Is it love or fear?

After a school shooting in Florida on 14 February, President Donald Trump suggested that some teachers should be trained in the use of firearms and be allowed to carry concealed weapons in classrooms, so that they can take out any shooter in future. "But is the president's solution compatible with human behaviour? Is it human nature to shoot down another human being?" asked B Dominic. Apparently not, a study found. "The study found that in World War II only 15-20% of soldiers fired their weapons at enemy soldiers in view, even if their own lives were endangered. This was the first significant study that showed that it is not easy for a normal human being to kill another human, even in war." "From the Napoleonic to the American Civil War up to World War II, the intimate firing rate remained lower than 20%." Which is extraordinary indeed. Before guns appeared sometime in the 14th century armies used to fight at close quarters with swords and spears. The list of wars in Europe stretches back some 5,000 years. In the battle between Julius Caesar and Gnaeus Pompeius in 48 BC,  Caesar lost 230 men, while 6,000-15,000 died on the other side. Further back, in 331 BC, in the battle between Alexander and Darius III, Alexander lost 100 infantry and 1,000 cavalry, while the Persians lost anywhere between 40,000 and 90,000 men. To increase the use of guns "several initiatives were taken to dehumanize the enemy", which were successful. "The firing rate of soldiers during the Korean war was 55% and it rose to 90% in the Vietnam war." But this came at a huge cost, as the incidence of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder rose among veterans. "One-tenth of those who currently on death row in the United States are military veterans," said a report in 2015. The report claimed that it was because of PTSD but it could be that killing with impunity in a foreign land is addictive. After all, human beings are super predators who kill for sport. A dentist from the US paid $50,000 to hunt Cecil, a magnificent pride male. Cecil was wounded with an arrow and then shot to death after suffering 40 hours of pain. Whenever there has been a new invention people have found ways to use it for warfare. Now there is no longer any need to see your enemy. Operators sitting in air-conditioned comfort in Nevada can blow people up halfway across the world, with drones. It is like playing a video game and then going home to family. Even better, get rid of humans altogether and use robots to identify and eliminate targets. Perhaps, it is not any brotherly love that prevents men from shooting, but fear in conscripted soldiers. Professionals will not hesitate. Maybe another war is just round the corner.