Misdirection Play, Polite Society Dept. 0
Mark Follman disagrees with the popular notion that mass shooters are mentally ill persons who suddenly “snap.” Here’s a bit of his article:
(snip)
In 2018, a deep investigation of 63 rampage shooters conducted by experts with the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit showed that only a quarter of the offenders were known to have been professionally diagnosed with a mental illness of any kind. While it’s possible that some suicidal attackers may have gone undiagnosed, only three of the 63 perpetrators, or about 5 percent of the total examined, had a known psychotic disorder.
Elsewhere, Chris Williams argues America’s refusal to do anything to stop the shootings could almost be classified as “grooming.”
Clearly, mass shooters are somehow not right in the head, but I believe that citing “mental illness” as the reason for their behavior does indeed count as a misdirection play, as it diverts attention from concrete actions, particularly limits on the types of weapons that can be sold and who can buy them, that could, if not prevent them completely, greatly reduce their frequency.
