School shootings are a very sad phenomenon these days, especially when you consider their frequency, however, only in 5% of cases there is some mental disorder on the part of the snipers, other triggers in the other profiles of killers are physical or psychological abuse, loss of family roots, bullying, criminal history of the parents and , most importantly, easy access to firearms and culture.
After the February 14 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas School in Parkland, Florida, U. S. President Donald Trump tweeted: “There were numerous indications that the Florida sniper was mentally disturbed. Neighbors and classmates knew of their strange and dangerous behavior. We must always inform the authorities of these things and the authorities must act!
- While criminal Nikolas Cruz fits into a risk profile – an expelled and marginalized student who frequently showed his admiration for guns – there is something much deeper into this phenomenon.
- Somewhat more ingrained and obscure that goes far beyond mental health and involves all the social organizations of American society itself.
- Let’s take a closer look below.
Nikolas Cruz, 19, took the lives of 17 companions, injuring a dozen people; its name adds to a huge list of individuals who are armed with frustration, anger and contempt, have perpetrated a plan based on gunfire and blood, where they mercilessly target and shoot students and teachers in their schools, driven by their fascination with guns as the only answer to your problems.
Now, as shocking as it may seem, we haven’t been here a month without shootings or clashes in American schools; In addition, since 2012, when Adam Lanza killed 20 people (7-year-olds and their teachers), there have been 239 school shootings, the result being 438 injured and 138 killed in the last six years, politicians, associations and personalities opposed to the use of firearms insist on a very specific fact: murders multiply year after year, this is no coincidence. situation, is not a coincidence, not even an epidemic of mental disorders. What is happening in the United States with these school shootings is the result of a society’s inaction. The people who hire them not only have the opportunity, but also the means. .
It’s not just a question of discussing whether or not regular use of weapons, which is already relevant in itself, is also a priority to deepen what motivates these young people to use these weapons or even these rifles to channel their actions. anger or trouble.
The April 20, 1999 massacre at Columbine High School led to the thought that the issue would be taken more seriously, it was an awareness of a reality that highlighted violence in the United States, the country has considered creating new measures in schools, conducting simulations to learn how to respond to these situations , and has also suggested that the secret services take this type of massacre and its motivations more seriously.
Thus, in 2000 a psychological profile was developed to try to understand a little more the mental structure of these young killers, here are the main characteristics:
A Republican senator rushed to suggest that the solution to school shootings would be fairly simple. Would it be enough to provide weapons to the? Good men?To face these young men? They’re looking to hurt their teammates. Well, put them together (supposedly)? Good men? I couldn’t help but fuel this cycle of violence, so we’d prove once again that the best way to resolve a conflict would be to use weapons.
The culture of violence fuels violence itself, the other virus is institutional neglect, neglect in education and in the social sphere, and a country that makes the use of arms the essence of its identity. . Thus, what the medical and educational community emphasizes is the need to put in place greater psychological care in schools for its students, in order to attend, perceive and prevent such situations.
The help of psychologists and social workers could serve these young people much better who, in one way or another, usually give warning signs, clues so that they can be cared for as soon as possible, to avoid more of these school shootings, which, we remember, occur almost every month.