Our hearts go out to the friends and families of the victims of Monday’s horrific shooting that claimed the lives of seven people, all farmworkers, in Half Moon Bay.
This appears to be a situation of workplace violence, and not necessarily random. There is a range of mass shootings. There are school shootings, targeted shootings, random shootings, targeted shootings that also take bystanders, and on and on. There have also been murders with cars, or other weapons. But mainly it’s guns.
On Tuesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom came to Half Moon Bay to talk about Monday’s shooting that claimed seven lives. It was on the heels of another shooting over the weekend in Monterey Park that claimed the lives of 11 people. On Monday, seven people were injured and one killed in a shooting in Oakland. The shootings take place in schools, in churches, at concerts, at events, in movie theaters, at shopping centers, on our streets, in our homes, in our workplaces and just about everywhere you can think of. No place is spared.
On Monday, it hit close to home, in San Mateo County, on the coast in Half Moon Bay. This one has a greater impact. We don’t know every detail, but we do know it was workplace violence, and that farmworkers were killed by a co-worker with a semi-automatic handgun. There is no meaning to the deaths. Only loss. Families will be forever changed through that loss.
As with any mass killing, we learn of the details and come to predetermined conclusions. For some, it’s the need to control guns. For others, it’s mental health. Or both. As with anything, it’s complicated. And there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Politicians will politicize, and perhaps there will be progress. Yet, there is more to this. There is more going on within us.
It is easy to jump to our current philosophies and villainize those who do not adhere to the solutions with which we agree. But life is more complicated than passing rules, regulations and restrictions. Just to be clear, the issue with gun violence is, at its heart, guns. But it is deeper than that. And it’s OK to be angry at senseless violence. But the answer for us, as individuals, is not to vilify others as the enemy of our cause, but rather choose a more dignified path of understanding and compassion.
In times like this, we all seek understanding and solutions from our leaders. Commonsense gun control legislation is but one piece to the puzzle. There is more, and that starts with mutual respect and keeping a watchful eye on behavior that could lead to accelerated incidents of violence in any form. As the governor pointed out himself, the situation in Half Moon Bay is complicated. Living conditions and wages appeared to be substandard and we can only guess if that had something to do with the state of mind of the suspect. We, as a society, must do better in how we treat each and every member of our community, regardless of how long they’ve been here, what they do, what their beliefs are and who they are. That goes for every single one of us.
There is a permeating sickness in our society and we need to look at the root of its manifestation. It is the gun, but it’s also determining why a person would pick up that gun with the intention of using it on someone else.
For now, we can start with us simply lending support to the people of Half Moon Bay who are contending with this terrible loss. That’s an easy first step. Every subsequent step should be made with empathy and the understanding that the solutions will not be easy. They never are.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(3) comments
"We have to start taking a look at what's wrong with the core of America."
Lou - the core? Our entire economy is based on depravity and violence. Look at the garbage coming from social media, from Hollywood and what passes for music these days. Then we have a lenient penal system that does not provide criminals, regardless of age with any repercussions. Everybody is a victim and we are forced to accept every deviance in our culture as a 'new normal". Gun restrictions do not have any impact on the perpetrated violence which is proven daily in Chicago and Oakland. The core problem includes lack of respect, a dual justice system and outright hypocrisy by our despicable leaders.
Most of the news coverage involves buying guns. how about halting the sale of automatic weapons? This is a fine editorial that goes beyond the usual suspects - guns and mental health. We have to start taking a look at what's wrong with the core of America. Have we made "choice" our most important value? When did mass killings start? They are not new. I think the largest one in the Bay Area was a bombing at a parade in 1916. Then we had soooo many shootings in the 1960s and 70s. Something went off the rails during those days.
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.