Last week, prominent legal scholar Jonathan Turley became the latest victim of “swatting,” as reported by the NY Post. Swatting refers to the malicious act of triggering a police SWAT team response by way of a bogus emergency call.
The George Washington University law professor stated, “Yes, I was swatted this evening. It is regrettably a manifestation of our age of rage.” This statement dismisses the declining instance of violent crime statistics, as presented in this NBC article, to attribute swatting to a so-called “age of rage.”
Turley further highlights a need for more stringent deterrents to combat swatting. However, the emphasis should be on assurance rather than severity of punishment. This is because the individuals committing these acts believe they can remain anonymous and avoid detection. But, technology is increasingly making anonymity a myths, as noted in this CNN report, where a man causing a fatal swatting incident was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Today, even small town law enforcement now deploys SWAT teams, an indication of the militarization of policing across board. The tendency to respond to every emergency as though they are walking into a military-grade standoff is largely due to the non-surprising nature of encountering individuals armed with multiple semi-automatics and quantities of ammo to last several days.
Therefore, swatting is more of a manifestation of our society’s failure to confront the disconnect between the text and history of the Second Amendment, and the lazy ahistorical interpretation of the current Supreme Court, as often seen in ongoing discussions, such as in this Above the Law article.
Notably, Turley himself has been one of the voices questioning efforts at gun restriction, arguing such measures fail to understand “reality.” It seems his views on these matters not only limits possibilities for common-sense reform, but also contributes to the wider socio-cultural issues that swatting is symptomatic of.