Ashley Auzenne was a mother of three and an advocate for more laws to limit access to firearms. She was at the end of a divorce, had suffered from depression, and appears to have killed her three children, Parrish, 11, Eleanor, 9, and Lincoln, 7. From foxnews.com:
On Thursday, the Harris County Medical Examiner’s office ruled that the deaths appeared to be because of a murder/suicide with the “mother as the suspect.”Many have written about the subject, noting the seeming hypocrisy.
Many have written about the irony.
It is very sad that Ashley could not control her demons a little longer. If only she had been able to resist the pain for a few more days, she and her children might have survived.
This is a terrible event. Divorce is extremely hard to go through for most people. It is harder when there are children involved. In Japan, a parent killing their children and themselves is considered a "family suicide" and not a homicide.
In Japan the three deaths would be counted as suicides. This is a small part of why cross cultural rates of homicide do not serve well to indicate the effect of various laws.
While Ashley appears to have been a vocal advocate for more restrictions on gun ownership, it does not mean she had thought through all the implications and ramifications. Many gun control advocates simply trust government more than they trust themselves. Others act out of emotion rather than logic. Many rely on bad information peddled by a biased media.
A great many of them are attempting to do what they think is correct, without much reflection. It is common for academics who have studied gun control to change their opinion, and conclude most proposals for restricting guns are misguided and counter-productive.
Most gun control legislation is passed in a hurry before people have time to argue the issues, consider long term consequences, and make rational, carefully argued decisions. Those who wish the population disarmed push for fevered decisions, done quickly, without much rational thought. They know calm reflection will not result in the laws they desire.
Most people have heard the push to DO SOMETHING, right now! It is the cry of people who know rational discussion is not in their favor.
Ashley's terrible decision to end her own life, and that of her three children, reminds me of that sort of decision. A decision made at the height of emotion, a decision made while under terrible stress. Such decisions are often very poor decisions.
Most people have learned through hard experience, that making quick decisions during emotional crises leads to regrettable results.
A great many people find Ashley's last decisions regrettable and deplorable.
The people who designed our government knew that bad laws were often passed at the height of emotional tides. They designed the Constitution to slow down the process so as to dampen extreme decisions during emotional crises.
For the most part, the system has worked. Unfortunately, the rise of mass media in the last 50-75 years has overcome many of our former safeguards. Mass media can build national emotion very quickly, placing pressure on all branches of government all at once. It would not matter as much, if the media had diverse opinions and ideology.
As the media became mass media, most of the dominant media has been of one ideology, Progressivism. It has colored our national discourse for decades.
Now, more than ever, we need to be vigilant against extreme decisions made at the height of deep emotional stress.
When someone tells you a law must be passed, right now! Ask yourself why there is no time for argument, debate, and the consideration of long term effects.
If the proponents say it is because we need to harness the emotion of the moment to get what they want, it is likely bad law.
©2019 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
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