“Mass shootings” and mental disorder

There *is* a correlation

Many are saddened to hear the news of a shooting that took place yesterday at Lakewood Church in Houston. I’m sure many are also angered, and though I have not (yet) seen anything to the effect, I expect very soon we will hear the typical calls for banning “assault rifles” (in quotes because it is a fictitious term used solely to elicit an emotional response). I had no intention of writing about this event, but as more information has gradually hit the news, I felt it (once again) needed addressing. I am not, however, going to go down the path of my usual Second Amendment rant. I think, after this and several other cases from the not-too-distant past, another issue begs to be addressed.

If you have not read anything about this story, as the news originally reported it (and still to some degree, currently reports it), a woman arrived at Lakewood yesterday with her 7-year-old son. That she brought her son to an attempted shooting itself is an indication of Moreno’s mental state (the poor child got caught in the crossfire and was critically injured). Moreno was wearing a trench coat and a backpack, and she was sporting a rifle emblazoned with the words “FREE PALESTINE” (this last came out today, and it was a decal applied to the firearm). What also was not included in initial reports, much like the inscription on the shooter’s long gun, was that the shooter, Genesse Ivonne Moreno, also used the alias Jefferey Escalante (and Jefferey Moreno, and Jefferey Escalante-Moreno), and though the media and police seem hesitant to say so, it is not unreasonable to conclude that she likely “identified” as male. Moreno also had a list of prior charges and arrests, as well as a history of other mental illness.

Some of Moreno’s prior arrests were for “assault of a public servant, assault causing bodily injury, forgery, possession of marijuana, theft, evading arrest and unlawful carrying weapon,” according to Houston’s KHOU 11 News (grammatical error in original). As well, anti-Semitic writings were found among Moreno’s effects (not surprising considering the decal on her weapon).

It is clear just from the criminal charges Moreno faced in the past that she was a psychologically disturbed individual. Yes, it appears she is actually a she - she is allegedly the biological mother of the child who was with her - no matter what she “identified” as. Sorry, not sorry. That the idea a woman thinks she is (or can be) a man (or a man thinks he is or can be a woman) is celebrated and encouraged, instead of being treated, is a travesty. If a person cannot accept the way he or she was born, that person is clearly suffering from some type of trauma or disorder. To this day, the International Classification of Diseases, currently in it’s eleventh edition, classifies “transgenderism” (though in softer terms than in the past) as a mental disorder:

Gender incongruence

Description

Gender incongruence is characterised by a marked and persistent incongruence between an individual’s experienced gender and the assigned sex. Gender variant behaviour and preferences alone are not a basis for assigning the diagnoses in this group.

World Health Organizations International Classification of Diseases, 11th ed.

I am not trying to paint with a broad brush here in the sense that not all those who suffer from gender incongruence are homicidal, nor do all “mass shooters” (this was not in fact a mass shooting, though by all appearances, it was an attempted mass shooting) suffer from gender incongruence. As well, I don’t subscribe to the idea that gender incongruence itself is necessarily the disorder in all cases so much as it may be a symptom of a deeper disorder. Whichever was the case for Moreno, it is clear that a psychological (and, I might add, a spiritual) malady was involved.

Considering Moreno’s mental state, and as should be the case with anyone who suffers from gender incongruence (and make no mistake - those who are gender incongruent are suffering), Moreno should have been encouraged to seek appropriate counseling. I seriously doubt this ever happened, at least not for the issue of gender incongruence. This is where society in general, and wokeism/progressivism specifically, is failing people. Instead of getting people the help they need, wokesters want to embrace the disorder and revel in it (a behavior which itself indicates a degree of mental disorder, or again, a spiritual disorder - Romans 1:28-32).

We, as a society, have to stop extolling the virtues of the mentally disturbed and instead treat them with honesty and compassion, helping them get the assistance they truly need. Incidents like the shooting at Lakewood will not cease at least until we are willing to speak truthfully about mental disorders, and all things in general (especially ones that would cause a person to be supportive of terrorism - I refer back to the decal on the firearm), and stop treating them as if they are virtues worthy of applause. Such behavior is neither kind nor compassionate - it is heinously wicked as it does nothing to help the one suffering.

It is truly unfortunate that even the medical industry (and yes, it is now an industry focused on making money, not on the wellbeing of patients) is seeking to profit from the suffering of those such as Moreno, attempting to treat mental maladies through medication (hormones) and physical surgery. Psychological disorders cannot be solved through physical solutions. It’s time we address them properly and end the madness that is destroying our society.

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Footnote: ok, I couldn’t avoid saying something about the Second Amendment. I already mentioned that “assault rifle” is merely a propaganda term used to incite fear and disgust. What I did not mention is that Moreno was stopped by…good guys with guns. Granted, these were off-duty police officers, and I expect any good gun-grabber to point out that they were officers, not mere civilians (though most police officers across the country have about a 24% hit rate when discharging their firearms in an active situation), but the fact remains, no one waited for a response from the “appropriate authorities.” Armed people on-site took matters into their own hands and resolved the situation before others could be hurt and before a “mass shooting” could occur. This is why all Americans should be armed. The police cannot be everywhere all the time - they are not omnipresent. And in a situation like Lakewood, a shooter like Moreno can inflict a LOT of harm long before police arrive. This tragedy should not be used to rob people of their natural right to “keep and bear arms” - it should be used to bolster and encourage the exercise of that right, because when seconds count, the police are only minutes away.