Why do Mass Attacks Happen

One thing that does NOT sell newspapers or the modern version of newspapers, talk and news on our screens or trolling on the internet, is a script that reads, "No one has any idea why these things are happening." Better for selling ads and making money is, "Today we're going give you inside information. We'll to talk to experts and learn why these things are happening." An example is this essay.

It seems to me most often there is no explanation. The exception is people with religious or political passions that have gone over the edge. Otherwise, it is next to impossible to explain why people go off the rails and kill numbers of other people. To pretend we can explain why these tragedies happen seems out of reach. Maybe it would be more helpful for the news media to admit this, even though it would not be as profitable as teasing the public into thinking an answer is coming.

An early idea that seemed good to me at the time was to limit access to firearms. Today, however, limiting firearms seems out of our reach. There are more sources than ever. Certainly, the conservative solution of arming everyone so people under attack could "take out" the attacker has not gone anywhere either. Recent attacks were with vehicles, another matter.

This isn't to say control of guns and people in their cars is not impossible. It's just impossible in our society. About 40,000 people die each year in car crashes in the U.S. Nearly all of these are preventable. Prevention would include more driver training, lower speeds and powerful enforcement. Like control over guns, the preventable lives lost are not valued as much as the freedom to drive as we please.