Mass Murders
“Man kills eight people and wounds several others in a mass shooting at a suburban Dallas shopping mall.”
It appears that American guns have gone crazy and are killing folk.
“If we banish guns, mass murders will disappear.”
Perhaps its not the inanimate objects causing the shootings of folks: perhaps it's the young men who have done 98% of the mass shootings we need to eliminate---well, maybe not eliminate but identify before they kill folks.
The commonality among these young men include childhood trauma and exposure to violence at a young age; in the weeks before a shooting incident, they display behavior off the normal track; most shooters have studied the behavior of other shooters; and they seek appropriate sites and firearms for the mass murders.
It's been found that mass shooters feel inadequate when compared to associates. They tend to be insecure in their masculinity. However, most do not fit the diagnostic requirements for mental illness.
This fact tell us that current laws controlling who can obtain guns are inadequate and ineffective.
However, we can deprive the shooters of their sought after publicity, and because the potential shooters pretty much reveal themselves, everyone should be trained to recognize the signs of a crisis.
It has not been part of our culture to turn in friends…especially when we might be wrong.
When I taught, there were two individuals that I suspected might kill everyone at school: one was student; the other was a teacher.
If I had suggested that these folks might be a threat, I would have been looked upon as a kook which, of course, I am.
We must get over this stigma.
Just a few facts: mass shootings only account for 1% of gun deaths, assault rifles only used in 14% of incidents; the frequency and severity of mass murders are much worse worldwide; and most shooting occur in “gun free” zones.
Just a reminder of the worst mass shootings: Pulse Orlando Nightclub in Orlando, Florida, June 12, 2016---49 killed 50 injured---Omar Mateen shot and killed by police; Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, April16, 2007---32 killed 17 injured---Seung-Hui Cho commited suicide; Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Connecticutt, December 14, 2012---28 killed 2 injured---Adam Lanza commited suicide; Luby's Cafeteria in Killeen, Texas, Oct 16,1991---23 killed, 20 wounded---George Hennard committed suicide; McDonald's restaurant in San Ysidro, California, July 18,1984---21 killed 19 injured---James Oliver Huberty killed by police.
Other facts: three-quarters used handguns---one -quarter used assault rifles; 38 percent died of suicide, 20 percent killed by police.
It's clear to me that these mass murders should have killed themselves before killing others thus creating a shortcut to their ultimate goal, their own deaths.
We should quit looking for easy answers to the mass shootings. We must do the hard parts: harden locations such as schools and develop a culture which allows us to turn in our friends and neighbors and particularly our family members. The latter is quite dangerous to our freedoms, but it appears it is necessary.
enough