I grew up in a similar environment of getting bullied a lot by my peers, but I didn't decide to take my rage out by murdering people. I had a lot of anger issues growing up, but I also didn't take out my anger on others, especially when I had an avenue to get out of that. When a group of people approached me at one of the lowest points in my life and reached out to me, I took a chance and followed them. They gave me a chance to explore the world of volunteering, and I fell in love with that world. I've noticed in a good amount of the reporting that even if people reached out, the extremists never accepted their help, and just kept to themselves. They were anti-social, just like me, but they didn't do anything to fix it other than going out and killing people. I'd say as someone who also grew up in a really shitty environment, if someone offers you a chance to make your life better, take the chance and make your life better. Extracurricular activities or volunteering are two of the best and most productive ways teenagers and young adults can make a big difference in not just their lives, but also the lives of others. This is infinitely and objectively a better option than going out and murdering people. For anyone here who is in a dark place in their lives, I highly recommend going out and volunteering in your community. It'll make you feel better, you'll establish networking connections, and the community you live in will appreciate you a lot for dedicating some time out of your life to help them out. From personal experience as well, they'll also help you out down the road if you ever go into a dark place again.

I typically don't partake in debates such as these because the majority of the people that would try to counter me I feel don't have the mental maturity to grasp the entire picture. There isn't one particular cause to shootings, but many. Its a rabbit hole. From education, to mental illness, to how they were raised, to who they're with, who they listen to, to their financial situation, and many more. There are many variables that play a role in these type of situations.

One some solutuon: PARENTS NEED TO ACTUALLY PARENT AND PAY ATTENTION TO THEIR KIDS.

I think that's the crux of the issue really. Instead of trying to look into the problems, the powers that be just choose scapegoats.

Mass shootings are a result of the notion that it is somehow antisocial to carry a gun. If 1% of those Wal mart shoppers in El Paso had been packing their own guns, that sicko would have been outnumbered at least 10 to 1. And with easily accessible and concealable guns like the Ruger LCP, SIG P365, and Glock 43 available, there's far less excuse.

I think it high time we look at how males in Western society are treated. The times have changed. Men of all races are no longer the main supporter of society like they were before. Women do better in school than men. Schools are better tailored to Women learning than men. Higher drop out rates and crime rates for men. Women dominate the colleges and Universities. Marriage has changed. Women get married later in life. That wasnt the case 60 years ago. As more groups have gotten pushed up Males are getting lost in the shuffle. Black males are incarcerated at higher rates. Two parent families dont exist anymore for black men to learn from. Higher divorce rates now than at any time. Its not a coincidence, its a clue. All the shooters are male, mostly white but some arent. It makes it easier to recruit them to dark areas of the internet. Men spend more time playing video games and go online that they find these areas. Men werent that way. We are sipposed to be more outgoing. Society has advanced that males are getting lost in the shuffle. Blaming guns, video games and mental illness isnt the answer. They just happen to be the tools for the outbursts we see on T.V.. I am not saying males should be put back on their perch. What I am saying is as society has advanced, we need to remember that men are different from women. We need to start to figure out what men's roles are in society or more shooting will occur.

We should return to the Wild West and let gunfights actually solve problems

I thought this was an excellent post and it puts a spotlight on where it should be, what we can do to help each other. We can't always help, sometimes no matter how hard we try to help, we just can't reach some folks and you have to walk away, but at least you [i]tried.[/i]

If .001% of the population was crazy, that'd be 3300 crazies in the US. No matter what, with as many people populate this world, you'll always get crazies