Mental Illness and Mass Shooting

The purpose of this research paper is to analyze the relation between gun violence and mental disorders and/or diseases. Within we will find if the violence in society is truly an issue, or if the real issue is the mental health and sanity of our society.

A major concern in the United States is why mass shootings occur and what needs to be done to stop them from happening. Mass shootings have gained a significant amount of attention in 2015. Within the year, a total of 372 mass shootings have occurred in the United States killing 475 people and wounding 1,870. Mass shootings have become a popular trend within the media and have given the impression that it is the new normal. Mass shootings are a dysfunction to society, due to the fact that they create horror and tragedy within the country. Schools, shopping malls, and even movie theatres have all endured the horrific violence. Mass shootings are nothing new, however, they seem to be occurring more often and are becoming more and more violent. The three leading factors to mass shootings are problematic masculinity, mental illness, and gun control.

Has the deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill led to the increase of mass shootings experienced in the US? According to Lankford, several reports suggest that up to 60% of offenders of mass shootings in the US since 1970, exhibited symptoms including depression, delusions, and acute paranoia prior to the commission of their crimes. Further statistics have shown that since 1982, there have been at least 71 public mass shooting across the country; with 34 of these mass shooting having occurred since 2006. A recent analysis of the database by researchers at Harvard University corroborated by a recent FBI study concluded that mass shootings have been on the rise. More than half of the cases involve school or workplace shootings, 12 and 20

Mass shootings happen a lot more frequently in the world than most of us probably know. However, every mass shooting that has been documented and investigated have the same main question behind it; Why did the attacker choose to do this? Many times, our assumptions are all we have. Investigation analyses the entire situation as much as it can to make sure our assumptions, if needed, are as accurate as possible. However, there are a lot of theories and social situations that pertain to mass shootings as well.

Mass shootings have been a growing epidemic in the past years in the United States. According to CNN between the years 1966 and 2017 there have been 90 Mass Shootings in the United States; with the shootings more likely to occur at the workplace or at schools(1). But why is this happening? Why are unlikely citizens rising up and performing such vulgar actions? What truly has people baffled is what is causing people to commit such a horrific act of violence? We are baffled because we don’t understand what is the cause that the some of the people committing these shootings are thought to be normal, well raised, and stable-mind people. There are many theories as to why people commit these mass shootings. One is that it is that a people's thresholds for the act and they are joining in. Another is that is is testosterone and natural dominance causing those viewed as outcasts to commit the shooting. But I believe it is both of those but that there is a stronger one that explains the reason why good people are committing horrific shootings. My theory is the psychological act of splitting.

Mass murders have become somewhat of an epidemic in the U.S. There are many notable shootings within our recent history; so many that they’ve become somewhat normalized in today’s society. The Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting in 2012 is one of the well-known shootings that has occurred in the past five years. I remember when I first heard of the tragedy that occurred in Newtown, Connecticut. Even though it occurred far away, it hit close to home, and I broke down after hearing that twenty young lives had been taken. The shooter, Adam Lanza, had been diagnosed with mental health disorders and reportedly had an obsession with mass shootings. In the article, “Adam Lanza’s Mental Problems ‘Completely Untreated’ Before Newtown Shootings, Report

I've become desensitized and have little reaction to broadcasts about mass shootings, as I have become desensitized about other types of intentional harm and injury to another human being... because of the type of service I provide. I may not have strong emotional reactions anymore to the shootings. Still, can't wrap my mind around how easy it is to take away someone's right to live and breath.

News coverage reported that Adam and his family always had guns in their home. His family would regularly go to local shooting ranges for leisure. Lanza's parents separated in 2001 when he was 9 years old and lived with his mother. Adam's mother had a pistol permit and would take Adam to National Rifle Association rifle courses. She had a big influence on his obsession and access to guns. All of the guns and ammunition from the shooting scene and his home were purchased by his mother. It has been speculated whether or not Adam's mother was a victim in this shooting or if she was to blame. As indicated in the Sandy Hook Final Report, Adam "had an interest in mass murders and serial killing" (Sedensky III, 2013). He had a huge obsession with school shootings, particularly Columbine. When the FBI investigated Adam's house, they discovered he had written violent e-mail expressing his obsession with guns, killing, and mass shootings. He had collected news articles on school shootings and photographs of corpses. He collected statistical data on "mass murders over the years listing information about each shooting" (Sedensky III, 2013). Table 3.12 displays the statistics of the 12 deadliest mass shooting events in the United

November 8, 2015 was day 312 of the 365 in a year. November 8 was also the day of mass shooting number 325 in the United States. This shows that there have been more shootings than days in our year so far. People are being affected in almost all 50 states.

“Since at least 1950, all but two public mass shootings in America have taken place where general citizens are banned from carrying guns.” Now, envision being in a mall and you hear a horrible scream immediately after you hear a massive CRACK! You look behind you and you see a man running at you with a gun, you grab for your gun but you remember you have just gave your gun to the government. You would be defenseless because of gun control. Gun control should not be reinforced for the reasons that most mass shootings are in gun free zones. most gun related death are suicides, and these laws wouldn’t apply to criminals.

Since Barack Obama’s second full term in office, not a single full calendar week has gone by without some sort of mass shooting. A mass shooting is defined as “ an incident in which four or more people are shot,” and a Sunday-to-Saturday week has not passed without one of these incidents in more than a year (Bump, 2015). So, what gives? Following a mass shooting crime, one of the first things that always comes up is the perpetrator’s mental health: Was the shooter mentally ill? In recent years, the mass shooters we hear about have been, enabling a cycle of stereotyping in which those who have some sort of mental illness are associated with violent crime. Terms like “psycho” and “insane” are thrown around, creating a blanket of

Gun violence, and solutions to decrease the amount of gun violence and mass shootings, has always been an issue in Presidential elections, and 2016 is no exception. In a country where there have been, according to a study by the CDC and reported by CNN, there have been over 406,000 American gun deaths from 2001 to 2015, compared to the number of Americans killed by terrorist attacks, slightly over 3,000 in that same timeframe (Bower and Jones). Every candidate running for the Presidency has their own solution to gun violence, from regulation and control of firearms to making it easier to purchase a gun, to some wanting to keep the status quo. There is a proposed gun control solution that does enjoy broad support across most of the public and even gun owners themselves, the expansion of background checks. With the broad reach of support that this has, and its implementation being relatively small in its size and scope, as well as proven results in the 17 states that have implemented this, expanding background checks for firearm sales should be done in order to reduce gun violence and mass shootings nationwide

Furthermore, it is sad to see that there are people with mental illness who do not have the proper support, services, or intervention programs. Instead funding is directed elsewhere and not on preventing the 2,000,000 mentally-ill individuals from jail. Another reason why I believe the media portrays mental illness with mass shootings is because there are people who are not mentally ill but plead this in case so that they can receive a lighter sentence and not serious jail time. Another sad reality is that an estimated half of people who are shot and killed by police are in fact mentally ill. Their definitely needs to be an effective plan to help those suffering from mental illness so that lives can be saved and fiscal sense can be made to take a stand for the many people who were disregarded even though they themselves have mental-illness. Finally, effective treatment facilities also need to be put into place. This article provided me with a better understanding of what mental illness actually is. and the lack of services that are at the disposal of these

America is currently experiencing a frightening crisis of internal terrorism. In 2015 alone, there have been nearly 13000 deaths in America due to gun violence. Mass shootings have become regular occurrences on the news channels. After every single mass shooting, politicians, celebrities and regular people all over the country express their uttermost grief and regret for the lost victims. Consistently, there is a subsequent call for more gun control. In some cases, new bills may be proposed. It has become a routine of some sort. However, these efforts have amounted to a negligible amount of progress. Even with all the outrage and mourning from the public after each mass shooting, nothing seems to change. The initial passion and vigor regarding

My primary objective is to prove that there is a direct association between gun violence and mental health. Like most people, I am both appalled and horrified every time I hear about another fatal mass shooting that occurs somewhere in this country. In the news, the words “deranged” or “psychopath” are often attributed to the perpetrators of these heinous crimes. This leads me to suspect that these criminals may suffer from some sort of mental illness. Because of the frequency with which mental illness is constantly associated with gun violence in both the news and pop culture, I believe that mental health is the main cause of the bloodshed created by firearms in this country.