Would stricter gun laws prevent tragedies like the Aurora massacre from happening? For Germany’s Saarbruecker Zeitung, columnist Thomas Spang writes that in the U.S., Europe, or anywhere else, while stricter gun laws may be desirable, legislation can do nothing to prevent ‘evil from showing its ugly face.’
For the Saarbruecker Zeitung, Thomas Spang writes in part:
Such events have long found a place – and not only in the United States. They are also an unfortunate reality in Europe. Whether it is during the school massacres in Erfurt and Winnenden, or in Norway almost exactly a year ago, when 77 people died in Oslo and the Island of Utøya. What may have motivated 24-year-old James Holmes in Aurora is not yet known. Whether the shooter was aware of the approaching anniversary of the massacres in Norway might indicate some type of mad ideology. Perhaps he was mentally ill. Or perhaps he was someone satisfying a personal desire for revenge. The next few days will bring more information about his motives.
But one thing can now be clearly asserted: Bloody acts like these cannot be prevented. Even less so in cases where they are planned and executed by a so-called “lone wolf.” Except for being aware of your surroundings, there is really no way to guard against such acts. That is the frustrating realization at the end of the long bloody trail that winds through various continents, time periods, and societies.
READ ON IN ENGLISH OR GERMAN AND READ MORE OF THE GLOBAL REACTION TO THE COLORADO SHOOTINGS AT WORLDMEETS.US, your most trusted translator and aggregator of foreign news and views about our nation.
Founder and Managing Editor of Worldmeets.US