We could prevent this kind of violence if we had stricter gun control laws.
The issue here is that it fails to address the very source of the violence - the human heart. As long as people have made up their minds to kill others as retribution for their misdeeds they are going to find a way to do it. The Boston Bombers made some homemade explosives with common kitchen items. If you create stricter regulations and then sit back on your heels someone is going to find a way around them, be it a knife, IED, baseball bat, rocks, potato cannon, homemade napalm, etc. etc. What we need to do is address the root causes of the violence, not the mechanism by which it finds its form.
God isn't fixing this!
This was the headline in today's issue of the NY Daily News. I'll admit that this one pissed me off a lot. We have an unprecedented rise in nones, dones, non-religious, atheist, pseudo-atheist, and a general culture that doesn't care about God. Let's be clear that this is the same God who teaches you to forgive, to turn the other cheek, to put your sword away because whoever lives by the sword dies by the sword, to pray for those who persecute you. Christianity is difficult. It is really, really hard to love somebody in the face of their hatred. So most people have given up. But can anyone honestly say that if we lived as a society according to the Sermon on the Mount we would be the worse off for it? Quite the contrary. A robust faith actually leaves zero room for this kind of violence so let's quit pushing it to the side and then wondering how things got so bad.
We need better mental health care.
This statement taken on its own is actually true. But to invoke it anytime there's a mass shooting is profoundly offensive to anyone who has struggled with mental health issues. Mental illness has a huge spectrum, and only a small percentage of them are actually violent people. Most, I would venture to guess, just struggle to put on a brave face and make it through the day while inside they're dying. Claiming that a violent person is 'sick' or 'crazy' does a huge disservice to the millions of people who have worked hard, struggled, and live a life in the face of their difficulties. Let's not group them together.
Responsible citizens with guns can prevent these kind of occurrences.
Today I'm an equal opportunity offender. We have a pervasive myth in our society that violence in certain circumstances is somehow redemptive. As long as the good guys shoot the bad guys everything is okay. This myth pervades all kinds of movies, video games, entertainment, politics. You can claim that the vast majority of people who indulge in this kind of media don't commit violent acts - but every single one of them reinforces the myth. The other problem with it is that in real life you can't tell who the good guys are and who the bad guys are. In his letter to the Romans St. Paul taught us that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Ro 3:23). If that's true we should take a more humble approach to who we are and not be so quick to applaud killing because somehow we're 'good' and the others are 'bad.' Trust me you're not smart enough to make that kind of judgement so leave it up to God.
This is because of religious extremism
The more I've researched the more I'm convinced that this is a red-herring argument designed to ignore the fact that our society and government has actually created a lot of the problems that are erupting violently. In the 1950's the United States CIA engineered a coup d'etat that put a brutal dictator in charge of Iran. When they revolted and set up their own system we declared them 'bad.' In the 1980's we took sides in the Afghanistan Civil War and then pulled out as soon as the Soviets left. Then in the early 2000's we bombed Afghanistan back to the stone age, and in a matter of minutes destroyed a civilization that took centuries to build. When that wasn't enough for our blood lust we invaded Iraq, dismantled their government, and then left because their security, as we claimed, was 'their responsibility.' Contrast this with what we did following World War II. We build bases in Japan, Germany, and Italy, and helped them rebuild their societies. Today they are some of our closest allies. Restorative justice demands that you fix, repair, or rebuild after you've damaged or destroyed something. No matter how noble you think you are going into war, there are always going to be damage that affects more people than we care to admit. And in order to repair that harm you need to be willing to walk beside them for the long haul. I strongly doubt that the main reason for these attacks is to impose someone else's way of life upon us. I do feel it's because people want us to stop destroying them.
So what does all of this mean?
Hatred, judgement, self-righteousness, and violence all go hand in hand. You cannot fight your way to a more peaceful society. This is why when St. Peter took his sword and cut of the ear of the high priest's servant, Jesus told him to put away his sword. For everyone who lives by the sword dies by the sword (Matthew 26:52). Every one of the arguments is an example of trying to live by the sword. They arrogantly assume that the problem can be fixed so long as someone else changes, be it more guns, less guns, mental health, less religion, etc. The only solution is for human beings to take responsibility for what's in their own hearts. Live a life of love and kindness and generosity and gentleness and justice and don't give room to all this other trash. Let's live in a better way.
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