Being statistics instructor, I thought this was a very interesting examination on why we may never be able to predict who is at risk for committing school shootings. I wasn’t quite sure whether this should go in the March thread, but then, this topic could be relevant when discussing our POTUS, too.
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Exactly…it’s not the mental health issue that we need to tackle first, but the outrageously-inappropriate weapons available to pretty much anyone. The NRA is not our friend…they need to be neutered, and backlash applied to all their enablers, until they retreat with a whimper to the trash heap of history. The society we want to live in is peaceful, with respect for the laws and for each other. The NRA won’t be happy until we essentially live in our own war-zone, so they can live out their toxic attitudes. Assault weapons do tremendous physical damage to the human body, injuries that are harder, often impossible, to recover from…not like normal guns, which are bad enough, & more than enough for self-defense or hunters.
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Not to mention that we all grew up watching “Westerns” & playing with toy guns. Doesn’t exactly hurt military recruitment either. And then comes advertising to make guns “sexy” symbols of masculinity, along with fast cars, big trucks & off-road vehicles that do nothing but harm what’s left of nature. Ugh. TV shows are another influence…it can be a real challenge to find programs that aren’t about murder & rape; why this fascination?
Don’t get me started on “sports”, though some would argue that’s where young males burn off all that
testosterone in our society, but I think a lot of this is learned behavior too. Physical exertion is one thing when appropriately channeled, bashing another’s brain is quite another. I don’t want to lump all sports together. As our population increases, that too increases stress that exacerbates violence. We need some serious de-escalation in our culture, but that starts with leadership…currently a total void.
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Interesting article on the statistical issue.
I’m coming to believe our society’s fascination /love of guns is a reflection of a culture that also tolerates and encourages violence. The success of pro-football and the NFL is also a reflection of this, IMO, then we isolate young males with technology and media that encourages copycat behavior and “boom”. Ugh.
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