The world can be viewed as one sizeable social space which is constantly shifting thanks to changing social views, perspectives and aspects. As it is, almost all the events that happen across the globe tend to have a sociological aspect as they always occur in human society. Thankfully, the mainstream and the social media keeps humans in the know of what is happening in the global social space. One of the social events which make constant headlines in the worldwide media coverage is the mass shooting of innocent humans by reckless individuals. This mass shooting sparks heated social debates as people try to reconcile the reasons why individuals take such drastic actions with negative implications. However, one may link this obvious deviance to some sociological theories revolving around social order and control, deviance, stratification or social construction. In essence, the increased cases of mass shootings being witnessed across the globe are an indication of a laxity in the social order. An analysis into the current mass shooting event at a newsroom in Annapolis, Maryland on June 28 this year will help shed light on the social aspect of this event.
Description of Mass Shooting Event at a Newsroom in Annapolis, Maryland
The attack on the Capital Gazette newspaper newsroom in Annapolis, Maryland on June 28 left five employees among them journalists dead. On this day, “A man armed with a shotgun and smoke grenades stormed into the newsroom of a community newspaper chain in Maryland’s capital on Thursday afternoon, killing five staff members” (Tavernise, Harmon & Salam, 2018). Phil Davis who is a Capital Gazette police reporter narrated how hard and unnerving it was to hear multiple gunshots as the gunman continuously reloaded the gun. Most of the concerned authorities at the Capital Gazette felt that this attack was targeted since the suspected gunman walked through the lower part of the building with a shotgun.
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This event is not an isolated case as incidences of mass shootings are not a new phenomenon in the US and across the globe. Going through the history lane one will not fail to remember Vegas concert event in 2017 where 58 people were killed. Moreover, one will encounter the Florida club event, Sandy Hook event where 49 and 26 people were killed respectively. Sadly, the US seems to witness more incidences of mass shootings as compared to other nations across the world. The main reason for the increased shooting incidences is laxity in enforcing gun control policies or general disregard for existing social orders.
The reporters have offered a critical analysis concerning this unnerving trend, which has continually taken away the lives of innocent citizens across the world. According to Tavernise, Harmon, and Salam, (2018), the US has seemingly ‘grown numb to mass shooting’ considering that it has become a regular phenomenon. In essence, mass shooters have already targeted churches, colleges, movie theatre, clubs, and schools. However, an attack on a news organization has to give mass shootings a new perspective. The reporters are surprised by the fact that Capital Gazette was attacked in as much as it is a key player in sparking American Revolution in the 1700s. For the reporters, it is important then for the concerned authorities to understand that there is no limit for the mass shooters as every person is prone to these attacks.
Analyzing the Shooting Incident(S) Through a Sociological Lens
The shooting at Capital Gazette headquarters at Annapolis, Maryland sparks a sociological concern, as it is a reflection of a deviant society, which no longer sticks to the laid social controls. Individuals who take up arms to kill innocent citizens in their numbers reflect deviant people who have no regard to the set social constructs. In essence, social order and control are there to regulate human behaviors to enhance cohesive coexistence. However, breach of the social control structures and which happens in instances where there is a laxity on the side of law enforcement teams leads to increased mass shootings. As it is, most countries have several legislations which limit the number of people who should have access to weapons most especially guns. Sadly, there exist corrupt elements within the law enforcement teams who allow for the infiltration of illegal arms, which in turn fall into the wrong hands.
Social control theory is one of the many sociological theories which can be applied to understand the motivation behind the increase in mass shootings across the globe. In essence, social control theory establishes that individuals conform to the set rules since they are aware of that institutional and external factors exist to regulate behavior. As a result, individuals tend to behave within the confines of those regulations and provisions for fear of reprisal or reproach. However, if the perceived external and institutional factors fail to instill fear in people, and then it is possible that they will engage in deviant behavior. Moreover, according to Hirschi, the social control theory has four bonds with attachment being one of those bonds. In the event that one of the bonds is severed then individuals will be more prone to deviant acts (Capellan, 2016). This proposition perhaps explains why mass shooters are lonely individuals who conduct the attacks without the help of other people. The attacks are seen as a way of affirming their position to the society which has deserted these individuals.
Modern societies are highly stratified in terms of class, race, gender and other social-oriented stratification frameworks. This kind of stratification tends to set individuals into varied social levels which in itself fuels conflicts. As it is, such unnerving mass shooting incidences can be traced to several social injustices, which have plagued most countries across the world. The highly stratified societies are responsible for making some individuals feel neglected by the same societies which are supposed to protect them. The active shooter tends, more often than not, to be motivated by a deeply personal grievance tinged with feelings of persecution and humiliation, real and perceived” (Eskey et al., 2014) This personal grievance, in turn, leads people to vent out their frustration on innocent people in a bid to redeem their social pride. Interestingly, according to Pitarro (2018), those individuals involved in mass shootings are likely to be “Caucasian adolescent male from a middle-class community who attends or attended a suburban high school.” This kind of description points to the fact that social stratification plays a significant role in mass shooting events.
In conclusion, mass shootings, which are a sociological issue, are on the rise, especially in the United States. The latest mass shooting at Capital Gazette’s headquarters at Annapolis, Maryland points to the fact that the existing social control agencies and mechanisms are no longer able to deter deviant elements. While one may think that individuals automatically align themselves to the existing social order, a break of the order leads to an increase in crime. In essence, mass shootings are fuelled by a slackness in how the society perceives and punishes crimes. If members of the society feel that the society is not punitive enough, then there is a likelihood that deviance will be evident.
Moreover, it is important to understand the role played by social stratification when it comes to mass shootings. Middle-class Caucasian males as compared to low-class males have committed most of the mass shooting incidents from other races. Consequently, mass shooting being a sociological issue can only be addressed through sociological perspectives.
References
Capellan, J. A. (2016). Looking upstream: A sociological investigation of mass public shootings , (Capstone Projects). City University of New York, New York, US.
Eskey, M. et al. (2015). Mass killings: What we know and where do we go: Roundtable discussion, Southern Criminal Justice Association, 2015. Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 1(5), 528-539.
Pitarro, M. (2018). A theoretical explanation for the increase in school shootings. In Public Safety. Retrieved on 4 August 2018, from https://inpublicsafety.com/2018/03/a-theoretical-explanation-for-the-increase-in-school-shootings/
Tavernise, S., Harmon, A. & Salam. M. (2018). 5 People Dead in Shooting at Maryland’s Capital Gazette Newsroom. The New York Times. Retrieved on 4 August 2018, from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/28/us/capital-gazette-annapolis-shooting.html
