Editor's Note:
Sometimes when emotions are running high, it is helpful to stop and reflect on the realities behind those emotions. The gun issue is now on the front burner in Washington, with calls from the sheep to "Do SOMETHING!" Their proposed solutions actually do nothing to address the problem, however, because the challenge is too complex for simplistic responses. As Lt. Col. Dave Grossman explains in this thoughtful excerpt from his book, On Combat, there is no safety in denial. Reprinted with permission. Pat Daugherty, Ed.D. |
|
On Sheep, Wolves and Sheepdogs
|
|
One Vietnam veteran, an old retired colonel, once said this to me: “Most of the people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one another by accident.” This is true. Remember, the murder rate is six per 100,000 per year, and the aggravated assault rate is four per 1,000 per year. What this means is that the vast majority of Americans are not inclined to hurt one another.
Some estimates say that two million Americans are victims of violent crimes every year, a tragic, staggering number, perhaps an all-time record rate of violent crime. But there are almost 300 million Americans, which means that the odds of being a victim of violent crime is considerably less than one in a hundred on any given year. Furthermore, since many violent crimes are committed by repeat offenders, the actual number of violent citizens is considerably less than two million.
|
|
|
Described by Slate Magazine as "a heroic, omnicompetent figure," Lt. Col. Dave Grossman is a U.S. Army Ranger, a paratrooper, and a former psychology professor at West Point. He was called upon to write the entry on "Aggression and Violence" in the Oxford Companion to Military History and has presented papers before the national conventions of the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics. He has been an expert witness and consultant in state and federal courts and has trained mental health professionals in the aftermath of a number of school shootings. Today Col. Grossman is the director of the Killology Research Group and has been inducted as a Life Diplomate by the American Board for Certification in Homeland Security.
|
|
|
|
|
