Jensen and Jensen Blame Mass Shootings on Liberal Democrats

Kevin Doby of Yankton popped into that Sioux Falls paper last month to muse over how the parental fracas at a Colorado baseball game might have had more lethal outcomes if it had taken place in gun-crazed South Dakota:

Imagine the outcome had this episode occurred in the South Dakota that Governor Noem is trying to create, where every youth sporting event is filled with gun-toting, law-abiding citizens. Instead of enraged adults using their fists to attack each other they would have ready access to loaded firearms legally strapped to their hips. Once the first gun is pulled in a situation like that, where numerous adults have already lost all self-control, everyone else with a gun would do the same and it would be the wild west all over again. Only not the one where Marshal Dillon saves the day, but rather one where multiple ambulances arrive at a youth baseball game to treat gunshot victims and carry the dead off to the morgue.

…South Dakota may one day be a state where all youth sporting events, high school football games, outdoor concerts, state fairs, street dances, etc. have dozens, if not hundreds of legally armed citizens in the crowds. If so, it won’t be fists flying when raw emotions (and perhaps alcohol) get the better of otherwise decent, law-abiding people, it will be bullets [Kevin Doby, letter to the editor, that Sioux Falls paper, 2019.06.21].

Doby forwarded his letter to all of our legislators. Among the responses was this message from Senator Phil Jensen (R-33/Rapid City), who ascribes the Colorado melee to legal weed and mass shootings to liberal Democrats:

Kevin, how many of those parents were high on smoking weed ….legal in CO.?

We’ve had concealed carry for years….how many people have died from those choosing to exercise their constitutional rights? I believe that you are needlessly worried. All these school shootings and mass shootings ….they were liberal democrats. With all the guns at gun shows…you’d think there would be a history of mass shootings…nope

Thanks for your concern, though.
Sen. Phil Jensen [e-mail to Kevin Doby, 2019.07.01]

In ascribing all mass shootings to “liberal Democrats”, Senator Jensen is showing his gullibility for right-wing fake news. There also is no evidence that marijuana was involved, any more than there is evidence that the brawlers were drinking beer, which is also legal in Colorado.

Doby responds patiently:

Senator Jensen,

Thank you for taking the time to reply to my email. I sincerely appreciate it.

I know my reply is lengthy, but please read it thoroughly as I doubt you’ve ever been exposed to a story like mine.

Firstly (never a good start when you’re hoping for a short reply from a non-constituent), I just want to make sure I understand you correctly, as you’re suggesting marijuana was at least partially to blame for the melee in Colorado even though you’ve zero evidence to support this?

While it sounds like you and I are on the same side of the legal marijuana issue (marijuana is not the harmless drug its advocates claim it is), I really believe as an elected member of the South Dakota Legislature you would better serve our state if you didn’t delve into irresponsible speculation unless you are also willing to do so in support of positions you don’t favor. And frankly, if we’re going to speculate about the potential role of marijuana in such instances then we’d better apply the same speculation regarding alcohol, which is legal in all 50 states and is used far and away more commonly than pot. And if we’re to be concerned with the role of alcohol in such situations, which we most definitely should be given its legal pervasiveness, then I don’t see how adding numerous armed citizens into the mix in the Colorado brawl would not have ended in bloodshed.

More disturbing, however, is your absolutely false claim that liberal democrats are the shooters in all these school shootings and mass shootings. I realize Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, Breitbart News, InfoWars and the like routinely make that same claim, but it has been repeatedly debunked by various fact-checking organizations, as well as independent researchers.

As per Alan Lipman, professor at George Washington University Medical Center and founder of the Center for the Study of Violence, “mass shootings are often perpetrated by young men who are socially isolated or have a mental illness, experience a trauma or conflict that sends them reeling emotionally, and have easy access to guns. Their motives are almost always, without exception, nonpolitical. And they don’t describe themselves as having a particular political motivation.”

I realize you’re not likely to believe what Professor Lipman (and countless other researchers) have to say on this issue, but let me close with my story in the hope that going forward you apply a more responsible approach to viewing this issue instead of simply repeating the thoroughly debunked, NRA-approved mantras on the issue.

I grew up as a hunter in Charles Mix County. I grew up with guns, and surrounded by guns, and never once in my upbringing did I worry about being shot by anyone, other than the wealthy, East Coast pheasant hunters that I occasionally served as a guide for on opening weekend because they kept shooting at birds at eye-level, and usually at hens. Fortunately, their overpriced, undertrained “bird dogs” typically scared the birds up about a hundred yards out so usually we just watched the birds fly peacefully to another area of cover without anyone being accidentally shot.

But I digress. I have also struggled with mental illness for over 30 years, and I can tell you definitively, and through personal experience, that America has a perfect storm brewing regarding gun violence. That perfect storm is comprised of three elements (at least): 1) Poor access to adequate mental health care treatment for the 60 million+ Americans suffering from mental illness, as well as archaic attitudes Americans have towards mental illness. This situation is far worse in rural areas like South Dakota. We live in the wealthiest nation on earth, yet our approach to treating the mentally ill is actually on par with that found in many Third World countries. 2) Social acceptance and growing pervasiveness of judgement-diminishing drugs, whether legal or not, including alcohol, marijuana, opioids, etc. 3) Increasingly easy access to guns.

And as our population grows, along with other factors amplifying this perfect storm, so to does the volatility of this mixture.

So let me scare you a bit if I may. Due to my mental illness I don’t own any firearms, nor do I drink alcohol or take drugs of any kind, except those prescribed for my mental illness. That said, because of the stigma associated with mental illness in America very few people in my family even know of my illness. (The mentally ill go to great lengths to hide our illness because we fear it will be used against us in our places of work, mortgage applications, gun ownership/licensing, etc. You’d be amazed at how many mentally ill people you work with/interact with daily.These fears we have, by the way, are well-founded because most Americans have an almost Third World view of mental illness.) And since almost none of my gun-owning relatives know of my mental illness they wouldn’t hesitate to loan me a gun if I asked, as they know me as a responsible (former) hunter who can be trusted with a gun. So just imagine how easy it would be for me to borrow a gun and use it with horrendous consequences if my mental illness happened to rear its ugly head while I had that gun. Or what if my mental illness reared its head and then I borrowed a gun? As well, I know a few people who keep a pistol in their trucks. Do you really think it would be hard for me to break into one of those trucks and steal a gun if my mental state were to deteriorate beyond my control? It would be so easy for me to get a gun, Mr. Jensen, and this scenario plays out repeatedly in America.

And until we as a nation approach with due common sense the perfect storm of our Third World approach/attitudes to mental illness, pervasiveness of alcohol, pot, etc., and the ridiculously easy access to firearms found in America we are going to witness an ever-growing body count due to gun violence, which will be ever more zealously defended by lawmakers continuing to use trite mantras to hold fast to their archaic belief systems.

In closing, there are millions of mentally ill Americans who are also gun owners. Most of those are not getting proper treatment for their illness for the reasons I’ve mentioned (it’s estimated 50% of all mentally ill in America are not adequately diagnosed or receiving treatment). As well, most gun owners would rather cut off their leg than give up their guns. So think about that. The mentally ill hide our illness because of the negative consequences we might face if our employers (and others) knew about it. This is even more true for the mentally ill who own guns, as they have double the motivation to keep their illness hidden. And in many, if not most of these homes is alcohol or drugs of some kind. A great many of these homes also have significant stressors that increase the likelihood of gun violence, such as a disintegrating marriage, money problems, recent unemployment, etc.

It’s a horrible recipe and it’s being made worse by senseless claims/mantras such as “liberal democrats are the ones committing the mass shootings.”

I know you mean well, Mr. Jensen. But with all due respect you are just one of thousands of lawmakers across the country with an exceptionally poor understanding of the tragic dynamics driving gun violence in America. And if you’re wondering why you’ve never heard of a mentally ill person making this argument before, its because in so doing I am exposing myself to various potentially negative consequences for having done so. The mentally ill do not like to speak up, as we know all to well what is most likely to come of it for us. But if my story opens the eyes of just one person who can make a difference and save innocent lives, then it’s worth whatever price I personally pay for my openness.

Thank you for your time and service to the people of South Dakota.

God bless you.

Kevin Doby [e-mail to Senator Phil Jensen, 2019.07.02]

After further consideration, Senator Jensen’s questionable response prompted Doby to ask all legislators if the Senator’s comments indicate a general poor state of discourse in Pierre:

Dear Legislator,

Senator Phil Jensen claimed in a recent email to me that all (Yes, all!) school shootings and mass shootings are perpetrated by liberal Democrats. I can forward you the email if you don’t believe me.

I’ve been thinking about Senator Jensen’s blatantly false and hateful claim for a few days and it led me to wonder: Is this how the South Dakota State Legislature discusses/debates issues critical to the people of South Dakota? Does one side throw out mindless canards to support their argument, only to be countered by equally mindless canards from the other side of the argument?

If so, the people of South Dakota need to know this is how their state legislature functions.

Thank you.

Kevin Doby [e-mail to all legislators, 2019.07.05]

Representative Kevin Jensen (R-16/Canton) is not related by blood to Senator Phil Jensen, but he appears to be on the same right-wing wavelength:

Kevin,

While I would not say “ALL,” I agree with the premise that most mass shooters have been either liberals (based on their FB and social media accounts),  generally on some type of psychotropic drug or had been in counseling, had been known to be in need of mental health care, and yes the majority were registered democrats.

Gather your facts, and present a factual, statistical argument. Do the research. Opinion does not count.

Thank you,

Rep. Kevin Jensen (no relation to Phil) [e-mail to Kevin Doby, 2019.07.09]

One can only wonder if Representative Jensen delivered the same admonishment—”Gather your facts, and present a factual, statistical argument. Do the research. Opinion does not count”—to his Senate colleague as he did to this constituent. Doby noticed the apparently misapplied standard:

How odd you would tell me to gather my facts and present a statistical argument since you and Senator Jensen both failed to do just that. Just making a claim based on “their FB and social media accounts” falls well short of a statistical argument. However, Professor Lipman’s research (below) is factual as well as something one can look into without much difficulty. You should try doing that, as I have. And he’s just one of many researchers whose studies refute the arguments made by you and Senator Jensen.

As per Alan Lipman, professor at George Washington University Medical Center and founder of the Center for the Study of Violence, “mass shootings are often perpetrated by young men who are socially isolated or have a mental illness, experience a trauma or conflict that sends them reeling emotionally, and have easy access to guns. Their motives are almost always, without exception, nonpolitical. And they don’t describe themselves as having a particular political motivation.”

And as far as the mental health aspect of your claim goes, I would greatly appreciate any additional thoughts and/or statistical argument you can share with me on this matter. We might both learn something.

………………………….

And by the way, I never made any claims whatsoever as to the political leanings/affiliations of mass shooters. My assertion was that Senator Jensen’s claim that ALL school and mass shooters being liberal Democrats was false. And my assertion is a provable fact.

I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to engage in constructive discourse with our elected officials on matters critical to all South Dakotans, but when you completely fail to notice I didn’t even make any argument as to the political leanings of mass shooters, your last paragraph doesn’t even make sense.  (Gather your facts, and present a factual, statistical argument. Do the research. Opinion does not count.).

You and Senator Jensen are the only two among us making a bunch of claims, and none of them have you (or Senator Jensen) supported with any hard data. Do you plan on lecturing Senator Jensen for his fact-free opinions? You should if you’re as committed to the facts as you claim to be.

But for argument’s sake, the point both of you are trying to make is that the political affiliation of these shooters is significant. Which is fine. That said, why do we ignore other consistencies of mass shooters? For example, over 90% of mass shooters are men (you can look it up, it is an established fact). Why are we as a society not giving that the attention it deserves? There seems to be something about males and guns that is creating a problem in America. What is it? I don’t know, but I believe it needs to be looked into and understood.

Thank you.

Kevin Doby [e-mails to Rep. Kevin Jensen, 2019.07.09]

Doby says some legislators responded more negatively to Senator Jensen’s comments. Based on those reactions, he asked Majority Leader Kris Langer (R-25/Dell Rapids) whether she planned to address Senator Jensen’s unsupportable remarks:

Dear Senator Langer,

A number of your colleagues on both sides of the aisle have expressed alarm and even condemnation at Senator Jensen’s hate-filled comments. Some have even suggested to me that this is the sort of thing the Senate Majority Leader should be addressing. So with all due respect your silence it concerning.

Thank you.

Kevin Doby [e-mail to Sen. Kris Langer, 2019.07.08]

Senator Langer responded promptly, briefly, and with something less than openness:

Thank you for the email. Concerns such as yours, are dealt with internally [e-mail from Sen. Kris Langer to Kevin Doby, 2019.07.08].

This closed-door response seems to have piqued Doby more than the buffoonery expressed by the Jensens:

That’s totally unacceptable. You’ve a senator espousing bigoted hatred in an email to a South Dakota citizen and you believe the best way to handle it is behind closed doors?

That’s not leadership, nor is it consistent with transparency in government.

As well, this senator has a continuing history of bigoted, hateful comments so your “handle internally” approach has obviously failed.

Thank you.

Kevin Doby [e-mail to Sen. Kris Langer, 2019.07.11]

I’m not sure I want the Majority Leader policing the comments members make to constituents. I’d like to think that the people elect legislators who are capable of policing their own public statements. But in Districts 33 and 16, that may not be the case.

Rep. Jensen is serving on the “Fighting Meth Addiction” subgroup this summer; Sen. Jensen sits on the State-Tribal Relations committee. According to the LRC website, neither committee has met yet this summer.