tag:theconversation.com,2011:/africa/topics/shooting-3403/articlesShooting – The Conversation2024-01-30T06:04:53Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2221562024-01-30T06:04:53Z2024-01-30T06:04:53ZAllowing duck hunting to continue in Victoria is shameful and part of a disturbing trend<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/572072/original/file-20240130-27-mofxc7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=51%2C0%2C3755%2C2528&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/rifle-hunter-silhouetted-beautiful-sunset-summer-507952288">KOCHMARYOV, Shutterstock. </a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Victorian government has <a href="https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/continuing-recreational-duck-hunting-victoria">confirmed</a> duck and quail hunting will continue in the state, albeit with changes which would purportedly ensure the practice “remains safe, sustainable and responsible”.</p>
<p>The controversial decision is a rejection of recommendations by a bipartisan <a href="https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/get-involved/committees/select-committee-on-victorias-recreational-native-bird-hunting-arrangements/">parliamentary committee</a> chaired by a Labor MP, which <a href="https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/news/environment/birdhuntreport">recommended ending native bird hunting</a> this year.</p>
<p>I, along with my Elder Anthony McKnight, made a submission to the <a href="https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/get-involved/inquiries/nativebirdhunting/submissions">inquiry</a>. To us as Yuin men, Yumburra (black duck) – one of the species being hunted – is a <a href="https://theconversation.com/humpback-whales-hold-lore-for-traditional-custodians-but-laws-dont-protect-species-for-their-cultural-significance-213073">culturally significant species</a> and our tribal totem. Yumburra is Country, we are Country. Harm to Yumburra is harm to us. </p>
<p>Our submission argued against recreational hunting of native birds based on concerns for the ongoing health of duck populations and questions over the ethics of the sport. We acknowledge that not all Traditional Custodians share the same position, but this is ours. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/572053/original/file-20240130-27-38gy0p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Artwork showing a family of Yumburra (black duck) swimming together, mother and three ducklings" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/572053/original/file-20240130-27-38gy0p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/572053/original/file-20240130-27-38gy0p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=442&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572053/original/file-20240130-27-38gy0p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=442&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572053/original/file-20240130-27-38gy0p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=442&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572053/original/file-20240130-27-38gy0p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=555&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572053/original/file-20240130-27-38gy0p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=555&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572053/original/file-20240130-27-38gy0p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=555&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Yumburra the black duck is a Yuin tribal totem.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Lyn Harwood</span></span>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-duck-shooting-season-still-isnt-on-the-endangered-list-92926">Why duck shooting season still isn't on the endangered list</a>
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<h2>Open season for controversy</h2>
<p>Duck hunting has <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-duck-shooting-season-still-isnt-on-the-endangered-list-92926">long been contentious in Victoria</a>. The issue emerges every autumn when the responsible minister is set to announce the details of the shooting season. Each year the same groups come out to wade through the muddy water and thrash out the same bloody arguments. </p>
<p>Advocates of the sport argue it brings money into regional communities and that it has become a tradition (albeit one with a short history in the context of this old land).</p>
<p>But the fact remains that waterfowl populations are in long-term <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/367180582_Eastern_Australian_Waterbird_Aerial_Survey_-October_2022_Annual_Summary_Report?channel=doi&linkId=63c5dd1bd9fb5967c2e03e4e&showFulltext=true">decline</a>. The inquiry heard that habitat destruction is the major contributor to this trend but that hunting was likely to be a small contributing factor. </p>
<p>Duck hunting also causes avoidable injuries to birds. The inquiry heard non-lethal wounding rates of ducks could be as high 6-40%, or 15,700 to 105,000 based on the 2022 season. </p>
<p>I cannot accept such high rates of injury to a significant totem. I hunt for feral deer, species that cause great damage to Country, but I only shoot when I’m confident of a humane kill. And I fish, but I only take fish when I’m comfortable that crayfish and abalone numbers are strong on the reefs where I have swum all of my life. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Legislative Council Select Committee Chair Ryan Batchelor talks about the report’s findings and recommendations.</span></figcaption>
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<p>In allowing duck hunting to continue, the Victorian government is ignoring the main recommendation of the committee.</p>
<p>The government says it will accept the other seven recommendations “in full or in principle”, by changing the rules from 2025. This includes:</p>
<ul>
<li>making education and training for hunters mandatory</li>
<li>improving compliance and toughening penalties</li>
<li>reducing the risk of wounding</li>
<li>increasing recognition of Traditional Owners’ knowledge of hunting and land management.</li>
</ul>
<p>In theory this addresses many of the problems. But in practice these measures will be resource-intensive and challenging to implement effectively. Education and compliance activities will need to be well funded and staffed. And hunting-related harm to individual ducks and populations can only be reduced, when it could have been eliminated. </p>
<p>Finally, these measures fail to address the issues that have been driving waterbird populations down over decades.</p>
<h2>A disturbing pattern of behaviour</h2>
<p>The Victorian government has form in ignoring evidence of the declining health of our environment.</p>
<p>In December 2021 I was <a href="https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/48e803/contentassets/5ebe773305454e0e80e02b78b3b62f39/6.-dr-jack-pascoe.pdf">invited to present an Indigenous perspective</a> to an <a href="https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/get-involved/inquiries/inquiry-into-ecosystem-decline-in-victoria/">inquiry into ecosystem decline in Victoria</a>. I told them of watching the decline of the manna gum woodlands I had grown up in, and how that impacted me. </p>
<p>That inquiry found threatened native species are suffering severe declines and are not being holistically protected. It also recommended the Victorian government consider revoking the “<a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-09-29/dingo-wild-dog-unprotection-order-bait-trap-buffer-zone/102914828">unprotection order</a>” that allows dingoes, a <a href="https://www.wildlife.vic.gov.au/our-wildlife/:%7E:text=The%20dingo%20is%20listed%20as,under%20the%20Wildlife%20Act%201975.">threatened native species</a>, to be killed over vast areas of Victorian private and public land.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-boss-of-country-not-wild-dogs-to-kill-living-with-dingoes-can-unite-communities-214212">'The boss of Country', not wild dogs to kill: living with dingoes can unite communities</a>
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<p>Three weeks afterward as part of the Independent Expert Panel reviewing the Wildlife Act, I submitted our report to the state government. The government commissioned the review because it was concerned about limitations of the laws following two high-profile cases, including the deliberate <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-04/wedge-tailed-eagle-deaths-prompt-review-of-wildlife-act/12210956">mass killing of wedge-tailed eagles</a>, a species acknowledged by many Indigenous Victorians as the Creator.</p>
<p>In the two years since we submitted our report, the Victorian government has not responded nor released our report publicly. </p>
<p>In September last year, the Barengi Gadjin Land Council called for an end to indiscriminate killing of dingoes, a species Indigenous Australians consider <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-boss-of-country-not-wild-dogs-to-kill-living-with-dingoes-can-unite-communities-214212">kin</a>. Just weeks later, the Victorian government extended the unprotection order for dingoes. </p>
<p>In October 2022 the Victorian Auditor General’s Office released a report titled <a href="https://www.audit.vic.gov.au/report/protecting-victorias-biodiversity?section=">Protecting Victoria’s Biodiversity</a>. It highlighted flaws in the state environment department’s threatened species protection and the data that informed decision-making. </p>
<p>That report also noted the department received less than half of the funding it requested to meet its own targets. What’s more, the most recent state budget <a href="https://greens.org.au/vic/news/media-release/labors-state-budget-fails-struggling-victorians-greens">decreased spending on the environment</a>.</p>
<p>So where does this get us? Late last year the Victorian State of the Environment <a href="https://www.ces.vic.gov.au/soe2023">report</a> was quietly tabled in parliament. Among the grim findings were that biodiversity continues to decline. Most biodiversity indicators assessed had deteriorated since 2018. These declines included “waterbird species in the Murray–Darling Basin” and “distribution and abundance of waterbirds in the Murray–Darling Basin”.</p>
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<h2>Demand more from the Victorian government</h2>
<p>The Victorian government’s support for recreational duck hunting is just one in a litany of failures to respond adequately to environment decline and to support the views of Indigenous Victorians. </p>
<p>The world is achingly beautiful, but that beauty is fading. It’s not fading in a faraway place, it’s happening on your doorstep, within your sphere of influence. </p>
<p>We, as Victorians, must accept our responsibility to care for this place that sustains us both physically and spiritually. We must demand that governments acknowledge the environment is being devastated and prioritise policies to reverse the trend. We cannot abdicate this responsibility to Country any longer.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/humpback-whales-hold-lore-for-traditional-custodians-but-laws-dont-protect-species-for-their-cultural-significance-213073">Humpback whales hold lore for Traditional Custodians. But laws don't protect species for their cultural significance</a>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jack Pascoe is affiliated with Back to Country and is Co-Chief Councilor of the Biodiversity Council. </span></em></p>Victoria’s decision this week to reject a ban on duck hunting is a shot to the heart for proud Yuin man Jack Pascoe, son of Bruce Pascoe. The black duck Yumburra is a Yuin tribal totem.Jack Pascoe, Research fellow, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1983662023-01-23T21:15:26Z2023-01-23T21:15:26ZHorror and anguish are playing out on repeat following the latest mass shooting – and the mental health scars extend far beyond those directly affected<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505949/original/file-20230123-7861-4i7gf6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=26%2C142%2C5909%2C3737&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The mass shooting at a dance studio in Monterey Park, Calif., is the latest in an endless string of gun violence tragedies.
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/CaliforniaShooting/adecd28f335647b9a565166a7d3e540f/photo?Query=monterey%20park%20shooting&mediaType=photo&sortBy=&dateRange=Anytime&totalCount=79&currentItemNo=36">AP Photo/Jae C. Hong</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Yet another <a href="https://ktla.com/news/local-news/monterey-park-shooting/suspect-dead-2/">community is stricken with grief</a> in the wake of the horrific shooting at Monterey Park, California, on Jan. 21, 2023, that left <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/01/23/monterey-park-mass-shooting/">11 people dead and 9 more wounded</a>. Families and friends of the victims, as well as those who were injured, are no doubt gripped with grief, anguish and despair. </p>
<p>In addition to those who are experiencing direct loss, such events also take a toll on others, including those who witnessed the shooting, first responders, people who were nearby and those who hear about it through the media.</p>
<p>I am a <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=UDytFmIAAAAJ&hl=en">trauma and anxiety researcher and clinician</a>, and I know that the effects of such violence reach millions. While the immediate survivors are most affected, the rest of society suffers, too.</p>
<h2>First, the immediate survivors</h2>
<p>It is important to understand that no two people experience such horrific exposure in the same way. The extent of the trauma, stress or fear can vary. Survivors of a shooting may want to avoid the neighborhood where the shooting occurred or the context related to shooting, such as grocery stores, if the shooting happened at one. In the worst case, a survivor may develop post-traumatic stress disorder. </p>
<p>PTSD is a debilitating condition that develops after exposure to serious traumatic experiences such as war, natural disasters, rape, assault, robbery, car accidents – and, of course, gun violence. Nearly 8% of the <a href="https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/what/ptsd_basics.asp">U.S. population deals with PTSD</a>. <a href="https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/treat/essentials/dsm5_ptsd.asp">Symptoms include</a> high anxiety, avoidance of reminders of the trauma, emotional numbness, hypervigilance, frequent intrusive memories of trauma, nightmares and flashbacks. The brain switches to fight-or-flight mode, or survival mode, and the person is always waiting for something terrible to happen. </p>
<p>When the trauma is caused by people, as in a mass shooting, the impact can be profound. The rate of PTSD in mass shootings may be as high as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.151.1.82">36% among survivors</a>. Depression, another debilitating psychiatric condition, occurs in as many as <a href="https://theconversation.com/syrian-refugees-in-america-the-forgotten-psychological-wounds-of-the-stress-of-migration-96155">80% of people with PTSD</a>.</p>
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<span class="caption">Jolie Slater, right, and Beth Paz, from Lake Avenue Church, embrace each other at a gathering held to honor the victims killed in the Jan. 21, 2023, ballroom dance studio shooting in Monterey Park, Calif.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/CaliforniaShooting/7027b43e6ead4afa93ae360e3de6f86e/photo?Query=monterey%20park%20shooting&mediaType=photo&sortBy=&dateRange=Anytime&totalCount=79&currentItemNo=11">AP Photo/Jae C. Hong</a></span>
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<p>Survivors of shootings may also experience <a href="https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/types/mass_violence_help.asp">survivor’s guilt</a>, the feeling that they failed others who died or did not do enough to help them, or just guilt at having survived. </p>
<p>PTSD can improve by itself, but many people need treatment. There are effective treatments available in the form of psychotherapy and medications. The more chronic it gets, the more negative the impact on the brain, and the harder to treat.</p>
<p>Children and adolescents, who are developing their worldview and deciding how safe it is to live in this society, may suffer even more. Exposure to horrific experiences such as school shootings or related news can fundamentally affect the way people perceive the world as a safe or unsafe place, and how much they can rely on the adults and society in general to protect them. </p>
<p>They can carry such a worldview for the rest of their lives, and even transfer it to their children. Research is also abundant on the <a href="https://theconversation.com/howard-stern-talks-childhood-trauma-and-a-trauma-psychiatrist-talks-about-its-lasting-effects-118027">long-term detrimental impact</a> of such childhood trauma on a person’s <a href="https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubpdfs/long_term_consequences.pdf">mental and physical health</a> and their ability to function through their adult life.</p>
<h2>The effect on those close by, or arriving later</h2>
<p>PTSD can develop not only through personal exposure to trauma, but also via exposure to others’ severe trauma. Humans have survived as a species particularly because of the ability to fear as a group. That means we <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-science-of-fright-why-we-love-to-be-scared-85885">learn fear and experience terror through exposure</a> to the trauma and fear of others. Even seeing a frightened face in black and white on a computer will make our <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00154">amygdala</a>, the fear area of our brain, light up in brain imaging studies. </p>
<p>People in the vicinity of a mass shooting may see exposed, disfigured, burned or dead bodies. They may also see injured people in agony, hear extremely loud noises and experience chaos and terror in the post-shooting environment. They must also face the unknown, or a sense of lack of control over the situation. The fear of the unknown plays an important role in making people feel insecure, terrified and traumatized. </p>
<p>A group whose chronic exposure to such trauma is usually overlooked is the first responders. While victims and potential victims try to run away from an active shooter, <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-aching-blue-trauma-stress-and-invisible-wounds-of-those-in-law-enforcement-146539">the police</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-aching-red-firefighters-often-silently-suffer-from-trauma-and-job-related-stress-164994">firefighters</a> and paramedics rush into the danger zone. </p>
<p>Many of these first responders might have their own children in that school or nearby. They frequently face uncertainty; threats to themselves, their colleagues and others; and terrible bloody post-shooting scenes. This exposure happens to them too frequently. PTSD has been reported in up to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2015.06.015">20% of first responders</a> to mass violence. </p>
<h2>Widespread panic and pain</h2>
<p>People who were not directly exposed to a disaster but who were <a href="https://doi.org/10.3402/ejpt.v3i0.19709">exposed to the news</a> also experience distress, anxiety or even PTSD. This happened <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.288.5.581">after 9/11</a>. Fear, the coming unknown – is there another strike? are other co-conspirators involved? – and reduced faith in perceived safety may all play a role in this. </p>
<p>Repeated media exposure to the circumstances surrounding a tragic event, including images of the aftermath of a shooting, can be highly stressful to survivors, those who lost loved ones and to first responders. In my clinic, I hear from affected people that repeatedly seeing the event on the news, as well as having others ask them about their experiences, can bring painful memories to the surface. Some first responders I’ve worked with try to hide their occupation from others to prevent being asked about such events.</p>
<p>Every time there is a mass shooting in a new place, people learn that kind of place is now on the not-very-safe list. People worry not only about themselves but also about the safety of their children and other loved ones.</p>
<h2>Is there any good to come of such tragedy?</h2>
<p>We can channel the collective agony and frustration to encourage meaningful changes, such as making gun laws safer, opening constructive discussions, informing the public about the risks and calling on lawmakers to take real action. In times of hardship, humans often can raise the sense of community, support one another and fight for their rights, including the right to be safe at schools, concerts, restaurants and movie theaters.</p>
<p>One beautiful outcome of the tragic shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in October 2018 was the solidarity of the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2018/10/28/respond-evil-with-good-muslim-community-raises-money-victims-synagogue-shooting/">Muslim community with the Jewish</a>. This is especially productive in the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-politics-of-fear-how-it-manipulates-us-to-tribalism-113815">current political environment</a>, with fear and division being so common.</p>
<p>Sadness, anxiety, anger and frustration can be channeled into actions such as becoming involved in activism and volunteering to help the victims. It is also important not to spend too much time watching television coverage; turn it off when it stresses you too much.</p>
<p>Finally, studies have shown that exposure to media coverage for several hours daily following a collective trauma <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1316265110">can lead to high stress</a>. So check the news a couple of times a day to be informed, but don’t continue seeking out coverage <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-protect-your-family-from-horrific-news-images-and-still-stay-informed-181818">and exposure to graphic images and news</a>. The news cycle tends to report the same stories without much additional information.</p>
<p>_Editor’s Note: This is an updated version of an article originally published on <a href="https://theconversation.com/mass-shootings-leave-emotional-and-mental-scars-on-survivors-first-responders-and-millions-of-others-157935">March 26, 2021</a>. It was updated with the news of an 11th death on Jan. 23, 2023.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/198366/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Arash Javanbakht does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Even people who are only indirectly exposed to these repeat tragedies, such as first responders and those affected by media coverage, can experience profound and long-lasting grief.Arash Javanbakht, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Wayne State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1982182023-01-19T21:22:32Z2023-01-19T21:22:32ZWhat is involuntary manslaughter? A law professor explains the charge facing Alec Baldwin for ‘Rust’ shooting death<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505468/original/file-20230119-26-w9y9jg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=48%2C169%2C5345%2C3315&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Alec Baldwin accidentally shot and killed a cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, in late 2021 while filming a movie in New Mexico.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/PropFirearmMovieSet/373f9ec3a3014e6c985d1d165d7bca12/photo?Query=alec%20baldwin%20rust&mediaType=photo&sortBy=&dateRange=Anytime&totalCount=63&currentItemNo=25">AP Photo/Jae C. Hong</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>A prosecutor in New Mexico <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/19/arts/rust-shooting-charges-alec-baldwin.html">intends to charge Alec Baldwin</a> with two counts of involuntary manslaughter it was announced on Jan. 19, 2023, over the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/21/us/alec-baldwin-shooting-rust-movie.html">deadly shooting</a> on the set of the film “Rust” in 2021. The shooting occurred while Baldwin was rehearsing a scene with a gun that had been loaded with live ammunition instead of blanks. The prosecutor also intends to charge Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the <a href="https://www.careersinfilm.com/armorer/">armorer</a> responsible for <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/after-rust-shooting-industry-veterans-say-buck-stops-armorers-movie-n1282743">overseeing the safety of firearms</a> on the set, with two counts of involuntary manslaughter as well. </p>
<p>As a <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=X8tNfOsAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">professor of law</a>, my job is to understand the nuance of the U.S. legal system. Involuntary manslaughter occurs when a person unintentionally, but still unlawfully, kills another person. And a prosecutor will need to show the unlawful nature of either Baldwin’s or Gutierrez-Reed’s actions to get a conviction in this case.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505472/original/file-20230119-16395-n9cbqf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A number of handgun cartridges with the tops pinched closed and no bullet." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505472/original/file-20230119-16395-n9cbqf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505472/original/file-20230119-16395-n9cbqf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505472/original/file-20230119-16395-n9cbqf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505472/original/file-20230119-16395-n9cbqf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505472/original/file-20230119-16395-n9cbqf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=490&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505472/original/file-20230119-16395-n9cbqf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=490&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505472/original/file-20230119-16395-n9cbqf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=490&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Baldwin thought the gun was loaded with blanks, ammunition that contains powder but not a bullet.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Buffalo_Blanks_Mounted_Shooting_Blanks.jpg">KenAmorosano/Wikimedia Commons</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>A reckless or negligent accident</h2>
<p>To convict someone of involuntary manslaughter, a prosecutor has to prove that the defendant <a href="https://www.findlaw.com/criminal/criminal-charges/involuntary-manslaughter-overview.html">acted either recklessly or with criminal negligence</a>.</p>
<p>To prove someone acted recklessly, a prosecutor has to show that the defendant was aware of the risk they were creating with their actions – like a drunk driver crashing into a car and <a href="https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/crime/driver-convicted-involuntary-manslaughter-killed-baby-2-parents-jefferson-co/63-e9d29793-5187-446e-9067-96e8f29e0806">killing a baby and her parents</a>. In contrast, the charge of criminal negligence is filed when a defendant is not aware of the risk, but a reasonable person in the position of the defendant would have been aware of the risk. For example, if someone rents out an apartment without smoke detectors and there is a fire that kills the occupants, the owner of the apartment could be charged with involuntary manslaughter.</p>
<p>The question for a potential jury is whether Baldwin was guilty of either reckless or criminally negligent actions that resulted in the death of <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/halyna-hutchins-in-her-own-words/ar-AA16wWuh">Halyna Hutchins</a>, the cinematographer on the “Rust” set. </p>
<p>The prosecutor is alleging that <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/19/arts/rust-shooting-charges-alec-baldwin.html?">Baldwin had a duty</a> to ensure that the gun and the ammunition he used were properly checked and that without doing that check himself, Baldwin should never have pointed the gun at anyone. Although that is what the prosecutor is claiming, a complicating factor is that there was another person, an on-set safety person responsible for the weapons and ammunition. </p>
<p>To convict Baldwin of manslaughter – assuming the case goes to trial – the prosecutor will have to convince a jury of two things. First, that Baldwin could not reasonably rely on Gutierrez-Reed to do her job and ensure that the gun did not have any live ammunition in it. And second, that Baldwin acted recklessly, or at least with criminal negligence, by not checking the gun and the ammunition himself before pointing the gun at the person he killed.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/198218/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Peter A. Joy does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>To convict Alec Baldwin of manslaughter for the on-set deadly shooting of Halyna Hutchins in 2021, prosecution will need to show that the actor was either reckless or criminally negligent.Peter A. Joy, Henry Hitchcock Professor of Law, School of Law, Washington University in St. LouisLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1952412022-11-23T16:25:19Z2022-11-23T16:25:19ZRampage at Virginia Walmart follows upward trend in supermarket gun attacks – here’s what we know about retail mass shooters<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/497021/original/file-20221123-20-8zq33s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=8%2C89%2C5982%2C3898&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The latest target in America's gun crime epidemic.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/WalmartMassShooting/3645c5c9fb8e44a8b681bb2a132addef/photo?Query=walmart&mediaType=photo&sortBy=arrivaldatetime:desc&dateRange=Anytime&totalCount=3337&currentItemNo=2">AP Photo/Alex Brandon</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>A <a href="https://apnews.com/article/walmart-shooting-chesapeake-virginia-b52927596381aa65efed367ce0c81c83">gun rampage at a Walmart in Virginia</a> is the latest amid a rise in mass shootings in general in the U.S., and mass shootings at <a href="https://theconversation.com/drafts/195241/edit">grocery and retail stores</a> in particular.</p>
<p>Multiple people including the gunman <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/deaths-reported-virginia-walmart-gunman-dead-police-say-2022-11-23/">were killed in the incident</a> on Nov. 22, 2022, at an outlet of the retailer in Chesapeake. It follows a <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/buffalo-supermarket-shooting-suspect-expected-plead-guilty-court/story?id=93787204">racist attack at a grocery store in Buffalo</a> earlier this year in which 10 Black shoppers were killed. A previous <a href="https://apnews.com/article/el-paso-texas-mass-shooting-shootings-us-news-ap-top-news-ar-state-wire-84747760a7b643b694cc57f464640f4f">Walmart mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, in 2021</a>, was similarly racially motivated – 23 people were killed by a gunman who had posted a hate-filled anti-immigrant manifesto online.</p>
<p>We <a href="https://www.hamline.edu/faculty-staff/jillian-peterson/">are criminologists</a> <a href="https://www.metrostate.edu/about/directory/james-densley">who study</a> the <a href="https://www.theviolenceproject.org/">life histories of mass shooters</a> in the United States. Since 2017, we have conducted <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Violence-Project-Stop-Shooting-Epidemic-ebook/dp/B08WJV7W3P">dozens of interviews</a> with incarcerated perpetrators and people who knew them. We also built a <a href="https://www.theviolenceproject.org/mass-shooter-database/">comprehensive database</a> of mass public shootings using public data, with the shooters coded on nearly 200 different variables.</p>
<p><iframe id="ND4gM" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/ND4gM/2/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>Overall, mass public shootings in which four or more people are killed have become <a href="https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/public-mass-shootings-database-amasses-details-half-century-us-mass-shootings">more frequent, and deadly</a>, in the last decade, to the extent that the U.S. now averages about seven of these events each year. Our definition of mass public shootings excludes cases in which the murders are attributed to any other underlying criminal activity, such as drugs and gang membership, which accounts for why they may be lower than other estimates.</p>
<p>Mass shootings also tend to cluster, with <a href="https://doi.org//10.1371/journal.pone.0117259">one study</a> finding they are contagious for 13 days on average and our <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/05/27/stopping-mass-shooters-q-a-00035762">own research</a> showing those responsible study other mass shooters and draw inspiration from them. The Buffalo shooting on May 14 preceded a spate of mass shootings this summer, including at <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/series/uvalde-texas-school-shooting/">an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas</a>, at an <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/shooting-at-tulsa-hospital-exposes-vulnerability-of-health-care-facilities">Oklahoma medical facility</a>, and during a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/news-event/highland-park-shooting">4th of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois</a>. The latest tragedy in Chesapeake, Virginia, comes just three days after a gunman <a href="https://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2022/11/22/club-q-in-colorado-springs-has-been-a-beacon-for-lgbtq-community/69666975007/">killed five people at a LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs</a>.</p>
<h2>What do we know about mass shootings at stores?</h2>
<p>The tragedy in Chesapeake, Virginia, is the <a href="https://www.theviolenceproject.org/mass-shooter-database/">36th mass shooting in our database</a> to take place in a retail establishment. These shootings claimed 217 lives and injured 227 more, and they have been increasing over time - with 2019 and 2021 the worst years on record for retail shootings. </p>
<p>Retail shootings are most common in Southern and Western states and two-thirds took place in urban locations. The perpetrators were all male except for one woman who committed the shooting with her male partner. </p>
<p>Retail mass shooters were white in 56% of such incidents and Black in 25% of recorded cases and ranged in age from 18 to 70 – although 60% were in their 20s. Around 1 in 10 were employees of the retail establishments they targeted.</p>
<p>Perpetrators usually used one gun (58%). One-third of perpetrators used an AR-15 style assault weapon. </p>
<p>Looking at the life histories of perpetrators, two-thirds had a prior criminal history and half of them <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2785799">communicated intent to do harm</a> to others ahead of the attack. Yet, retail shootings tend to be less well-planned than other mass shootings – only 22% of perpetrators did significant planning. </p>
<p>Two-thirds of the shooters were suicidal – 26% had a prior suicide attempt and another 37% intended to die during the shooting – and around 30% were experiencing psychosis, although <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2021-43325-001">perpetrators were only acting on their hallucinations or delusions</a> in 11% of retail shootings. Half of the perpetrators had a known prejudice against a racial or religions group.</p>
<h2>Workplace rampages and what motivates them</h2>
<p>The motive in the Virginia incident is not known, but reports suggest the perpetrator was a Walmart employee. In our data, workplace shootings are motivated by an employment issue such as being fired or suspended in 70% of incidents, and by an interpersonal conflict with another employee 23% of the time. Nearly three-quarters of perpetrators show changes in behavior or warning signs prior to the shooting, such as increased agitation. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.startribune.com/two-minnesota-professors-have-devoted-their-careers-to-researching-mass-shooters/600123369/">Our research</a> suggests many strategies to prevent these types of mass shootings – from anonymous reporting systems for employees to workplace crisis response teams. However, <a href="https://rockinst.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/policy-solutions-public-mass-shootings.pdf">restricting access to firearms</a> for high-risk people would be the most effective strategy overall. </p>
<p><em>Editor’s note: Parts of this article were included in a <a href="https://theconversation.com/more-mass-shootings-are-happening-at-grocery-stores-13-of-shooters-are-motivated-by-racial-hatred-criminologists-find-183098">story that was first published</a> on May 15, 2022.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/195241/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jillian Peterson receives funding from National Institute of Justice and the Bureau of Justice Statistics</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>James Densley receives funding from the National Institute of Justice and the Bureau of Justice Assistance.</span></em></p>At least six people have been killed in an attack at a Walmart in Chesapeake, Virginia. It happened amid a surge of mass shootings in the US.Jillian Peterson, Professor of Criminal Justice, Hamline University James Densley, Professor of Criminal Justice, Metropolitan State University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1939372022-11-04T08:46:34Z2022-11-04T08:46:34ZShooting of Imran Khan takes Pakistan into dangerous political waters<p>The attempted assassination of Imran Khan on November 3 has ushered Pakistan into another stage of political instability, with increased likelihood of further political violence. </p>
<p>Imran <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-63496202">has accused</a> Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Sanaullah Khan and Major General Faisal of masterminding the attack. He has demanded these three be removed from their positions immediately. Failure to act, he <a href="https://twitter.com/PTIofficial/status/1588188079277232128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1588188079277232128%7Ctwgr%5Ed5b3fd04e3131208521e14afe9946af45900de42%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenews.com.pk%2Flatest%2F1006350-asad-umar-blames">communicated through Asad Umer</a>, a senior member of his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), would result in demonstrations across the whole country, and “things would not continue as they have been”. </p>
<p>The PTI’s Asad Umer said that two days ago, he had contacted Imran regarding threats to his safety. But Imran had stated: “We are engaged in jihad and we only need to trust Allah at this stage.” Building on this equivalence of the so-called “long march” with “jihad”, the PTI issued a <a href="https://twitter.com/Asad_Umar/status/1588399510614839296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1588399510614839296%7Ctwgr%5E409bdb0bd9b63211810994ae51e1b298768da215%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenews.com.pk%2Flatest%2F1006554-live-updates-day-8-pti-long-march-imran-khan-firing">call for demonstrations</a> to start after Friday prayers on November 4. </p>
<p>The Pakistan government <a href="https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1006384-attack-on-imran-widely-condemned">has responded</a> by condemning the assassination attempt. But <a href="https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1006384-attack-on-imran-widely-condemned">Minister Rana Sanaullah also told the PTI</a>: “It is [a] law of nature: those who ignite fire may also burn in it.” The national government has also demanded “the Punjab government constitute a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to investigate the attack”. </p>
<p>Others have raised questions about the security extended to the former prime minister in the province of Punjab, where a PTI government is in power.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1588185983924805632"}"></div></p>
<p>Conspiracy theories about the shooting also abound, including claims on social media that the attack was <a href="https://twitter.com/younus_bhoon/status/1588399845307711488?s=20&t=8c-lFy8oci8NGVAhcmNxxw">orchestrated by PTI</a> to boost support for Imran. Only a few days ago, the former international cricketer turned politician had launched a second march within five months for <em>haqiqi azadi</em> (real freedom). Others accuse “external powers” of fomenting instability in the wake of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/11/2/xi-jinping-assures-pakistani-pm-of-china-support">visit to China</a>, where he met President Xi Jinping and revived the momentum for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/whats-the-dispute-between-imran-khan-and-the-pakistan-government-about-189128">What's the dispute between Imran Khan and the Pakistan government about?</a>
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<p>Then there is the <a href="https://www.24newshd.tv/03-Nov-2022/attacker-says-was-angry-because-music-was-being-run-during-prayer-call">reported admission</a> by the alleged assassin that he was motivated by religious fervour, as Imran’s march would not cease playing music even during the calls to prayer. Reminiscent of the grounds on which Mumtaz Qadri <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35684452">assassinated</a> the then governor of Punjab Salman Taseer, this explanation, with all its inconsistencies, locates the attempt outside the scope of political machinations. </p>
<p>The reaction among Imran’s supporters has been swift. There have been demonstrations in all provinces of the country, with people <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFtMyPEJZYQ">chanting the attack</a> had “crossed the red line” and they would lay their lives for Imran. This outpouring of support for Imran and anger towards the government has catapulted the country into increased instability, with the future now very uncertain.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/493446/original/file-20221104-17-6b4676.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/493446/original/file-20221104-17-6b4676.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=392&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493446/original/file-20221104-17-6b4676.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=392&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493446/original/file-20221104-17-6b4676.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=392&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493446/original/file-20221104-17-6b4676.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=493&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493446/original/file-20221104-17-6b4676.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=493&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493446/original/file-20221104-17-6b4676.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=493&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Imran Khan’s supporters have responded to his shooting with rallies across Pakistan.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shahzaib Akber/EPA/AAP</span></span>
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<p>In the past, the instability might have been reined in by the Pakistan military, which has traditionally acted as custodian of law and order in the country. During the 75 years of Pakistan’s existence, the military has intervened directly or indirectly in politics when the country experienced instability. Even if its intervention was not approved of, politicians and society generally remained complacent and managed to work withing the framework outlined by the military. </p>
<p>But in contemporary Pakistan, given the extent of political and social polarisation that has descended to a level not witnessed in the country’s history, the military may not be able to play this role. Already, Chief of Army Staff Qamar Javed Bajwa has claimed the <a href="https://www.news18.com/news/world/pakistan-army-chief-general-bajwa-to-retire-in-5-weeks-top-3-names-here-exclusive-6215221.html">military would remain neutral</a>. </p>
<p>Even if instability persists and the military decided to intervene, the reaction of Imran’s supporters would be very different from how people reacted to previous military interventions. The assassination attempt on Imran has removed a lot of self-imposed censorship by people. </p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/pakistan-new-government-must-tackle-police-corruption-and-killings-181834">Pakistan: new government must tackle police corruption and killings</a>
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<p>While people demonstrated outside the office of the Corps Commander of Peshawar, others have been recorded chanting that <a href="https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ga_22EwLXKg">the uniform is behind acts of terrorism and hooliganism</a>. In the past, such comments were only openly made by Pashtoon Tahhafuz Movement (movement for the protection of Pashtoons). </p>
<p>But now, such comments also allude to the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-63372440">recent killing</a> in Kenya of Pakistani journalist Ashraf Sharif, who had been a vocal critic of the military’s involvement in politics. It has been claimed the killing was orchestrated with the direct involvement of the military — a claim that prompted the director-general of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to give a press conference refuting these claims.</p>
<p>Such expressions of anger and open opposition to the military leadership would suggest the military would avoid direct interference. One possible avenue could be of imposing <a href="https://www.geo.tv/latest/430050-explainer-what-is-governors-rule-and-is-punjab-moving-towards-it">governor rule</a> in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but even that is unlikely to tamper the anger being felt by Imran’s supporters.</p>
<p>Pakistan is fast moving into uncharted political terrain.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/193937/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Samina Yasmeen does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The shooting in the leg of the former prime minister has seen his supporters take to the streets and the crisis in Pakistani politics deepen.Samina Yasmeen, Director of Centre for Muslim States and Societies, The University of Western AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1838842022-05-26T22:53:33Z2022-05-26T22:53:33ZMass shootings leave behind collective despair, anguish and trauma at many societal levels<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465370/original/file-20220525-16-debbng.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The latest mass shooting, at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, has plunged the country into yet another cycle of collective trauma.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/texas-state-trooper-receives-flowers-for-the-victims-of-a-news-photo/1240894286?adppopup=true">Jordan Vonderhaar/Getty Images News via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>An ever-growing list of mass shootings leaves families and friends of the victims gripped with grief, anguish and despair. </p>
<p>In addition to those who experience direct loss, such events also take a toll on others, including those who witnessed the shooting, first responders, people who were nearby and those who hear about it – yet again – through the media.</p>
<p>I am a <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=UDytFmIAAAAJ&hl=en">trauma and anxiety researcher and clinician</a>, and I know that the effects of such violence reach millions. While the immediate survivors are most affected, the rest of society suffers, too.</p>
<h2>First, the immediate survivors</h2>
<p>It is important to understand that no two people experience such horrific exposure in the same way. The extent of the trauma, stress or fear can vary. Survivors of a shooting may want to avoid the neighborhood where the shooting occurred or the context related to shooting, such as grocery stores, if the shooting happened at one. In the worst case, a survivor may develop post-traumatic stress disorder. </p>
<p>PTSD is a debilitating condition that develops after exposure to serious traumatic experiences such as war, natural disasters, rape, assault, robbery, car accidents – and, of course, gun violence. Nearly 8% of the <a href="https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/what/ptsd_basics.asp">U.S. population deals with PTSD</a>. <a href="https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/treat/essentials/dsm5_ptsd.asp">Symptoms include</a> high anxiety, avoidance of reminders of the trauma, emotional numbness, hypervigilance, frequent intrusive memories of trauma, nightmares and flashbacks. The brain switches to fight-or-flight mode, or survival mode, and the person is always waiting for something terrible to happen. </p>
<p>When the trauma is caused by people, as in a mass shooting, the impact can be profound. The rate of PTSD in mass shootings may be as high as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.151.1.82">36% among survivors</a>. Depression, another debilitating psychiatric condition, occurs in as many as <a href="https://theconversation.com/syrian-refugees-in-america-the-forgotten-psychological-wounds-of-the-stress-of-migration-96155">80% of people with PTSD</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465378/original/file-20220525-22-pay8wg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Three community members with grief-stricken faces hold their hands up toward the sky at a prayer vigil in Uvalde, Texas." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465378/original/file-20220525-22-pay8wg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465378/original/file-20220525-22-pay8wg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465378/original/file-20220525-22-pay8wg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465378/original/file-20220525-22-pay8wg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465378/original/file-20220525-22-pay8wg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465378/original/file-20220525-22-pay8wg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465378/original/file-20220525-22-pay8wg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Grief-stricken community members attend a prayer vigil following the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24, 2022.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/people-become-emotional-at-the-city-of-uvalde-town-square-news-photo/1240886339">Jordan Vonderhaar/Getty Images News via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Survivors of shootings may also experience <a href="https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/types/mass_violence_help.asp">survivor’s guilt</a>, the feeling that they failed others who died or did not do enough to help them, or just guilt at having survived. </p>
<p>PTSD can improve by itself, but many people need treatment. There are effective treatments available in the form of psychotherapy and medications. The more chronic it gets, the more negative the impact on the brain, and the harder to treat.</p>
<p>Children and adolescents, who are developing their worldview and deciding how safe it is to live in this society, may suffer even more. Exposure to horrific experiences such as school shootings or related news can fundamentally affect the way people perceive the world as a safe or unsafe place, and how much they can rely on the adults and society in general to protect them. </p>
<p>They can carry such a worldview for the rest of their lives, and even transfer it to their children. Research is also abundant on the <a href="https://theconversation.com/howard-stern-talks-childhood-trauma-and-a-trauma-psychiatrist-talks-about-its-lasting-effects-118027">long-term detrimental impact</a> of such childhood trauma on a person’s <a href="https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubpdfs/long_term_consequences.pdf">mental and physical health</a> and their ability to function through their adult life.</p>
<h2>The effect on those close by, or arriving later</h2>
<p>PTSD can develop not only through personal exposure to trauma, but also via exposure to others’ severe trauma. Humans have survived as a species particularly because of the ability to fear as a group. That means we <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-science-of-fright-why-we-love-to-be-scared-85885">learn fear and experience terror through exposure</a> to the trauma and fear of others. Even seeing a frightened face in black and white on a computer will make our <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00154">amygdala</a>, the fear area of our brain, light up in brain imaging studies. </p>
<p>People in the vicinity of a mass shooting may see exposed, disfigured, burned or dead bodies. They may also see injured people in agony, hear extremely loud noises and experience chaos and terror in the post-shooting environment. They must also face the unknown, or a sense of lack of control over the situation. The fear of the unknown plays an important role in making people feel insecure, terrified and traumatized. </p>
<p>A group whose chronic exposure to such trauma is usually overlooked is the first responders. While victims and potential victims try to run away from an active shooter, <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-aching-blue-trauma-stress-and-invisible-wounds-of-those-in-law-enforcement-146539">the police</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-aching-red-firefighters-often-silently-suffer-from-trauma-and-job-related-stress-164994">firefighters</a> and paramedics rush into the danger zone. </p>
<p>Many of these first responders might have their own children in that school or nearby. They frequently face uncertainty; threats to themselves, their colleagues and others; and terrible bloody post-shooting scenes. This exposure happens to them too frequently. PTSD has been reported in up to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2015.06.015">20% of first responders</a> to mass violence. </p>
<h2>Widespread panic and pain</h2>
<p>People who were not directly exposed to a disaster but who were <a href="https://doi.org/10.3402/ejpt.v3i0.19709">exposed to the news</a> also experience distress, anxiety or even PTSD. This happened <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.288.5.581">after 9/11</a>. Fear, the coming unknown – is there another strike? are other co-conspirators involved? – and reduced faith in perceived safety may all play a role in this. </p>
<p>Every time there is a mass shooting in a new place, people learn that kind of place is now on the not-very-safe list. People worry not only about themselves but also about the safety of their children and other loved ones.</p>
<h2>Is there any good to come of such tragedy?</h2>
<p>We can channel the collective agony and frustration to encourage meaningful changes, such as making gun laws safer, opening constructive discussions, informing the public about the risks and calling on lawmakers to take real action. In times of hardship, humans often can raise the sense of community, support one another and fight for their rights, including the right to be safe at schools, concerts, restaurants and movie theaters.</p>
<p>One beautiful outcome of the tragic shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in October 2018 was the solidarity of the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2018/10/28/respond-evil-with-good-muslim-community-raises-money-victims-synagogue-shooting/">Muslim community with the Jewish</a>. This is especially productive in the current political environment, with fear and division being so common.</p>
<p>Sadness, anxiety, anger and frustration can be channeled into actions such as becoming involved in activism and volunteering to help the victims. It is also important not to spend too much time watching television coverage; turn it off when it stresses you too much.</p>
<p>Finally, studies have shown that exposure to media coverage for several hours daily following a collective trauma <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1316265110">can lead to high stress</a>. So check the news a couple of times a day to be informed, but don’t continue seeking out coverage <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-protect-your-family-from-horrific-news-images-and-still-stay-informed-181818">and exposure to graphic images and news</a>. The news cycle tends to report the same stories without much additional information.</p>
<p><em>Editor’s Note: This is an updated version of an article originally published on <a href="https://theconversation.com/mass-shootings-leave-emotional-and-mental-scars-on-survivors-first-responders-and-millions-of-others-157935">March 26, 2021</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/183884/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Arash Javanbakht does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>People who are directly affected by mass shootings may develop PTSD and depression. But those who are indirectly exposed to these tragedies can also experience profound and long-lasting grief.Arash Javanbakht, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Wayne State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1267302020-02-11T19:56:33Z2020-02-11T19:56:33ZWhen we call survivors ‘heroes,’ we’re missing the full picture<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/314867/original/file-20200211-146678-1qcuoif.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=58%2C64%2C4262%2C2778&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Kevin Vickers, former House of Commons Sergeant-at-Arms, receives the Star of Courage at Rideau Hall from Gov. Gen. David Johnston in February 2016 to pay tribute to security services members who responded to the 2014 shooting on Parliament Hill. Vickers was lauded as a hero. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>When disaster strikes — a hurricane, a terror attack, a landslide — we are quick to label the survivors as heroes. </p>
<p>On Reddit, a user recently asked, <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/8y0iyi/combat_veterans_of_reddit_how_do_you_feel_about/e274g0s/">“Combat veterans of Reddit, how do you feel about being called a hero? How do you feel about non-combat veterans being called heroes?”</a> One user defined a hero as <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/8y0iyi/combat_veterans_of_reddit_how_do_you_feel_about/e274g0s/">“someone who goes beyond the ‘call of duty.’”</a> </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/313393/original/file-20200203-41527-z5g8f2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/313393/original/file-20200203-41527-z5g8f2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=358&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313393/original/file-20200203-41527-z5g8f2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=358&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313393/original/file-20200203-41527-z5g8f2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=358&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313393/original/file-20200203-41527-z5g8f2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313393/original/file-20200203-41527-z5g8f2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313393/original/file-20200203-41527-z5g8f2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A recent discussion on Reddit.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Reddit</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Determining what and who heroes are, and what heroism is, is more complex than a simple and immediate assignment. According to American psychologist Philip Zimbardo: “Personal history matters. Having survived a disaster or personal <a href="https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/what_makes_a_hero/">trauma makes you three times more likely to be a hero and a volunteer.”</a></p>
<p>Calling a survivor a hero changes little for the survivor who may be newly experiencing trauma. Our policies, our daily habits and perceptions of survivors, veterans and heroes are infused by definitions of trauma and survival that fail survivors. </p>
<h2>Surviving being a hero</h2>
<p>A November 2019 knife attack in the United Kingdom in which two people were killed also took a toll on survivors. Bryonn Bain, a witness of the stabbings, told the <em>Guardian</em> newspaper: “I saw people die … <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/dec/02/bravery-teamwork-tragedy-the-effort-to-stop-the-london-bridge-attack">I saw things I am never going to be able to unsee.</a>” As Dr. Vin Diwaker, a physician and medical director for the National Health Service in London, said in the aftermath: <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/london-bridge-attack-victims-saskia-jones-jack-merritt-1.5380211">“The psychological impact of such events sometimes only comes to light in the days and weeks afterwards.”</a></p>
<p>The October 2017 Harvest Route 91 Music Festival mass shooting in Las Vegas shows the range of affective response from “heroic” action to recognition of the inescapable horrors of the fatalities and injuries. </p>
<p>Taylor Winston, military veteran, swung immediately into action to transport injured and dying people. The celebration of Winston’s heroism belied the anxiety, sleeplessness and trauma felt by a fellow survivor. On Facebook, Jason Marc Zabala wrote, </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“I can’t sleep. I can’t process this. I close my eyes and in great detail, my friends and I can visualize things we wish to never see again. But we can’t. I hear the sound of a gun and the pauses for the shooter to reload it. I hear the screaming and the terror in people’s voices. <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/marine-veteran-heard-shots-grabbed-pickup-truck-and-took-vegas-victims-to-safety">Running past people who most likely won’t make it home to their families tonight.”</a></p>
</blockquote>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZOS0uXWX9gM?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">First responders, doctors, military members and ordinary people all united to help save the lives of those shot during the attack. (Source: ABC15 Arizona)</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For some survivors, surviving a single instance of violence can have a long-term effect. </p>
<p>For example, Andreanne Leblanc was one of the paramedics who responded to the call for medical assistance after the January 2017 attack at the Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec City. Leblanc’s mother, Lucie Roy, said of her daughter: “She had all the signs of somebody with post-traumatic stress.”</p>
<p>Fulfilling the heroic duties of a first responder after the attack was not a guarantee of a hero’s rest for Andreanne, <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/first-responder-at-quebec-mosque-shooting-dies-by-suicide-1.3954984">who died by suicide in March 2018.</a> As some observed, it was not her heroic status but rather her death <a href="https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/2019-ctn-pln-ptsi/index-en.aspx">that spurred the creation of Canadian policy initiatives with significant funding on post-traumatic stress injuries.</a></p>
<h2>Redefining trauma and heroism</h2>
<p>What does this mean for us, today, and in the months ahead when we will likely, sadly and undeniably, come face-to-face with disaster, violence and catastrophic experiences? If sufferers of PTSD stand frozen in their historic moments of terror and danger, should we commemorate the experiences that hold them back?</p>
<p>In commemoration, and even veneration, our society holds on to historic trauma in a bid to provide honour and acknowledgement of sacrifices. A survivor in a commemorating environment is made to carry the weight that is heroism. Not to carry this weight means letting go. </p>
<p>Memory researcher Flora Keshgegian points out that for survivors, <a href="https://books.google.ca/books?id=mG3jxSTEHo4C&pg=PA100&lpg=PA100&dq=Finding+a+Place+Past+Night:+Armenian+Genocidal+Memory+in+Diaspora&source=bl&ots=s8YDzUpb7y&sig=ACfU3U1fwmG8_ri672Tu_hxPSl02l2yzBw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj5h5_VmrbnAhWVXc0KHZnsAk0Q6AEwAHoECAgQAQ#v=onepage&q=Finding%20a%20Place%20Past%20Night%3A%20Armenian%20Genocidal%20Memory%20in%20Diaspora&f=false">letting go of injuries and suffering can seem like betrayal</a> of the original trauma and all of the resultant suffering. </p>
<h2>Time to let go of the ‘hero’ label?</h2>
<p>The hero label and the focus on commemoration, then, is part of an urgent problem: it may impede survivors’ processing of trauma and how we respond to their needs. </p>
<p>New initiatives undertaken by Public Safety Canada are positive developments as they offer public education on recognizing the symptoms of PTSD and they provide better access for survivors of trauma to immediate assistance through digital tools. </p>
<p>We will all benefit from such positive initiatives, of course. Going forward, however, requires that while we learn more about PTSD, we also recognize that the hero dilemma holds our own society in a static place of commemoration and memory — even as we are confronted by new catastrophic events. </p>
<p>Ultimately, the survivor of catastrophe, stuck in the trauma of survival while still reliving horrific events, must tell us who they are. Our view of them must be about them and what they need most, and not about our desire for heroes.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/313593/original/file-20200204-41485-1hx5xvc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/313593/original/file-20200204-41485-1hx5xvc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313593/original/file-20200204-41485-1hx5xvc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313593/original/file-20200204-41485-1hx5xvc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313593/original/file-20200204-41485-1hx5xvc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313593/original/file-20200204-41485-1hx5xvc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313593/original/file-20200204-41485-1hx5xvc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Yolanda Renee King, grand-daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., left, accompanied by Jaclyn Corin, right, a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., speaks during the ‘March for Our Lives’ rally in support of gun control in Washington. Corin survived the school shooting and co-founded the ‘March For Our Lives’ gun-reform movement.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">AP Photo/Andrew Harnik</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/126730/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Annie St. John-Stark is affiliated with the Memory Studies Association, and is Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy, History and Politics at Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada.</span></em></p>We do a disservice to survivors of major tragedies when we call them “heroes.” Instead, we should change our policies and attitudes to help them truly survive the disaster.Annie St. John-Stark, Assistant Professor of History, Thompson Rivers UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1200602019-08-04T21:47:05Z2019-08-04T21:47:05ZCould a national buyback program reduce gun violence in America?<p>Americans own nearly half of the <a href="http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/T-Briefing-Papers/SAS-BP-Civilian-Firearms-Numbers.pdf">world’s guns</a>, with approximately 120 firearms for every 100 U.S. residents. </p>
<p>Gun control policies may someday restrict new gun sales. But what impact can they have when Americans already own millions of guns?</p>
<p><a href="https://reason.com/2019/06/27/on-gun-control-democratic-presidential-candidates-offer-nothing-but-empty-promises/">Some have pointed to gun buybacks</a> as a potential solution to this problem. </p>
<p>I have spent years studying American attitudes toward guns and gun policies, including <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211335516300353">smart guns</a> and <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13669877.2017.1422781">open carry</a>. I know that gun owners <a href="https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2017/06/22/americas-complex-relationship-with-guns/">feel strongly</a> about their identities as gun owners, making it difficult to create a strategy for taking guns off the streets.</p>
<h2>US gun stock</h2>
<p>The sheer number of guns is part of the challenge. The United States has the largest <a href="http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/T-Briefing-Papers/SAS-BP-Civilian-Firearms-Numbers.pdf">civilian-owned stock of guns</a> in the world. At the end of 2017, the Small Arms Survey reported that there were an estimated 393 million firearms in the United States – and that’s not even counting guns owned by the police and military. That represents <a href="http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/T-Briefing-Papers/SAS-BP-Civilian-Firearms-Numbers.pdf">45.8%</a> of the world’s civilian-owned guns. </p>
<p>Yemen has the second-highest rate of gun ownership per person in the world, with just 52.8 firearms per 100 residents.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2017/06/22/americas-complex-relationship-with-guns/">More than 40%</a> of U.S. adults live in a household with at least one gun. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/sep/19/us-gun-ownership-survey">About half</a> of all civilian-owned guns in the U.S. are owned by just 3% of U.S. adults. These gun owners have an average of 17 guns each. Most other gun owners average about three guns at home.</p>
<h2>Reducing numbers</h2>
<p>Gun buyback programs are designed to reduce the number of firearms by purchasing guns from private owners, and typically destroying them. </p>
<p>Gun buyback programs are not new. </p>
<p>Following a mass shooting in 1996, <a href="https://www.vox.com/2015/8/27/9212725/australia-buyback">Australia banned automatic and semi-automatic rifles and shotguns</a> and instituted a national gun buyback program. </p>
<p>In a year, Australia purchased about 650,000 firearms from private residents, <a href="http://faculty.publicpolicy.umd.edu/sites/default/files/reuter/files/gun%20chapter.pdf">estimated</a> to represent about 20% of the country’s privately owned guns. <a href="https://www.vox.com/2015/8/27/9212725/australia-buyback">Research</a> evaluating the effects of the buyback found a 42% decrease in homicide rates and a 57% decrease in suicide rates in the seven years after the legislation passed. But <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1540791">some researchers</a> are still uncertain whether this decrease was due to the buyback, or whether it was simply part of an existing downward trend. </p>
<p>U.S. cities have experimented with buybacks on a much smaller scale, even though the <a href="https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2017/06/22/americas-complex-relationship-with-guns/">Pew Research Center</a> reports that more than 70% of gun owners say they could never imagine themselves not owning some sort of firearm.</p>
<p>One of the earliest examples occurred in <a href="https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19741208&id=INFOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=KgIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6867,3250859">Baltimore</a>, Maryland. In 1974, Baltimore police paid residents US$50 per firearm, collecting roughly 13,500 over a two-month period. Rather than reduce crime, homicides and assaults spiked during the buyback. It is unclear why, but two months is a short time period for a clear pattern to emerge and crime rates in cities across the country were increasing through much of the 1970s.</p>
<p>Baltimore is not unique. A 2008 review of the existing research by Matthew Makarios and Travis Pratt in the journal <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0011128708321321">Crime & Delinquency</a> found that gun buyback programs have generally been ineffective in reducing crime in the U.S. Challenges include the types of guns purchased, the involvement of law enforcement, and the costs involved.</p>
<h2>Types of guns purchased</h2>
<p>Gun buyback programs often place no restrictions on the types of guns that can be purchased. Civilians frequently bring in old firearms, guns in disrepair, rifles, or shotguns. <a href="https://injuryprevention.bmj.com/content/4/3/206.short">Sacramento</a>, California, implemented a gun buyback program in 1993. Nearly a quarter of all guns submitted were not in working order.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.ajpmonline.org/article/S0749-3797(13)00452-2/pdf">Boston</a> Police Department also attempted a gun buyback program in 1993 without a restriction for weapon type. Only about half of submitted firearms were handguns. That’s significant because we know from existing <a href="https://www.nij.gov/topics/crime/gun-violence/pages/welcome.aspx#note3">crime data</a> that although <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/03/us/mass-shootings.html?action=click&module=Spotlight&pgtype=Homepage">some mass shooters use more powerful weapons</a>, handguns are the type of firearm most often used in violent crime and in youth violence. If the goal is to reduce crime, getting shotguns or broken firearms off the street will likely have little effect. </p>
<p>Guns obtained through a 1994 to 1996 buyback in <a href="https://injuryprevention.bmj.com/content/8/2/143.short">Milwaukee</a> also differed from those typically used in suicide and homicide.</p>
<p>The Boston Police Department tried again in 2006. Learning from their past mistakes, the police offered a <a href="https://www.ajpmonline.org/article/S0749-3797(13)00452-2/pdf">$200 gift card for each handgun</a> – but no cash or gift card for rifles or shotguns. At the conclusion of the program, the Boston Police Department reported that more than 85% of submitted firearms were handguns, closely matching the types of guns used in crime.</p>
<p>The number of shootings <a href="https://www.ajpmonline.org/article/S0749-3797(13)00452-2/pdf">decreased</a> by 14% in Boston in the year after the buyback and continued to decrease through 2010.</p>
<p>Other jurisdictions followed Boston’s example. In 2015, 13 police departments in <a href="https://cdn.journals.lww.com/jtrauma/Abstract/2017/08000/Are__goods_for_guns__good_for_the_community__An.12.aspx">Massachusetts</a> instituted a buyback program with higher amounts paid for types of firearms more frequently used in crime. As a result, they were able to collect more handguns. But three out of five people who sold their guns said they still had one or more guns at home.</p>
<h2>Cost and profit</h2>
<p>Experience shows that some people will attempt to profit from gun buybacks by submitting inexpensive or broken firearms worth less than the cash incentive offered through the buyback. </p>
<p>In <a href="https://twitter.com/CairnsKcairns/status/1074759034513838081">Baltimore</a>, one buyback participant claimed she was going to use the buyback money to purchase a larger weapon. </p>
<p>In <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/firearms-enthusiasts-crash-gun-buyback-to-hunt-bargains">Oregon</a>, private citizens waited outside the gun buyback locations to purchase firearms and ammunition from owners before they could go inside to submit them to law enforcement.</p>
<p>Gun buybacks are financed by taxpayer dollars and are generally <a href="https://www.thetrace.org/2015/07/gun-buyback-study-effectivness/">paid for</a> by local agencies rather than through state or federal funding. A local jurisdiction’s budget will limit the amount of firearms it can purchase and destroy, reducing the likelihood that a gun buyback will have an observable impact on local crime rates.</p>
<h2>Law enforcement involvement</h2>
<p>Typically, gun buyback programs are run by law enforcement. Understandably, criminal offenders may be hesitant to come to the local police station or interact with law enforcement – even if they are promised exemption from prosecution for weapon possession. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.ajpmonline.org/article/S0749-3797(13)00452-2/pdf">Boston</a> attempted to address this concern in 2006 by designating sites like churches as drop-off locations. <a href="https://abc7news.com/news/buyback-event-saturday-for-residents-to-turn-in-firearms-for-cash/434806/">Other jurisdictions</a> have held gun buybacks run by nonprofit groups, but law enforcement officials are frequently on-hand as security, or to help take the guns to be destroyed after the buyback.</p>
<h2>No sizeable US impact</h2>
<p>So far, gun buybacks in the United States have been a community-based, grassroots endeavor with limited impact. Their feasibility on a state or nationwide scale is unclear. </p>
<p>Cost alone may be a prohibiting factor. Assuming a $50 per firearm incentive, reducing the <a href="http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/T-Briefing-Papers/SAS-BP-Civilian-Firearms-Numbers.pdf">U.S. gun stock</a> by 1% would cost $196.5 million. Inevitably, only some of the guns purchased would have been used in future crimes.</p>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lacey Wallace does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>More than 40 percent of U.S. adults have a gun in their household, making it hard to get guns off the streets – even if new gun restrictions are passed.Lacey Wallace, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice, Penn StateLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/972012018-06-11T14:24:26Z2018-06-11T14:24:26ZSchool shootings: why some young people are more traumatised than others<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/222593/original/file-20180611-191947-bojf62.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C32%2C3453%2C2369&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/new-york-ny-united-states-04202018-1073390873?src=03fUXkLznhWvVzPXPRHwgQ-2-83">Brent Eysler/Shutterstock.</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>More people <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180419131025.htm">have died or been injured</a> in mass school shootings in the United States in the past 18 years, than in the entire 20th century. Today, activists are increasing pressure on the government to act, to keep children safe at school. There have been <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2018/mar/24/emma-gonzalezs-powerful-march-for-our-lives-speech-in-full-video">powerful speeches from survivors</a>, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-43835834">mass school walkouts</a> and symbolic protests; including <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/may/21/us-gun-control-protest-high-school-die-in-day">a national “die-in”</a> to be held outside the Capitol in Washington DC. </p>
<p>This powerful movement led by young people may yet spark the legal changes needed to prevent more school shootings from happening in the future. But there are already many young people who are living with the effects of the extreme trauma of a mass school shooting. My colleagues and I <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29779059">recently reviewed</a> 11 research papers from 2014 to 2017, which sought to understand the psychological impacts of school shootings on young people – and how they vary from person to person. </p>
<p>Most survivors of school shootings will make a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0005789414001051">good recovery</a> in the months that follow. But for others, the experience will trigger long term, life changing symptoms of psychological distress, including post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). There may also be other consequences, which aren’t categorised as psychological disorders, but which still have a substantial impact on the young person’s life – their performance at school <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.3102/0162373715590683">may be impaired</a>, for example. </p>
<h2>Understanding the impacts</h2>
<p>In the field of psychology, it’s well established that the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jts.20444">impact of trauma is cumulative</a> – in other words, experiencing multiple traumas – especially in childhood – results in more severe and complex symptoms. Research that focuses on school shootings is <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0005789414001051">consistent with this</a>, showing that students who have dealt with previous trauma are at greater risk of long term difficulty after experiencing a school shooting.</p>
<p>After the 2008 shooting at the Northern Illinois University, a group of researchers <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jts.21914">found that</a> the students who displayed the most resilience tended to have lower levels of pre-shooting trauma, less exposure to the shooting itself and less difficulty with regulating their emotions. Those with more serious problems reported that before the shooting, they had been more inclined to avoid <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/record/1996-07086-005">uncomfortable internal experiences</a> such as stress or anxiety. Another risk factor for longer term distress seems to be <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0005789414001051">experiencing dissociation</a> – a sense of detachment – during the event itself.</p>
<p>Here’s another problem. Mass school shootings are carried out almost exclusively by <a href="https://www.basicbooks.com/titles/katherine-s-newman/rampage/9780786722372/">white male teenagers</a> – and yet the evidence suggests that black students are <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/06/education/black-students-face-more-harsh-discipline-data-shows.html">disproportionately targeted</a> under “zero tolerance” policies that schools typically implement in the wake of such events. Though Hispanic and black students make up 45% of the student body, they constitute 56% of those expelled under such policies. This is another, indirect psychological consequence of school shootings for young people, concentrated on black and minority students. </p>
<p>We also know less about the direct effects of school shootings on students of colour – most psychological studies are conducted on <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(15)00244-2/fulltext">samples of white people</a>, and <a href="https://onlinelibrary-wiley-com.proxy1-bib.sdu.dk/doi/abs/10.1002/jts.22066">researchers at NIU</a> have demonstrated that experiences of black and minority young people are likely to be underrepresented due to higher rates of attrition. </p>
<h2>Seeking support</h2>
<p>Certain factors, such as <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/buy/2000-02835-001">social support</a>, seem to mitigate the impact of a massive trauma to some extent. In relation to school shootings specifically, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10615806.2014.969719">researchers found</a> that students who sought social support – and perceived this process positively – felt better able to help themselves through recovery and reach out to others. This led to lower levels of distress for those students. Other researchers <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3402/ejpt.v5.23079@zept20.2014.5.issue-s1">in Finland</a> showed that after a school shooting there, students stressed the importance of leaning on their “natural” support networks of friends, partners and family.</p>
<p>Young people have different <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jts.21914">trajectories of recovery</a>, which suggests that they may not all benefit from the same type of support at the same point in time. But students who show signs of being at greater risk from trauma – for instance, those who have trouble regulating their emotions – could benefit from targeted therapy, where they can be <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/psychophysiology/article/emotion-regulation-affective-cognitive-and-social-consequences/552536BD5988D0D2079A7E0CC82E1ED8">taught strategies</a> to address these difficulties.</p>
<p>Protective factors can also be fostered through therapy. Helping students to <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3402/ejpt.v5.23079@zept20.2014.5.issue-s1">reach out</a> to their friends and families is important – they need to <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10615806.2014.969719">feel a sense of social support</a>, and they are likely to turn to their existing networks first to get it. Therapy can include families and partners too, and can provide them with the tools they need to support loved ones following a mass shooting.</p>
<h2>The right response</h2>
<p>Group sessions might be healing in specific ways for people who have experienced a collective trauma. <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10615806.2014.969719">Researchers studying the aftermath</a> of the Virginia Tech shooting noted that group therapy could provide opportunities for those who don’t feel ready to speak, to benefit passively from social support and a sense of community.</p>
<p>Although there has been a significant amount of research into the psychological consequences of school shootings, the responses so far have too often been inadequate, and <a href="https://books.google.ie/books?hl=en&lr=&id=Fcw3DwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT6&dq=School+violence:+Fears+versus+facts&ots=3GUtmt6v7-&sig=uxh4TyIMnzcYRAy5BhiDt4GUjpM&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=School%20violence%3A%20Fears%20versus%20facts&f=false">not based on evidence</a>. The effectiveness of harsh “zero tolerance” disciplinary policies <a href="https://nyupress.org/books/9781479877027/">has been debunked</a> – yet politicians in the US <a href="https://theconversation.com/zero-tolerance-discipline-policies-wont-fix-school-shootings-93399">continue to propose</a> the same type of measures in the wake of recent tragedies.</p>
<p>The US <a href="http://time.com/5286562/santa-fe-high-school-shooting-texas-gun-control/">has still not introduced</a> meaningful gun control measures – even though the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2018/02/15/europe-had-school-shootings-too-then-they-did-something-about-it/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.d8ab94f822dc">vast majority</a> of mass school shootings happen there. As long as young people continue to be traumatised in this way, it’s crucial to recognise that some survivors are more vulnerable than others, so that each can be given the support they need to recover.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/97201/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Áine Travers does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Previous trauma, race and access to support all affect a survivor’s recovery.Áine Travers, PhD Researcher in Psychology, University of Southern DenmarkLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/809062017-08-10T12:29:46Z2017-08-10T12:29:46ZNosy neighbours and the outsourcing of UK gun control<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/181541/original/file-20170809-26039-auqb7t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/download/success?src=xyJ1yyj4gDjnZRZ3W2sY1A-1-6">Sari ONeal/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Police forces are cracking down on gun owners in the wake of heightened concerns over terrorism. Some lawyers are <a href="http://www.shootinguk.co.uk/news/police-get-tougher-on-gun-ownership-91998">now claiming</a> that the police are even revoking legal firearm owners’ licences and guns because of a new array of “indicators” which show a lack of suitability to own them. These include <a href="http://www.shootinguk.co.uk/news/shooters-past-convictions-91760">spent convictions</a>, <a href="http://www.shootinguk.co.uk/shot-gun-certificate/depression-gun-ownership-50713%20depression">depression</a>, <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/10229880/Baronets-gun-stunt-backfires-when-officers-swoop-on-wedding.html">domestic disputes and discord</a> and even neighbour conflicts. </p>
<p>The caricature of the nosy neighbour has been a staple of many a popular sitcom, from Australia’s Neighbours to the UK’s Ever Decreasing Circles and One Foot in the Grave. Even when neighbourly relations <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/01/neighbors-from-hell-texts-instagram_n_6249050.html">turn sour</a>, <a href="http://www.channel5.com/show/nightmare-tenants-slum-landlords">they continue to entertain</a>. But the question is whether we should be criminalising legal gun-owners and outsourcing the job of the police to the neighbourhood watch?</p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/could-crowd-sourced-policing-turn-us-into-vigilantes-or-bedroom-super-sleuths-33149">Crowdsourced policing</a> is not new. Cybercrime vigilantes have been helping the police solve crime for some time. See, for example, the case of the British woman who put a live cat in a wheelie bin. In this case outraged online communities rallied to help identify her and bring her to justice. But does this suit gun control? </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/181544/original/file-20170809-23494-p7idu5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/181544/original/file-20170809-23494-p7idu5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/181544/original/file-20170809-23494-p7idu5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/181544/original/file-20170809-23494-p7idu5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/181544/original/file-20170809-23494-p7idu5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/181544/original/file-20170809-23494-p7idu5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/181544/original/file-20170809-23494-p7idu5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Clay pigeon shooting.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/man-shooting-shotguns-clay-pigeon-outdoors-409670656?src=pCCjHjv3TdPTMPpYfivoSQ-1-6">JazzyGeoff/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>UK firearm regulations are considered by many to be the strongest in the world and shooting incidents are <a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/aboutus/transparencyandgovernance/freedomofinformationfoi/firearmoffences">rare</a>. So is it fair to remove a legal owner’s shotgun if they undergo a divorce, experience a period of depression, or have a fractious relationship with their neighbour? One recent neighbour boundary dispute escalated to the degree that one legal gun owner had had their weapons confiscated and <a href="http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/local-news/man-made-up-claim-farmer-4811093">subsequently returned</a>. </p>
<p>In the UK, there are over <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jul/06/shotgun-certificates-held-by-thousands-of-under-18s-in-england-and-wales">one million</a> shotgun certificate holders. The UK application process is managed at local Constabulary level (not nationally) via an application that includes references and a home visit. </p>
<p>In contrast to US cultural expectations – where the number of guns owned by <a href="http://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/region/united-states">civilians</a> is between 270m and 310m – in the UK there is no right to ownership. The onus is on the application process to demonstrate an “unsuitability” for possessing firearms. This might be, for instance, a criminal record. An unsuccessful application or revocation of a certificate can be appealed at the local crown court. </p>
<p>My own <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1012690214531263?journalCode=irsb">research</a> has revealed that sport shooting is elitist and self-regulating. But the present policy emphasis is on public safety. The scrutiny of the UK’s present system stresses the point of certification. This shift in the police’s attitude towards the revocation or removal of firearms where neighbour disputes are reported has caused alarm in the <a href="http://www.shootinguk.co.uk/news/police-get-tougher-on-gun-ownership-91998">shooting press</a>. But is public safety proportionately enhanced by this policy? </p>
<h2>The digital landscape</h2>
<p>As a sociologist researching rural change and society, this issue demonstrates how the digital era has not streamlined our regulatory framework – quite the opposite. Game shooting is contentious and strongly opposed by some. What has been debated and what has now shifted is the role of surveillance, post-certification. This has already been extended to include markers on <a href="http://www.shootinguk.co.uk/features/licensing-medical-reports-421">owners’ medical records</a> and theoretically allows around 40,000 NHS staff members access to the knowledge they are a gun owner. </p>
<p>Plans to create an anonymous hotline where the public may report concerns about firearm owners were scrapped following protest from the pro-shooting community. However, the recent actions of the police have returned the onus to the public. Even minor reports of disputes have resulted in gun owners having their firearms removed from their possession (to be stored elsewhere) and/or their licences revoked. These include where planning disputes arise between neighbours and <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23518523">relationship breakdowns</a>. In response, <a href="http://www.shootinguk.co.uk/shooting/conservation/gun-certificate-appeals-37772">two major shooting organisations</a> have extended their insurance coverage to include the court costs involved with appealing such police decisions. </p>
<p>Shotgun owners are both urban and rural residents. The rural gun owner faces having to travel a considerable distance to their nearest authorised firearms dealer where their guns may have been stored because of a neighbour dispute. This would make it impossible to perform activities linked to ownership (such as pest control). Furthermore, shooting for some is not only recreational, but also linked with their profession, such as gamekeeping. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"875741232294756352"}"></div></p>
<p>The issue of proportionality is key. The legislation focuses on public safety and delivering value-for-money to the public. Firearms policing has actually become risk-averse, following <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/britains-chaotic-and-inadequate-gun-control-regime-risks-tragedy-report-warns-10501046.html">errors</a> by several constabularies which resulted in deaths. Tragic mass shootings cannot be anticipated but the police are failing to implement <a href="http://www.shootinguk.co.uk/shot-gun-certificate/poor-police-force-firearms-licensing-service-54417">Home Office recommendations</a> designed to update and standardised the application system. So this new move by the police to effectively outsource their scrutiny of certificate holders is not justified by the present legislation. It is reactive policing, giving the illusion of action and service delivery while holding consequences for what remains a legal activity. </p>
<p>It also bypasses the opportunities of the digital era. While some rural policing can be effectively crowdsourced, such as appealing for information via police Twitter feeds, the burden of proof for misuse or handling of firearms in the field is unlikely to be achieved for a self-regulated activity. By contrast, boundary disputes, noise complaints and unruly hedges are common neighbour conflicts and can disproportionately affect gun owners.</p>
<p>This current improvised policy by the police is failing because it is not asking questions about what is a safe, sustainable, environmentally and ecologically-balanced and socially-acceptable approach to sport shooting.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/80906/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sam Hillyard receives funding from the Economic and Social Research Council. </span></em></p>The police are cracking down on UK gun owners - but is out-sourcing intelligence gathering to the general public the right course of action?Sam Hillyard, Reader in Sociology, Durham UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/766662017-04-28T08:11:37Z2017-04-28T08:11:37ZHere’s when British police are legally allowed to shoot under a new policy on lethal force<p>Against a backdrop of increased police <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-police-are-being-militarised-should-we-be-worried-65050">militarisation</a>, police chiefs in the UK have announced a more aggressive <a href="https://news.npcc.police.uk/releases/more-firearms-officers-are-ready-to-protect-the-public">policy</a> on the use of lethal force.</p>
<p>There are now 640 more firearms officers in England and Wales than there were this time in 2016. Announcing the new policy, the National Police lead for armed policing, deputy chief constable Simon Chesterman, <a href="https://news.npcc.police.uk/releases/more-firearms-officers-are-ready-to-protect-the-public">said</a> that the officers provide a “potent force”:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Previously the approach was to locate, contain and neutralise. Now it is to locate and confront. Our tactics are more aggressive.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The new policy has resulted in a change of tactics for <a href="https://news.npcc.police.uk/releases/firearms-officers-shooting-at-moving-vehicles">firing at moving vehicles</a>. Chesterman explained that the policy has been revised following the use of vehicles in attacks in <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/nice-attack-29339">Nice</a>, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/08/stockholm-attack-suspect-arrested-for-terrorist-after-truck-deaths">Stockholm</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/westminster-attack-37098">Westminster</a>. Previous policy had discouraged shooting at moving vehicles due to risks such as ricocheting bullets. The change is made possible by an upgrade of the firearms officers carry – from 9mm weapons to more powerful .556 carbines capable of penetrating strong glass and lorry cabs. This upgrade began after the Mumbai attack in 2008, and has been ongoing since.</p>
<p>Properly understood, this revision is a change in the targets which police are allowed to shoot at, rather than an increase in the level of force employed or a reduction in the threshold at which lethal force will be used.</p>
<h2>Shoot to kill</h2>
<p>In some parts of the media, the policy change been linked to the notion of <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4426888/Shoot-kill-truck-terrorists-police-gunmen-told.html">shoot to kill</a>. Such a term is unhelpful as it is often misunderstood as meaning shoot on sight. It was in this sense that the phrase became infamous during the Troubles in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/2015/jul/09/northern-ireland-terror-shoot-to-kill">Northern Ireland</a> when it was alleged that police would shoot first, rather than attempt to make an arrest. </p>
<p>Used in this way, the phrase confuses reactive action with pre-determined policy. As police <a href="http://www.npcc.police.uk/documents/FoI%20publication/Disclosure%20Logs/Uniformed%20Operations%20FOI/2012/093%2012%20%20Att%2001%20of%201%20Management%20Command%20and%20delpyment%20of%20Firearms%20Officers.pdf">guidance</a> indicates, the primary purpose of opening fire is:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>To prevent an immediate threat to life by shooting to stop the subject from carrying out their intended or threatened course of action. In most circumstances this is achieved by aiming to strike the central body mass (i.e. the torso).</p>
</blockquote>
<p>As death is a likely consequence of such action, the usual intention is that of shooting to kill. However, the key concern of those analysing policy on the use of lethal force should not be what police intend to do when they fire their weapons, but rather the circumstances which support that decision.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/166987/original/file-20170427-15084-1f0t3u1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/166987/original/file-20170427-15084-1f0t3u1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/166987/original/file-20170427-15084-1f0t3u1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/166987/original/file-20170427-15084-1f0t3u1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/166987/original/file-20170427-15084-1f0t3u1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/166987/original/file-20170427-15084-1f0t3u1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/166987/original/file-20170427-15084-1f0t3u1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Lethal force depends on the cirumstances.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">via shutterstock.com</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>What the law says</h2>
<p>The legal framework for the use of force by British law enforcement agencies is a mix of international and national law. Apart from their authority to possess firearms, individual police officers have no special status in law when it comes to the use of such force. They are primarily governed by the same law as other citizens, namely section three of the <a href="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1967/58/section/3">Criminal Law Act 1967</a> which states: “A person may use such force as is reasonable in the circumstances in the prevention of crime.”</p>
<p>The question whether the degree of force used is reasonable in the circumstances is decided not in light of the actual circumstances but by considering the circumstances as the officer believed them to be. In recent years, this subjective test has underpinned the decision not to prosecute officers following the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/mar/30/jean-charles-de-menezes-police-officers-shouldshould-not-be-prosecuted-echr">death of</a> Jean Charles De Menezes at Stockwell tube station in 2005 and the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/mar/29/mark-duggan-family-lose-appeal-against-lawful-killing-verdict">verdict</a> of lawful killing in the inquest into the death of Mark Duggan in 2011. In both cases the police erroneously believed the deceased to be armed at the point of opening fire.</p>
<p>The police as an institution and the government’s responsibility for their actions are subject to human rights considerations; specifically the right to life in the <a href="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1998/42/contents">Human Rights Act 1998</a> and the <a href="http://www.echr.coe.int/Documents/Convention_ENG.pdf">European Convention on Human Rights</a>. This means the use of lethal force will only be justified where it is absolutely necessary.</p>
<p>In the 1995 case of <a href="http://www.worldlii.org/eu/cases/ECHR/1995/31.html">McCann v UK</a>, where British soldiers shot dead IRA suspects in Gibraltar mistakenly believing them to have the means to detonate a car bomb, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that that the honest belief of the soldiers was compatible with human rights law. Although exonerating the soldiers for this reason, the court concluded that a lack of appropriate care in the control and organisation of the operation had led to a use of force that meant that the UK itself had breached the right to life under the convention.</p>
<p>Considering this legal framework, the use of the word “aggressive” is misplaced for a policy that should reflect proportionality and minimum force. A more measured approach will ultimately provide the greatest support for officers, police forces and government when justifying the resort to lethal force. </p>
<p>In a civilised society, officers must both justify their actions and at the same time be protected by law for difficult decisions, honestly taken. Policy suggesting that the police are institutionally aggressive, even during times of heightened threat levels, will make this harder to achieve on the still rare occasions when police resort to lethal force in the UK.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/76666/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nicholas Clapham does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Ask when, not if, police in the UK ‘shoot to kill’ under revised policy.Nicholas Clapham, Teaching Fellow, School of Law, University of SurreyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/680292016-11-03T00:17:50Z2016-11-03T00:17:50ZDylann Roof, Michael Slager on trial: Five essential reads on Charleston<p><em>Editor’s note: The following is a roundup of archival stories related to race and violence.</em></p>
<p>Two white men are going on trial this month for shootings that happened in Charleston, South Carolina during 2015.</p>
<p>Michael Slager, a white former police officer, faces a murder charge for killing 50-year-old Walter Scott, a black man who was unarmed. Slager fired eight shots as Scott ran away.</p>
<p>Dylann Roof, a self-proclaimed white supremacist, faces 33 federal charges, including a federal hate crime for massacring nine black churchgoers at an AME church. He is eligible for the death penalty.</p>
<p>As the trials bring back memories of those horrifying events, we look at highlights from The Conversation’s archive.</p>
<h2>A dark past, present</h2>
<p>Parallels between the two shootings and South Carolina’s history of racial violence quickly rose to the surface.</p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/the-massacre-at-mother-emanuel-the-past-still-lives-with-us-43597">The past is still with us</a>, writes A.D. Carson, a Ph.D. student at Clemson University.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“In 1876, State Senator Simon Coker – who was in Charleston investigating violence against blacks – was seized by a mob and shot in the head as he kneeled in a last prayer. One of the perpetrators of that atrocious event was none other than the eventual governor and senator, Benjamin Tillman, who made his disdain for black people known…”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>A statue of Tillman still stands on the grounds of the South Carolina State House in Columbia. Remembering, not honoring, this dark past is important to stop the past from repeating itself, Carson writes.</p>
<h2>A place of hate, hope</h2>
<p>It also was <a href="https://theconversation.com/emanuel-ame-has-long-been-a-target-for-hate-as-well-as-place-of-hope-43601">not the first time</a> the Emanuel AME church was the target of racial violence, writes Sandra Barnes, a religion scholar at Vanderbilt University. </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Here are just a few examples of the assaults that took place on Emanuel AME and other churches over the years: white raids; black church services being made illegal in Charleston between 1834 and 1865; the burning of Emanuel AME after the slave rebellion lead by Denmark Vessey; the police harassment of civil rights protesters at Emanuel AME in the 1960s.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Roof’s attack was one of many – part of systemic violence embedded in the state’s history.</p>
<h2>All oppression is connected</h2>
<p>Before opening fire, Roof said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“I have to do it. You rape our women and you’re taking over our country. And you have to go.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Not only are his words deeply racist, they are saturated with a form of sexism that reaches back to a <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-lethal-gentleman-the-benevolent-sexism-behind-dylann-roofs-racism-43534">colonial mentality of entitlement</a>, writes Lisa Wade, a sociologist at Occidental College.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“It’s most clearly articulated in the history of lynching, in which black men were violently murdered routinely by white mobs using the excuse that they had raped a white woman. Roof is the modern equivalent of this white mob.”</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>A vulnerable father</h2>
<p>South Carolina also has struggled with an issue related to Walter Scott’s death – child support. Reports from the Scott case suggest he ran from Officer Slager because he was afraid of being jailed for not paying child support.</p>
<p>In 2011, a case went to the Supreme Court in which a South Carolina man served one year in prison when he failed to pay child support. Incarcerating poor men often makes <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-crisis-revealed-by-the-killing-of-walter-scott-how-were-failing-vulnerable-fathers-40610">a difficult situation much worse</a>, writes Ronald Mincy, professor of Social Policy at Columbia University.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“The fear of incarceration bears indirect responsibility for Scott’s death. And Walter Scott was not alone in feeling this fear. At present, there are approximately 9 million nonresident fathers (that is to say, fathers who do not live in the same household as their child or children) of whom over half are economically vulnerable.”</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>A movement grows</h2>
<p>After a video of Scott’s death was released, members of the #BlackLivesMatter movement called for more citizen oversight of policing. <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-ferguson-and-blacklivesmatter-taught-us-not-to-look-away-45815">This call to bear witness</a> has served as a form of resistance to oppression since the Jim Crow era, writes Nicholas Mirzoeff, professor at New York University.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“The #BlackLivesMatter movement that began after the death of Trayvon Martin in 2012 insists not just that we sneak a sidelong glance, but that we pay full attention to the repeated deaths of African Americans. This looking is not a gaze, because it does not claim power over the victims. Rather, it creates the digital form of what Martin Luther King Jr called ‘the beloved community.’”</p>
</blockquote><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/68029/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
Two major trials in the killings of black victims in South Carolina start this week. Learn about the state’s past and present struggle with racial violence in this roundup.Danielle Douez, Associate Editor, Politics + SocietyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/651512016-09-20T19:54:11Z2016-09-20T19:54:11ZCroc safari: why selling licences to rich hunters isn’t fair<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/138374/original/image-20160920-16646-1dhr53q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Crocodiles are protected in Australia, but it wasn't always so. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">from www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Crocodiles are protected in Australia. These impressive, if dangerous, animals are icons of the north. But it wasn’t always so. <a href="http://www.qhatlas.com.au/crocodile-hunting">Crocodiles used to be hunted freely</a> in northern Australia, an activity that led to their decline and eventual protection. </p>
<p>There have been calls to <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-31/crocodile-cull-ruled-out-by-qld-government-daintree-attack/7463722">cull crocodiles to improve safety</a>, but experts argue that this will make <a href="https://theconversation.com/staying-safe-in-crocodile-country-culling-isnt-the-answer-60252">little difference to the risk</a>. Besides, crocodiles are already sustainably farmed for leather products. </p>
<p>However, there are also <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/programs/hack/should-we-allow-crocodile-safari-hunting/7820042">calls</a> – for instance, from <a href="https://twitter.com/RealBobKatter/status/737268761581871104/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5etfw">federal MP Bob Katter</a> – to allow crocodiles to be shot for safari. Selling hunting licences worth thousands of dollars to rich shooters, the argument goes, could provide vital income. </p>
<p>But this ignores Australia’s history of crocodile hunting. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/138368/original/image-20160920-11090-13bioql.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/138368/original/image-20160920-11090-13bioql.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/138368/original/image-20160920-11090-13bioql.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/138368/original/image-20160920-11090-13bioql.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/138368/original/image-20160920-11090-13bioql.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/138368/original/image-20160920-11090-13bioql.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=568&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/138368/original/image-20160920-11090-13bioql.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=568&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/138368/original/image-20160920-11090-13bioql.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=568&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Crocodile hunters in the Northern Territory.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/DetailsReports/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=30621473&isAv=N">Australian News and Information Bureau, July 1968/National Archives of Australia</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Postwar crocodile hunting</h2>
<p>Immediately after the second world war, .303 rifles were widely available and were capable of reliably killing crocodiles. Crocodile skins suddenly increased in value — the Australian crocodile-hunting boom was the result.</p>
<p>The boom attracted hunters from southern Australia, including new immigrants. Some made significant amounts of money as the price of <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-04-11/crocodile-hunters-from-1940s-in-unearthed-video/7315516">crocodile skins</a> rose, but the prospect of adventure was often a far more significant lure. For many, coming north to hunt crocodiles was a working holiday combined with a boy’s own adventure. It was also an opportunity for men restless from the war to put off settling back into domesticity.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/138369/original/image-20160920-11117-d2q1xn.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/138369/original/image-20160920-11117-d2q1xn.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/138369/original/image-20160920-11117-d2q1xn.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=759&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/138369/original/image-20160920-11117-d2q1xn.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=759&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/138369/original/image-20160920-11117-d2q1xn.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=759&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/138369/original/image-20160920-11117-d2q1xn.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=954&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/138369/original/image-20160920-11117-d2q1xn.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=954&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/138369/original/image-20160920-11117-d2q1xn.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=954&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/DetailsReports/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=5966626&isAv=N">Australian News and Information Bureau, July 1968/National Archives of Australia</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>That mood of adventure was captured in a 1956 home movie, aptly titled <a href="http://aso.gov.au/titles/documentaries/northern-safari/clip3/">Northern Safari</a>. Shown as a feature film, it packed cinemas in Australia and overseas. Northern Safari documented a family trip north and showed the accessibility of hunting in northern Australia to anyone with the time and practical skills to get there.</p>
<p>In addition to this accessible but rugged style of hunting, some postwar entrepreneurs began to offer organised hunting. Aimed at people with more money, less time and a greater desire for comfort, the commercial Australian safari was born. </p>
<p>The Australian Crocodile Shooters’ Club actively promoted safari cruises to hunters who wished to shoot in luxury. In 1952 it established one of [Australia’s first safari camps](http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article50532888](http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article50532888) in the Gulf of Carpentaria.</p>
<p>However, the <a href="http://littledarwin.blogspot.com.au/2014/12/unforgettable-safari-with-great-white.html">Australian safari at this time</a> was less exclusive than the original African version. While expensive, hunters might subsidise their holidays through the sale of crocodile skins – and the services and amenities provided could not be described as truly luxurious.</p>
<h2>Safari hunting in the present</h2>
<p>Nevertheless, the Australian safari has evolved since the ban on crocodile hunting and has taken its place among international safari organisations. Safari operations cater to visiting sportsmen by providing access to introduced species and game fish. The Australian experience is one of many such distinct experiences promoted at the annual <a href="https://www.safariclub.org/what-we-do/events">Safari Club International</a> convention.</p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/138370/original/image-20160920-11127-10osvd2.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/138370/original/image-20160920-11127-10osvd2.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/138370/original/image-20160920-11127-10osvd2.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=870&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/138370/original/image-20160920-11127-10osvd2.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=870&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/138370/original/image-20160920-11127-10osvd2.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=870&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/138370/original/image-20160920-11127-10osvd2.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1094&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/138370/original/image-20160920-11127-10osvd2.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1094&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/138370/original/image-20160920-11127-10osvd2.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1094&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">An NT croc hunter in 1949.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/DetailsReports/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=11171139&isAv=N">National Archives of Australia</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>New Zealand provides an example of how such tourist trophy hunting operates. Based on privately owned red deer estates, some hunting providers sell clients the right to hunt an animal selected for its probable value under the Safari Club International scoring system. </p>
<p><a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1745-7939.2012.01219.x/epdf">Estate deer</a> are bred for their trophy value and their antlers command scores unmatched by red deer found on public land. Access to them is limited and the cost of hunting one of the highest-scoring stags is more than NZ$20,000. Estate deer hunting is largely invisible to ordinary New Zealand hunters.</p>
<p>Despite the enthusiasm of proponents, there is widespread unease about the killing of big game. As with the red deer industry in New Zealand, the <a href="http://www.ecosmagazine.com/?act=view_file&file_id=EC122p33.pdf">safari industry in Australia at present</a> depends on introduced species of game, and so avoids controversy.</p>
<p>Overseas the <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-08-02/cecil-the-lion-world-reacts-to-trophy-hunting/6666204">death of Cecil the lion</a> brought public unease about big game hunting into the open, as did the participation of touring New Zealand <a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11305600">rugby players</a> in a legal hunt in South Africa. Privileged access to native game and the killing of large native animals for sport has been made more visible by the sharing of images via the internet, and that visibility has demonstrated widespread <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jun/10/joyce-carol-oates-steven-spielberg-animatronic-dinosaur">public unease with the safari</a>.</p>
<h2>So who gets to hunt?</h2>
<p>Scientific commentators agree that <a href="https://theconversation.com/staying-safe-in-crocodile-country-culling-isnt-the-answer-60252">crocodile culling</a> is unlikely to decrease the number or severity of crocodile attacks on humans in Australia. Neither is hunting crocodiles in Australia about managing an introduced pest. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/138371/original/image-20160920-11123-seu6zt.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/138371/original/image-20160920-11123-seu6zt.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/138371/original/image-20160920-11123-seu6zt.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=407&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/138371/original/image-20160920-11123-seu6zt.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=407&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/138371/original/image-20160920-11123-seu6zt.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=407&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/138371/original/image-20160920-11123-seu6zt.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=511&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/138371/original/image-20160920-11123-seu6zt.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=511&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/138371/original/image-20160920-11123-seu6zt.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=511&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A croc hunter stuffing crocodiles for sale in 1949.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/DetailsReports/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=6849665&isAv=N">National Archives of Australia</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Instead, it is desirable because of the adventure involved, because for some hunting provides a meaningful connection with nature and because for others killing large animals brings prestige. These motivations aren’t being discussed.</p>
<p>If the crocodile safari were to be re-established in Australia it wouldn’t be the freely available experience it once was. Modern safari hunting is expensive and the preserve of only a few. Australians need to consider if they really wish to entice elite international hunters to Australia using a native species (even one as unlovable as the saltwater crocodile) as prey.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/65151/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Claire Brennan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Should shooting crocs be allowed for elite hunters?Claire Brennan, Lecturer in History, James Cook UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/631572016-08-09T00:19:55Z2016-08-09T00:19:55ZHow do Olympic athletes pay the electric bill?<p>Recently, while sitting in traffic, I noticed a weathered bumper sticker with a little acoustic guitar on it that said: “Real musicians have day jobs.”</p>
<p>I presume most of us do have real day jobs, but as the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics begin, for some reason – maybe because I’m an ex-Olympic shooter – I wondered about the hundreds of young women and men who have tried (with many failing) to represent the United States in the Olympics. </p>
<p>Real musicians and Olympians seem to have a lot in common. They have ambition and enthusiasm for their craft. But like musicians, these talented young people have to pay their electric bills too. How do they support themselves and their families, all while having to diligently train, often several hours a day over the course of years? How did I pull it off?</p>
<h2>The haves and haves nots</h2>
<p>Many might assume that since athletes are at the pinnacles of their respective sports, they’re all able to live comfortably, either from endorsements or competing professionally. After all, Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps’ <a href="http://www.therichest.com/celebnetworth/athletes/richest-swimmers/michael-phelps-net-worth/">estimated net worth</a> is about US$55,000,000. </p>
<p>But most who do make it to Pyeongchang receive very little funding, and most don’t make a lot of money off their sport outside of the Olympics, either. For example, two-time Olympic javelin thrower Cyrus Hostetler <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/olympic-executives-cash-in-on-a-movement-that-keeps-athletes-poor/2016/07/30/ed18c206-5346-11e6-88eb-7dda4e2f2aec_story.html">recently told The Washington Post</a> that the most he’s ever earned in a year is $3,000. </p>
<p>Sure, there are many celebrity athletes who are professionals, have corporate endorsements and have their airbrushed faces on a Wheaties box. Snowboarder Shaun White and skier Lindsey Vonn compete in the Olympic Games and then return to a life of material comfort. But these folks are few and far between. </p>
<p>The average U.S. Olympian simply does not live in the highest level of the financial stratosphere. <a href="http://trackandfieldathletesassociation.org/site/how-much-money-do-track-and-field-athletes-make/">According to the Track and Field Athletic Association</a>, there’s a “steep pyramid of income opportunities” for track and field athletes, with only a “select few” able to earn a very good living. Fifty percent of track athletes who rank in the top 10 in the U.S. in their event earn less than $15,000 annually from the sport.</p>
<p>Unlike many other countries, the United States federal government <a href="http://www.teamusa.org/us-olympic-and-paralympic-foundation/team-usa-fund">doesn’t fund Olympic programs</a>, though some athletes get special funding from their national governing bodies. For example, USA Swimming reportedly provides <a href="http://www.sportsmanagementdegreehub.com/olympic-athletes-salaries/">approximately $3,000</a> to national team members of its top 16 ranked athletes. But other aspiring athletes are actually unemployed and need to be supported by their families – and some families have even gone bankrupt trying to support their son’s or daughter’s Olympic dreams. Leading up to the 2012 Games in London, US News <a href="http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/alpha-consumer/2012/08/07/why-olympic-athletes-parents-go-broke">reported</a> that gymnast Gabby Douglas’ mother had filed for bankruptcy, in part due to “the high cost of her daughter’s training, which involved living away from home for two years.” </p>
<h2>Scraping by to chase a dream</h2>
<p>In reality, countless hopefuls and current Olympians hold down real jobs working all shifts. You name it, <a href="http://www.frugalconfessions.com/exltra-cash/how-olympic-athletes-fund-their-dream.php">they do it</a>: waiter, teacher, coach, construction worker, public speaker, janitor and many other jobs. For example, swimmer Amanda Beard has worked as a model and as a public speaker to earn a living.</p>
<p>Many are undergraduate and graduate students who train at their universities. Some serve in the military. Several fortunate athletes live and train at regional Olympic training centers like those at Colorado Springs, Chula Vista and Lake Placid.</p>
<p>The U.S. Olympic Committee has created athlete employment programs that offer some support and employment opportunities. For example, the <a href="http://www.teamusa.org/Athlete%20Resources/Athlete%20Career%20and%20Education%20Services/Employers">Team USA Athlete Career and Education Program (ACE)</a> exists to link aspiring athletes with organizations like Coca-Cola and Dick’s Sporting Goods, among others, that provide full- and part-time employment. </p>
<p>In my case, I recall preparing over two Olympic quadrennials to get ready for the boycotted 1980 Moscow Games (a team I did not make) and the 1984 Los Angeles Games (which I did make and medal) as a shooter. It was not a financially comfortable time in my life. </p>
<p>I supported myself with a mix of funding from the G.I. Bill, a graduate assistantship teaching physical education classes and work as a shooting coach. I also served part-time as a member of the U.S. Army Reserves. All told, from working three jobs, I earned $500 a month (around $1,500 today), plus the cost of tuition. </p>
<p>In fact, I just received a Social Security statement of earned income during those eight years. It doesn’t reflect the wages of a rich man during my Olympic quest – and even so I was probably one of the lucky ones. Many more fail in the dream to make an Olympic team than those who actually get to walk behind the flag in the opening ceremonies.</p>
<p>Chasing the Olympic dream can be exhausting. It’s not a straight path. There are skilled athletes who had to drop out of their chase for a medal because of finances. </p>
<p>So when you watch the Olympics, consider the personal stories of the 2016 U.S. Olympians who might be making less than $12,000 a year. </p>
<p>I can tell you from personal experience it’s not easy. But I can also tell you it can be quite rewarding.</p>
<p><em>This an updated version of an article originally published on Aug. 8, 2016.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/63157/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Edward Etzel does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A former Olympic gold medalist reflects on his own financial struggles as he trained and competed for the 1984 Games. Decades later, not much has changed for many Olympians.Edward Etzel, Professor of Sport and Exercise Psychology, West Virginia UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/588352016-05-04T12:36:05Z2016-05-04T12:36:05ZScottish land reforms huff and puff, but will they blow anyone away?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/121208/original/image-20160504-1305-jnvoko.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Same as it ever was: Kyleakin Castle on Skye.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/oliver_clarke/15356193027/in/photolist-poYvbK-dYe1f6-qmgBXK-rPrTfA-pA1pg7-gU752N-qQDayK-qyLJfi-oAyhKh-pMwKsK-pj3r3i-pTWoMS-aAZt8d-dJ43Ez-h3F6rs-pzawed-scpy8h-qxP7Nb-sfH4nn-qvmxk6-dt5LsA-dyAFqE-oLs596-6vvEBv-qyEsN9-nh7dMv-no9T6k-hX4F7X-nFtixo-qyEsAA-cRR8ud-dcQzWi-oFjHBH-pGmeLk-9D3qeG-qmVHcX-q6qcr6-e3y1PF-bxp2KM-ojnaJn-phKVq5-hCaXgq-oNQoBZ-daq3BZ-rgoqJY-bF7bP8-5Kp6y5-g26ngf-6wKM3J-pnvxHX">Oliver Clarke</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>When Scotland’s <a href="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2016/18/contents/enacted">new land laws</a> were approved this year, it marked the end of a process that has run for most of the current five-year parliament. Landownership was arguably ripe for change: in egalitarian Scotland, <a href="http://www.ckdgalbraith.co.uk/blog/right-buy-land-further-sustainable-development">a reported</a> 50% of private rural land is owned by fewer than 500 people and entities, and landownership has not been liberated <a href="https://theconversation.com/nobility-may-be-up-in-arms-but-scotlands-land-reforms-look-fairly-tame-46100">in the way that</a> it has in some nearby countries. </p>
<p>This was not Holyrood’s first dalliance with the subject. Previous <a href="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2003/2/contents">reforms in 2003</a> gave everyone access to Scotland’s outdoors, even without an owner’s prior consent, provided it is taken responsibly and subject to certain exclusions. It also gave communities some rights over local land, including a right of first refusal in rural areas and a right to buy in the crofting areas of the north and west of Scotland. </p>
<p>Important as those innovations were, some called for more reform. They were answered in part <a href="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2015/6/contents/enacted">by rules</a> introduced last year to further empower communities by entitling them to participate in numerous local decisions and giving them a new right of acquisition for abandoned, neglected or environmentally mismanaged land. It also widened the right of first refusal into Scotland’s cities. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/121211/original/image-20160504-19860-1pezg0d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/121211/original/image-20160504-19860-1pezg0d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/121211/original/image-20160504-19860-1pezg0d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/121211/original/image-20160504-19860-1pezg0d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/121211/original/image-20160504-19860-1pezg0d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/121211/original/image-20160504-19860-1pezg0d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/121211/original/image-20160504-19860-1pezg0d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/121211/original/image-20160504-19860-1pezg0d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Crofting rights were an earlier priority.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/cat.mhtml?lang=en&language=en&ref_site=photo&search_source=search_form&version=llv1&anyorall=all&safesearch=1&use_local_boost=1&autocomplete_id=&searchterm=scottish%20land&show_color_wheel=1&orient=&commercial_ok=&media_type=images&search_cat=&searchtermx=&photographer_name=&people_gender=&people_age=&people_ethnicity=&people_number=&color=&page=1&inline=289636874">Duncan Andison</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>What the new rules do</h2>
<p>Now comes the <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/CurrentCommittees/90754.aspx">Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016</a>. In some cases it could directly force a change of landowner, either through a community buying land to further sustainable development, or by allowing certain types of agricultural tenant to buy land where the landlord is in material breach of a court order or arbitration award. (As I’ve <a href="https://theconversation.com/nobility-may-be-up-in-arms-but-scotlands-land-reforms-look-fairly-tame-46100">explained before</a>, this doesn’t quite go as far as compulsory purchase orders.)</p>
<p>There is a boost to transparency of ownership through new rules about disclosing the controlling shareholder in a landowning entity. Coupled with an existing <a href="https://www.ros.gov.uk/about-us/land-register-completion">drive to</a> complete the map-based Land Register of Scotland by 2024, which will improve accessibility of information about the land itself, this will make it harder for operators registered in offshore tax havens to hide who directs their Scottish land holdings. </p>
<p>Landowners now have a decision to make about making their land available for shooting, as the new act removes rate reliefs on such activities. Whether they still allow shooting will of course depend on whether they can afford the rates, and also whether they are eligible for other offsetting reliefs (such as <a href="https://www.mygov.scot/business-rates-relief/">those for small business</a>). </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/121209/original/image-20160504-27756-1xjuoiq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/121209/original/image-20160504-27756-1xjuoiq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/121209/original/image-20160504-27756-1xjuoiq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=437&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/121209/original/image-20160504-27756-1xjuoiq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=437&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/121209/original/image-20160504-27756-1xjuoiq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=437&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/121209/original/image-20160504-27756-1xjuoiq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=549&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/121209/original/image-20160504-27756-1xjuoiq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=549&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/121209/original/image-20160504-27756-1xjuoiq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=549&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Dear deer.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/Red_Deer_Stag_Wollaton_Park.JPG">Wikimedia</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>There are some important reforms to farm tenancies regarding matters like rent review, tenancy transfers and inheritance. They don’t enable tenants to pass their lease to absolutely anyone, but a reform introduced in the latter stages of the bill’s passage through Holyrood will allow transfer to “an individual who is a new entrant to, or who is progressing in, farming” in certain circumstances. That procedure is convoluted and controversial, so much so that there have been indications that landowners may <a href="http://www.scottishlandandestates.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4855:landowners-highlight-fears-for-future-of-tenant-farming-sector&catid=71:national&Itemid=107">challenge the rules on human rights grounds</a>. </p>
<p>Landlords will also in future be measured against a “land rights and responsibilities statement”, and there are new guidelines for how they should engage with local communities when important decisions are made. And the whole regime will be overseen by the new Scottish Land Commission, which will also have a role in ensuring land reform stays in the foreground of Scottish policy. </p>
<p>These reforms will undoubtedly make quite a difference to landowners, land managers, communities, tenants and Scottish society as a whole. It is <a href="https://theconversation.com/radical-land-reforms-in-scotland-are-nothing-of-the-sort-42285">difficult to</a> make a direct comparison with England, which has very different land rules, but Scotland is certainly now a little less favourable for the landowning classes. That said, the SNP government could have covered more ground still. At various points in the development of this law, there were suggestions about: a cap on landownership above a certain level; preventing entities registered outside the EU from owning land; and full compulsory sale orders. None of these appear in the legislation. </p>
<p>The Holyrood election campaign has demonstrated that many political parties are interested in further land reform: Scottish Labour’s <a href="http://www.scottishlabour.org.uk/manifesto/all">manifesto says</a> the new act is “botched” and that it would look at making improvements, including ensuring land in Scotland is “registered within the EU”. The Scottish Greens <a href="https://greens.scot/blog/5-bold-commitments-from-the-scottish-greens">proclaim that</a> “Scotland can be bolder on land reform” in terms of tax and offshore ownership. </p>
<p>The Scottish parliament has gone some way towards changing the rules about landholding in Scotland. Now that the genie is out of the bottle, the debate is clearly not going to end here.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/58835/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Adviser to the Scottish-government-appointed Land Reform Review Group June 2013-May 2014. Solicitor and member of the Law Society of Scotland, non-practising Solicitor in England & Wales. Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Views are entirely his own. </span></em></p>Why the ruling classes may think twice about landownership in Scotland.Malcolm Combe, Lecturer in Law, University of AberdeenLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/467802015-08-27T17:11:41Z2015-08-27T17:11:41ZShame on the UK press for helping make a superstar of Virginia shooter<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/93210/original/image-20150827-381-30lzyy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">How the UK tabloids covered the shooting</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Steven Vass</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The horrific murders of reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward live on WDBJ7 TV have, understandably, raised questions about responsible reporting. WDBJ7’s live broadcast, and the video which the killer later posted to social media, have been the focus of the initial debate. In the US the major news channels <a href="http://theconversation.com/the-virginia-on-air-shootings-all-too-real-46725">showed</a> some or all of this footage. In the UK the BBC’s major bulletins showed extracts from both Ward and the killer’s footage, stopping when the shooting began. </p>
<p>Other UK news outlets have been less restrained. The killer’s video could be watched on The Sun and Mirror online, and stills from his video – gun held aloft, Parker oblivious to the threat – adorned the front pages of their print runs, also appearing in The Times, The Telegraph and Daily Mail.</p>
<p>In the reporting of any crime of violence, there is an important balance to be struck. Responsible reporting needs to hold the perpetrator to account. But it should not glorify or legitimate the perpetrator or his actions. The UK coverage has largely got this wrong. And it’s not just about the videos.</p>
<p>Even those outlets which took a more restrained approach to the video have widely repeated the killer’s words from his rambling suicide note and Twitter account. His views on the people he killed have been given vast exposure – as has his own WDBJ7 career, with some news sites carrying links to his “reporter reel”. We can see his face looming large in every news outlet. His name in headlines worldwide. He is known.</p>
<p>Understanding the killer and his motives is important. But the kind of specifics offered in much of the UK coverage go far beyond this to provide a posthumous platform for the killer’s worldview. He is placed in a shooters’ hall of fame, alongside the men who committed mass murders at a church in <a href="http://www.nationalreview.com/article/420565/charleston-shooting-obama-race-crime">Charleston</a>, a school in <a href="http://www.biography.com/people/adam-lanza-21068899">Sandy Hook</a>, a cinema in <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-18937513">Aurora</a>, a campus in <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2013/10/31/us/virginia-tech-shootings-fast-facts/">Virginia</a> …</p>
<h2>Entitlement</h2>
<p>In their <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/The_Lust_to_Kill.html?id=Di1wQgAACAAJ&redir_esc=y">brilliant book</a> on sexual murder, Deborah Cameron and Elizabeth Frazer talk about sexual killing as an act of self-affirmation on the part of the killer, through which a particular kind of male subjectivity is confirmed. A similar argument can be extended to the Virginia murders, as well as to the numerous other crimes of spectacular gun violence in the US. It is a too rarely remarked upon fact that the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-has-america-done-so-little-to-stop-gun-violence-46647">vast majority of these crimes are committed by men</a>. </p>
<p>When the killers’ motives are explored, the underlying factor is typically a sense of entitlement: to a particular place and space in the world, to the attentions of women, to a particular career, to wealth or media attention. Their motives tell us a lot about how masculinity is constructed in Western cultures. And what it means to aspire to – and fall short of – dominant ideals. </p>
<p>This sense of entitlement is not unique to apparently disenfranchised shooters. It’s there in the <a href="nymag.com/thecut/2015/07/bill-cosbys-accusers-speak-out.html">accusations against</a> US entertainer Bill Cosby. It’s there in Jimmy Savile’s decades of abuse in the UK, enabled by a culture of celebrity which placed him on a pedestal, made a running joke of his sexism, and was complicit in the devaluation of his victims, both female and male. And it’s there in less newsworthy crimes of domestic abuse which occur across the country, every day of every week. </p>
<p>Focusing on what makes these crimes generic, predictable, typical is one way of puncturing the same aggrandised sense of entitlement which seems to have motivated the Virginia killer. It’s a way of refusing to play his game: to reject his claims that his crimes made him special, memorable.</p>
<h2>The hardest question</h2>
<p>In reporting the Virginia case, of course journalists need to look at the killer’s suicide note and Twitter account. But they don’t need to repeat them. The job of the reporter should be to interpret his worldview, not represent it; to identify its patterns, not reproduce its specifics.</p>
<p>There is an understandable desire to search the killer’s life and background for clues as to his crimes, and in the days and weeks ahead there will no doubt be much of this. This poses a challenge for any of us writing about perpetrators of mass crimes, whether as journalists or academics. How do we understand, critique or learn from an individual case without contributing to the cult of celebrity?</p>
<p>This isn’t an easy question. It’s one I’ve been grappling with <a href="uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/media-and-violence/book227132">for years</a>. But an important first step is that we recognise the generic characteristics of these crimes – and the way they are represented – and think about our own roles in these stories. </p>
<p>This article is about the media coverage of the murders of Alison Parker and Adam Ward. It isn’t about the killer. There is no need, then, to use his name or his image. This is a deliberate act and it’s one many others have taken. It’s an approach which needs to become more embedded in responses to men’s violence if the media – if all of us – are to be part of the solution and not the problem.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/46780/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Karen Boyle does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>When will the news media learn that by making atrocities seem special and memorable, they are playing into the killer’s game?Karen Boyle, Chair in Feminist Media Studies, University of StirlingLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/422852015-05-29T07:44:09Z2015-05-29T07:44:09Z‘Radical’ land reforms in Scotland are nothing of the sort<p>You might be forgiven for thinking that the rules regarding a patch of land north and south of the Anglo-Scottish border do not vary greatly, but in fact they are governed by completely different legal traditions. </p>
<p>For example in Cumbria you might heed a sign saying “Trespassers Will Be Prosecuted”, but such signs are less effective in Aberdeenshire, as simply being on someone’s land in Scotland might not actually be a crime. Scots law does not think of title in terms such as <a href="http://www.mypropertyguide.co.uk/articles/display/10106/what-is-the-difference-between-leasehold-and-freehold.htm">“freehold” and “leasehold”</a>, and in fact has rules that prevent an owner of land granting a long lease of more than 175 years.</p>
<p>Now there are signs that the ground is shifting even further in Scotland – in a regulatory rather than a tectonic sense – after the Scottish government <a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/abb93aa6-fb1e-11e4-9fe6-00144feab7de.html#axzz3asUd2zMW">confirmed plans</a> shortly after the UK election to press ahead with land reform legislation before Holyrood’s summer recess.</p>
<p>This will make the two systems even more different and make life slightly harder in Scotland for those who own substantial tracts of land. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-30193791">has billed</a> the proposals as “radical”, but as we shall see, they are not exactly red in tooth and claw. </p>
<p>Devolution gave Scotland a legislature hungry for things to do, and reform of land law became one of Holyrood’s early priorities. It <a href="http://www.ejcl.org/83/art83-5.PDF">swept away</a> the remains of the antiquated feudal system that dated back to medieval times (and was long abolished in England); codified rights of access <a href="http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Environment/Countryside/16328">to the countryside</a>; and introduced <a href="http://www.gov.scot/Topics/farmingrural/Rural/rural-land/right-to-buy/Community">community rights of acquisition</a> of land in rural areas and small towns where the owner had decided to sell. </p>
<p>England also enjoyed some land reform, with the <a href="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/37/contents">Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000</a> facilitating outdoor access and later the Localism Act 2011 <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/local-government-network/2013/nov/02/localism-act-devolution-uk-local-authorities">giving rights</a> to communities relating to important local assets. Important as these measures are, they are not as bold as the Scottish reforms: the access rights are not quite as liberal, while the community right is simply a right to bid, not a right of first refusal. </p>
<p>Even then, the Scottish appetite for reform has clearly not been sated. Perhaps emboldened by an <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/special/election2011/overview/html/scotland.stm">outright majority</a> at Holyrood, but also with the <a href="https://basedrones.wordpress.com/2013/04/22/labour-towards-land-reform/">more-than-tacit support</a> of the Labour Party, the SNP began further reform from 2011. First came the <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/Bills/77926.aspx">Community Empowerment Bill</a>, which is working through Holyrood just now and is partly a response to the community right to buy <a href="http://www.gov.scot/Topics/farmingrural/Rural/rural-land/right-to-buy/Community/Register">not having</a> a massive take-up rate (at least outside the Highlands and Islands, where <a href="http://www.gov.scot/Topics/farmingrural/Rural/rural-land/right-to-buy/crofting">special rules</a> exist for land under crofting tenure). The bill will improve existing rights of acquisition for communities, remove some bureaucracy and extend the previously rural right to almost any land in Scotland, while bringing a new right to force a sale where land is “neglected” or “abandoned”. </p>
<p>But the main event is the one to follow. It came out of last winter’s <a href="https://consult.scotland.gov.uk/land-reform-and-tenancy-unit/land-reform-scotland">consultation</a>, which received more than 1,000 responses. Key proposals include: </p>
<ul>
<li>Give the state powers to force a sale where land ownership or the behaviour of a landowner is a barrier to sustainable development.<br></li>
<li>Remove tax breaks for shooting and deerstalking estates.<br></li>
<li>Reform property inheritance in a way that could prevent estates being passed to one child as a single unit.<br></li>
<li>Set up a Scottish Land Reform Commission to assess how existing policies are faring and weigh the evidence for further measures.<br></li>
</ul>
<h2>Objections and observations</h2>
<p>Although we don’t know yet what exactly the new legislation will take forward, its imminence has contributed to a fair amount of posturing. Concerns have been raised that the reforms will threaten <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/SNP/11614062/SNP-land-reforms-forget-about-food-production.html">food security</a>, or cost the taxpayer a lot of <a href="http://www.scottishconservatives.com/2015/03/snps-land-reform-could-cost-taxpayer-600m/">compensation</a>, and there have been assertions that the <a href="http://www.scottishlandandestates.co.uk/blog/challenge-facing-agriculture-is-to-do-with-land-use-not-who-owns-it/">use of land is more important than ownership</a>. </p>
<p>On the argument that who owns the land does not really matter, it is true that some legal measures apply to land irrespective of ownership. <a href="http://www.netregs.org.uk/legislation/scotland/current/conservation_legislation.aspx">Nature conservation</a> would be one example. Yet a landowner still has much autonomy to decide what to do with land, so ownership retains a crucial role. Particularly in rural Scotland, there is a perception that large landowners have a lot of control. In different contexts, competition law breaks up such dominant positions. Arguably there is a case to do something similar here. </p>
<p>On the idea that disturbing current ownership might affect food security by disrupting agriculture, you <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-31663267">don’t need to</a> look far into history to see land reform projects that have not been accompanied by suitable education or equipment, and consequently harmed productivity. But there may be circumstances where a community will care more about its 100-acre plot than a notional landowner who manages 10,000 acres, or where a farmer in charge of a smallholding will invest more time and money than a landlord of a large number of tenanted holdings would. Unsurprisingly, the Scottish Tenant Farmers’ Association <a href="http://www.tfascotland.org.uk/daily-telegraphs-attack-on-land-reform-plans-simply-preposterous/">has rejected</a> food-security concerns.</p>
<p>Finally, regardless of how popular a policy is, any new legislation will need to consider the rights of existing owners. For example Article 1, Protocol 1 of the <a href="http://www.echr.coe.int/Documents/Convention_ENG.pdf">European Convention on Human Rights</a> guarantees peaceful enjoyment of possessions, which should not be disturbed unless it is in the public interest and with proper compensation. </p>
<p>This will be a very fine balancing act and one that the Scottish parliament must manage carefully to avoid the risk of the courts overturning the legislation: there have already been a number of challenges to Scottish legislation on ECHR grounds, including one <a href="http://www.journalonline.co.uk/Magazine/58-12/1013450.aspx">successful challenge</a> relating to the above provision. That said, human rights are not simply a blocking force in favour of current owners. For instance the <a href="http://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/CESCR.aspx">UN International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights</a>, to which the UK is a signatory, guarantees certain rights such as sanitation, food and housing. </p>
<h2>What next?</h2>
<p>The reforms could well see the ground shift further. If the proposed powers of intervention to promote sustainable development and the tax changes in relation to sporting estates go ahead, they are sure to put existing practices by existing landowners under the microscope. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/83126/original/image-20150527-4812-166dhqb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/83126/original/image-20150527-4812-166dhqb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/83126/original/image-20150527-4812-166dhqb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=433&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/83126/original/image-20150527-4812-166dhqb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=433&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/83126/original/image-20150527-4812-166dhqb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=433&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/83126/original/image-20150527-4812-166dhqb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=544&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/83126/original/image-20150527-4812-166dhqb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=544&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/83126/original/image-20150527-4812-166dhqb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=544&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">That 1789 feeling?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Henry_Singleton_the_Storming_of_the_Bastille.jpg#/media/File:Henry_Singleton_the_Storming_of_the_Bastille.jpg">Henry Singleton painting</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Yet the radical nature of these proposals could equally be overstated. For example, many community owners are already under a duty to ensure they manage land in a way that furthers sustainable development. Can non-community owners object to a similar test? The proposed changes to the law of inheritance would actually bring Scotland into line with much of Europe – and implement a recent recommendation of the <a href="http://www.scotlawcom.gov.uk/law-reform/law-reform-projects/completed-projects/succession/">Scottish Law Commission</a>. Removal of a current business-rate exemption is not exactly equivalent to the introduction of a land-value tax (as proposed by the <a href="http://www.landvaluetax.org/current-affairs-comment/what-are-the-liberal-democrats-proposing.html">Lib Dems</a> and <a href="https://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/2012/11/09/%E2%80%98fair-and-progressive%E2%80%99-land-value-tax-would-help-stabilise-property-market/">Greens</a>). </p>
<p>The distinction with England must also be kept in perspective. Where an Englishman’s home is his castle, the Scottish reforms will not prevent a Scotsman’s home from being his castle. He will just have to manage the castle grounds in a suitable manner. In fact, a Scotsman’s castle still seems rather more secure than an English Housing Association’s <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-32884747">housing stock</a>, at least in ownership terms.</p>
<p>Everything turns on what the bill says, of course. But the reality is this: we are not yet dealing with the jurisprudence of the French or Russian revolutions. Private property in Scotland in safe: for now, at any rate.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/42285/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Adviser to the Scottish Government appointed Land Reform Review Group June 2013-May 2014. Solicitor and member of the Law Society of Scotland, non-practising Solicitor in England & Wales. Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.</span></em></p>Scottish and English land rules look set to further diverge, but talk of a revolution north of the border is somewhat wide of the mark.Malcolm Combe, Lecturer in Law, University of AberdeenLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/399932015-04-15T20:35:51Z2015-04-15T20:35:51ZGood news: fatal shootings are now less common in Australia, NZ, Canada and even the US<p>Here’s a good news story you probably haven’t read about before: numbers of fatal shootings are falling in Australia, and have been for around 30 years. And we’re not alone. </p>
<p>The rate of fatal shootings has been declining in <a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10660886">New Zealand</a>, <a href="http://jiv.sagepub.com/content/27/12/2303.abstract">Canada</a> and – most surprisingly – <a href="http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-031914-122535">even the United States</a> over the past few decades. So what’s going on that’s leading to those improved firearm fatality rates? And why is it so hard to have a sensible discussion about effective ways to tackle gun violence?</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/77898/original/image-20150414-24627-1jnew19.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/77898/original/image-20150414-24627-1jnew19.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/77898/original/image-20150414-24627-1jnew19.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=556&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/77898/original/image-20150414-24627-1jnew19.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=556&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/77898/original/image-20150414-24627-1jnew19.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=556&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/77898/original/image-20150414-24627-1jnew19.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=699&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/77898/original/image-20150414-24627-1jnew19.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=699&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/77898/original/image-20150414-24627-1jnew19.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=699&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Judging from the <a href="http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/gun-violence-plagues-sydneys-streets/story-fn7y9brv-1226333898332">news</a>, you could be forgiven for thinking gun-related murders in all those countries are soaring – and we have seen some tragic, high-profile cases of fatal shootings recently, particularly in the US where there has been a spate of <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2015/04/13/399314868/some-key-facts-weve-learned-about-police-shootings-over-the-past-year">police shootings</a>.</p>
<p>But looking at the longer-term trends, the official statistics offer a different outlook. And interestingly, the downwards trends in firearm homicide rates – especially in Australia, New Zealand and Canada – look fairly similar, despite those countries having very different approaches to gun control.</p>
<h2>Ideology too often trumps evidence</h2>
<p>Unfortunately, Australian firearms policy is seldom scrutinised in the way that other policies routinely are. Ideology – both pro- and anti-gun – often trumps facts.</p>
<p>This stifles debate and prevents us from thinking about how other countries have <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ending-gang-and-youth-violence-cross-government-report">tackled</a> <a href="http://ploughshares.ca/pl_publications/breaking-the-cycle-of-gang-violence-a%E2%80%88toronto-program-aimed-at-intervening-with-youth-involved-in-gang-activity-is-showing-results/">gun violence</a>. </p>
<p>For example, both Canada and New Zealand abandoned universal <a href="http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/cfp-pcaf/online_en-ligne/reg_enr-eng.htm">longarm</a> (rifle and shotgun) <a href="http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1983/0044/latest/DLM72622.html">registration</a>. Instead, they redirected their resources into high-risk populations and situations, such as disadvantaged young men involved in the illicit drug trade.</p>
<p>Those two countries also <a href="https://www.familyservices.govt.nz/">strengthened social services</a> and worked hard to build <a href="http://www.torontopolice.on.ca/tavis/">relationships between police and communities</a> most at risk of gun violence.</p>
<h2>Australia’s hot spots for gun violence</h2>
<p>In Australia, fatal shootings mainly occur in a small number of <a href="http://www.bocsar.nsw.gov.au/Documents/cjb57.pdf">urban crime</a> “<a href="http://www.bocsar.nsw.gov.au/Documents/bb82v1pdf.pdf">hotspots</a>”. Typically, the perpetrators and their victims are young men from disenfranchised minority communities. They are often motivated by <a href="http://www.aic.gov.au/media_library/publications/tandi_pdf/tandi361.pdf">drugs, turf or other rivalries</a>. </p>
<p>Australian law enforcement agencies want to end that cycle of violence and take guns <a href="http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;db=COMMITTEES;id=committees%2Fcommsen%2F9f027bf5-8b19-483a-a1a8-7fdd56dc5f86%2F0007;query=Id%3A%22committees%2Fcommsen%2F9f027bf5-8b19-483a-a1a8-7fdd56dc5f86%2F0000%22">out of the hands of criminals</a>. But a recent <a href="http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Legal_and_Constitutional_Affairs/Illicit_firearms">Senate inquiry</a> on gun-related violence found that nobody knows quite how many illegal guns are in Australia, or where they are coming from. </p>
<p>Crime guns are likely to come from a wide range of sources. Information held by law enforcement agencies about legally owned firearms is unreliable and of limited use when it comes to understanding the illegal market.</p>
<p>The Australian Crime Commission <a href="http://www.aph.gov.au/%7E/media/Committees/Senate/committee/legcon_ctte/Illicit_firearms/Report.pdf">conservatively estimated</a> that, in 2012, there were 260,000 unaccounted-for guns in Australia – more than 250,000 rifles and shotguns and around 10,000 handguns. But these are not necessarily in the hands of violent criminals and estimates are <a href="http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;db=COMMITTEES;id=committees%2Fcommsen%2F82436eb6-20c3-4906-84c3-2ea6cbcb9b5a%2F0006;query=Id%3A%22committees%2Fcommsen%2F82436eb6-20c3-4906-84c3-2ea6cbcb9b5a%2F0000%22">inherently inaccurate</a>. </p>
<h2>A missed opportunity</h2>
<p>Although gun laws are a state responsibility, this month’s <a href="http://www.aph.gov.au/%7E/media/Committees/Senate/committee/legcon_ctte/Illicit_firearms/Report.pdf">Senate report</a> on gun violence recommends ongoing amnesties, under which illegally held guns can be surrendered to police, and better <a href="http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;db=COMMITTEES;id=committees%2Fcommsen%2F82436eb6-20c3-4906-84c3-2ea6cbcb9b5a%2F0005;query=Id%3A%22committees%2Fcommsen%2F82436eb6-20c3-4906-84c3-2ea6cbcb9b5a%2F0000%22">data sharing</a> between agencies. These are commendable suggestions – but they are unlikely to help reduce gun violence.</p>
<p>The Senate inquiry took almost a year and its reporting date was extended twice. Yet for all that time and effort, and despite its ambitious title – the ability of Australian law enforcement authorities to eliminate gun-related violence in
the community – <a href="http://www.aph.gov.au/%7E/media/Committees/Senate/committee/legcon_ctte/Illicit_firearms/Report.pdf">the final report</a> contains a glaring gap. </p>
<p>It did not explore social, economic and cultural factors that contribute to gun violence. It beggars belief that a search for comprehensive, evidence-based prevention strategies was not seen as a political priority.</p>
<p>Instead, the inquiry’s terms of reference focused heavily on whether theft of legal firearms contributes significantly to the criminal market, and whether more <a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/latest-news/inquiry-looks-at-semi-automatic-gun-ban/story-fn3dxiwe-1227089248320">gun bans</a> and <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-10-13/calls-for-crackdown-on-3d-printed-illegal-and-stolen-weapons/5809390">laws</a> are needed. The answer was: no. </p>
<p>At least Australia’s politicians have looked at evidence about what will <em>not</em> work to reduce gun violence. But the lengthy Senate inquiry missed a golden opportunity to look at evidence about what <em>can</em> work to reduce gun violence. </p>
<h2>What more can Australia do to prevent gun violence?</h2>
<p>Fatal shootings have fallen, and that is good news, even if the reasons for those declines are still <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-03/gun-crime-down-drug-arrests-up-in-new-south-wales/5936034">not entirely clear</a>. But more can be done to reduce violence.</p>
<p>While <a href="http://www.crimesolutions.gov/ProgramDetails.aspx?ID=207">law enforcement strategies</a> to seize illegal firearms, target gun traffickers and prosecute gun crimes are an important part of the solution, they are not the whole solution. </p>
<p>Strategies that have performed best to reduce gun violence bring together police, justice and corrective system workers (such as probation and parole officers), social workers and health professionals, and representatives from communities where gun crime commonly occurs.</p>
<p>Among other things, successful strategies emphasise the importance of <a href="http://cad.sagepub.com/content/58/2/222">partnership building with communities</a> that are disproportionately affected by gun violence. They are also proportional to the problem, <a href="http://www.smartpolicinginitiative.com/sites/all/files/SPI%20Gun%20Violence%20Spotlight%20FINAL.pdf">place-based</a> and consider the broader <a href="http://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/abs/10.2105/AJPH.2010.300034">socio-economic and cultural context</a> in which crime occurs. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.nationalgangcenter.gov/SPT/Programs/40">Successful programs</a> incorporate behavioural and substance abuse treatment for offenders and support for their families and communities, along with prevention efforts such as <a href="http://www.eif.org.uk/publications/preventing-gang-involvement-and-youth-violence-advice-for-commissioning-mentoring-programmes/">mentoring</a>, culture- and gender-specific interventions, and life skills training for at-risk youth. <a href="http://www.buildchicago.org/">Diversion programs</a> that give youths viable alternatives to gang and drug involvement have also shown promise. </p>
<p>Violence prevention is complex. Decisions need to be made about which among many competing priorities is the best investment of finite resources. Social services or tougher sentences? A war on drugs or harm reduction? Prison rehabilitation programs or more police? It is rarely as simple as one or the other.</p>
<p>Striking the right balance takes political maturity, honesty and the ability to resist quick fixes. Catchy anti- or pro-gun soundbites like “illegal guns started out legal” and “if you outlaw guns only outlaws have guns” are no substitute for rigorous debate. </p>
<p>The Australian community deserves evidence-informed policy. And that means that all of us – not just politicians – have a responsibility to look at the evidence about what works best to prevent violence.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>* Dr Samara McPhedran will be available for an author Q&A on Thursday April 16 between 1-2 pm. Please leave any questions or comments for her below. As she will be trying to respond to as many comments as possible, please make it clear if you would like a response from Dr McPhedran, and ideally keep it short and sharp to make it easier to respond.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/39993/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Samara McPhedran does not work for, consult to, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article. Dr McPhedran has been appointed to a number of firearms advisory panels and committees, most recently as a member of the Queensland Ministerial Advisory Panel on Firearms, and as a previous member of the Commonwealth Firearms Advisory Council. She does not receive any financial remuneration for these activities. She holds memberships with, and volunteers for, a range of not-for-profit firearm-related organisations and women's advocacy groups. She is not a member of any political party.</span></em></p>The rate of fatal shootings has fallen in Australia, the US and other nations in recent decades. Yet anti- and pro-gun ideology still makes it hard to have a sensible discussion about gun violence.Samara McPhedran, Senior Research Fellow, Violence Research and Prevention Program, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/334062014-10-27T00:08:56Z2014-10-27T00:08:56ZRituals of the Mace, limits of the handgun: in defence of ritual<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/62781/original/2qpkmc63-1414367008.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Through force of ritual practice and habit, Sergeant-at-Arms Kevin Vickers manages the emotions of a parliamentary ovation.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Youtube/CBC News</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>What makes a man return to work the day after killing someone? How does he manage to do his job in such circumstances and under public scrutiny? The day after <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/world/how-canadian-sergeantatarms-kevin-vickers-killed-shooter-in-parliament-20141024-11b12h.html">mortally wounding</a> Ottawa shooter Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, the parliamentary Sergeant-at-Arms, Kevin Vickers, returned to work and took part in the daily procession into Canada’s House of Commons. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152802025764604">television footage</a> is compelling. We see him lead the attendants and security staff down the long corridor where the day before he had killed a man. Vickers walks into the chamber, where he is greeted with a standing ovation and loud, sustained applause. Vickers’ face shows the strain. His lower lip trembles, and his expression is drawn and tense. </p>
<p>It is almost painful to watch the full length of the ovation. There is an uncomfortable drama here: no-one knows how long such an ovation should last. No-one knows how to bring it to a timely end. </p>
<p>Vickers’ performance of his role is disciplined and rigorous to a fault, but nothing has prepared him for this.</p>
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</figure>
<h2>Ritual has a special power</h2>
<p>Ceremonies and rituals are not empty forms, but can help us manage emotions in traumatic situations. It is the force of ritual practice and the familiarity of habitual behaviours that make it possible for Vickers to continue in his professional role. The ritual may even bring him some comfort.</p>
<p>Much of the commentary on Vickers contrasts the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceremonial_mace">ceremonial Mace</a> with the handgun he used to kill the intruder, implying a dramatic contrast between the sergeant’s ceremonial role and the reality of modern security practices. </p>
<p>In fact, the act of using the handgun is brutally limited. The Mace conveys deeper symbolic power. It was originally a weapon that was used to guard the king as early as the 14th century. Now, its symbolism carries an effective weight of guardianship into the 21st. </p>
<p>As in Australia, the Canadian Lower House preserves many aspects of what is known as Westminster parliamentary tradition: a formal procession into the house; the ceremonial Mace symbolising the Speaker’s authority to preside over the parliament’s deliberations; and further visual signs of this authority in ritual costume. </p>
<p>Vickers wears a black bicorne hat; a long, white, tabbed collar; and a metal chain or collar of linked Ss whose origins date back to the 12th century. On the back of his long tailcoat, he sports a black silk rosette, designed to catch the white powder from the wig he would have worn in the 18th century. </p>
<p>These vestiges of an earlier historical period have been much debated in parliamentary practice in England, Canada and in Australia. Australia’s Serjeant still wears a lace jabot and white gloves as he or she brings the Mace into the Lower House. We still perform the ritual of dragging a reluctant Speaker to the chair. </p>
<p>At the opening of each parliamentary session, we still enact the ritual whereby the Usher of the Black Rod from the Upper House summons the members of the Lower House for a joint sitting, but finds the doors of the chamber slammed in his face, and must strike the door three times with his ebony and silver rod to gain entry.</p>
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<p>These rituals can be read as archaic desires to hold on to a traditional past or, alternatively, as confident choices about which traditions to preserve and which to set aside. To defend ritual is not necessarily to be a staid conservative. </p>
<h2>A framework to manage strong emotions</h2>
<p>The emotions associated with heritage culture are rich and complex. The rituals themselves encode and dramatise strong feelings and emotions. They offer a structured supportive framework for experiencing emotions as well as dramatising them.</p>
<p>Many rituals have their origins not just in moments of high feeling or political tension, but also in mistakes or formal transgressions. The <a href="http://www.royal.gov.uk/monarchUK/honours/Orderofthegarter/orderofthegarter.aspx">Order of the Garter</a>, for example, is said to have originated in 1348 when Edward III courteously saved the embarrassment of a woman whose garter had fallen to the ground while dancing. He promised to found a chivalric order in honour of the event. </p>
<p>Whether true or not, this is a much-loved myth. Ritual practice is easy to mock and deride, but there is without doubt a second-order pleasure in the preservation and maintenance of such traditions. The Duke of Edinburgh himself <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1025841/Prince-William-join-Britains-exclusive-club-Knight-Garter.html">said</a> of the Order of the Garter:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Rationally it’s lunatic, but in practice, everyone enjoys it, I think.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>In extreme and traumatic situations like the Canadian example, we may also inquire about the emotions of the performers in these rituals and rites. Wearing an archaic and formal uniform helps the sergeant bury his personal feelings. The rituals and trappings of his office help him govern his trembling and traumatised body. Long practised in holding his body straight, and appearing expressionless, he is able to bear up under the strain of another form of ritual practice. </p>
<p>The standing ovation in his honour lasts over two minutes. Yet he is unable fully to acknowledge the applause in a way that might bring it to an end, because his ritual role does not prescribe any more than a formal nod to the Speaker.</p>
<p>The parliamentarians make lighter work of this. It is easier to give as a group than receive as an individual. Yet they too struggle to know when the ovation should end.</p>
<p>Watching the footage, it is hard not to be struck by the formality of the Hansard reporter. She stands with her back to the Sergeant, as the ritual prescribes. So, too, the attendants standing behind Vickers. They are impassive and unmoved, all respecting the tradition and resisting any impulse to display emotion.</p>
<p>Evan Solomon, for CBC News, commented on Vickers’ actions:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Those people who think it’s a ceremonial position now know it is not.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Solomon misses the critical issue here about the human condition. Vickers’ responses, on both the day of the shooting and in its aftermath, demonstrate the powerful and close relationship between ceremonial practice, emotion and action. His “ceremonial” role gives him the authority, bravery and confidence to act under pressure, both in action and in the endurance and performance of ritual practice itself.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/33406/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Stephanie Trigg receives funding from the Australian Research Council.</span></em></p>What makes a man return to work the day after killing someone? How does he manage to do his job in such circumstances and under public scrutiny? The day after mortally wounding Ottawa shooter Michael Zehaf-Bibeau…Stephanie Trigg, Professor of English Literature, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/299252014-08-11T05:15:30Z2014-08-11T05:15:30ZRadical steps required to save birds of prey from illegal killing<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/55412/original/vtf65xk2-1406793365.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Hen harrier causing trouble.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hen_Harrier.jpg">Andreas Trepte</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Across the open <a href="http://www.moorlandassociation.org/heather_moorland.asp">heather moors</a> of upland Britain, last-minute preparations are being put in place for the start of the <a href="http://www.gwct.org.uk/research/species/birds/red-grouse/">red grouse shooting season</a> on August 12. On average about <a href="http://www.moorlandassociation.org/economics3.asp">200,000 grouse are shot every year</a> in England and Wales. Yet the management that makes such large numbers of grouse available for the guns in autumn is becoming increasingly contentious. The reason is that there is a growing and convincing body of evidence that suggests that birds of prey, or raptors, are being illegally killed by those who manage grouse stocks.</p>
<p>These accusations of <a href="http://www.rspb.org.uk/Images/illegalkillingbirdsofprey2012_tcm9-371269.pdf">illegal killings</a> of birds such as harriers, falcons and eagles has given rise to a clash between those on both sides of the debate. While the main conservation and game shooting organisations claim to be keen to see an end to this illegal activity, they favour different approaches.</p>
<p>The conservationists tend to back the strengthening and enforcement of policy. For example, the <a href="http://www.rspb.org.uk/">RSPB</a> demands that grouse shooting be licensed, so that a licence may be revoked should illegal activity be detected. Mark Avery, the former head of conservation science at the RSPB, has gone further and demanded that <a href="http://markavery.info/category/e-petition-to-ban-driven-grouse-shooting/">grouse shooting be banned</a>. There is a day of protest set for August 10, and Marks & Spencer recently found themselves in the protesters’ sights for their plans to <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-28483764">sell grouse in their stores</a>.</p>
<p>In contrast, supporters of <a href="http://www.countrysportscotland.com/shooting/red-grouse/">red grouse shooting</a> claim that the land management associated with it has benefited a range of species, as well as bringing income and jobs into remote rural areas. They wish to see some form of legal management of birds of prey. Feelings run high; many question why it seems to be a taboo to discuss the management of raptors and why the desire to increase the number of these birds should come before jobs and communities.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/h/henharrier/">hen harrier</a> finds itself at the epicentre of this conflict. The species has virtually disappeared as a breeding bird on intensively managed grouse moors – killed because of its efficient hunting of grouse. One of the features of the harrier is that it is not particularly territorial, so on some grouse moors it can breed at levels that lead to significant financial losses for those involved.</p>
<p>So what is the best way of resolving this problem? A shooting ban would certainly lead to a change in how large swathes of our uplands are managed. However, the costs and benefits of this change for the communities, predators and other species would depend on what it is replaced with. Such an approach would also inevitably anger many of those involved in land management and possibly damage the long-term relationships between hunters and conservation organisations. </p>
<p>Could the management of harriers provide a solution? A forthcoming population modelling study due to be published in the <a href="http://www.journalofappliedecology.org/view/0/index.html">Journal of Applied Ecology</a> explored one approach. The study highlighted the densities at which harriers could co-exist with driven grouse shooting through a quota or brood management scheme. </p>
<p>The idea is simple: once numbers go beyond some agreed level the chicks would be moved into captivity until ready to fly, when they would be released to rejoin the wild population. It may sound an unusual way of managing a wild species, but there is a precedent for it. In continental Europe, harriers breed in agricultural crops and are often killed if they aren’t flying before the combines harvest the crop. Instead, harrier chicks are taken into captivity before harvesting and <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1474-919X.2000.tb07679.x/abstract">subsequently released</a>. This approach could allow the co-existence of harriers and grouse without recourse to illegal killing, but it would need to be tested in the field. </p>
<p>The problem is that the conservation movement are nervous because of the precedent this approach sets for active management of birds of prey – even if it ultimately led to more harriers. They argue that any discussion around techniques that would affect birds of prey should only take place once harriers are allowed to breed freely on grouse moors. Unsurprisingly, grouse managers will only trial such a scheme if there is an agreed quota, and an exit strategy that they can work towards. </p>
<p>We are at a crossroads, but it is not yet clear which way we are going to go: enforcement or management? While science has provided evidence, in the end the decision will – as is so often the way – depend as much on political, moral, social and economic arguments as it does on science.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/29925/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Steve Redpath has received funding from UK Research Councils, the European Union as well as government agencies and NGOs</span></em></p>Across the open heather moors of upland Britain, last-minute preparations are being put in place for the start of the red grouse shooting season on August 12. On average about 200,000 grouse are shot every…Steve Redpath, Chair in Conservation Science, Aberdeen University., University of AberdeenLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/233932014-02-19T05:49:17Z2014-02-19T05:49:17ZOlympic Committee must ban lead shot in shooting events<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/41853/original/p5vvk2z8-1392749141.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">How many times can lead shot kill?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LeadPlombs_contenu_1_cartouche.jpg">Lamiot</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Despite the environment being, according to the Olympic Charter, the “third dimension of Olympism”, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has yet to act on the enormous tonnage of lead shot scattered around by Olympic clay pigeon shooters. I have personally warned the IOC Executive of this problem repeatedly during the past 20 years, to no avail.</p>
<p>While this doesn’t apply to the Winter and Summer Olympic Games directly, where spent bullets are trapped directly behind the targets, many tonnes of shot accumulate over the years of practice by Olympic hopefuls and contenders from all nations supporting these events. This shot is rarely recovered: it is ingested by wildlife, contaminates soils, and pollutes groundwater. The harmful effects of lead poisoning have been <a href="http://www.iucn.org/about/union/commissions/sustainable_use_and_livelihoods_specialist_group/sulinews/issue_3/sn3_lead/">known for centuries</a>.</p>
<p>There is much documented evidence of lead shot <a href="http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20120206100416/http://food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2009/mar/lead">poisoning livestock</a> where shooting fall-out zones extend over agricultural lands. Scientific analyses of the toxic effects of lead exposure on wildlife appear in many respected scientific journals. A recent study revealed banning lead shot in Spain had <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412013002663">reduced cases of lead poisoning by 50%</a>.</p>
<p>Yet there is widespread denial of this problem. Sceptics denigrate the quality of the scientific information. The International Shooting Sports Federation (<a href="https://www.issf-sports.org/">ISSF</a>) which regulates all Olympic shooting contends: “the whole topic of lead and other heavy metals is one where emotion rules and logic does not apply.” Similarly, the European Shooting Confederation (ESC) <a href="http://www.esc-shooting.org/news/read/shotgun_shooting___steel_versus_lead_shots-10/">states</a>: “Several countries have banned or will prohibit the use of lead shots for all purposes, however without any scientifically good reason.”</p>
<p>It is argued, incorrectly, that suitable lead-free ammunition is too expensive and ineffective against clay targets. Regrettably, the effects of lead exposure and toxicity are rarely seen by those who cause it. In papers published last year in the journals AMBIO and Environmental Policy and Law I showed that there are <a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs13280-012-0361-7#page-1">no such barriers</a> to the <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23529514">use of steel shot in Olympic shooting</a>, and laid out the steps the IOC could take to address the problem, consistent with its charter obligations.</p>
<p>In fact, it is an awareness of the toxicity of ingested lead shot to wildlife that has led a growing number of jurisdictions in North American, Australia and Europe to require the use of lead-free shot. For example, it has been banned for wetland shooting in the US <a href="http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/disease_information/lead_poisoning/">since 1991</a>, and in Canada since 1999.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/41983/original/s7x9mf2y-1392837636.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/41983/original/s7x9mf2y-1392837636.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/41983/original/s7x9mf2y-1392837636.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/41983/original/s7x9mf2y-1392837636.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/41983/original/s7x9mf2y-1392837636.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/41983/original/s7x9mf2y-1392837636.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/41983/original/s7x9mf2y-1392837636.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Discarded lead shot (left) and cartridge casings (right).</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Raimon Guitart</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But still clay target shooting evades regulation. This is due to the piecemeal manner in which governments have addressed the issue, and the vociferous opposition from the shooting lobby. Even in the Netherlands and Denmark, countries with total bans on lead shot, Olympic shooters are required to practice and qualify with lead shot cartridges, in specially-designated shooting grounds. Such are the regulations of the ISSF which require lead shot.</p>
<p>But Olympic rules take precedence over national rules for all sanctioned events, including shooting. A decision from the IOC to mandate lead-free shot for all Olympic events and qualifications would be an important precedent and could promote efforts to reduce lead shot use in other sporting events.</p>
<p>No statistics are kept on the number of athletes who engage in Olympic shooting in each nation, nor are records kept of the amount of ammunition used. An Olympic qualifier could easily fire around 1,000 cartridges a week to maintain the proficiency required to be a contender for the medal-winner’s podium. This corresponds to about 1.3 tonnes of lead shot per shooter each year – an enormous quantity of a known neurotoxin deposited worldwide, not to mention the shot still distributed throughout the environment from previous years. Only between four and six pieces of lead shot ingested at once are sufficient to fatally poison a duck, pheasant, or similar bird.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/41854/original/7bdj4v58-1392749554.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/41854/original/7bdj4v58-1392749554.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/41854/original/7bdj4v58-1392749554.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/41854/original/7bdj4v58-1392749554.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/41854/original/7bdj4v58-1392749554.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/41854/original/7bdj4v58-1392749554.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/41854/original/7bdj4v58-1392749554.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Here the lead shot is collected. But what about the years of shooting practice to get here?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Biathlon-Weltcup_2006_Antholz_1.jpg">Götz A. Primke</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In North America and Europe, the number of people engaged in Olympic trap and skeet shooting is small compared to the total number engaged in the World Championships, European Championships, National Championships, local events, and recreational practice shooting. All of these activities use lead shot, and regardless of the event’s level, lead shot is still released into the environment. It is not ammunition manufacturers that are the main source of this impasse – they have already developed and marketed internationally approved lead-free substitutes. It is the sporting organisations that have resisted change, hence my calls to the IOC.</p>
<p>International campaigns have been successful in banning lead from petrol, paints, solders, glass, glazes, and other products for good reason – its effects on health are well known. Then why has lead ammunition resisted regulation for so long? Society demanded prompt changes when human health was at risk, but seems less concerned when it is wildlife health at stake. But we know that lead shot used in hunting does enter the <a href="http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/get_the_lead_out/">human food chain</a>.</p>
<p>Simply put, the toxicity of lead shot is a problem wherever it is used and for whatever purpose. The IOC should live up to its environmental and humanitarian founding charter and ban lead shot from its events, firing a shot that would reverberate throughout the shooting world.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/23393/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Vernon Thomas does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Despite the environment being, according to the Olympic Charter, the “third dimension of Olympism”, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has yet to act on the enormous tonnage of lead shot scattered…Vernon Thomas, Professor Emeritus, Department of Integrative Biology, University of GuelphLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/190132013-10-10T15:20:47Z2013-10-10T15:20:47ZEnding songbird slaughter? There’s an app for that<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/32817/original/hj56mzr5-1381406297.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Will the sun set on migratory songbird hunting, or the birds themselves?</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">ONDR</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In an article for <a href="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2013/07/songbird-migration/franzen-text">National Geographic</a> and a forthcoming <a href="http://sheffdocfest.com/films/show/5503">documentary film</a>, author and birder Jonathan Franzen ponders the slaughter of migratory songbirds around the Mediterranean, and asks how it can be stopped. When the same question was asked 40 years ago, the result was the 1979 <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/legislation/birdsdirective/">EU Birds Directive</a>, the birth of modern pan-European environmental organisations.</p>
<p>That Franzen is asking this question again now is significant. It reflects a growing view among European bird conservation networks that the issue demands attention. Europe’s <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/nov/19/uk-breeding-bird-population-decline">dwindling bird populations</a> may be less able to withstand hunting. By exposing the scale of bird trapping and hunting, Frazen dispels the popular assumption that Malta and Cyprus are the last stubborn outposts of this practice, and draws attention to holidaying hunters (particularly Italians) who head to less regulated countries such as Albania.</p>
<p>When the European Union (then the European Community) was created, it was reported that huge numbers of migratory birds, in excess of 500 million, were killed for food and sport. Two informal bird protection committees, one German and one Anglo-Dutch, ensured the issue was included in the <a href="http://www.eea.europa.eu/environmental-time-line/1970s">First Environmental Action Programme</a> (1973), and helped the European Commission draft the Birds Directive - a clear, simple and powerful legal instrument.</p>
<p>The issue of migratory bird hunting nicely fit with the politics of the time. The cross-border, pan-European nature of the problem offered the fledgling environment directorate an issue where it could justifiably claim regulatory competence. The idea of killing tired birds returning to their breeding grounds seemed absurd to scientists and cruel to citizens. As member governments (except France) had existing hunting laws, the Directive could be presented as little more than a coordination of existing policy. In short, the Birds Directive was drafted and negotiated, with little opposition, largely from the input of Europe’s organised bird protection societies.</p>
<p>They provided the commission with a conceptual framework written by the eminent British ornithologist <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1474-919X.1989.tb04798.x/pdf">Stanley Cramp</a> and grounded in evidence from countries across Europe, and the Directive was given teeth by a European Court of Justice willing to enforce it on member states based on a strict interpretation of the law.</p>
<p>In support, the German <a href="http://www.komitee.de/">Committee Against Bird Slaughter</a> used its network of dedicated amateur activists to go out and witness the seasonal hunting of migratory birds, making complaints to the Commission and to local authorities concerning illegalities and police inaction. This technique was adopted by <a href="http://www.birdlife.org/">BirdLife</a>, the world’s largest NGO partnership, in Cyprus and Malta, and generates regular publicity that keeps the issue political.</p>
<p>There are indications that, 30 years on, migratory bird hunters are ageing and dwindling in numbers - at least in Belgium, France and Italy. But there are concerns that a reinvigorated campaign might generate calls to revise the Birds Directive, which is ageing and considered inflexible by many governments. Croatia (acceded 2013), Montenegro, Bosnia and Albania are in the process of integrating into the EU and all have migratory bird hunting traditions. The Eurozone crisis has provoked feelings of injustice and humiliation in Southern Europe, and the risk is that enforcement of Brussels’ legislation at home may be interpreted as yet another attack on southern identities. Bird hunting might become a symbol of resistance.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/32822/original/dgtd45tf-1381408933.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/32822/original/dgtd45tf-1381408933.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/32822/original/dgtd45tf-1381408933.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=387&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/32822/original/dgtd45tf-1381408933.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=387&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/32822/original/dgtd45tf-1381408933.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=387&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/32822/original/dgtd45tf-1381408933.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=486&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/32822/original/dgtd45tf-1381408933.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=486&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/32822/original/dgtd45tf-1381408933.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=486&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">An Opt i-Gun for opti-hunting that incorporates a shooters skills as photography.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Paul Jepson</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Franzen’s imagery (and that of photographer David Guttenfelder, who told National Geographic it was “like covering a war”) is shocking, but conservation policymakers and activists need to step back and reflect on how to respond. Simply ramping up established approaches may prove counter-productive. </p>
<p>For sure, there needs to be renewed effort on education – explaining migration, the stresses on wild bird populations, and the science of sustainable hunting - and appeals to people’s sense of morality and fair play. But conservationists also need to recognise that migratory bird-hunting is a nature-based recreation contributing to life-quality in some of the more impoverish areas of Europe. And in many places hunters and trappers are the people who know and care about nature. Do we want to alienate and loose this potential constituency for conservation?</p>
<p>To prompt thinking on new ways to govern migratory bird hunting I have outlined the concept of <a href="http://www.geog.ox.ac.uk/staff/pjepson-opti-hunting%20proposal_25Oct12.pdf">opti-hunting</a>. Old technologies – the gun and trap – cause us to conflate hunting and slaughter. A progressive approach might be to design and introduce technology that enhances the practice of hunting, but avoids killing.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/32823/original/4ngts694-1381409023.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/32823/original/4ngts694-1381409023.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/32823/original/4ngts694-1381409023.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=271&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/32823/original/4ngts694-1381409023.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=271&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/32823/original/4ngts694-1381409023.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=271&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/32823/original/4ngts694-1381409023.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=341&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/32823/original/4ngts694-1381409023.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=341&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/32823/original/4ngts694-1381409023.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=341&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Replacing bullets with batteries, opti-hunting would replace shooting birds with shooting images.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Paul Jepson</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The OptiGun is an imagined gun-telescope-app-phone hybrid where a bird “hit” becomes digital data rather than a corpse. A telescope replaces the barrel, a triple-trigger operates focus, zoom and fire, and the gun is loaded with batteries rather than ammunition. As a mobile device the OptiGun would integrate the techniques and skills of hunting with photography, producing images instead of kills to be shared instantly on social networks.</p>
<p>The idea might sound fanciful and critics argue that killing is integral to hunting - I am <a href="http://www.geog.ox.ac.uk/staff/pjepson_malta_optihunt_2025.pdf">not so sure</a>. The introduction of lightweight binoculars after World War II prompted the rise of bird-watching and bird-protection movements. A new form of “gun” could conceivably generate similarly positive dynamics. Opti-hunting represents positive environmentalism: one that seeks to transform practices through innovation and incentives, rather than through restrictions, regulations and bans.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/19013/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Paul Jepson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>In an article for National Geographic and a forthcoming documentary film, author and birder Jonathan Franzen ponders the slaughter of migratory songbirds around the Mediterranean, and asks how it can be…Paul Jepson, Course Director, MSc Biodiversity, Conservation and Management, University of OxfordLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/113612012-12-16T19:21:36Z2012-12-16T19:21:36ZConnecticut shootings: we must carefully define our response<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/18702/original/xwp3w587-1355633324.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">When 20 children - along with six adults - are murdered in cold blood, is there an appropriate response?</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA/Michael Nelson</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>There are two ways of responding to deadly violence such as the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/16/nyregion/gunman-kills-20-children-at-school-in-connecticut-28-dead-in-all.html?_r=0">school shooting in Connecticut</a>. </p>
<p>We can respond violently, as a way of protecting ourselves from the fear and anxiety we feel. Or, we can respond by making ourselves more vulnerable, by putting aside the guns and aggressive behaviours that feed the cycle of violence.</p>
<p>The violent response is driven by the fear that someone will attempt to kill me or someone close to me. In order to protect myself I therefore need to be able to defend myself against, and kill, the person who might threaten me. According to this way of understanding violence, it makes perfect sense to demand that teachers be armed with guns.</p>
<p>The person who responds violently to violence finds it difficult to see that they themselves, or a member of their circle of family and friends, may be the person who initiates violence. Rather, the threatening mass murderer is always “<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Other">other</a>,” a random killer, a mentally ill person, an ethnic other. Uncertainty, fear and vulnerability are repressed or denied, and anger and murderous desires are projected onto the threatening “other”.</p>
<p>In the violent response, my sense of safety derives from my ability to inflict violence on the “other” who threatens me. It is very disturbing, indeed, to suggest that you might take away my ability to protect myself from the vulnerability I feel.</p>
<p>In contrast, the vulnerable response actively wrestles with fear and the desire to inflict violence. The vulnerable response recognises that we all have the capability, and sometimes the desire, to inflict great suffering on others in response to our fears and anxieties. Rather than being driven by these murderous desires, I search for alternative responses to my fear and murderous desires. </p>
<p>The person who chooses vulnerability keeps foremost in their mind the suffering that violence inflicts on others. My priority is to prevent or reduce suffering, even at the expense of making myself more vulnerable. From this perspective it makes sense to significantly reduce access to deadly weapons.</p>
<p>The person who chooses to be vulnerable, embraces their own frailty and the uncertainty that they feel. I choose to live with this vulnerability, rather than trying to overcome it. This takes great courage.</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/18703/original/ngcsh475-1355646507.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/18703/original/ngcsh475-1355646507.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=1004&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/18703/original/ngcsh475-1355646507.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=1004&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/18703/original/ngcsh475-1355646507.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=1004&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/18703/original/ngcsh475-1355646507.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1262&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/18703/original/ngcsh475-1355646507.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1262&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/18703/original/ngcsh475-1355646507.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1262&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Teacher Victoria Soto, was murdered at Sandy Hook Primary School in Newtown, Connecticut on Friday. How should we respond to her senseless death?</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP/Facebook</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This description of different responses to violence draws on the work of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmanuel_Levinas#Selected_writings_by_Levinas">Emmanuel Levinas</a>. Levinas was responding to the violence of the Nazi mass murder of Jews. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Precarious-Life-Powers-Mourning-Violence/dp/1844675440">Judith Butler</a> extends Levinas’ ideas in her comments about the US response to the September 11 tragedy. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Precarious-Life-Powers-Mourning-Violence/dp/1844675440">Her comments</a> could equally be applied to the Connecticut school shootings: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>Tragically, it seems that the US seeks to preempt violence against itself by waging violence first, but the violence it fears is the violence it engenders. … Suffering can yield an experience of humility, of vulnerability, of impressionability and dependence, and these can become resources, if we do not “resolve” them too quickly; they can move us beyond and against the vocation of the paranoid victim who regenerates infinitely the justifications of war.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>These two types of responses are, of course, caricatures, or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ideal_type">ideal types</a>. Reality is much more complex and messy. Nonetheless, they are suggestive of things to consider in our responses to violence.</p>
<p>The difference between these two responses is a product of the way we understand ourselves emotionally. Statistics, logical argument, and carefully reasoned debate do not easily change these emotions. </p>
<p>Emotional self-understandings are culturally produced. As <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Trauma-Social-Theory-Jeffrey-Alexander/dp/0745649122">Jeffrey Alexander</a> has noted, response to collective trauma is cultural work. The challenge is to find collective symbolic renderings of trauma that might help us escape the escalation and cycle of violence.</p>
<p>Anger and paranoia are popular in the mass media. Humility, precariousness, frailty and vulnerability are less popular. The angry hero’s story is an engaging narrative of a strong individual courageously overcoming obstacles, attacking, conquering, and violently subduing. The vulnerable narrative is more complex, acknowledging dependence and failure alongside achievement.</p>
<p>Public narratives that provoke fear and anxiety fuel the cycle of violence. They seek to escape vulnerability through destruction of the other, but only serve to facilitate the very violence they fear. </p>
<p>Self-understandings that embrace our fears and vulnerabilities lead us into more creative responses to a world that is often violent and increasingly uncertain. </p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/11361/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Douglas Ezzy does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>There are two ways of responding to deadly violence such as the school shooting in Connecticut. We can respond violently, as a way of protecting ourselves from the fear and anxiety we feel. Or, we can…Douglas Ezzy, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of TasmaniaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/100782012-11-14T03:49:53Z2012-11-14T03:49:53ZThe problem with Victoria’s ban on duck rescuers<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/16436/original/kcgrc6br-1349994950.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">When shot and injured but not killed, ducks will be left to fend for themselves under new Victorian laws.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">oblivion9999/Flickr</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Just before dawn on the third Saturday in March, the first shots will be fired, and the 2013 Victorian duck hunting session will commence. But 2013 will be unlike <a href="https://theconversation.com/ducking-and-weaving-should-we-be-hunting-in-australias-wetlands-148">previous years</a>.</p>
<p>You are probably unaware of this – unless you happen to read the <a href="http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/article/2012/09/11/537095_latest-news.html">rural press with great precision</a> – but on September 11 the <a href="http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/game-hunting/about-game-hunting/legislation-and-regulation/game-regulations-2012">Victorian Government gazetted</a> new hunting regulations. They disturbingly include changes to better facilitate participation in game hunting by junior hunters (aged 12-17 inclusive) and <a href="http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/164009/%20Victorias-new-game-hunting-regulations-fact-sheet.pdf">non-residents of Australia</a>. </p>
<p>In short, children and international visitors who are unlikely to be able to differentiate between native and non-native animals at a distance, will be more readily armed.</p>
<p>Yet the changes I find most problematic are those intended to curtail the activities of duck rescuers. During previous duck hunting sessions duck rescuers were excluded from the water until after 10 am (by which time duck shooting had concluded) on the first weekend of the session (the most busy weekend of the session). Duck rescuers also had to be positioned 5 meters from the shoreline.</p>
<p>Under the new rules duck rescuers will be excluded from the water every single day of the duck hunting session. The ban will commence two hours before dusk, and last until 10 am the following morning. Duck rescuers must also be 25 meters back from the shoreline.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/16404/original/zp674kf9-1349917308.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/16404/original/zp674kf9-1349917308.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/16404/original/zp674kf9-1349917308.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/16404/original/zp674kf9-1349917308.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/16404/original/zp674kf9-1349917308.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/16404/original/zp674kf9-1349917308.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/16404/original/zp674kf9-1349917308.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Children and overseas visitors are less likely to be able to distinguish between native or endangered species.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Codilicious/Flickr</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This is a terrible shame for those ducks who could be aided by voluntary veterinary service of the sort provided by the <a href="http://%0Awww.duck.org.au/">Coalition Against Duck Shooting</a>. It is also a shame for those who believe that the community has a right to know what happens during duck hunting session.</p>
<p>To understand the implications of these new regulations we have to consider why duck rescuers go out on the water.</p>
<p>The most pressing matter from the rescuers’ perspective is to assist injured birds. The central focus of duck rescue is the provision of veterinary care to animals that are injured but capable of recovering.</p>
<p>In a twist to the duck rescue objective, in 2011 duck rescuer Anthony Murphy was <a href="http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/dead-duck-lands-rescuer-in-court/story-fn7x8me2-1226298666757">charged with failure to kill</a>. If a shooter hits a bird, but wounds rather than kills the animal, the shooter must retrieve the bird and “dispatch” or kill the animal. Where the shooter can’t, or doesn’t, retrieve the bird and duck rescuers are able to get to the animal, they will seek veterinary assistance. Murphy was in the process of transporting a wounded duck to a vet when he was charged. The Victorian Department of Primary Industries subsequently dropped the charges.</p>
<p>But duck rescuers are not only on the water to aid birds. They also collect rubbish, including the bodies of shot birds (some of which will be protected species), for the purpose of displaying the birds and shot gun cartridges outside Victoria’s Parliament House. They do this primarily for the media, but no doubt they like politicians and bureaucrats to also catch a glimpse.</p>
<p>The collection of rubbish is a worthwhile community service. But the annual display of dead birds is more than that. It is a means by which distant happenings are brought to the community’s attention. The display provides an opportunity for the majority of the community, who will never be out on the wetlands during duck hunting session, to consider whether the hunting laws made in their name really reflect their values. (for images of ducks outside parliament house <a href="https://www.google.com/search?num=10&hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1226&bih=543&q=duck+hunting+and+parliament+house+and+victoria&oq=duck+hunting+and+parliament+house+and+victoria&gs_l=img.3...9364.17194.0.17347.46.15.0.30.30.1.189.1956.6j9.15.0...0.0...1ac.1.UYVpqwi2HtY">check here</a> or <a href="http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8225785/more-ducks-and-hunters-as-vic-season-opens">here</a>).</p>
<p>Closely associated with the collection of rubbish and carcasses, duck rescuers also go out on the wetlands to bear witness to the actions of shooters, and the resulting death of birds. They do so partly to inform themselves, but also so they can communicate what they have seem to interested members of the community.</p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/16405/original/3xjgknsf-1349917319.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/16405/original/3xjgknsf-1349917319.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/16405/original/3xjgknsf-1349917319.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/16405/original/3xjgknsf-1349917319.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/16405/original/3xjgknsf-1349917319.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/16405/original/3xjgknsf-1349917319.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/16405/original/3xjgknsf-1349917319.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Duck rescuers go out on on the water to collect the carcasses of ducks left behind.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">earth2marsh/Flickr</span></span>
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<p>Duck rescuers are also most likely to be out there because they want to alert birds to the danger that’s around them. Duck rescuers tend to wear brightly coloured clothes and make noise. There is debate about the extent to which duck rescuers do the birds a favour when they cause a commotion. Some hold that it can be effective in shooing birds away. Others feel that the more commotion there is the more birds will take to the air and thus the more opportunity there will be to shoot them.</p>
<p>And finally, at least some duck rescuers are most likely out on the water because they find the practice of duck hunting offensive and they want the shooters to know that they object.</p>
<p>While some of the reasons duck rescuers go out on the water are more laudable than others, on balance my view is that the new exclusion rules take something important away from Victorian citizens. I don’t wish to live in a world where people who shoot birds are provided their own private environment in which to do so. That means that the animals they shoot cannot be aided and nobody can observes the practice. If duck hunters have the right to shoot them people such as <a href="http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/season-opener-see-laurie-levy-charged/story-fn7x8me2-1226302381913">Laurie Levy should have the right to watch</a>. He knows the safety risks and is prepared to take them.</p>
<p>I have never been out on the water. But I’m glad Laurie Levy has. He is one of the means by which I can decide whether duck hunting is an activity I support. He acts as a democratic conduit, and excluding him from the water is a blow to my democratic rights.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/10078/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Siobhan O'Sullivan was asked to provide expert evidence to aid the legal defense for a number of duck rescuers affiliated with the Coalition Against Duck Shooting. </span></em></p>Just before dawn on the third Saturday in March, the first shots will be fired, and the 2013 Victorian duck hunting session will commence. But 2013 will be unlike previous years. You are probably unaware…Siobhan O'Sullivan, Research Fellow, School of Social and Political Sciences, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/82582012-07-17T20:44:12Z2012-07-17T20:44:12ZPolitical dreaming: shooters solving pest problems?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/12972/original/mrgc8djc-1342398821.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">These foxes are worth $10 each when killed and scalped, is it really worthwhile in controlling fox numbers, and is $10 worth the effort?</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">David Peacock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Victorian government has introduced bounties for foxes and wild dogs, $10 for the scalp of a fox, and $50 for that of a dog. Bounties have been tried before, and failed to control these pests, but little has been learnt. In announcing the bounties, benefits to farmers or wildlife figured little; why the program was needed was unclear.</p>
<p>Major tensions were obvious between the politicians and the Victorian government departments which had well-established fox control programs. Publicity about the bounties carried the following advice:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The most effective means of achieving a sustained reduction in fox and wild dog numbers is through simultaneous and coordinated community baiting programs, implemented at a landscape scale and supported by other control techniques. Existing fox and wild dog control programs being conducted on public land will continue during the bounty period.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>After the bounty system began, 10,000 fox scalps were returned in the first 11 weeks, meaning that $100,000 or 10% of the annual budget had been spent. One hunter reportedly shot 50 foxes in two days. The monetary return, he reported, “did not recover costs, but it helped.” Scalp collection figures were potentially distorted with a news report <a href="http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/article/2011/09/29/388761_latest-news.html">proclaiming</a> that “The race is on to scalp and claim Victoria’s $10 bounty on hundreds of fox carcasses hanging from fences”.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/12973/original/cd695c4p-1342399036.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/12973/original/cd695c4p-1342399036.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/12973/original/cd695c4p-1342399036.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/12973/original/cd695c4p-1342399036.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/12973/original/cd695c4p-1342399036.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/12973/original/cd695c4p-1342399036.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/12973/original/cd695c4p-1342399036.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Frank Bernhardt</span></span>
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<p>The Member for Polwarth, Terry Mulder, said there was a <a href="http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/media-centre/media-releases/2951-bounty-claims-10000-foxes.html">noticeable increase</a> in spotlighting activity across the south west since the introduction of the fox bounty: “Most farmers agree that the bounty is effective at reducing fox numbers” he said. “There are lots of foxes around but some shooters have reported a reduction compared with the same time last year, which is being attributed to the bounty.”</p>
<p>Mulder’s evasive spin was not surprising. Mainland Victoria is 227,000 square kilometres, and fox-density varies seasonally between 1.2 – 3.0 foxes per km2. Applying the latter value over the summer when young foxes are dispersing, the bounties collected represented 1.5% of Victoria’s fox population. How could a mere 1 – 2% change in fox numbers be measured from shooters’ reports alone?</p>
<p>If the annual bonus payment limit of $1 million is reached, which now seems seems likely, only 15–20% of Victorian foxes will have been killed. Furthermore, with four cubs produced by the average vixen next spring, there will be no lasting benefit for lambing percentages or conservation. From the start, the scheme has knowingly been a quack remedy; a palliative rather than a cure.</p>
<p>With Victoria’s politicians so blatantly diverting funds better spent on conservation or agricultural protection into shooter’s pockets to gain favour, we must seriously question their ability and motives in general when they speak of opening up National Parks to recreational shooting for pest control.</p>
<p>In some areas, shooting can contribute to conservation. For example, South Australian Sporting Shooters have contributed time and skills to fox control in the Flinders Ranges National Park but that has been done as part of a wider program, mopping up those few foxes and feral cats left after baiting campaigns. Even then, spotlighting for long hours on cold nights soon wears thin and the shooters need to re-kindle their enthusiasm by occasionally visiting other locations where there are more foxes to shoot.</p>
<p>It is also important to note that when brush-tailed bettongs were re-introduced into that park, they eventually succumbed to cats and foxes despite intensive predator control efforts. Clearly, an extremely high level of control must be maintained if re-introductions are to succeed. But having a few hunters wandering about in National Parks randomly shooting the odd feral animal does not constitute effective control. We need to know the level of predator reduction required and make sure combined control efforts meet those goals. This cannot be decided by politicians who demonstrably lack any understanding of what pest control means.</p>
<p>I have recently visited several nature reserves where programs are in place to control feral goats, but <a href="http://www.riverland.net.au/gluepot/">Gluepot Reserve</a>, BirdLife Australia’s sanctuary in South Australia’s Riverland, stands out for its achievements. The key to success on the former sheep station has been the filling-in of dams using a bull-dozer; the few dams left to supply water for fire-fighting and domestic use have been fenced off, leaving the goats little option but to move elsewhere. Shooting is important too, but again, this is carefully used with radio-collared “Judas goats” to locate the few remnant goats. Gluepot’s lack of goats compared with surrounding areas proves that there are much better alternatives than relying on shooting alone.</p>
<p>Together with other methods, well-organised shooting can play a useful role in pest control and conservation programs. But as for recreational shooting to remedy persistent feral animal problems - forget it! Even when subsidised with bounties shooting by itself cannot work. So why promote and fund it when there are much better, well-proven ways of doing things?</p>
<p><em>Comments welcome below.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/8258/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dr Brian Cooke is a retired researcher with over 40 years experience in pest control for the benefit of agriculture and conservation. He holds the honarary position of Adjunct Associate Professor in the Institute for Applied Ecology at the University of Canberra</span></em></p>The Victorian government has introduced bounties for foxes and wild dogs, $10 for the scalp of a fox, and $50 for that of a dog. Bounties have been tried before, and failed to control these pests, but…Brian Cooke, Adjunct Associate Professor, University of CanberraLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.