Why do school shootings happen?

I am writing this entry in english since I think it could (not that I believe it really is) useful to the people who suffer this problem: the US citizens.

Following the day of the Virginia Tech shooting, the media and the people in it theorized about the many reasons why this is becoming a kind of chronological social disorder in this country (where I am now staying for some months, in another university).

My opinion is not radically different from many of the ones I have heard so far. For me, the main reasons include the "classical" "guns", and the lack of adequate attention offered to the mentally ill, and to a certain amount the dynamics of the anglosaxon society.

The part on the society is not easy to change, and I don't know if it would ever change. I do believe that the excess of competition and the way that people is under stress to be a "leader" or a "looser" can only cause frustration and marginalization. Frustration turns into anger, and marginalization turns into alienation and could turn into psychosis.
But no, this is unrealistic. What can be done is to improve laws on restricting guns and enhancing the ability of the society to diagnose and treat the mentally ill.


I could go radical and say that guns should be banned to civilians. I, in fact, thing that would be the ultimate solution not only to avoid these problems but also the "domestic" shootings and to reduce the armed assaults. Let's face it: it's *way* easier to kill a person with a gun than with a knife. Nobody can deny it. Also, access to explosives or chemicals involved in their production is *heavily* restricted. Maybe because they are strictily offensive weapons?

But no, that won't happen. This country has a strong will in favour of the right to carry guns. It's even in their constitution. Alas, it is also true that many countries have a lot of guns per habitant. MY country (Uruguay) is one of those cases: I think it is even worse than here. It also manifests itself in the very fact that the country won't dismantle its huge arsenal of atomic bombs.

OK, so what's the solution? There is a very reasonable solution, and it should not take that much to implement: have stricter and tighter weapon carrying licences.
Why is it so natural that having a car requires a strict licence for which one has to study and pass rigorous health, theoretical and practical exams? They also have to be renewed. At least in my country, the renovation is subject to adequate phisical conditions (sight, listening, reflexes).

So why don't they do that when they sell you a gun?
If a mental health study was required to purchase a gun (and revised every , say , two years), this shooting could have been avoided. The guy was clearly out of his mind, everyone around him knew that. And that didn't keep him from buying not one but two guns and a lot of ammunition with no hassle.
Also, a weapon license should require a theoretical and practical exam to be passed. The reasons, again, are obvious.

Weapon licenses should also have different category, just like driving licences do. For example, an regular licence should allow people to carry only small caliber, non automatic hand guns. A tighter licence for rifles and semi automatic, and finally special licences for people who work with them (riot guns, automatic rifles, etc.)


The other main thing that has to be changed is the mental treatment. I have heard people in the TV these days, some of them relatives to people involved in shootings, saying that their relatives were cleary ill, and that the mental institutions won't allow them until they actually did something really bad (like trying to kill themselves or other people). That's ridiculous. If you see a lion in the street you won't just let him go because he still didn't kill anyone. You must try to grab him and send him where he can do no harm.

I see guys like this korean guy as victims much as I see the ones he killed before killing himself. There is no point in demonizing. Of course, if I were the parent of one of those poor guys who died, I'd hate him forever. I am lucky just to be able to think in this way.
What I mean is: this guy was clearly suffering, and a lot, and has been torturing himself. He was not some wicked guy who wanted to wanted to show off. He was really tortured. It is evidented from the videos and from what people around him said of his attitude. He hated everyone, and he hated himself also. It could be that he was too afraid of the society, that he felt diminished, and that he fell into a spiral of marginalization and anger that ultimately led him to do what he did.

They say that 37% of grad students get into deep depressions during their careers. So why not have mental health centers in the Universities? why not admitting a guy like this that was pointed out by more than one teacher as a troubled and inherently violent person? I've heard the more cinics saying it is a problem of budget. Saying that having a person in jail is much cheaper than having him in a hospital. OK, that might be the case, but I don't think it traduces to explicit policies in the subject. I think it's one more of the consequences of having a small budget for public health, and that is of course due in part to the ridiculous amount of money spent in defense and warfare.