[Boudica]

So what happens when you heavily restrict or ban the purchases of guns, or particular types of guns?

Reminds me of when phyrrus9 3D printed firearms, or made shotguns out of lead pipes. Someone that is determined enough, will always find a way.

So what are some of the possible contributing factors? Several of the following have already been mentioned, but some that come to mind right now include:

1. The US turning into a low-trust society. This can feed violence.
   
2. In line with the above, the US is quite a violent society anyway. If you combine that with the widespread availability of firearms, it's no surprise that firearms become one of the primary means to commit violence.
   
3. I agree about media sensationalism. I think this encourages copycats or, if not direct copycats, gives people a cultural "script" of what to do.
   

It's a very difficult problem certainly, that doesn't admit easy answers like "take the guns away" or "just lock them up."

Low trust and violence are easily symptoms caused by mental illness. Combined with media reporting on kill counts/manifestos, and it's no surprise we're caught in a loop. On imageboards the number of deceased are regularly referred to as a "high score" and kids that are isolated/bullied aren't getting the help they need.

Guns could be removed from the equation, and the media would still be fueling the mentally ill. WHO estimates "there has been a 13% rise in mental health conditions and substance use disorders in the last decade" and "suicide [is] the second leading cause of death among 15-29-year-olds".

This is well put. I feel like we're now looking more at the "cause" part of this discussion, than the symptoms.

While it's easy to be annoyed at young people flagging up their mental health at every turn, there's no denying the role mental health plays in society. No happy, healthy person became a mass murderer.

[lisitsya]

This is well put. I feel like we're now looking more at the "cause" part of this discussion, than the symptoms.

While it's easy to be annoyed at young people flagging up their mental health at every turn, there's no denying the role mental health plays in society. No happy, healthy person became a mass murderer.

I think this is exactly right. As someone with a direct, diagnosable mental illness (bipolar), I think that in some ways both sides of the Anglophone discourse are counterproductive.

On the one hand, I think it's definitely true that a lot of younger people in the Euro-Atlantic world but especially the Anglophone world are taking ordinary adversity or complexity and making it clinical. This is bad. On the other hand, I don't think a good reaction to that is "suck it up," because I do think there is something genuine underlying the shift. Hence why I'd like to acknowledge and promote the role of psychological well-being, or even existential well-being, in a way that doesn't restrict itself to a "clinical" paradigm.

Now, I understand why people who are struggling use the clinical frame: because in the current circumstances, it's a way to gain legitimacy for your concerns. That is to say, if you can say that your suffering is a clinical or quasi-clinical psychological symptom, it might get addressed, whereas if you say something like the current social context and trajectory make you feel isolated and hopeless but not in a clinical way, your concerns are at best likely to be met with pity and at worst with dismissal as a "failson/daughter."

[Boudica]

This is well put. I feel like we're now looking more at the "cause" part of this discussion, than the symptoms.

While it's easy to be annoyed at young people flagging up their mental health at every turn, there's no denying the role mental health plays in society. No happy, healthy person became a mass murderer.

I think this is exactly right. As someone with a direct, diagnosable mental illness (bipolar), I think that in some ways both sides of the Anglophone discourse are counterproductive.

On the one hand, I think it's definitely true that a lot of younger people in the Euro-Atlantic world but especially the Anglophone world are taking ordinary adversity or complexity and making it clinical. This is bad. On the other hand, I don't think a good reaction to that is "suck it up," because I do think there is something genuine underlying the shift. Hence why I'd like to acknowledge and promote the role of psychological well-being, or even existential well-being, in a way that doesn't restrict itself to a "clinical" paradigm.

Now, I understand why people who are struggling use the clinical frame: because in the current circumstances, it's a way to gain legitimacy for your concerns. That is to say, if you can say that your suffering is a clinical or quasi-clinical psychological symptom, it might get addressed, whereas if you say something like the current social context and trajectory make you feel isolated and hopeless but not in a clinical way, your concerns are at best likely to be met with pity and at worst with dismissal as a "failson/daughter."

100% agree with this on a personal level. Objectively this makes a lot of sense, too. I think you've analysed the core issue of "mental health" in the current social climate very well, specifically relating to the English-speaking countries. Though I suspect this also applies to others as well, perhaps with some nuanced differences.

What you've said also outlines why it's difficult to address the issue, at least in any comprehensive way. The specifics of "mental health" are far too vague to pin to one solution to, as well. Perhaps this is where we get stuck in the cycle of "I don't know how to fix this, let's just ban xyz", whereby the solution is difficult to find, but authorities feel they must show they're doing "something". Ultimately leading to ineffective solutions.

[Syronz]

Easy ban guns but not a popular move in the us lol but then you have knives so depends which you want.

[Boudica]

Easy ban guns but not a popular move in the us lol but then you have knives so depends which you want.

Ok, so you've banned all the guns. There's still literal millions out there in millions of people's homes. Murder is already against the law but the law isn't stopping the mass shootings. Why would the gun ban be any different? How do you stop mass shootings by people using the now banned guns they've had in their house for 20 years?

[HeadxHunter]

Typically, I'd advocate for prohibiting concealed or open carry in public, coupled with stricter penalties for non-compliance. But if possible i'd like to ban guns from the world in general.

[Boudica]

Typically, I'd advocate for prohibiting concealed or open carry in public, coupled with stricter penalties for non-compliance. But if possible i'd like to ban guns from the world in general.

Fair enough! If you were to ban guns completely, what would be your proposed solution to deal with the guns that people already own? Keep in mind, many cost more than cars and may be family heirlooms. There's also more of them in the US than there are people.

E.g. Could they own them but not posses them outside of their own property? Would you start a government scheme to round them all up and take them? Or would you ban the production of these weapons (put weapons manufacturers out of business who pay taxes) and hope the number of weapons dies down over time. What do you do about illegally produced weapons? Would you give the weapons to the military, if so, how would they be stored and maintained? Lots of options!

My questions aren't to dismiss your suggestion, but to encourage a more in-depth thought process. There's a lot of facets to this problem! What do you think?

[Elsdebo]

Thread went a bit stale but yeah. I view the mass shootings as a symptom and not the disease. But media repeatedly refuses to look into the disease. Politics and media have become too close friends and serve eachother instead of the public.

[Sedequeue]

Ban guns is a start, no it wont solve the problem especially with how rampant guns are in America. But its a start.

[rcottsinker]

simple just ban guns lol then the crazies wont have access to them