Many, particularly the news media and antis, want to blame the weapon, not the trigger puller. After all, we all know that VEHICLES are solely responsible for DUI’s, correct?
We had an excellent seminar at the start of school on what is the problem to look for. And while there's no exact formula, there are some very significant indicators that we've seen before, and before and ......
It’s not the 20+ members of the shotgun and rifle team, who have access to firearms, ammunition and are very well trained on their use, safety **and consequences**.
It's also not the members of most any other organized club or group, they also have an adult sponsor(s) and support system that (should have training) on identifying students and others that are at risk for numerous substantial issues.
The problem is the loner kid(s) who have no support group, are not invited into existing socializing groups, have little in common with others, generally don't participate in organized school or after school events, generally finds major aspects of their life difficult or impossible to deal with, and sees 'a blaze of glory' as a legitimate way out. They would have love to have talked to someone or cry for help but they either didn't feel comfortable talking, or felt they might get in trouble saying how they really feel, or no one was there to listen. They are likely to have been bullied (but not always) and found no one to help stop it. They typically don't have good interpersonal skills dealing with issues.
The real issue is we don't teach peaceful conflict resolution starting in Kindergarten as some others do, much less in high school, and the US often waits for someone to have a 'certified problem' to get appropriate and effective mental health help.
In summary, a district I won't name started teaching conflict resolution to elementary school students last year. The number of conflicts and 'trips to the office' were cut in half.
Our system of dealing with mental health needs to be addressed first and foremost, and not adding additional guns on ban lists or making more gun free zones.