Mass Murder: A Matter of Scale

Since about 1966 there have been in excess of 4,000 mass shootings in the United States. The number of victims exceed roughly 1,300 souls with many more wounded. The most recent mass shooting at the time of this writing occurred in Maine, with a manhunt for the killer ending when the body of the suspect was found after a week or so. To say that this and the other mass shootings was a tragedy probably goes without saying. Additionally, to say that these mass shootings qualify as terror incidents might well be arguably valid.

Regular readers of my blog (northof49blog.com) might remember that I wrote frequently about such terror events, though it has been quite awhile since I posted any such entries. When I ceased writing about such events, I did so to avoid harm to my mental health. My mental health notwithstanding exposure to regular news stories of such terror events cannot be ignored. The recent Maine event coupled with news stories about the Israeli-Hamas War and the ongoing reports of the atrocities committed by Russia in Ukraine have caused me to contemplate a question about why mass shootings in the USA do not seem to be compared with the mass murders that occur on the world level that are otherwise described as war. I have not seen any of this sort of discussion in US based media, though perhaps I have not been suitably attuned to pertinent editorial comment.

It seems possible that the only significant difference between the two kinds of mass shootings is a Matter of Scale. In the well over a year since Russia began a campaign of terror against Ukraine by way of invasion and often unrelenting bombardment and ground force shootings it is an inescapable observation that the most frequent targets have been innocent citizens: Men, Women and Children of all manner of ages. Surely this can be identified as mass shootings. Casualties as of September 2023 reached about 9,700 souls with about 17 thousand wounded. It is clear to me that Russia is the undeniable aggressor in these mass shootings. The motive may not be quite so clear, but I submit it is the desire of Putin to take back a country he believes once properly was part of Russia. Mass shooting is simply his preferred method of working toward that goal.

Hamas is the elected governing force of the Palestinian enclave known as Gaza. Known by much of the free world as a bona-fide terrorist agency the recent Hamas missile bombardment of multiple sites within Israel is effectively a mass shooting with more than 1,400 Israelis killed. The resulting retaliation by the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) has so far caused more than 8,000 Palestinian deaths mostly women and children. Hamas is dedicated to the destruction of Israel, a clear motive for this unprecedented attack on the Jewish nation The retaliation by Israel according to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is aimed at a complete eradication of Hamas to affect a solidity for the nation’s existence. Surely, however, the scale of the retaliation is a mass shooting of an inordinately and inequitable size.

I find it very difficult to decide just how to fully understand or what to believe about relative justice in all these terror events. I do think that I can declare that the decision by Putin to invade a sovereign nation such as Ukraine and conduct what certainly looks like a scorched earth policy of destruction is patently and abjectly wrong on every front. In the case of the Hamas-Israeli War I find it more problematic to formulate a definitive position. I understand the Hamas motivation and the retributive Israeli reaction. What interferes with my understanding is the collateral damage being created by the IDF among the everyday Palestinian citizens. My current understanding is they have been caught between Hamas and the IDF. My belief is that probably most Palestinians do not necessarily support the action of Hamas and more probably do not support the Israeli scope of retaliation. It seems to me that Israel’s plan of action is starting to look rather extreme as a means of accomplishing the goal to end Hamas.

I suggested that these mass shootings, those in the USA and those in Ukraine and Israel/Gaza are a matter of scale. However, when the mass shootings in the USA are understood as the work of single shooters compared to the many multiple actors in Russia’s forces and Hamas’ terrorists the result for my understanding is frustratingly complicated. Where I do have no doubt is this fact: There is no justice in the senseless deaths of innocent human beings.

About ronstotyn's northof49

I am a retired college professor and former broadcast journalist. I live in Vermont with my wife. I write near the shores of Lake Champlain. As an author I cast characters in the task of anti-terrorism efforts. The setting for my stories is Canada. My first novel is The Chechen's Revenge, a story of Sean-Guy O'Dwyer-Lariviere and his team of Canadian Anti-terrorism Service agents on the trail of a rebel Chechen, determined to create havoc and death on Toronto's Go Train system. The Chechen's Revenge is now in print and can be ordered online at https://mkt.com/northof49publishing.