Aim for the Head 2/3

The second installment of my take on the tragedy at Sandy Hook is about mental health. First off, I’m truly worried for anyone with Asperger’s syndrome. Because the media has repeatedly said the shooter had it but nothing about what it is, it screams trouble for anyone who publically has it.

I’m no expert but autism has to do with brain function and social behavior. They have difficulty with empathy and think differently but are not inherently violent. A lot of time it manifests as cluelessness. Sheldon Cooper from Big Bang Theory is a good example. Holmes even admits to Sherlock (played by Benedict Cumberbatch) having it. Temple Grandin is autistic and has written books about her autism and how it helps in her work with animals.

Asperger’s syndrome is not what made the Sandy Hook shooter do this. I’ve know several people with that diagnosis none of whom are violent. Anytime I’ve heard about an autistic person having a violent outburst, they don’t reach for the gun. They just try and beat the tar out of you. There was something else wrong with him. Whether it was psychosis, a borderline personality disorder, or just a dose of bat shit crazy may never be determined.

If the shooter was legitimately autistic (I’ve been hearing some debate), he should have had a certain level of care or a social worker of some sort to help him. Someone somewhere should have seen the something else that was wrong with him. Some of the people who personally knew the family said they were ‘troubled.’ There is so much I don’t know about the situation but if the neighbors suspected he might do something like this, what could they have done?

The cops cannot arrest someone without probable cause. They can’t haul him in and search the place without risking a PR nightmare. Our legal system has adopted a system of ‘do nothing until they do something’ for dealing with potential violent offenders. That system is ineffective and broken.

Both spree killers like Aurora and Sandy Hook along with violent partners get away with far more than they ever should because there is no middle ground between ‘he’s not quite right’ and ‘oh shit he really is dangerous.’ I bring domestic violence into this because those offenders can be just as violent but they have a specific target. Many times innocent people are killed as a result of the nothing authorities are allowed to do beforehand.

Creating a middle ground can be very dicey with regard to civil liberties but clearly the current system of ‘wait for it’ works too late. The Sandy Hook shooter was the result of America’s famous sickcare and authorities with limited options to act. Both systems need to stop with the ‘all or nothing’ model. I don’t know what the middle ground is but I know more innocent people are alive there.

Current Music: Sweet Dreams (Are Made of These) by Emily Browning