Four people have been killed and another two are in a critical condition after a school shooting in western Canada- the nation’s worst since a quarter of a century. The shooter has been identified as a white male and his gun has been seized. These attacks on educational institutions are becoming frequent, and make us wonder what we are missing regarding this foreboding threat.
Unlike in the United States, shootings are rare in Canada with stricter gun laws and better regulation. Yet, they have become a victim to this menace. With the suspect not being flagged as a conventional ‘radical terrorist’, the reasons for these attacks have roots in the western culture; something that no one can put their finger on.
If the problem is racism, it must be called out as such, and western leaders have a responsibility to their citizens to say this, rather than blurring the issue with “lone wolf” arguments. Even the most stable countries like Norway and Canada are a victim; it is time for them to address the moral lapses that exist in their culture and way of life. If it is a mental health problem, it is happening way too often for it not to be addressed at the society level. Firearms must be out of reach of everyone except law enforcement, and in this regards the US specially has to change its laws and culture.
While Pakistan suffers from the same scourge, we at least recognise the problem and know its roots. We are the victims of real terror, and we do not have the resources or manpower to deal with the menace that is latched itself on to the lives of our innocent children. Our enemies have declared a war on a progressive Pakistan. Countries like the US and Canada have no such problems, and they have the government setup, streamlined law enforcement as well as a developed legislative process to deter these shootings.