Claim: Mass Shootings Are Far-Right Terrorism


From War on the Rocks:

Today, however, the terrorists’ preferred tactic is the mass shooting. As we argue in our new book, God, Guns, and Sedition: Far-Right Terrorism in America, assault-style rifles have replaced explosives. And the perpetrators come mostly from the far right. Eschewing the time-intensive preparations involved in the careful construction and placement of explosive devices — as seen in Oklahoma City in 1995 and at the Atlanta Olympics the following year — domestic terrorists now prefer shooting, a far simpler tactic that is facilitated by the Second Amendment and entails simply opening fire on a group of ordinary citizens going about their daily lives. 

The authors’ claim that far-right extremism is causing mass shootings is negated by their later claim that most of the people committing the shootings have some kind of mental disorder. They further cite online “far-right” groups being formed and led by 13 year-olds! Do they or anyone else actually believe that? I find it hard to imagine. This is clearly an example of teens wanting to be “edgy” by adopting the current taboo thing. I don’t believe that any early teen is mature enough to have a well thought out political philosophy. The authors have to have willful ignorance to believe teens like that are a true threat. Lastly the authors are stuck in a 90s mindset by referring to “cop killer” bullets. I haven’t heard that term in a two decades. Hollow point ammo is widely used in self defense guns because it is more likely to stay inside the intended target thus increasing the safety of others in close proximity. Using full metal jacket ammo would mean a higher probability of the bullet going through the target and hitting an innocent by stander. Hollow point ammo is safer if a self defense situation involving deadly force is required.

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