The 4 July massacre in Highland Park, Illinois offers yet another example of how US gun laws have allowed violence in the nation to spin out of control – but US media and political institutions appear disinclined to take a broader, systemic look at how we got to this point.
The shooter, Robert Crimo III, is the focus of coverage. It’s a typical, and even understandable, response to a tragedy like the Highland Park shooting – especially when the shooter is white. Who the shooter is and what led him (it’s almost always a him) to murder – as of writing this – seven people and injure 25 can give people the illusion of an answer to the unanswerable. Thus Crimo’s background as both a rapper and the son of a Trump-supporting Republican, who once ran for mayor of Highland Park, has come under scrutiny. His politics and his mental health are being pored over by commentators in the search for any explanation for the violence. The undercurrent of racism can’t be ignored – “how could this happen” in a predominantly white, wealthy neighbourhood, “it’s not supposed to in these communities”, etc – but that’s not the full story.
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