Why was the reaction to the Navy Yard shootings more muted than that of Sandy Hook?

[Eleanors38]

39. One of the problems with reaction to killings is a feeling of moral high ground

that allows the easy condemnation of others when their outrage fails to meet the expectation of others. That alone can get folks in line.

You may not give a f--- about gun types, but those proposing bans sure do. It was the ban tactic of choice for months after Sandy Hook.

Politicians don't speculate on the influence of those who aren't in line, be it for voting or gun purchases. They DO pay attention to those who act. You agree?

"Hard to relate to?" Are you saying they were quite everyday for those in the Beltway? Perhaps. I don't consider their lives any less important than those of children, however. And I don't think Alexis' world was any more removed from reality than "others" like Lanza.

I think I dealt with the myth/reality of routine-ization clearly enough, and enough respondents here seem to agree there is a fatigue factor involved. Perhaps you disagree. Again, mass murders are different in character from other killings, and "too many guns" or 75% fewer is unlikely to stop these kinds of killings. Again, you may disagree.

See my post 28. Maybe that better sums up why for some the response to the Navy Yard killing was different. Do you agree? It goes to your main contention.