Hello. I haven't looked at a single post in the thread.
I do not feel there is a good way (leastways, one I've not thought of) to effectively crub mass/spree killings while adhering by principals that (presumably) the founding fathers had in mind. Unfortunately, without massive intrusive measures, we're at a stand-still.
Improving the mental health system is certainly something to strive for. I hope to do my part in that after I'm several more years down the road. However, I've not seen any articles or posts addressing specific ways in which the mental health system is flawed, apart from perhaps over-prescription of medication, specifically SSRIs.
So what do we do to improve the mental health system? From what I understand (a moderate amount of reading and research into spree/mass killings in the US), most of the perpetrators of these events were either "removed from the system", or considered "cured" by mental health professionals, or were not entered into the system at all.
For those perpetrators that were considered healthy by mental health professionals, what is the solution? By what metric do we measure just how effective treatment is on a population or individual? We don't have technology or methods allowing us to perfectly capture another person's conscious (and God, how horrifying such a thing would be anyway, sounds like real Philip K. Dick shit))
, and it is obvious that appearances and perception can be deceiving.
And for those that were not entered into the system at all, what is the solution? Mental disorders can develop at any age, and can likewise decrease in effect or disappear altogether; mandatory stringent testing in public school systems would not work. Many children are enrolled in private school or homeschooled, anyway! Are we to place mandatory psychological evaluations (existing tests which are already proven to be ineffective in certain cases!) on every citizen?
I can't see any clear answers.
For those advocating stringent firearm restriction to prevent mass/spree shootings (I change language here to specifically speak about mass/spree killings with firearms), I do feel that it would be only moderately effective if implemented reasonably.
Lets take mandatory psychological evaluations in order to purchase a firearm from a retailer, for example. We've already proven that existing evaluations are ineffective in certain cases; but we'll be generous and assume that they are more effective than useless. Take a person with intent to commit mass-murder that fails this evaluation. What are we to do with people that fail an evaluation upon attempt to purchase a firearm? Are we to place heavy surveillance on them? Are we to forcibly incarcerate them in a mental institution until the staff are confident that they're cured? Are we to do nothing?
I do not feel that any sort of widespread surveillance or incarceration of these people is reasonable. By this I don't mean personally, but considered reasonable by most of the voting population of the US. Keep in mind, I may be wrong on this one. Not as informed about what the aggregate population feels. I'm never very excited to know, heh.
Anyway, if we do nothing but bar these people from obtaining a firearm, they'll most likely be able to get one from private sale. Unless they get picked up by an ATF honeypot (probably not rare..), there'll be someone local around them that'll sell them a gun, no questions asked. Shit, just browse armslist!
There are simply too many existing firearms to significantly and reasonably impact the availability of them through legislation. I will concede that stringent firearm restriction can work rather well in certain places. Certain places that don't have 270-310 million firearms in them.
I figure shit like this is going to happen until we evolve socially to such a high degree that any given member of the population wouldn't even consider harming his own. Give it a couple thousand years, and I'll check back in.
Unless we blow ourselves up first.
Or if we create sapient machines with an acquired taste for human flesh.
Or if the ancient ayylmaos come back and reclaim their clay.
Poll