Gun-free zones and gun bans will not decrease mass shootings

I would support both a gun ban and gun-free zones if I thought they would work. But for numerous reasons including the sheer number of guns out there, it won't work.

We should be alarmed at the seeming increase in mass-shooting events. For the record, I prefer to call them "Mass Shootings" like the website www.shootingtracker.com instead of "Mass Murders" like the FBI.

There is one expert gun nut out there names James Alan Fox who states that the definition of a "Mass Shooting" is one in which 4 or more MURDERS are committed. This conveniently leaves out shootings in which people are merely crippled, paralyzed, or maimed but manage to survive.

For example, the shooting in a Layfayette, LA, movie theater on 7/23/15. In that case, 10 people were shot but only 2 victims died (along with the shooter). So, James Alan Fox would not call that a "Mass Shooting" event.

I'm not sure why James Alan Fox feels this should not be classified as a Mass Shooting. I suspect he is funded by the gun manufacturer's lobby (the NRA) or some such organization. But I digress.

Having said all that, I do sincerely wish we could come up with a solution to the problem of excessive gun violence. I don't believe we should just accept it as a fact of life and move on in denial. It's a complicated problem and simple solutions like "banning all guns" or "gun-free zones" don't address the root of the problem.

I believe the underlying root causes are societal and therefore harder to "fix." Look at the profiles of mass shooters. They are typically (not in every case) male, caucasian, loners, with demonstrated anti-social tendencies. Many are known for being video gamers or dabbling in fringe organizations. I suspect these are folks who feel disenfranchised from society. They may feel fear, loneliness, and victimization. I know it is dangerous to make sweeping generalizations.

So, what are the causes of such feelings? Mental issues could be both the cause and a result.

I believe it is due to the breakdown of our sense of physical community. Our generation spends a lot of time in self-containment. Whether in our cars, in our homes, or with our heads buried in our phones or on social media. We have replaced physical connections with virtual ones which are nowhere near as healthy.

Adding to this sense of alienation is the pressure to be as happy or as fulfilled or have as much stuff as we see others on social media. It is becoming a sickness and adding misery to those who already feel as if they're not getting their fair share. There's even a term for it, Fear Of Missing Out or FOMO (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear_of_missing_out.)

The solution is to try and rebuild those bonds of community. It's going to take a massive grass roots effort. It's going to take outreach. We have to come up with ways to make people feel included and draw them back from out of their dens.