NEW YORK ¨C The mass shootings that regularly disrupt American life should not be viewed simply as random acts.
They reflect a steady unraveling of the sovereign authority of the state. Sovereignty, as the ultimate claim to authority, insists on at least two precepts: indivisibility and a monopoly on the legitimate exercise of force. Only the state, through its police power, is permitted to use violence in the state¡¯s defense (whether from foreign attack or from domestic terror and criminality).
A loss of faith in state police power is dangerous, not least because it invites self-reliance in response to perceived insecurity or injustice. When the state is no longer trusted to provide security and justice ¡ª to preserve the fabric of society ¡ª self-reliance represents a potential rival to the state¡¯s sovereignty.
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