The problem isn't gun control, nor is it even truly a mental health issue in many cases.
I actually realized this the other day when I first heard about this latest incident. It's nice to see an article on this. I think it's one of those unexpected side effects of the internet and the 24 hour news cycle we have today.
It seems pretty obvious to me that this effect is real and a major contributor to mass shootings.This doesn’t mean censoring the news or not reporting important events of obvious value. It means not providing the killers with the infamy they seek. It means somber, instead of lurid and graphic, coverage, and a focus on victims. It means not putting the killer’s face on loop. It means minimizing or not using the killers’ names, as I have done here. It means not airing snuff films, or making them easily accessible on popular sites. It means holding back reporting of details such as the type of gun, ammunition, angle of attack and the protective gear the killer might have worn. Such detailed reporting can give the next killer a concrete road map.
It’s true that this material will live on in many places on the Internet, but having to seek it in a seedy corner is different from having it promoted by popular news sites.
Graphic footage may be appropriate at times to shock the conscience toward corrective action, for example with victims of war or state violence. But when a murder is carried out in a way that seems to be courting sensationalized coverage, not publicizing the killer’s name, face or screeds is the right response.
These killers seek our attention. It’s time we learned how to deny them.