School Shootings: Who is to blame?

Thurston. Columbine. Virginia Tech. We remember these massacres not only because of their horror, but because they were more widely publicized than others. In truth, they represent only a fraction of a national problem in our schools and neighborhoods that has been on steadily on the rise since the 1990s. The deadliest by far however was a 1927 bombing in Maine, where a school board official blew up a school, killing 44 people. What is the cause of these events? What can be done to better prevent and control them?

Psychologists and researchers have said that many of the gunmen like Kip Kinkel, Eric Harris, Dylan Klebold, and Seung-Hui Cho share certain sociopath personality traits that make them more likely to commit such a crime. These young men were social outcasts, and had no emotional understanding or empathy for what they were doing to their victims.

What social factors may have pushed these gunmen and so many others like them to their murderous acts? Can it be blamed exclusively on their psychological issues? Are there perhaps some social pressures that may have contributed to their mental conditions?

Violence in the media and videogames certainly set a destructive example for any of their viewers and do not help the situation any. Many have argued that the constant exposure to this violence makes viewers, particularly younger viewers who are more easily influenced by what they see, to become desensitized to the magnitude of this kind of an act.

These are all important factors to consider. Where do you think the root of this problem is? What action should be taken?