What Are We Missing?

With the number of school shooting fatalities steadily rising year by year, do you guys believe that there is something that we are missing in preventing massacres like columbine. I'm not disputing gun reform, but I still feel like the idea of taking away the means to commit the crimes rather then address the underlining problem at hand, may decrease fatalities but not address the reasons someone would commit such a horrible act in the first place.

I think that beginning with Columbine, for most mass shootings the police have identified some "defect" in the murderer which, by and large, absolves society of any role in that person's actions.
e.g., Eric Harris was a psychopath. Welp, you can't fix that, he was gonna kill somebody someday. Nothing more to learn here, folks.

I feel like it helps people to think that the gunman was just crazy rather than to think, "Hey, that person is a lot like me, how could he have gone so wrong?" If we humanize murderers than we have to take some of the responsibility for what they became or we have to dig deeper for reason and understanding. Frankly, I don't think that most people are willing to do that because it's difficult and scary.

Disclaimer- this doesn't apply to all murderers, of course, but I feel like this trend started with Columbine.

Grant Lacy wrote:

With the number of school shooting fatalities steadily rising year by year, do you guys believe that there is something that we are missing in preventing massacres like columbine. I'm not disputing gun reform, but I still feel like the idea of taking away the means to commit the crimes rather then address the underlining problem at hand, may decrease fatalities but not address the reasons someone would commit such a horrible act in the first place.

I think the big problem is that the "underlining problem" is different from each shooter. There might be some other, greater problem at work, but if there is, it's a mystery.

School shootings happen because of bullying. Name one school shooter who was an athletic jock surrounded by girls or the captain of the football team. They're always scrawny kids who look like they get a hard time. After being picked on constantly (probably starting from an early age) they eventually want to murder their tormentors. Anyone who had a hard time at school knows that teachers often look the other way. And usually give the nervous shy kids grief while the school bully gets off scot free. This is probably a big factor too. If you want to stop school shooters you need to stop kids being picked on.

From a UK perspective I still think it is the ready access to guns and acceptance of gun violence. It's national news in Britain if the police shot someone dead and it's hard to cause the same damage in a school with knives (although we do have a knife problem with teenagers in the UK).
School shootings just don't happen here. It maybe that the hiearchy is less pronounced but there is still bullying that causes violence, rage and suicide. Two boys in England were sent to prison this summer for planning a "Columbine attack" but I actually doubt they would have the access or shooting skills needed to cary out their plans. I think the usual tragic ending to bullying and mental health issues here is drugs or suicide.

sympathyforEandD wrote:

School shootings happen because of bullying. Name one school shooter who was an athletic jock surrounded by girls or the captain of the football team. They're always scrawny kids who look like they get a hard time. After being picked on constantly (probably starting from an early age) they eventually want to murder their tormentors. Anyone who had a hard time at school knows that teachers often look the other way. And usually give the nervous shy kids grief while the school bully gets off scot free. This is probably a big factor too. If you want to stop school shooters you need to stop kids being picked on.

I don't think this is necessarily the correct answer.

If bullying was the only thing that causes school shootings, you'd see a lot more than the ones we've had already.

QuestionMark wrote:

Grant Lacy wrote:

With the number of school shooting fatalities steadily rising year by year, do you guys believe that there is something that we are missing in preventing massacres like columbine. I'm not disputing gun reform, but I still feel like the idea of taking away the means to commit the crimes rather then address the underlining problem at hand, may decrease fatalities but not address the reasons someone would commit such a horrible act in the first place.

I think the big problem is that the "underlining problem" is different from each shooter. There might be some other, greater problem at work, but if there is, it's a mystery.

Agreed. There are different issues that effected each shooter. You can't just lump them all together and try to find that ONE thing that made them all snap. But it is true most had varying mental issues.

I have said this many times before, but until mental health is put into the limelight and gets more attention then the weapon these people use then nothing will get better.  

ShadowedGoddess wrote:

QuestionMark wrote:

Grant Lacy wrote:

With the number of school shooting fatalities steadily rising year by year, do you guys believe that there is something that we are missing in preventing massacres like columbine. I'm not disputing gun reform, but I still feel like the idea of taking away the means to commit the crimes rather then address the underlining problem at hand, may decrease fatalities but not address the reasons someone would commit such a horrible act in the first place.

I think the big problem is that the "underlining problem" is different from each shooter. There might be some other, greater problem at work, but if there is, it's a mystery.

Agreed. There are different issues that effected each shooter. You can't just lump them all together and try to find that ONE thing that made them all snap. But it is true most had varying mental issues.

I have said this many times before, but until mental health is put into the limelight and gets more attention then the weapon these people use then nothing will get better.  

Exactly. Each shooter seems to have a different motive and background.

Yet people want to put a rubber stamp on it like “incel” or “toxic masculinity” or “too many guns” and be on their way..

Screamingophelia wrote:

ShadowedGoddess wrote:

QuestionMark wrote:

Grant Lacy wrote:

With the number of school shooting fatalities steadily rising year by year, do you guys believe that there is something that we are missing in preventing massacres like columbine. I'm not disputing gun reform, but I still feel like the idea of taking away the means to commit the crimes rather then address the underlining problem at hand, may decrease fatalities but not address the reasons someone would commit such a horrible act in the first place.

I think the big problem is that the "underlining problem" is different from each shooter. There might be some other, greater problem at work, but if there is, it's a mystery.

Agreed. There are different issues that effected each shooter. You can't just lump them all together and try to find that ONE thing that made them all snap. But it is true most had varying mental issues.

I have said this many times before, but until mental health is put into the limelight and gets more attention then the weapon these people use then nothing will get better.  

Exactly. Each shooter seems to have a different motive and background.

Yet people want to put a rubber stamp on it like “incel” or “toxic masculinity” or “too many guns” and be on their way..

People like to be able to narrow things down and make it simple, usually conforming to whatever their pet bias is. The reality is, to quote Brooks, there are no easy answers.

QuestionMark wrote:

People like to be able to narrow things down and make it simple, usually conforming to whatever their pet bias is. The reality is, to quote Brooks, there are no easy answers.

Very true indeed. People like to try to simplify things that are way beyond any scope of simplification. Yet they continue to gloss over something trying to make it palatable to the masses.

"Sure this is ONLY about the weapon, get rid of the weapon and get rid of the problem"

That may sound good at first, it may even sound fairly smart. UNTIL you realize there are other weapons and others means for someone to kill others.

Screamingophelia wrote:

ShadowedGoddess wrote:

QuestionMark wrote:

Grant Lacy wrote:

With the number of school shooting fatalities steadily rising year by year, do you guys believe that there is something that we are missing in preventing massacres like columbine. I'm not disputing gun reform, but I still feel like the idea of taking away the means to commit the crimes rather then address the underlining problem at hand, may decrease fatalities but not address the reasons someone would commit such a horrible act in the first place.

I think the big problem is that the "underlining problem" is different from each shooter. There might be some other, greater problem at work, but if there is, it's a mystery.

Agreed. There are different issues that effected each shooter. You can't just lump them all together and try to find that ONE thing that made them all snap. But it is true most had varying mental issues.

I have said this many times before, but until mental health is put into the limelight and gets more attention then the weapon these people use then nothing will get better.  

Exactly. Each shooter seems to have a different motive and background.

Yet people want to put a rubber stamp on it like “incel” or “toxic masculinity” or “too many guns” and be on their way..

Agree.

They both need attention. In countries where it is more difficult to acquire weapons, such shootings happen less.
And yes mental issues are getting too little attention, but luckily more and more each year. It is not a taboo anymore. Burnout, depression etc have gotten a lot more attention in my country at least (The Netherlands).

Plus if the police put 1 and 1 together in an earlier stage, things could be prevented.

There are indeed many factors to take into account, not only weapons.

Pixie13 wrote:

From a UK perspective I still think it is the ready access to guns and acceptance of gun violence. It's national news in Britain if the police shot someone dead and it's hard to cause the same damage in a school with knives (although we do have a knife problem with teenagers in the UK).
School shootings just don't happen here. It maybe that the hiearchy is less pronounced but there is still bullying that causes violence, rage and suicide. Two boys in England were sent to prison this summer for planning a "Columbine attack" but I actually doubt they would have the access or shooting skills needed to cary out their plans. I think the usual tragic ending to bullying and mental health issues here is drugs or suicide.

Wait, wasn't the Santa Fe shooter a football player?

Cheers for the input guys, you're theory's have been very interesting to read