Mass Shootings

I would argue that our population right now is consumed with anger – anger at each other. Here are a few of my reasons why:

Democrats vs. Republicans

In 2016, Donald Trump, to just about everyone's surprise (including Trump's), squeaked into the White House with a minority of the popular vote but majority of the electoral vote. The Democrats were livid and in denial on how this could have happened when polls showed Hilary Clinton as the favorite. So, in a blatant attempt (at least to Republicans) to impeach the new President and overturn the election results, the Democratic leadership perpetuated the "Russian Collusion" conspiracy theory claiming multiple times they had "smoking gun evidence" of collusion between Trump's campaign and Russian officials to rig the 2016 election. After a roughly 2-year investigation by Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller costing $25-50 million (depending on how certain expenses are categorized), his report concluded that "...the evidence was not sufficient to charge that any member of the Trump Campaign conspired with representatives of the Russian government to interfere in the 2016 elections." No impeachment proceedings were subsequently initiated.
In 2020, after losing his reelection bid, Donald Trump in a blatant attempt (at least to the Democrats) to overturn these election results fabricated the "Stolen Election" conspiracy theory claiming (and continuing to claim) that the Democrats rigged the election through a variety of nefarious means. Republican leadership jumped on board supporting these claims and promised "smoking gun evidence" themselves. After multiple investigations, including by Trump's own very partisan Attorney General, and multiple court challenges, no evidence was ever produced that showed any irregularities that would have even come close to overturning the results in any single state, much less the multiples states that would have been required to overturn the election.
Then of course, we had what happened on January 6, 2021. I think it goes without saying that politician-fueled anger came to a very ugly head that day—anger that is still being exploited by politicians and talking heads to further polarize us.
To this day, hard-line Democrats and Republicans (even within our own families) continue to battle one another over all of these events not only claiming foul by the other side but worse—seeking revenge.

Liberals vs. Conservatives

By early 2015, 31 states had laws banning same-sex marriages, many through public referendums, and Congress had passed the "Defense of Marriage Act" that defined marriage as the union of one man and one woman. When Barak Obama decided that he supported same-sex marriages, he used the court system in an attempt to nullify these bans. Liberal gay activists (including the liberal media) jumped on board with what Conservatives would characterize as a "militant campaign" to further push this agenda by attempting to marginalize, defame, and silence anyone who spoke out against same-sex marriage by painting them as haters, bigots, and having an unnatural fear of homosexuals, coining the term "homophobes." In others words, straight people were the ones with an unnatural cerebral function, not the homosexuals. After the Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court decision on June 26, 2015 nullified the bans, the activists stepped up their campaign to not only ensure that those still speaking out against same-sex marriage were defamed, but also did their best to see that their jobs and livelihoods were threatened.
This came to a head in the early 2020s when gay activists expanded their smear campaign to those speaking out against teaching children they can choose their gender, and how normal and wonderful the homosexual and other perverted lifestyles are. By then Conservatives had their fill of the nonsense and school board meetings in many parts of the country were reduced to shouting matches, threats, fist fights, and lawsuits against school districts who fired individuals for not using female pronouns to address a boy and vice versa. Liberals have since responded with lawsuits against local communities and libraries who have banned drag queens from reading stories to young children.
To this day, our nation has yet to have a civil and open discussion on how to respectfully treat one another, especially those with same-sex attraction, and have an civil and open debate on whether the "Equal Protection Clause" in the Fourteenth Amendment should apply to controllable human behavior, with the practice of religion being the only recognized exception. Instead, anger rules the day both in the physical and virtual worlds.

COVID Vaccine and Mask Wearing

When partisan political leaders and talking heads had a chance to unify the country against a deadly virus, they once again failed us and instead chose to further their own political gain by dividing the country and forcing people into pro- and anti- vaccine and mask wearing camps, with both sides chastising the other. Once again, they fueled anger within our society (and families) which resulted in Americans accosting one another in public for not being in "their camp."

Foreign Influence

Americans must also come to terms with the fact that a divided America greatly benefits our foreign enemies. It is no secret that nations such as Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea are delighting in our societal chaos and are doing everything they can to fuel it. But I think many would be surprised how many conspiracy theories have originated from these foreign countries. Some of these theories are so good and so convincing to those who want to believe them that the politicians, talking heads, and everyday Americans who continue to support and defend these theories are actually unknowingly acting on behalf of our enemies and have become what they call "Useful Idiots" in furthering our anger at each other.

Blacks vs. Whites

In 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri, Michael Brown, a black, was shot and killed by a white police officer. Brown was depicted by witnesses, activists, politicians, and the liberal media as an innocent "victim" brutally gunned down by a racist white police officer. Anger and violent riots ensued causing millions of dollars in damage to the city of Ferguson (with much of the damage done to black-owned businesses which has always boggled my mind) with protesters chanting the "Hands up, don't shoot" mantra that Brown supposedly uttered before being shot. Night after night "news" programs showed this picture of Michael Brown as this cute, innocent 12-year-old "victim" who looked at lot like the adorable late Gary Coleman of the "Diff'rent Strokes" TV show, for those who remember that program. The facts later proved that the ~285 pound 17-year-old was anything but a "victim" and the "Hands up, don't shoot" allegation was an absolute lie made up by Brown's friend (see https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2015/03/16/lesson-learned-from-the-shooting-of-michael-brown/). But that didn't stop the protesters from continuing to demand prosecution of the police officer and the liberal media certainly didn't strive to correct the lie and report the actual truth with the same vim, vigor, and publicity given to the false inflammatory allegations. The officer's eventual acquittal when the actual evidence deemed the shooting justified, of course, led to more anger, protests, and violence. I would argue that here we see the first seeds of modern day irresponsible media reporting igniting violence and anger between blacks and whites.
As more reports of white police officers shooting black suspects came in from around the country, blacks became more angry at whites. Then whites, still well aware of the Michael Brown lies, became more angry at blacks who were immediately assuming the white police officers to be guilty and demanding "immediate justice." It also didn't help when President Obama weighed in on the side of some of the "victims" before all of the facts were known.
When the "Black Lives Matter" movement gained national attention by capitalizing on these shootings to organize protests, whites became angry at the liberal media's portrayal of these protests as peaceful when much evidence indicated the contrary. Then there were political figures and talking heads making comments that appeared to condone the violence, going as far in one case as asserting, incorrectly, that protests are not required to be peaceful. (Note that these comments whether accurate or not became fodder for the far right to justify the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021.)
The killing of a Black Lives Matter protester in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017 by a self-proclaimed neo-Nazi who drove his vehicle into a group of protesters only increased racial tension and anger.
Over the years, Blacks became even more irate at white police officers as more and more black suspects were reported dying in police custody. The death of George Floyd in May, 2020 while in police custody became a culminating event that launched multiple protests that even spread around the world.
In response to Floyd's death, there was the forced takeover by protesters of several city blocks in Seattle, Washington in early June, 2020 who established an "autonomous zone" that lasted until police finally cleared the last of the area on July 1, 2020. During that time, police had to abandon a police station located within that zone which suffered much damage and vandalism. There was lots of anger on all sides over that incident that lasted nearly a month.
Anger was further stoked as reports came in from around the country of vigilantes engaged in execution-style assassinations of innocent police officers sitting in their vehicles or just going about their daily routine.
As an example of how this racial anger is affecting our daily lives, allow me to share a recent personal experience I had at my local supermarket. I was using one of two self-checkout terminals available at this particular store to scan my items. However, I noticed the sale prices on some of the items were not correctly registering. I asked for assistance and a very nice and helpful black female employee came over to investigate. During that time, a line started to form in the self-checkout area and by sheer coincidence, everyone in line happened to be black as well as all of the store employees in the immediate vicinity of the terminals. Apparently one of the male customers in line was not pleased with the time store personnel were spending with me to figure out why the prices were ringing up incorrectly and commented very loudly, "It figures that the white M***** F***er is getting all of the attention and no one wants to help us black folks." Of course I ignored the comment but down deep felt so sad this is what our society has come to for someone to say something like that. Okay, maybe I am a white MF'er, but maybe I'm not. All I ask is that you please take the time to get to know me or at least have some kind of interaction with me before you make any judgments. Isn't that the way you would like to be treated? As I walked home I said a prayer for the individual and hoped that whatever issues he was having that day had nothing to do with me.

So assuming you agree that we have a very angry society these days, let's add to it the effects of TV and movie violence, violent video games, and pornography.

TV/Movie Violence

One study found the following (https://www.aafp.org/about/policies/all/violence-media-entertainment.html):

"Seventy-one percent of 8- to 18-year-olds have a television in their bedroom.21 In addition, 50% of individuals in this age group access television content online and/or on mobile platforms during a typical day.21 Researchers have found that 8- to 12-year-olds watch television programming for an average of 1 hour and 23 minutes per day and 13- to 18-year-olds watch for an average of 1 hour and 45 minutes per day, with approximately 19 minutes and 38 minutes of this time, respectively, spent viewing television content on other devices (e.g., computer, smartphone, tablet, MP3 player).22"
"An average American youth will witness 200,000 violent acts [which include 20,000 to 40,000 murders] on television before age 18.32 Weapons appear on prime-time television an average of nine times each hour.33”
"Several researchers have described an increase in violent content in movies, despite a national rating system. For example, studies have found that 91% of movies on television contain violence, including extreme violence.11,36"
"In 2003, 10 million adolescents aged 10 to 14 years, including 1 million 10-year-olds, had been exposed to that year’s most popular R-rated film.11 One study found that between 2012 and 2017, there were twice as many negative themes—most commonly associated with violence—as positive themes depicted in the 25 top-grossing R-rated films.50 Researchers have also noted that the amount of gun violence in top-grossing PG‑13 films has more than tripled since the introduction of the rating in 1985.51 In 2012, PG-13 films actually contained more gun violence than R-rated films.52"

Another study found (https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF-Guide/Children-And-TV-Violence-013.aspx):

"American children watch an average of four hours of television daily. Television can be a powerful influence in developing value systems and shaping behavior. Unfortunately, much of today's television programming is violent. Hundreds of studies of the effects of TV violence on children and teenagers have found that children may:
- become "immune" or numb to the horror of violence
- begin to accept violence as a way to solve problems [emphasis added]
- imitate the violence they observe on television; and
- identify with certain characters, victims and/or victimizers
Extensive viewing of television violence by children causes greater aggressiveness. Sometimes, watching a single violent program can increase aggressiveness. Children who view shows in which violence is very realistic, frequently repeated or unpunished, are more likely to imitate what they see. Children with emotional, behavioral, learning or impulse control problems may be more easily influenced by TV violence. The impact of TV violence may show immediately in the child's behavior or may surface years later. Young people can be affected even when their home life shows no tendency toward violence."

A third study by the Media Education Foundation, although a little dated and likely worse today, found (https://www.mediaed.org/handouts/ChildrenMedia.pdf):

"Research indicates that media violence has not just increased in quantity; it has also become more graphic, sexual, and sadistic.1
A September 2000 Federal Trade Commission (FTC) report showed that 80 percent of “R” rated movies, 70 percent of restricted video games, and 100 percent of music with “explicit content” warning labels were being marketed to children under 17.2
By the time the average child is eighteen years old, they will have witnessed 200,000 acts of violence and 16,000 murders.3
Media violence is especially damaging to young children (under 8) because they cannot easily tell the difference between real life and fantasy.4
Despite falling crime rates across North America, disturbing images of violent crime continue to dominate news broadcasting.5
Two-thirds of Hollywood films released in 2001 were rated “R.”6
Surveys have found that 82 percent of the American public consider movies too violent.7
Most of the top-selling video games (89%) contained violent content, almost half of which was of a serious nature.8
The highly criticized video game Grand Theft Auto 3 was initially banned in Australia for its graphic violence and sexual content. The game grossed $300 million in the United States by the end of 2002.9
The level of violence during Saturday morning cartoons is higher than the level of violence during prime time. There are 3-5 violent acts per hour in prime time, versus 20-25 acts per hour on Saturday morning.10
Nearly 75 percent of violent scenes on television feature no immediate punishment for or condmenation [sic] of violence.11"

Violent Video Games

"Nearly all American teens—97% of males and 83% of females—play video games.40 Eighty percent of teens play at least three hours of video games per week on a game console, with 25% of teens playing 11 hours or more per week.41 Additional exposure occurs among teens who identify as fans of competitive video gaming, or esports; among 14- to 21-year-olds, nearly as many identified themselves as esports fans as professional football fans.42"
"Many video games contain violent content, and studies have shown a significant association between violent video game exposure and increased aggression, increased desensitization to violence, and decreased empathy [emphasis added].43 Video games that involve assuming the roles of aggressors or soldiers offer players the opportunity to be “virtual perpetrators.” These games also reward players for successfully carrying out violent behavior [emphasis added]. Studies have shown that the general effects of violence may be more profound when children play these interactive games than when they are exposed to violence in a more passive manner, such as when watching television.44,45" [Sounds to me like we are teaching our children how to be mass murders and how much fun it can be.] (https://www.aafp.org/about/policies/all/violence-media-entertainment.html)

Pornography

I highly recommend you visit the following website (https://enough.org/stats-youth-and-porn) that has extensive statistics regarding youth and pornography. They are highly disturbing! Here are a few excerpts with emphasis added:

A nationally representative estimate of U.S. youths (ages 14 to 18) exposed to pornography: 84.4% of males and 57% of females. (Preliminary Insights from a U.S. Probability Sample on Adolescents' Pornography Exposure, Media Psychology, and Sexual Aggression. Journal of Health Communication, 2021).
Survey of 1358 Americans age 13 to 17 found that more than half said they viewed violent porn (rape, choking, someone in pain)
While the vast majority of respondents said they have seen pornography, nearly half (44%) indicated that they had done so intentionally, while slightly more than half (58%) indicated they had encountered pornography accidentally. Unintentional exposure to pornography could be a common experience for teens, as 63% of those who said they have only seen pornography accidentally reported that they had been exposed to pornography in the past week. (2022 Teens and Pornography, Common Sense Media)
New research from security technology companies suggests that children under the age of 10 now account for 22% of online porn consumption among the under 18 age while 10-14 year-olds make up 36% of minor consumers (Bitdefender, 2016)
The exposure of children to internet pornography is having impact on the development of harmful sexual behaviors. The average age of first perpetration of sexual violence is 15 -16 and is associated with exposure to pornography (Prevention Science - 2017).
A 2016 meta-analysis of pornography research reveals adolescent pornography consumption is significantly associated with stronger gender-stereotypical sexual beliefs, earlier sexual debut, increased casual sex behavior, and increased sexual aggression both as perpetrators and victims (Peter J, Valkenburg P M. Adolescents and pornography: a review of 20 years of research. J of Sex Research. 2016; 53(4-5), 509-531.)
32% of teens admit to intentionally accessing nude or pornographic content online. Of these, 43% do so on a weekly basis. TruResearch (2012) Covenent Eyes 2015 Pornography Statistics. [Accessed 29th December 2015] http://www.covenanteyes.com/lemonade/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/2015-porn-stats-covenant-eyes.pdf
Only 12% of parents know their teens are accessing pornography. TruResearch (2012) Covenent Eyes 2015 Pornography Statistics. [Accessed 29th December 2015] http://www.covenanteyes.com/lemonade/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/2015-porn-stats-covenant-eyes.pdf
Almost half (46%) of teenagers say "sending sexual or naked photos or videos is part of everyday life for teenagers nowadays."
Longitudinal research shows that childhood exposure to violent pornography predicts a nearly six-fold increase in self-reported sexually aggressive behavior later in life. (National Library of Medicine, February, 2011)
Seven out of 10 (72%) 18 year olds say “pornography leads to unrealistic attitudes to sex” and that “pornography can have a damaging impact on young people’s views of sex or relationships.”
Two thirds of young women (66%) and almost half of young men (49%) agree, "it would be easier growing up if pornography was less easy to access"

So I have to ask, how is all of this so-called "free speech" allegedly protected by the First Amendment benefitting our society? I have to admit that when the "Me Too" protests started taking place not too long ago, I was quite surprised not to see any anti-pornography slogans on their banners. I believe the proof is there that pornography objectifies women and leads not only to demeaning behavior towards them, but also assault and rape. The statistics above make it pretty clear we have another crop of young male abusers in the making. So I invite the "Me Too" movement to get on board and start speaking out against pornography! And if you have and I've just missed it, then you're not speaking loudly enough!

Getting back to our mass shooting topic, as I see it, if you take our angry society and mix in an anxious, frustrated population not only desensitized to violence but literally trained to use violence as a means to settle disputes, throw in some sexual frustration and easy access to guns, I think you have a perfect recipe for lots of senseless killing. To make the recipe even more potent, add some paranoia-inducing marijuana to make things really light up (see my section on "Legalized Marijuana/Cannabis").

So while I do agree that there is room to strengthen our gun laws (e.g. requiring universal background checks, prohibiting the sale of "ghost guns," and increasing restrictions on the sale of military style automatic weapons), I believe all of the reactionary outrage against guns after every tragic shooting is energy misplaced. Even if it were possible to confiscate every existing gun in our country, we would still be left with an angry, violent population who is now even more angry that you took their guns away. But I admit reducing ALL of the ingredients in my recipe is very difficult to do and not something partisan politicians want to address because right now they all believe this anger will benefit them at the polls come election time. And who wants to upset entertainment, marijuana, and pornography industry donors? That's why you need someone like me in the Presidency who nobody owns (but you), really does care about serving the people, and has the leadership ability to get some of these very important conversations started.