what could possibly drive someone to commit such a horrific act against others?

rampant bullying, a society that glorifies violence and consistently downplays the horrors that linger after violence occurs, easy access to firearms, and a brain that is too fresh, new and full of hormones to be trusted with rational decision-making.

Take your pick.

Likely many things, from structural issues to non-structural ones.

And people do horrific acts against others.

Even going beyond individuals in need of mental healthcare access having easier access to guns... We see the USAmerican regime kill people, with their people's dictator making threats that they will 'end a whole civilisation'

I think they could reduce the instances of shootings by ensuring that people are taught about the gravity of such weapons, if they are in places that celebrate them

Generally severe mental health issues. These kinds of attacks happen all over the world occasionally. Some people are born with broken brains. It’s just that, America refuses to identify and treat the mentally ill and give them guns instead.

years of being bullied? some kids kill themselves, others do this. many schools turn a blind eye to such problems, or blame the victims. also, of course, access to weapons.

Idk cuz humans are terrible I guess. I ask the same thing about genocide. Lead certainly didnt help in the 50s through the 80s. Now its social media and big tech causing mental illness.

Probably bullying, but not just at school. A lot of shooters have shitty parents who likely abuse them and also encourage similar behavior when they observe it from their children.

If acting violently gets their parent(s) on their side and finalky letting up on them, they will take that to its logical conclusion.

Because once a room full of six year olds were gunned down and the over-all reaction was “thoughts and prayers” and not decisive, impactful, and immediate legislation, that was the end of the gun control debate.

There you go again - politicizing a Lemmy thread. This is a time for solemn prayer and quiet contemplation on how to answer OP's question, not radical leftist agenda of answering questions with...answers. Urgh.

Who is politicising this thread? The previous commenter didn't mention specific political affiliation... But you bring "radical leftist" to the discussion for some reason.

Sorry, I was being sarcastic 😅

I don't disagree, though Columbine wasn't to do with either I'd say. Not that you claimed those are a comprehensive list.

Based on the frequency that they happen in the US likely poor/non-existent healthcare and easy to acquire firearms. Make medicare universal and restrict firearm access reasonably within densely populated areas and watch the school shooting rates plummet.

School in this day and age is all about competition and selection. Kids internalise enforced competition and apply it to relationships. You get bullying and school shooters.

Oh, sorry, In the current world it is really difficult to tell sarcasm from genuine stupidity

Haha fair enough

The Columbine Effect

• Capitalism
  • lack of policy to treat mental illnesses, like universal healthcare
  • easy access to guns

True. Theres not really reasons for everything, some people are just nuts I think.

Idk man but the one country that decided to die on the letting everyone have guns hill is the only one up there dying so maybe start from there.

This is the era where you can't even tell if the onion is fake or not.

Easy access to guns, lack of access to mental healthcare.

I'm not really opinionated on what is the bigger issue, I just know those things need addressed instead of pretending to care about them, then forgetting in 2 weeks when everyone moves onto the next thing.

Good old Poes law.

That person's exact phrasing was how the right responded to any attempt to come up with a solution to a recent mass gun violence episode

The comments here are WAY WAY off.

Against popular belief shooters are neither bullied nor are they from broken homes.

Most of them have a antisocial personality disorder come from middleclass homes that are not very involved and they are male without friends.
If you are interested in the stats of it all please read up on it, it is interresting but they don't really explain why there are more shooters in the us than elsewhere, we all have narcissists and uninvolved parents.

I think it is very likely that the culture plays a bigger role than the access to guns. The US shitty gun laws are a symptom of a shitty culture towards violence as a whole.
You have this glorification of the individualistic male violent archetype with guns, may it be the military, media or real life people and people with certain mental disorders will latch unto that and internalize this as powerful. (videogames STILL don't cause real life violence i am talking about the lived culture not media as the scapegoat)

My guess is they feel towards their victims like normal people feel towards inanimate objects who fail them. We don't function like they want us to or better they didn't get what they feel like they DESERVE from us and since they are the individualistic, strong main character, we deserve whats coming.

I strongly believe its a mix of specific mental disorders and toxic cultures with a bad understanding of mental health.

but why do they specifically target schools?