Mass violence: Why do they do it? What can we do about it?
Q This week it was northern Illinois. But it seems like every time you turn around, somebody’s shooting up a school, workplace, or public area. What makes a person snap and go on this kind of killing rampage? Is there anything the public can do to protect themselves? And what’s law enforcement’s role in preventing and responding to mass violence attacks?
A: Mass murder is defined as the killing of multiple victims in a single incident, typically using the highest level of lethal technology available to the killer, which in most cases involves handguns, assault weapons, explosives, or arson. Some types of mass murder are committed in the name of a political, religious, or ideological cause; we label these terrorism, but this is not what we’re talking about here. In the case of the Omaha mall, and other like it, it is usually one disturbed individual whose fantasies of outrage and revenge...