ABSTRACT
Background/Purpose. Mass shootings are a mystery to academics and practitioners alike. Their randomness and unpredictability lead most to view any proposed solution to them as a “long shot.” This study intends to debunk some of the myths surrounding mass shootings and encourage all interested parties to seek a “silver bullet.”
Methods/Approach. I applied case-study methods to six mass shootings among the twenty-five most destructive, sourced from the Violence Project. All six were in Texas, which had the largest number of shootings, and the largest proportion of deaths, of any state among the top twenty-five. I sought a common set of facilitators within each case and across all six cases.
Results/Outcome. A narrative emerged containing three facilitators:
(a) a person turns homicidal, (b) easily procures firearms, and (c) catches the police unprepared. Each facilitator represents…
…a political party: (a) Republican (b) Democrat (c) Independent.
…an academic leaning: (a) Conservative (b) Liberal (c) Moderate.
…a gun policy: (a) Gun rights (b) Gun control (c) Anti-gun violence.
…a popular slogan: (a) “Guns don’t kill people. People kill people.”
(b) “People pull the trigger. But guns are the instruments of death.”
(c) “A 911 call was dialed. Unfortunately, too little, too late.”
Confusion and misunderstanding arise when the three sides talk at cross-purposes to each other. They think they are talking about the same thing when they are talking about different things. Yes, they are all facilitators. But each is a different piece of the puzzle.
Conclusions/Implications. Could there be a “silver bullet” inhibitor? Possibly. The Sheehan-Homicidality Tracking Scale (S-HTS) detects homicidal ideation. Administered at gun dealerships, it would (a) fail homicidal test-takers on the spot. Their test results would (b) tell the dealership not to sell them guns, and (c) inform the local precinct of these persons of interest.
The popular slogans would be revised to:
(a) “Guns don’t kill people. And neither do people.”
(b) “People pull the trigger. But not everybody owns guns.”
(c) “A 911 call was dialed. Fortunately, there was no need.”
Four major implications deserve careful study: (i) Do current gun procurement procedures need to be replaced? (ii) How does one justify testing for the right to bear arms? (iii) Can the Sheehan-Suicidality Tracking Scale (S-STS) be used with the S-HTS? (iv) Is the timing of these six Texas mass shootings, or others as well, not consequential, too?
The full-text article upon which this abstract is based is available upon request.
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