When a person makes the decision to take so many lives - as
happened in Aurora Colorado early Friday morning - it can lead to many
questions that no amount of evidence collection, witness interviews, or the
inevitable and seemingly unending media attention can answer.
Of
course, there have been many devastating examples of senseless violence in
recent US history. The 9/11 attacks, acts of arson, and bombings such as
occurred in Oklahoma City are just a few examples. The effect of these events
is difficult to overstate. No discussion of other tragedies can or should be
allowed to diminish the horror of these events in anyone’s mind.
Finding
recent examples of murder on a grand scale is made easier by the fact that three-quarters of the deadliest mass murders in the United States have occurred since 1980.
And while mass murder comes in many forms, most of these deadliest acts involved firearms as the exclusive or primary weapon.
