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This. Most people with mental health conditions do not shoot up churches/Walmarts/nightclubs. So while mental health is a huge problem in the United States (in the sense that there's a stigma about accessing care... assuming you can afford to do so in the first place), I don't know that improving the mental health treatment/system is going to prevent any mass murders.
After many of these events, neighbors/acquaintances say, "yeah, he was a weird guy, there was something "off" about him," but I could say that about a lot of people who would never even consider shooting anyone else.
I don't know what the common element is or if there even is one.
Hindsight is 20-20 and all that.
Sensational mass shootings take planning. None of these tragedies are impulsive behaviors.
The person who started the fire was upset that his personal works was copied by the animation studio so he set the place on fire. No guns and weapons was used.
So what now? We ban knives, pressure cookers, hammers, etc?
Blame video gaming. OK, this is another new and refreshing topic. Many Asian countries has always had violent content from video games, animes, TV, and movies. Yet, majority of those countries have violent crime rates lower than the US.
We haven't addressed how social media, the media itself, and how we deal with people with mental illness.
The Ohio shooter had red flags but the people who associated with him did not report to authorities or know where to contact. But they suspected he could do something as heinous as shooting people.
That's the problem we have in society, we see and hear stuff but we don't report or tell the person that is not right.
Banning guns or weapons will just cause people to stock up or get them illegally.
What makes America stand out is how frequent and deadly these events are in contrast to other nations. You mentioned Japan, in the last 20 years Japan has had 9 mass murders; total death count 140 people. America has had 250 killed in mass shootings since January of this year. Guns are by far the most effective and simple means available for an individual to kill many people. Hence we have a very serious gun problem and unless drastic measures take place its only going to get worse and worse.
One thing for sure , looking the pictures of some of them, you just know. Look at the Sandy Hook kid, one look at him and one thinks it's just a matter of time before this kid loses it. And he did.
I wouldn't call them loners though, they are alone but they are more social outcasts, misfits etc. They just don't fit in. I don't mind being alone, would rather be that than in a large crowd , and am socially awkward but am not an outcast. There are differences.
One of my daughters boyfriends from years ago fit this model. To this day I feel we will read about him in the paper one day. He was highly intelligent, had mental issues and was a social misfit. He only had a very small circle of friends and they were just the follower type. Had I been in school with this kid, I'd be afraid every time he came into school.
We see these types of people everyday , most of us ignore them (which makes the problem worse) and we don't realize they are ticking time bombs until it's too late.
There are millions of young men who bear a resemblance to the Sandy Hook shooter.
Nothing is absolute but I am on the mark with the current trend. Criminologists who studies mass murders conclude most of them are loners. Doesn't mean that extroverts can't be, statistics doesn't support it.
And some rely on social media and chat rooms for socialization validation.
It is true that many mass murderers are often loners and/or people with mental issues. However, most people with such conditions don't commit violent crimes. I wonder what it is about some that sets them off to the point of committing such violent acts.
Lack of something constructive to do to preoccupy time, such as a full time job. Most shooters don't have one.
The person who started the fire was upset that his personal works was copied by the animation studio so he set the place on fire. No guns and weapons was used.
So what now? We ban knives, pressure cookers, hammers, etc?
Blame video gaming. OK, this is another new and refreshing topic. Many Asian countries has always had violent content from video games, animes, TV, and movies. Yet, majority of those countries have violent crime rates lower than the US.
We haven't addressed how social media, the media itself, and how we deal with people with mental illness.
The Ohio shooter had red flags but the people who associated with him did not report to authorities or know where to contact. But they suspected he could do something as heinous as shooting people.
That's the problem we have in society, we see and hear stuff but we don't report or tell the person that is not right.
Banning guns or weapons will just cause people to stock up or get them illegally.
The people who commit these crime are usually loners and have mental issues that caused them to be alienated by others.
It most certainly is also about physical issues. A kid who is constantly told that his face his ugly will be driven to become a loner to avoid their face offending people and hearing those words, "you're ugly". Society miserably fails to do enough to put a stop to bullying. Most people, most of all the bullies, will strongly disagree, but looks are not everything!
Betts wasn't a really loner but I would guess he didn't have many friends. He was a vocal bully, open misogynist and an SOB who made rape and kill lists, personally threatened classmates and reveled in causing fear in people. He had edgy girlfriends. He was lead singer of a death metal band with a subgenre of porn gore singing about rape, necrophilia, murder. Sick, sick POS. His parents wrote good things about him in their false, virtue signaling social media posts.
The El Paso shooter had been described as a loner. Not just introverted but repelled by people, as in walking to school he would walk ahead or behind of the other kids with his head down and no eye contact. Possibly autistic among other issues. His father is a new age nutter/therapist also with online presence. Don't know about a mother.
I think they were both upper middle class or at least middle class in decent suburban homes living with their families. I would not let my adult kid live in my house while being in a pornogrind band, especially with his history of making death and rape threats. Ever. Parents are the FIRST line, they support these adult men and they know they are not living healthy productive lives.
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