all 18 comments

[–]PsychedelicXenu 8 insightful - 1 fun8 insightful - 0 fun9 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

For many mass shooters it's about causing as much damage as possible, not about hitting specific targets.

[–][deleted] 5 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 0 fun6 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

doing a mass shooting is by far the fastest way to get international attention thanks to our media who writes about them extensively every time they happen, including the perpetrators name. So I think that for the shooters it's very often about getting large amounts of attention.

[–]Snow 1 insightful - 2 fun1 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 2 fun -  (1 child)

I know, this is very obvious.

[–]tactix 5 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 0 fun6 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

So then you just contradicted your own question.

[–]Oneda 5 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 0 fun6 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Personally, I think that people who commit mass murder do so as a form of stress relief. The kind of stress they have is usually emotional, not physical. Another factor could be their inability to accept that they are at fault for whatever is wrong in their life.

Take for example some of the recent mass shooters. A few of them had romantic problems. Some of them couldn't even have sex with people because they're that unlikeable. These people are now popularly called "involuntarily celibate" or "Incel". Incels are usually men who fail to get intimate with women. Sometimes they're simply unattractive. Sometimes they have extreme views on how women should behave, which women don't like. The incel thinks that he's a "good guy" and he "deserves" to be loved, and all women are suddenly bad or they're whores. He blames everyone and everything except himself for his failure to find love or even make friends, or hold a steady job. He starts truly believing that the world is at fault and he is the only one who is right, and so in an act of vengeance, he goes out to kill other people. He believes that other people are always successful and he's the only one who isn't, so this kind of pointless jealousy of other people's success in life is what eventually makes the incel kill random people.

I think deep down they know they're the ones really at fault, but they just don't have the guts to own up to the fact and they're unwilling to accept the truth or change for the better.

[–]Snow 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I think the problem is the society promoting :

You have horrible/absent parents? Then you have to take back what you lose from a romantic relationship!

As the Disney princesses, they got romantic partners as a redeemer from their parents. I noticed that many people shared the same idea. But who want to be the redeemer as the princes? I didn't see a one.

Even Elliot Rodger(was from a single parent family)wanted it. But no one wants to be the savior, and then the society keeping promoting "Can't get a relationship? It's your problem."

Actually, I agree with him that humans are the most disgusting creature. But this is the only one thing I agree with him.

[–]humanbeingthrowaway 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (4 children)

mass shooters always have a reason. nobody just suddenly thinks 'kay, i'm gonna kill everybody now'

what i always wondered is, if the point is to kill as many as possible, why aren't hey throwing grenades and molotovs too? maybe if they're lucky, get some c-4 and take out the whole school at once....

[–]Snow 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Not easy to buy?

Hard to training themselves to use?

[–]humanbeingthrowaway 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

you would think though, if they had a source for a powerful weapon, they might have other things at the source

[–]Sydia 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

No doubt it would be smarter to park a bunch of van-bombs on timers in populated places- one could easily kill hundreds like that without ever being near them. Hell McVeigh did it with fertilizer, anyone can do that, even today- and there's no way the government could ever stop it. Lucky for us, its not as "fun" as gunning down a bunch of people GTA style; these sick fucks wouldn't get to feel like the ultimate badass without a gun in their own hands. Hell you could poison people pretty easily too, kill a lot that way, but again it's not as exciting for the incel if hes not behind the sights of a gun.

Interestingly, the Christchurch shooter video showed gasoline firebombs in his trunk right before he went into the mosque. Those alone could have accomplished exactly the same thing, and the guy would have never even needed a gun. Ironic that their government used that incident to ban ARs there, given that fact. Probably why they were so adamant that the video not be shared.

[–][deleted] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Maybe they were unable to get to the people they might have envisioned so they just get to everyone else before the police comes along. Kind of a "nothing to lose so I might as well" situation.

Their real problem is with themselves so I guess when they go for it every person is as good as any to project those problems upon for them.

[–]itcoulebeme_2 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I think mental illness is a helluva drug...

[–][deleted] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

for Elliot his reasoning seemed obvious if you read his manifesto. He didn't want to target specific people, he wanted to leash out against society in one big rampage and cause as many deaths as possible. All others have a reason THEY see fit too.

[–]MrBawwws 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

I think carrying legally is constitutional. Then there's later legislation chipping that right and breaking that right, making carrying illegal. So carrying legally is stupid because the crazed that kill do so illegally. Carrying righteously, ahh. Now that's a solution. Swift, public, and tortuous capital punishment would be helpful. I'm talking psychotically tortuous. Carrying legally is still smart and recommended, it's just those pesky signs saying 'no guns allowed'. Because, y'know. That's going to stop shooters.

[–]HopeThatHalps 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

I love carrying a heavy, deadly weapon with me everywhere I go, it's so convenient. Going everywhere, knowing that the bulkiest piece of kit on my person only serves the purpose of killing another human being should the need arise. 2A 4 eva

[–]MrBawwws 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Have you seen that 60 Minutes interview of all the would-be shooters that were stopped by the stake in the grass that read, "No Guns Allowed"? Me neither.

[–]zoristtot 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

These massacres give them the attention they crave, they only want to be heard even if that means losing their lives. And they're succeeding, that's why it keeps happening.

[–]Hoppipolla 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Charles Joseph Whitman aka Texas Tower Sniper didn't know why he had started getting violent thoughts and impulses. He was very upset over what he had done, and the autopsy revealed that he had a brain tumor which conceivably could have contributed to his inability to control his emotions and actions.

"Forensic investigators have theorized that the tumor pressed against Whitman's amygdala, a part of the brain related to anxiety and fight-or-flight responses."