Although my blog headline is a tad misleading, the problem remains the same. The particular shooting that triggered this note is not from today, but I am sure there will be another shooting today or any moment. It has become impossible to keep up with the shootings; we have so many. But I refuse to accept that this is acceptable.
For reference, an article complains that the recent Richland shooter "had been experiencing declining mental health for weeks." Richland Fred Meyer shooter: A tale of fraying mental health and early warnings The article explains that the sooter was showing signs of instability and he had been seen with a gun. As of now, it appears premeditated, although I cannot find a report that says what the motive might have been.
We are trapped. A large minority has prevented governments in the US from taking guns out of ciculation. Opponents say that this deprives law-abiding citizens from their right to own guns. (This is completely bogus, but that is for another day.) The opponents give no suggestions or methods to identify the law-abiding gun owners from the (one assumes) criminals. As a result, everyone gets guns, lawful or criminal, sane or insane, stable or declining. As a result, innocent people die.
A key element of the problem is that we (as a society) have no way to determine who is "sane" and who is not until a victim is dead. We have psychologists, psychoanalysists, sociologists, and counselors, but none of them are able to identify risky groups or individuals.
Until we can figure out what is going on, we have to restrict guns.
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