something feels oddly familiar about this, but maybe I'm just hallucinating. Why does it seem like our congress is more useless than a pedal powered wheelchair? Gun control is very possible, and it's only the sense of impossibility that prevents us from achieving it.
ReplyDeleteNow, Let's take something into consideration here, which I still retain many issues with: The United States has an overly protective mindset regarding violence and self defense. In most states people are eligible for gun ownership at eighteen, and can choose to die for their country as well, but have to wait until they are 21 to legally drink alcohol. Now, I wish to emphasize the problematic nature of this mentality, because there's a problem when a teenager is allowed to own a tool capable of taking another person's life, three years before they can legally buy themselves a beer. But this is inner workings of the conservative mind, as the means of violence is never the tool used to commit it, but the person behind it. Alcohol enables the person to commit violent or unstable acts, but the gun is a completely separate entity. For Conservatives (in general) , it's ALWAYS the person, never the tool, but I propose the idea that it doesn't have to be one or the other. These acts of violence are almost always an unfortunate storm of poor mental health and far too much accessibility regarding guns, so I feel it appropriate that we discuss both. This also doesn't really pertain to the question, I just really wanted to say it.
But since the question is about gun control, I guess I'll talk about that. We need more background checks, and we need to check the person of any history of mental instability or past crimes before granting them the PRIVILEGE of owning a gun. This should be common sense, but our gun distribution is leaking through like water on a wooden floor. To be honest I feel like I've said this so many times that I should just create a mantra to repeat whenever the question is asked. But I've come to realize that lawmakers won't do anything, they're about as useful as outfielders in a little league baseball game. But that's what I think should happen, more background checks and less instant accessibility to automatic weapons, and guns in general. 'I feel real original with those ideas.' Yet, I still hold true that those are what is needed to at least disrupt the pattern of these attacks, which I feel is the first step to lessening them overall. As for the second question, I find it a bit unnecessary, I mean, what can independent businesses really do? "This is a gun free area? Oh, I guess I can't attack it then." Yeah, that seems to work.
Honestly I'm just really sick of seeing these type of things and having to talk about them, I wish I had more of the "crusader" type mindset a lot of my friends seem to have but I just don't. Those are my general thoughts though, feel free to consider them of you wish, or don't, I don't really care too much.
Though I believe that more regulation needs to be put in place about the possession of guns, one topic that needs more focus is the treatment of people with mental illnesses. Anyone who would carry out an act as heinous as this clearly has a mental issue, and the United States does not seem to adequately address the issue. Prestigious universities such as Stanford have been accused of discriminating against the mentally ill according to the Daily Californian, and that is indicative of society's treatment of those with mental issues. There is a stigma about having mental illness that leads suffering people unable to seek out help and feel trapped. This can lead to terrible events like this one and is an issue that can be solved in a much more simple manner than creating perfect legislation, as every person can take a part in this. By enabling people in need to receive the help they need, we can help stop things like this from happening.
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