Weapons and Mass Shootings
America’s latest mass shooting took place just over a week ago when a 22-year-old college student with a history of mental illness killed three people with a knife in his apartment before going on a shooting spree through Santa Barbara, Calif. By the time he took his own life, six people were dead and 13 wounded.
The guns he used, a pair of Sig Sauer P226 handguns and a Glock 34 handgun, were registered to him and had been purchased from federally licensed gun dealers. Data collected by Mother Jones looking back at the weapons used in the last 30 years of mass shootings in the U.S. show that legal weapons are the norm.
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Some useful data here, especially in regards to the mental state of the shooters & the availability of firearms. I found it especially interesting that not nearly as many of the mass shooters seem to be white and male as the media would have you believe.
Additionally this also shows that while we can get useful information gathered by private groups, we also need to get CDC unfettered and gathering even more information to be able to make informed decisions.
Finally, I’d point out that until we destigmatize mental health care so that it’s viewed as just another bit of normal health care, we will see little change.