Turns out one of the most reliable ways to stop them is to shoot the murderer.
All that really does is stop one individual from doing it AGAIN. Not that it is a bad thing, but it has very little or no effect on other people committing murder, these days.
We have had laws against killing people for fun or profit about as long as we have had laws. Hasn't stopped murder, yet, doubt it ever will.
Mankind is in a position unique in history now. Our technology gives instant continuous communication access to any and everyone on the planet connected to "the net" or "the web".
We could argue about people being more or less gullible than they were in the past, but there is no argument that we are exposed to information (of ALL types) at a level much higher than ever before in history.
Extremism is the order of the day now, probably because people pay more attention to extremes and so, extremism (about nearly everything) sells.
FEAR SELLS.
Everything now is "the end" of life as we know it. The end of our democracy, the end of civilization, the end of all life on earth, what ever fantasy the snake oil seller is pushing, we all have to do whatever they claim to be the solution (and pay for it) or its "the end of all!!"
The way things are being reported (including the language used) and the fact that we get it repeating endlessly 24/7/365 is, I think a large factor.
More specific to this discussion, mass shootings, and in particular those at schools where children are murdered.
What is a mass shooting?? The definition in common use at this time seems to be 4 or more people shot. (or struck by bullets). Using that standard, I hear we have had over 1,100 mass shootings this year alone. Often this is mentioned in the same breath as school shootings, with no mention at all of what a tiny fraction of a percent of the total that school shootings actually are.
Few people care if criminals shoot each other in job lots (the "good riddance" factor) but do care when innocent people (who might be themselves) are shot. And the murder of children is the most horrifying of all.
What is the answer?? What will stop this?? "Common sense" gun control won't do it. No matter how often we get told by some "expert" or study that it will. Consider this fact, we have now, more and more restrictive gun control laws than ever before. Much, much more than we had in the past, and yet at the same time, we have a much worse problem with people being shot and killed than we had then. I sense a correlation there.
Many say the increase in violence with guns is because guns are "easy/easier" to get and because there are so many. Others say there are so many because the public is buying them in greater numbers, possibly because we are being scared all the time by the news, and are pushed towards or even into "panic mode" 24/7 and people want a gun for protection. I think that a plausible idea.
As to "easy to get", not legally. 100 years ago (just to pick a number) what was the legal requirement that had to be met in order to buy a gun??
Having the money to purchase it. Period. And all the paperwork involved was a sales receipt. And, it could be mailed to your door through the US post office.
That's not even remotely the case today. Are we better off now?, safer?? Doesn't seem so to me.
What are we offered as solutions?? Feel good band-aid approaches to the problem usually. Like red flag laws.
Where is it proper to punish people because you THINK they might do something bad?? Are we to assume the govt has the ability to read minds, and be infallibly correct reading what they see?? That can only happen in fiction. It's simply not right to seize property or persons and justify doing that because of what the person hasn't done but COULD do.
isn't that a form of "profiling"??? Something we are repeatedly told is a BAD thing????
Don't red flag laws also violate the idea of equal treatment under the law??
Additionally complicating the matter is that ALL psychological evaluations depend entirely on what the individual being evaluated says. Whether done by police or medical professionals, they cannot read minds, and must rely on what they are told by the person being evaluated. And, sometimes, people lie....some can do it quite convincingly.
Not all that long ago, there was a case where the police did a "wellness check" on a guy concerns had been raised about. They talked with him, and decided he was ok, a little down because he couldn't seem to find a girlfriend, but otherwise ok. The next day that guy shot several people, stabbed several sevearal people and ran over some more with his car. I guess that evaluation was an "Oops!"
The Virginia Tech killer was actually under treatment for mental issues, but the medical professionals didn't report him as a danger because they didn't think he was....30 some dead...another "ooops" moment, I guess...
I don't have the answers, all I can do is look at what has, and hasn't worked though out history and today. And what I see today constantly reminds me of the currently popular humorous definition that says insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results....
We need to do something different. I can't say what the right thing to do, is. But I can say I don't think red flag laws, as currently written and enforced is the right direction to go in.