The Newark Massacre Isn’t News

Newark, New Jersey

By Matt Rooney | The Save Jersey Blog

NewarkThis week’s big story was undoubtedly the murder of 12 employees of the Washington Navy Yard, Save Jerseyans. It’s always jarring when so many lives are silenced so dramatically, violently, and in this case, senselessly. We won’t forget about it for some time.

The resulting public preoccupation with mass shootings in the immediate aftermath of a tragedy, however, isn’t really warranted statistically speaking. You’d never know it from watching a cable news network in the wake of such an incident, but over the past three decades, as of March 2013, mass shootings accounted for only 1% of the 559,347 murders records in America over the last 30 years.

What you also won’t hear much about on MSNBC (or Fox, too, to be fair and balanced) are the 64 murders in Newark thus far in 2013… more deaths than all of the mass shootings over the past year combined.

Minimizing the occurrence of mass shootings should be relatively straightforward; almost without exception, we find out afterwards that EVERYONE in the future mass murder’s life knew he was crazy but, for one reason or another, no one did anything to address his mental illness. The killer eventually picks a geographically convenient “gun free zone” and the worst happens. The Navy Yard shooting appears to be no exception to the rule. As a society, we need to revisit how we identify, process and treat the mentally ill beginning during their school days. That much is clear.

Addressing the vast majority of murders in the U.S. – like the 64 so far this year in Newark – remains a much more complicated problem. What can we deduce from recent history? Liberal mayors like Cory Booker who believe eradicating guns is an elixir for urban crime are objectively failing in their task. Cities with a more comprehensive approach to policing like New York City are experiencing a historic drop in violent crime. Ironically, the current (and ultra-liberal) Mayor of Chicago Rahm Emanuel was scheduled to campaign for Cory Booker on Friday evening; Chicago just passed New York City as America’s murder capital and, after a particularly awful shooting last night, Rahm’s cancelled his appearance.

Perhaps Cory Booker should take the hint and cancel his campaign?

Just don’t hold your breath waiting for Democrats to discuss anything other than banning firearms. They don’t want to look beyond the instruments of crime to the true causations because they’d also have to confront the fatal flaws of their own ideology. It’s much easier and more politically expedient to demagogue gun ownership by suburban and rural NRA members who account for a relatively insignificance percentage of violent crime in America. A media in search of ratings (and fully supportive of the liberal anti-gun ideology) can’t be counted upon to re-calibrate their coverage to suit the real challenges in our society.

That’s why it’s up to you and I to remember the Newark Massacre of 2013; the Navy Yard victims are no less precious in our eyes and those of their Maker but they won’t lack for coverage. Newark’s victims are a different matter altogether.

Matt Rooney
About Matt Rooney 8404 Articles
MATT ROONEY is SaveJersey.com's founder and editor-in-chief, a practicing New Jersey attorney, and the host of 'The Matt Rooney Show' on 1210 WPHT every Sunday evening from 7-10PM EST.

2 Comments

  1. Shared to discredit Mayor Booker for his campaigning for US Senator.. He has NOT proven a valuable role model ever since!! Please share to our NJ friends especially before the Oct 16 voting…. Think about Lonegen!!

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