First read the book, “The Violence Project; How to Stop a Mass Shooting Epidemic” by Jillian Peterson and James Densley.
Then, consider the following “idea clusters” around which the book is organized. Pick one of these clusters and use it as an organizing structure for your 750-800 word essay entitled: “Understanding Violence and Mass Shootings in the U.S.”
Make sure to cite at least one source.
Idea Cluster A.
As a psychologist, Jill was driven to understand the pathway that leads a person to the point of mass violence. What separates someone who kills four or forty people from someone who just kills one? What was their childhood and adolescence like? What was going on in their mind and what did they hope to accomplish? Are there fundamental psychological and behavioral differences between offenders who kill family members, partners, or friends first but then go on to kill victims at random, versus perpetrators who target people they have no personal connection to or motive against? What about perpetrators who target their schools or workplaces compared to those who kill at random in other public spaces?
Idea Cluster B.
As a sociologist, James thought it was important that we examine how society was affecting trends in mass violence. Was the rise in the number of mass shootings in recent years related to our current economic and political climate? What role did the internet and social media play? Just how allegiant were mass shooters to the ideologies they tapped into? When we focused our policy conversations solely on guns and mental health, were we missing the larger social factors at play that made mass shootings a problem unique to the United States?
Idea Cluster C.
There are basic demographic variables: age, education, gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, military service, immigrant status, and any criminal, gang, or terrorist affiliation. And not so basic: whether they grew up with a single parent; whether any parent had died by suicide; if they’d gone through a recent breakup or employment trouble; whether they had told others about their plans to kill ahead of time (known as “ leakage ”). A significant proportion of the variables deal with mental health: whether the perpetrator had been hospitalized for mental illness or prescribed antipsychotics; whether there was any evidence of suicidal tendencies or substance abuse. There’s also a component on the firearms used: whether they were purchased legally, illegally, or stolen, and the method of purchase, such as private sale, gun show, or store.
Idea Cluster D.
The Violence Project focus is on “ the four Ds ”:
Disruptive behaviors: behaviors that interfere with the environment, such as unruly or abrasive behavior, a low tolerance for frustration, or being unusually argumentative;
Distressed behaviors: behaviors that cause concern for the person’s well – being, such as marked changes in performance, appearance, or behavior; unusual or exaggerated emotional responses; or signs of hopelessness, despair, or suicidality;
Dysregulated behaviors: behaviors that cause others to feel uncomfortable or scared, such as a withdrawn, isolated, or depressed mood; agitation; an inability to complete daily tasks; suspicious or paranoid thoughts; or writing or drawing with unusual or concerning themes; and
Dangerous behaviors: behaviors that threaten safety or well – being, such as harassment, stalking, intimidation, procuring weapons, threats of harm to self or others, or planning or rehearsing violence.
This is not a complete list of signs to look for, but it offers some initial guidance. In each area, concern would be related to a marked change — something noticeable that feels different — from a student’s usual behavior.
Idea Cluster E.
First, many mass shooters experience childhood abuse and exposure to violence at a young age, often at the hands of their parents. Parental suicide is common, as is physical abuse, sexual abuse, domestic violence in the home, and severe bullying by classmates. This early exposure to violence and unaddressed trauma feeds the perpetrator’s rage and despair later in life. Mental health concerns such as depression, anxiety, and paranoia commonly develop during adolescence and are rarely identified or treated.
Second, nearly all mass shooters reach an identifiable crisis point in the days, weeks, or months before their violence — something that pushes them over the edge .
Third, homicidal and suicidal ideation is fraught with uncertainty. Prospective mass shooters, looking for guidance, turn to past mass shooters for models of behavior, and the more they identify with them, the more they are influenced by them. They also turn on the news and scroll their social media feeds to watch the same unending coverage of mass shootings as the rest of us. Mass shooters are angry and lonely, and many of them fixate on specific people or groups they can blame for their own miserable circumstances. School shooters blame their schools. Workplace shooters blame their bosses and coworkers. Others blame racial groups , religious groups, or women. Searching for validation for their hateful beliefs, mass shooters not only research other perpetrators of mass shootings but also spend time in online communities where they become more radicalized toward violence. An increase in ideologically motivated mass shootings has coincided with the emergence of a newly emboldened far right and “ involuntary celibates,” who’ve forged national and even international alliances of hate online.
Finally , mass shooters must have the opportunity to carry out the shootings — access to firearms and to the people and places that represent their grievances. Firearms, especially heavy – duty weapons, are readily accessible in the United States at levels much higher than almost any other country. Most perpetrators buy their guns legally. Others lie on their applications or background checks are never run on them. Young shooters take their guns from their family member, most often parents and grandparents who don’t have their weapons safely stored.
