More mass shootings are happening at grocery stores – 13% of shooters are motivated by racial hatred, criminologists find
The ConversationAPR 2022
This latest tragedy demands more pressure be put on lawmakers to pass sensible gun control measures. Guns have been allowed to proliferate and fall into the wrong hands in the US - even rural populations are at risk of extreme gun violence. With hateful and racist ideologies spreading via social media, legislation must be passed to stop racially-motivated attacks.
Gun control measures wouldn't have prevented this tragic incident, but reforms to mental health and referral services might have. School officials were already aware that the individual allegedly involved had intention of carrying out an attack, and he was referred for a mental health evaluation over a year ago. Yet he was released after a day and a half in hospital, and received no follow-up from law enforcement; why?
In the aftermath of this horrific event, familiar questions have been raised over how much responsibility social media companies bear in amplifying extremism. The suspect in this case was clearly inspired by online content and sought to promote his violence to others using online platforms, with those who reported the livestream of the shooting even being told by Facebook that the material didn't violate its rules. These big tech social media giants must be held accountable.