The right response to the Maine mass shooting
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In one night, one person with a gun changed everything. Maine is reeling after the shooter opened fire at a bowling alley, and then a bar and grill, killing at least 18 people. The suspect, an Army reservist, reportedly had been treated in a mental health facility for two weeks this summer.
After the Wednesday attack, gun rights advocates will focus on mental illness. Gun-control advocates will focus on guns. What the country should focus on is supporting the survivors. To do this, we need to understand the empty spaces that gun violence creates.
People go missing from homes and schools and friendships. A sense of safety and security vanishes. In the void, fear, grief and rage can take their place. All too often, anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder move in.
Community. It fills the space.
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