Some Comments on Recent Mass Shootings

By | August 7, 2019

[August 7, 2019] Several readers wrote to me and asked if I would give some leadership points on the recent mass shootings.1 This article is designed to provide some of my thinking but with some input by others. These twin tragedies do allow leaders to show their “stuff” by doing those things within their authority to make a bad situation better.

Leadership is about making the world a better place and to use the old Charles Schwab commercial; Making the world a better place, one step at a time. Anyone who makes things worse, through lying or deceit, does no one a favor. Sadly, I saw several politicians trying to make political points from these tragedies and found such comments pathetic and reprehensible.

Here are a few points. Please comment (good or bad, constructive or not) and add any points you may think I missed. Well, here goes:

  1. The shootings were done by angry, mentally-disturbed young men. What this signals about our society, I’m not so sure, but our ability to identify and treat mental illness should be studied carefully.
  2. Politics had nothing to do with the shootings. Those who use the tragedy as a jumping-off point to push a particular political agenda are the worse kind of leaders.
  3. Blaming other people who could “possibly have stopped” the tragedies, like the shooters’ parents, family, school, the media, or politicians, is a corrupt argument and an irresponsible way of shrugging off accountability. It’s also an immature way of shifting blame from the shooter to others who bear no responsibility.
  4. To publicly claim, that any particular viewpoint or tool (like a gun, ideology, or association) used by the shooters is fair game to be criticized, banned, or disparaged demonstrates an unashamedly gross ignorance of history and people.
  5. Ultimately what is associated with most mass shootings, beyond them being mentally disturbed people, is a breakdown of the family, a decline in religion, fast-paced technological changes, a hyper-focus on rights to the detriment of responsibilities, and ridicule of manhood as a toxic byproduct of a bygone era.
  6. Staying out of trouble, working hard, getting married, and having kids, telling the truth, and avoiding illegal drugs has been labeled as racist, sexist, and homophobic. Some folks ask why anyone should work hard when the deck is stacked against them? This is the kind of attitude that feeds into the anger of young men.
  7. The widespread use and availability of guns of any type can be ruled out. They’ve been widely available since the beginning of the U.S., and our freedoms have rested on this right to keep and bear arms. Most mass shootings have occurred in “gun-free zones.”

This is by no means a complete list. I’ve given it some significant thought and spoke to at least a dozen of my friends who are U.S. military Flag Officers. We all were thinking along the same lines, so I don’t think I’m too far off the mark. The solution? One way is to encourage young men to adopt more responsibility in their lives.




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Author: Douglas R. Satterfield


24 thoughts on “Some Comments on Recent Mass Shootings

    1. Joe the Aussie

      I agree with you and most of those who posted here. Sanity must reign. I was watching the tube of the US elections and got to think, wow, they have some crazy dudes running for their president. Cheers.

  1. Greg Heyman

    Too many people will dismiss such clearly articulated thoughts on this tragedy and attempt to make political points from it. To do so would be a great example of leadership that fails because it divides us.

    1. Wesley Brown

      Great comment Greg. Too many people are simply focused on themselves and cannot see the forest for the trees.

    1. Gil Johnson

      Thanks for pointing this out Yusaf. I’m curious what most people really think about these mass shootings. Do they really blame the US President after listening to the non-stop blame game of social media and the drive-by media? But did they blame US Pres Obama when 24 mass shootings occurred during his presidency? The answers are self-evident but most cannot see it.

      1. Ed Berkmeister

        Thanks Gil for an informative comment that is both thoughtful and logical. 🙂

  2. Dale Paul Fox

    Good list. I couldn’t have a better list myself. Shared it with my sister and her husband. They thought it was spot on.

  3. Willie Shrumburger

    If you listen to the US presidential Democratic debates, you are in for some real entertainment. They are running far left into socialist territory and the next step is full-blown communism. They have already said they want to confiscate the money from the “rich”. By the way, the rich is us.

    1. Bill Sanders, Jr.

      Ha ha! You’ll be called a racist now. I agree that “we” are the rich; that is, anyone who isn’t on food stamps.

    2. Delf A. "Jelly" Bryce

      Willie. I’m not so sure that they are running toward communism but they are surely after group rights and the rejection of a Western value system based on individual responsibility. Hard work, staying out of trouble, not smoking weed (all those things identified by Gen. Satterfield in earlier articles) are being rejected as somehow anti-person. Well, I have news for everyone, these are what made the world richer and a better place. Communism along with socialism are ideologies that made the world much worse off.

      1. Lynn Pitts

        We haven’t heard from you in a long time, Jelly. Welcome back. Please write another article for Gen. Satterfield’s blog real soon.

        1. Harry B. Donner

          Yes, and I agree with you Gen. Satterfield. Let’s hope he submits more articles. You have a few really great guest bloggers. Please encourage them! 🙂

  4. JT Patterson

    There have been a number of Democratic presidential politicians who have inappropriately blamed Donald Trump for the murders committed by mentally unstable men. What they are showing us – me in particular – is that they are untrustworthy to be in a leadership position.

    1. Max Foster

      I’m not so sure which one was the worst offender of this problem but I know that Corey Booker is the worst panderer. They have not done well so far in getting ordinary, hard-working people to consider voting for them. Why would I want to?

      1. Darryl Sitterly

        Corey Booker and Kamala Harris … stupid is as stupid does.
        Joe Biden … crooked, sleepy Joe.
        Is there really anyone else other than communist Bernie “the nut” Sanders?

        1. Walter H.

          Darryl, you stole my thunder on that comment. Well said partner. I like watching Bernie Sanders; the angry man who wants to steal from you and me and give our property to those who refuse to work.

    2. Anita

      I don’t see the Democratic politicians as entertaining as much as simply dangerous. Any one of them will help ruin our country.

      1. Roger Yellowmule

        Anybody with a brain can see this. The first step in accepting such idiots is to lie to yourself and be good at it.


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