“That just doesn’t happen here”
U.S. Mass killings on the rise
By Stephani (Hawkins) Monhollon, Independent Writer
If you’ve heard people say, “That kind of thing just doesn’t happen here,” or “I never thought that would happen to anyone I know,” you’re not alone.
Data indicates that all types of crime, from misdemeanor shoplifting all the way to capital murder, happen every day in the very communities in which we live. I’m not just talking about metropolitan areas; those in small, rural communities are vulnerable as well. While non-violent crimes aren’t as much of a concern in terms of leaving victims in the wake of offenders, violent crimes, such as homicide, kidnapping, sexual assault, human trafficking, domestic abuse, assault, carjacking, home invasion and armed robbery, can happen to anyone, anywhere.
Last year, mass killings in America topped an all-time high. Focusing exclusively on this ever-growing reality, with an emphasis on mass shootings, will help shed light on the magnitude these occurrences have in all parts of the country.
Mass killings: Increasing by the year
Statistics show that mass school shootings are more likely to happen in small towns and suburban areas as opposed to urban locations. According to CBS News, of the 10 deadliest U.S. school shootings, all but one took place in towns with less than 75,000 residents. In fact, most were in communities with fewer than 50,000 people.
However, based on what we tend to see in the media, one might conclude that the more densely populated areas — such as the massacres in El Paso, Texas; Dayton, Ohio; Las Vegas; Nev.; and Virginia Beach, Va. — are at greater risk.
Let’s look at mass killings overall. As reported by the Associated Press, last year, there were a record number of mass killings across the United States that claimed the lives of more than 210 victims in 41 different incidents. Of those, 33 were mass shootings. The data, compiled by the Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University, only identifies cases where four or more people were killed, excluding the assailant. These occurrences are widespread, happening in more populated areas, as well as smaller communities.
Mass shootings are far more prevalent today than any time in the past. Some 50 years ago, this type of rampage was rare compared to current statistics. This begs the questions:
- What causes a person to commit this type of violent act?
- Are there warning signs that could potentially prevent these tragedies?
- Who are the primary targets of mass shootings?
- Can mass shootings be prevented?
Causes of mass shootings
Theorists have come up with a laundry list of causes to mass shootings, including:
· Psychiatric medications;
· The media;
· Gun manufacturers, gun laws and/or access to guns;
· Parents;
· The government;
· Mental illness,
· The desire for fame.
The reality … there is no single cause for a perp to shoot innocent people. Rather, there are multiple triggers that can set off this devastating chain of events.
According to a paper presented at the 2016 American Psychological Association’s annual convention, co-authored by Western New Mexico University psychology professor Dr. Jennifer Johnston and former interdisciplinary studies graduate student Andrew Joy, “People who commit mass shootings in America tend to share three traits: rampant depression, social isolation and pathological narcissism.”
At the same time, a person’s environment and circumstances can play a significant role in pushing him or her over the edge and into a shooting frenzy. For example, you may have heard the term “going postal.” That term was coined as a result of disgruntled U.S. post office employees who entered their places of work and shot coworkers. The postal shootings in the United States date back to 1970, and there have been 27 separate instances since then. Some of these shooters were fired from their jobs or reprimanded, which may have tipped the scales for them. Many other businesses have encountered similar attacks by angry, outraged employees. With that, stress and money situations can factor into the equation.
Additionally, there are many other contributing factors. For instance, the previously mentioned paper, a culmination of research from five fields of study, cited media contagion as a primary factor in mass shootings. It is believed that shooters thrive on the fame resulting from their crime spree, albeit in a negative vein, and social- and mass-media coverage feeds that desire.
As you can surmise, there are myriad influencers that can cause an unstable person to snap and lash out at those around them, whether they know their victims or not.
Warning signs of a potential shooting risk
Due to the increasing number of mass shootings across the nation, the FBI conducted a couple of studies two years ago to potentially identify common characteristics among shooters. One study focused on more than 60 U.S. shootings that occurred between 2000 and 2013. The study revealed that 94 percent were carried out by men. In the other FBI study, 50 shooting incidents between 2016 and 2017 showed that all shooters were male, and 79 percent were either single, separated or divorced. A common thread being predominately single men.
In addition to these traits, most of the shooters who were studied exhibited troubling behaviors leading up to the incidents. Among them were abusive conduct, harassment toward others, bullying and, sometimes, violence. One study showed that the shooters demonstrated, on average, four or more examples of disturbing behavior leading up to their attacks.
According to the FBI studies, “Most shooters (77 percent) spent a week or more planning their attacks, during which time they exhibited some of these concerning behaviors. And more than half of the shooters exhibited ‘leakage,’ a term for discussing the idea of committing a violent act with someone else.”
Those who spend the most amount of time with the potential shooter, such as family, friends, classmates, coworkers and teachers, will likely see the warning signs. However, not recognizing the threat or taking it seriously, more times than not, they don’t share the information with authorities.
Most likely to be targeted
An analysis conducted by New York City-based Everytown, a gun-control advocacy group, revealed that more than half the cases of shootings (54 percent) targeted intimate partners and/or family members. Though, as we have seen during the last couple of decades, there has been no association between shooters and their victims in a good portion of the cases, rendering these situations a random act of violence.
In work-related instances, there is often conflict between the perpetrator and management or colleagues, making them prime targets.
Religious, political and cultural differences can all contribute to this type of violence. Based on findings in a U.S. Department of Justice report, “feeling that one (or one’s group) has been treated unfairly, discriminated against or targeted by others may lead individuals to seek justice or revenge against those they blame for the situation.”
School bullying or feeling like an outcast, as well as abuse in the home can lead one to take matters into his or her own hands. In doing so, they will likely target the “wrongdoers,” but they may also slay others who are in the path of their mission. This is most commonly seen at schools and universities.
Basically, anyone … anywhere … can become a victim to this type of crime. However, there are circumstances in which the victims were targeted with justifiable purpose or reason in the eyes of the villain.
Is it possible to prevent mass shootings?
As mentioned, mass shooters often seek fame, wanting to be known for record-breaking fatalities.
“We have heard and we have read in some of the manifestos of previous shooters that they are trying to become the next, greatest known shooter by number of deaths,” Dr. Johnston stated in an interview with The World Today. “We do see these headlines: The deadliest shooting in history. And that seems to be motivating shooters.” In trying to accomplish this goal, Johnston also stated that perps are driven to obtain more powerful weapons that can do more damage in a shorter time.
In an effort to possibly reduce the number of mass-shooting offenses, in 2017, American Behavioral Scientist published “Don’t Name Them, Don’t Show Them, But Report Everything Else: A Pragmatic Proposal for Denying Mass Killers the Attention They Seek and Deterring Future Offenders.” The proposal was co-authored by Adam Lankford, Ph.D., a criminology professor at The University of Alabama, and Eric Madfis, Ph.D., an associate professor of criminal justice at the University of Washington Tacoma, declaring that, “if the media changes how they cover mass shooters, they may be able to deny many offenders the attention they seek and deter some future perpetrators from attacking.”
On an individual level, people are encouraged to help by refraining from showing pictures and videos of perps in social-media channels.
Aside from media channels, citizens are urged to sound the alarm if they have a sense that someone appears disturbed or disgruntled and could pose a potential threat. This is often difficult for kids, especially those in smaller communities where everybody knows each other. Nonetheless, coming forth to authorities when warning signs are prevalent can potentially eliminate an attack.
To that end, building awareness and educating our communities about multi-person shootings could potentially help prevent this type of crime, or at least help reduce the number of occurrences. While many acts of crime cannot be foreseen, having a better understanding of traits among mass shooters, as well as the warning signs that accompany these catastrophic events, is a step in the right direction toward driving the number of incidents down.
