recent mass shootings what's going on ???

[rfuerst911sc]

Twenty dead in Texas and nine dead in Ohio what the heck is going on ? Is this strictly a mental health issue ? Is this a pulse of our nation ? I just can't understand the mind set of a person that is so angry or mixed up that they think the right thing to do is just go kill a bunch of innocent people I am a gun owner and I have been for almost 50 years , I know we will never stop all gun violence just as we will never stop all car fatalities . But how do we as a supposedly smart society help lower the possibilities of these mass shootings from happening ? Not asking this as a political question , more about society in general ( I think ) .

[Crowbob]

Realistically, it is not possible to discuss gun violence apolitically.

[tabs]

As the debt goes up stability in society goes down.

Ants on a hot tin plate..

[74-911]

Originally Posted by Crowbob

Realistically, it is not possible to discuss gun violence apolitically.

Agree 100%

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by Crowbob

Realistically, it is not possible to discuss gun violence apolitically.

If the BS politics were removed from the equation, a complex issue could be discussed by reasonable people imo. No one is more pro-gun, and anti-NRA B$ than I am either.

Follow the $....

[berettafan]

Well I’d start with the idea that it is a mental health issue. To that I’d add the extreme violence we’re exposed to on a regular basis (John Wick 1, 2, 3 etc) and ease of access (internet, smart phones) to it.

Then I think we mix in the constant ‘sky is falling’ chorus from all media.

[rfuerst911sc]

The reason I stated it wasn't a political question is because I think the issue is bigger than either party ......... I may be completely off base . Many complain and rightfully so that they want government " out of their business ". If that is accurate then society has to figure out solutions . Or is this a case of government needs to be the solution ? I don't pretend to know the answer .

Maybe as a society the collective " we " will wake up , put our heads together and come up with solutions . Again I know ALL gun violence will never be eliminated but it has to get better than it currently is . By better I mean we need less of it.

[javadog]

Apart from the mental illness aspect, I think social media is a big driver of this. Just about everyone of these clowns has an Internet presence where they expound on their wacko theories, long before they actually shoot anyone. I often think that were it not for that, these people wouldn’t develop to the point where they snap.

We have artificial intelligence in many things now, maybe it’s time to use a little of that to find these people before they explode.

[Chocaholic]

Obviously an over generalization, but I’ve always believed the “science” of psychiatry isn’t science at all. So, effectively identifying and treating the mentally unstable seems unrealistic also.

[Crowbob]

I watched The Minority Report last night. Precrime AI would require, by definition, serious surveillance of millions of people. Pretty much an exacerbation of the problem in my opinion.

It seems to me, with a culture that espouses indvidual freedom and going strictly by the numbers, violent crime in this country is remarkably low.

[URY914]

Originally Posted by javadog

Apart from the mental illness aspect, I think social media is a big driver of this. Just about everyone of these clowns has an Internet presence where they expound on their wacko theories, long before they actually shoot anyone. I often think that were it not for that, these people wouldn’t develop to the point where they snap.

We have artificial intelligence in many things now, maybe it’s time to use a little of that to find these people before they explode.

I agree with the above. In some ways they have been brain washed by the crap they read online.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by javadog

Apart from the mental illness aspect, I think social media is a big driver of this.

I agree. There are multiple incidences of social media being powerful enough to induce people to kill themselves. It's not much of stretch from there to getting them to kill others.

Not related, but did you see the pictures of this guy, and the last mass shooter, and the one before that? The face of the modern terrorist is a white male.

[Chocaholic]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

I agree. There are multiple incidences of social media being powerful enough to induce people to kill themselves. It's not much of stretch from there to getting them to kill others.

Not related, but did you see the pictures of this guy, and the last mass shooter, and the one before that? The face of the modern terrorist is a white male.

Really? Here’s the shooter in the recent one from Mississippi:

[wdfifteen]

Another one down the road in Dayton last night. Nine dead, plus the shooter.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by Chocaholic

Really? Here’s the shooter in the recent one from Mississippi:

Yeah, pissed off employee goes on a rampage, kills 2. Mass shooting.

[KFC911]

Methinks most of the mass shootings are white males, and most of the weekly drive-by (empty a couple of 30 rd mags) into houses here are black. So what?

We have a serious problem....

'Lunatic Fringe....we all know they're out there" - TC

LF on both extremes of the spectrum too.

[rfuerst911sc]

Excellent conversation regarding social media . So for the purpose of conversation let's assume the content of social media is a piece of the puzzle that pushes someone over the edge . Does that mean social media needs to be censored ? Or filtered in some way ?

If we assume censoring/filtering is needed who sets the parameters ? Do we leave it up to Facebook/Twitter and others or do we need government intervention ? I have never used social media so I have no clue .

[cabmandone]

A good friend once told me "everyone is crazy, it's just that some people hide it better than others do" I'm starting to think he was right.

[Crowbob]

It looks to me like you are asking abuncha political questions pretty much centered around who should be in charge of what, rfuer.

[cabmandone]

Originally Posted by rfuerst911sc

Excellent conversation regarding social media . So for the purpose of conversation let's assume the content of social media is a piece of the puzzle that pushes someone over the edge . Does that mean social media needs to be censored ? Or filtered in some way ?

If we assume censoring/filtering is needed who sets the parameters ? Do we leave it up to Facebook/Twitter and others or do we need government intervention ? I have never used social media so I have no clue .

Nope, you can no more restrict the 1a than you can the 2a and remain a free society. Possibly monitoring social media better and identifying people that are at risk is a better move.
FWIW, technically this chat is "social media".