Three things present in this type of story once again.
-Warning signs seem obvious to everyone, but only after a tragedy occurs.
-Perpetrator has obvious signs of mental illness (that will probably turn out to have been ignored.)
-I have no idea what the news people mean when they say "automatic weapon." (this one doesn't really matter until people politicize the issue.)
We always talk about how people need to err on the side of caution and investigate everything, yet it doesn't work that way. People get caught up in labels and stereotypes and assume the worst about certain individuals while others see it as crying wolf and become complacent. Sometimes people act strange but are harmless, sometimes a kid's house gets raided and the police lay out an evidence table covered with airsoft guns while the reporters panic about an arsenal of machine guns.
Any crowd of a decent size will blame as many things as there are people to give answers: the kid who did it, the school, the gun, games, movies, music, parents, and whatever they might come up with. I think the solution lies in having caring parents, caring educators, and lifting the stigma surrounding mental illness so that people can learn about it and not be afraid to seek help. But in the end, I've resigned myself to the fact that every now and then, something like this will happen and it's impossible to prevent every instance of it; the shock and horror just aren't there anymore for me.
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