Russia mass shooting

In Russia and most other countries of the world, mass shootings are uncommon. Unfortunately, with two mass shootings in a year, Russia is no longer a stranger to this human tragedy. On Sept 20, a gunman shot dead eight people and wounded several others at a university in the Russian city of Perm. The assailant has been arrested, and is said to be a student of the university. It is not known whether he suffers from mental illness. He had bought the hunting rifle only this year. Earlier in May, a man opened fire at a school in Kazan city killing nine persons and injuring 21 others.

These two tragedies have raised fears in other countries of mass shootings spreading like contagion. At educational institutions in Russia security is tight and legal possession of firearms is not easy, so it is difficult for deviant individuals to kill groups of people. But now people in Russia, especially teachers and students, feel increasingly vulnerable. The fact that the culprit was clad in black tactical clothing indicates that he had elaborately planned to have a dramatic effect on people. Several reasons might account for the gunman’s deviant behaviour like joblessness, failure to achieve what was expected of him, other disappointments in life, etc.

Above all, he might have been driven to resort to mass killing under the influence of gratuitous violence being screened on TV and in cinema. The authorities in Russia and other countries should address all these issues and remove the underlying causes to avoid such tragedies. Until recently mass shootings were something that commonly occurred in the United States due to easy legal access to firearms. Efforts to enact stricter gun laws have not met with success.

It is mainly the strong gun lobby in the country that scuttles move to restrict access to guns, by advancing the argument that under the First Amendment of the US Constitution, everyone has the right to own firearms for self-defence. Experience, however, shows that indiscreet application of this provision has proved counter-productive