Lipman Family Professor of Criminology, Law and Public Policy at Northeastern University, James Alan Fox, spoke in the KĀV this past Wednesday, Feb. 20, about his article, “Top Ten Myths About Mass Shootings,” in light of the tragedy that occurred in Newtown, Conn. this past December. He is the author of 18 books, including “Violence and Security on Campus” (2010), “The Will to Kill” (2007) and “Extreme Killing” (2005). Along with his publications, Fox is also the winner of the 2007 Hugo Adam Bedau Award for excellence in capital punishment scholarship.
Fox started studying mass murder in the early 1980s along with one of his Northeastern colleagues, Jack Levin, to see if there were any patterns in crimes or the people that committed them. There was a sense back then that mass murderers were “crazed lunatics that go berserk and kill anything that moves.” According to Fox, most mass killers will kill people who they know and have a clear motive; they kill specific people for a specific reason. Mass murders are “well planned assaults… they know where to kill and when to kill.” The people who commit such crimes typically seem calm while they are carrying out their planned attacks. They see themselves as the victims, the ones who are “mistreated and dealt with unfairly,” they want to get even with society. More often than not, the motive behind mass killings is the intent to get revenge on the people who the murderers hold responsible for their own problems and misfortunes. “The victims may be random, but the kind of victim is not,” Fox said. Mass murderers will continue to kill no matter what is put in their paths. “The rarest form is the totally random attack like we saw at Aurora,” Fox said. It is these types of attacks that are perhaps the most frightening.
“Everybody has theories as to why it is increasing, but it’s not,” Fox said of the idea that mass shootings are on the rise. There is no substantial increase in the number of mass murders that has occurred. “Over the past three decades, there has been an average of 20 mass shootings a year in the United States, each with at least four victims killed by gunfire,” Fox said. The real growth has been in the type of style and popularity the news media gives it due to the many advances in technology and reporting. “It is the perceptions and fear are what make it seem like it is on the rise,” he said.
There are no specific warning signs to identify mass killers before they kill. Any person could be in a depressive state or have an interest in weapons, but that does not mean that they will go out on a killing spree. “Yellow flags only turn red when blood is spilled,” Fox said. Most mass murderers have no criminal backgrounds or any history of a mental illness. If this were the case, then the person would not be permitted to purchase a weapon legally. “In 43 public mass murders, no murderer was denied a gun … Background checks may be a good idea, but that won’t stop mass murder,” Fox said. Even with the precautionary act of background checks, that does not mean that a mass murderer could not find some other alternative to find a weapon, such as stealing from friends and family members.
It is important to host events like this on campus so students can take away a better understanding of what is going on in the world around us. Dr. Michael G. Long, associate professor of religion and peace and conflict studies, said, “Events such as this one reflect the mission of the College—to affirm the values of peace, nonviolence, human dignity and social justice. Elizabethtown College is a community of moral discourse and action, and we have a particular calling to come together to discuss issues of violence and nonviolence as they arise in our life together. I think we would be failing badly if as a peace college we neglected to address Newtown and other mass shootings.”
“There seems to be great momentum to establish policies and procedures designed to make us all safer. Sensible gun laws, affordable mental health care and reasonable security measures are all worthwhile, and would enhance the well being of millions of Americans. We shouldn’t, however, expect such efforts to take a big bite out of mass murder. Of course, a nibble or two would be reason enough,” Fox said. We live in the land of the free and the home of the brave; it is not certain whether preventive action will make a difference, but that does not mean that we should not try.