WHAT IS THE TRUE CAUSE?

If mental illness isn’t the cause of mass shootings, then what is?  The problem with this question is that it is a challenge to pinpoint one specific thing as the true cause. As much as we would like to know the source so that we can try to prevent further tragedies from occurring, it is difficult to blame a specific thing, especially with the lack of research funding being done. In “Limitations in the Prediction of Mass Violence: Cautionary Tales”, it investigates why mass violence cannot be blamed on mental illness and explains specific cases when psychologists have been called upon after a mass shooting to determine if it was a mental illness that caused the shooting . Upon reviewing these events, it was concluded that “the effectiveness of efforts to identify or profile those individuals who will be the next mass shooters do not appear promising and currently have quite limited empirical support.” (Archer, 2018). In summary, it is too difficult to pick out a certain kind of person and predict that they will be mass murderers and that not enough research has been done in order to completely blame anything. One major issue that has a major contribution is the lack of gun control present in our country. “A Systematic Review on the Relationship between Mental Health, Radicalization and Mass Violence.”, written by Emma McGinty, clarifies how a gun policy needs to be made to restrict individuals who had specific dangerous behaviors from acquiring a gun rather than laws that stop individuals with mental illnesses from owning a gun. It describes the evidence present that explains why preventing everyone with a mental illness is not effective. She also presents some recommendations on effective changes that could be made which include to “develop new mechanisms to remove firearms from individuals who pose a serious risk of harm to self or others. Some people at high risk of committing violence will exhibit dangerous behavior but not meet existing criteria for a firearm prohibition” (McGinty, 2014). I feel that this is an effective strategy because with this, it will not be that all people with mental illnesses are restricted from owning guns but rather that those who have consistently exhibited concerning violent behavior from owning a gun instead. Passing stricter gun regulations will not completely rid our nation of mass murder, but it would make it more difficult for dangerous people from acquiring these powerful guns.