What mass shooters want, and how to stop them

[316SS]

It was dropped in the DSM-5.

That was my point. You may be aware of the history of amok (and related behavior) in isolated, non-industrialized cultures. "Amok" is a Malaysian word, and other cultures and languages have similar concepts.

It is comforting to think that those that kill en masse are bat-guano-insane, and terrifying to think they are more or less as sane as we are.

 

[xxjumbojimboxx]

"Some enterprising minds have even suggested that schoolchildren be trained to gang-rush them."


Heheh. This is hilarious...


"And I would've gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you meddling kids!"

In all fairness though, when you calculate the risk, that ,may be a good idea... I dunno.

 

[Sam Cade]

It is comforting to think that those that kill en masse are bat-guano-insane, and terrifying to think they are more or less as sane as we are.

Indeed.
This is one of the things I often muse about.

Throughout most of human history it has been commonplace to engage in the mass slaughter of Outgroup people and it was usually socially and economically advantageous to do so. It might even be relatively normative for a young male to want to kill as many outgroup members as they can.
Our problem arises when the young male no longer considers himself a member of the ingroup and looses his inhibitions toward killing members of the society that spawned him.

 

[wally]

When I was a boy (came out of high school in 1966...) mass shootings were still mostly in our future. The first hint of what was to come that I remember was the "Texas tower" shooting on a college campus.

And what the anti self defense movement wants everyone to forget is that armed citizens provide cover fire for the LEO to maneuver and take down the perp with the assistance of a citizen he handed a gun to before going in. There is no doubt that rapid armed resistance to the shooter saved lives.


There was a rumor about a tumor .... Sung by a former Candidate for Texas Governor

 

[9MMare]

Bingo! Body count alone isn't the way to define a mass shooting when the type of shooting is the Columbine/Newtown type of shooting.

Agreed, because we can tell from things like notes left behind, number of guns and ammo carried, etc that just because they are stopped sooner, the intent (most likely) was to cause more casualties. I think that you can also group these incidents by M.O. and 'style.'

(And no, I was not a cop nor did I play one on TV....just not sure of the correct terms )

But I think the causal factors and (defective IMO) mental states are very similar and THOSE are the things we need to study to prevent these incidents. (Hence we should not ignore the events with less damage).

 

[9MMare]

Has anyone here read, 'We need to talk about Kevin?' I got it for my Kindle practically for free.

And I think they're making a movie about it, if they didnt already.

It's about the perspectives of 2 parents who (not realizing it) are raising a HS spree killer and there are lots of 'interviews' with him in jail after. It's all about ego, one-upmanship, higher body count, competing with other killers and wannabbees, and keeping your name and killing at the top of the list.

I thought there was alot of truth to be found in the book...it is fiction, btw...but there was no diagnosed mental health issue in the kid, like ADD or depression, and he wasnt on any anti-depressants, which are elements that I think tie almost all teen/twenties spree killings together.

 

[9MMare]

"

Call me crazy, but it seems to me that most mass shooters' intent is to harm as many people as possible, by whatever means seems most effective to their addled minds. Invariably, they retain enough logic to recognize their efforts will be more "successful" where the targets cannot resist them. Figures.

Personally, I think their motive is their 'ultimate gratification.' Pretty sure all expect to die or go to jail. I think this is the culminating moment after abuse or stress or (mostly) mental dysfunction,over-medication.

They LIVE for the planning and that journey to the site, probably feel more alive during that period than any other time in their lives, just imagining the damage, the revenge, the reactions. Yes, they choose soft targets but in most cases, they are targets that are immediately relevant to them.

(the Colo. theater shooting is the only one where that doesnt seem true, just off the top of my head.)

 

[9MMare]

That was my point. You may be aware of the history of amok (and related behavior) in isolated, non-industrialized cultures. "Amok" is a Malaysian word, and other cultures and languages have similar concepts.

.

Hmmm. I didnt realize it was a psychiatric term.

I'd only ever heard it applied to elephants and Vulcans.

 

[Dinosaur1]

I agree with lem. The Democrats "Great Society" eliminated fathers from a lot of homes and that number is still growing. Breeding children for cash is big business but not good for them or us. That's why the prisons are full. I believe if one checks you will find that 100 percent of mass shooters since the Texas tower have been on some sort of psychotropic drug, legal or otherwise. That issue is just one of the problems. They do look for soft targets tho and that is why we have all the CCW permits.

 

[Sam Cade]

Hmmm. I didnt realize it was a psychiatric term.

Indeed. The 2nd link in post 22 is a fascinating read.

Contemporary descriptions of multiple homicides by individuals are comparable to the case reports of amok. In the majority of contemporary cases, the slayings are sudden and unprovoked and committed by individuals with a history of mental illness. News media, witnesses, and police reports describe the attackers as being odd or angry persons, suggesting personality pathology or a paranoid disorder; or brooding and suffering from an acute loss, indicating a possible depressive disorder. The number of victims in modern episodes is similar to the number in amok despite the fact that handguns and rifles are used in contrast to the Malay swords of 2 centuries ago. The outcome for the attacker is also analogous to amok, being death, suicide, and less commonly, apprehension.

I'd only ever heard it applied to elephants and Vulcans.

The pon farr never strikes at an opportune time does it?

 

[9MMare]

The pon farr never strikes at an opportune time does it?

Well, I might not object to gun access restrictions for males on their 7 yr cycle.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

Ummm, "2" is a "mass"?

You have confused the difference in mass shooting and mass murder for the Houston incident. "Mass" is usually defined as 4 or more, not including the shooter. The Houston party incident had at least 4 people who were shot. So two were killed and at least 19 injured - most of those with gunshot wounds.

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/201...red-in-wild-houston-house-party-shooting?lite

Blaming the media or expecting to self regulate to prevent mass shootings is about as realistic as blaming firearms and expecting firearms owners to self regulate in order to prevent such shooting.

 

[Shawn Dodson]

FYI: another mass shooting related article, "What Should You Do if You’re Threatened by a Mass Murderer?"

http://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/what-should-you-do-youre-threatened-mass-murderer

 

[316SS]

Throughout most of human history it has been commonplace to engage in the mass slaughter of Outgroup people and it was usually socially and economically advantageous to do so. It might even be relatively normative for a young male to want to kill as many outgroup members as they can.
Our problem arises when the young male no longer considers himself a member of the ingroup and looses his inhibitions toward killing members of the society that spawned him.

That's an interesting point. As you mention, general inhibitions against killing are a new development, historically speaking. It is evidently too much to ask some individuals to thwart their formerly adaptive desire to kill.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

Bingo! Body count alone isn't the way to define a mass shooting when the type of shooting is the Columbine/Newtown type of shooting.

Another winning Article by the Wall Street Journal.

 

[Kiln]

Every time some dirt bag shoots up a public place they get constant news coverage for six+ months.

Everyone talks about it, psychoanalysts try to figure out what went wrong, the nation's president addresses it, and news agencies dig through every aspect of the person's life. It has become an easy way to get your 15 minutes of fame and people who want to be immortalized know it.

Maybe if we didn't treat mass murderers like superstars it would happen less frequently.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

And if they are not covered thoroughly enough, then folks will proclaim censorship and coverup...just as they already do for issues not discussed sufficiently for their liking.

The media will still be seen as the enemy.

 

[Mike1234567]

Boiling ALL factors down to the last bean in the pot... either underdeveloped or damaged frontal lobe. All other factors just exacerbate the primary cause... can trigger uncontrolled actions.