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In the late afternoon of Monday, March 29, Omer, walked into the local
Wal-mart. He purchased a toaster, some bottled water, paper towels, a shotgun,
and two boxes of shells. He took his purchases out to the car, drove out
of the parking lot and onto the nearby highway, heading south from Houston.
When he reached Freeport, a small refinery town on the Gulf of Mexico, he
parked on the beach. It was dark. Sometime that night, he loaded the shotgun
and shot himself in the head.
Omer was 20. He had battled mental illness for a number of years. In November of last year he was forced to take a medical withdrawal from the College of William & Mary. Since then he had descended slowly into ever deeper depression, refusing pleas to seek medication, therapy, or any other form of help. When he purchased the shotgun at Wal-mart, he filled out ATF Form 4473. The form asks for information about the purchaser. The only information Omer was asked to provide on the form about his mental health was whether he had ever been “adjudicated mentally defective.” He hadn’t, so he answered, “No.” Omer's mother went to visit the Wal-mart and asked to see the ATF form. After initially refusing, the store finally relented. A manager expressed his condolences at her loss but reminded her that the store had only been following the law and suggested she write her senators to have the law changed. Omer entered Wal-mart probably already intent on taking his own life. He purchased the other items to disguise his purpose. He knew no eyebrows would be raised at what looked like a typical shopping trip. Let’s see, I need some bottled water, some paper towels, and, oh, right, a shotgun. Wal-mart would not have sold him beer – he was too young - but a shotgun was legal. The majority of Wal-mart gun purchasers presumably don’t kill themselves or commit crimes. But some do. Wal-mart certainly knows that. If Wal-mart didn’t sell guns would Omer still be alive? Perhaps, perhaps not – there is no way to know. Has Wal-mart made a choice to sell guns for profit, knowing that a small percentage of sales will lead to deaths? Yes. Is that an ethically defensible decision? Omer's family doesn’t think so. What can be done to stop these tragedies? Speak up. As the Wal-mart manager said, write your senators. But also write Wal-mart. It is Wal-mart that has made the choice, not your senators. No one is, if you'll pardon the expression, holding a gun to Wal-mart's head, forcing them to sell shotguns or other weapons. This is a company that selects very carefully which magazines to sell, so as not to offend. It can also select which products to sell, so as not to kill. Federal
Government agencies If you would like, send us a copy of your letters and we will post them. Sign the electronic petition to prevent assault weapons from being allowed back on the streets. |
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Omer Shenker, 1983-2004 |
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