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Notes -
All this makes me wonder all the more about the shooter. He used a bolt action hunting rifle, and fired when Kirk was asked about gun violence, killed no one else, and successfully escaped the scene. However it’s not clear how many, if any, of the previous were conscious, or even pre-planned, decisions. Was the intention in one or all of those aspects to try and mold conversation in some fashion? On some level most shooters or assassins have become aware that their survival rate is usually not very good, and that they will be at some point over-analyzed by the media. There is rising meta-awareness there. And also, the basic of “get on roof with scoped gun” is in fact absurdly effective, apparently even against presidents, though most people smart enough to realize this are smart enough not to do it.
This is, in some very real sense, a trap. If you ask me, both science/psychology AND politics demands that if this keeps happening, the best solution is actually something like this: form some kind of loose compact, whether between individuals or news media or whatever, to focus on victims and not give shooters the time of day. Show, don’t tell, the stories of bereaved family; show, don’t tell, the good parts of the person shot; show, don’t just tell, the harm this causes bystanders. I’m pretty sure that although a handful of would be shooters are true sickos, a good chunk of them are still vulnerable to this kind of appeal. Sort of like suicide prevention, glorification or even just painting it in a literary light is bad - focus on how family and friends will be sad is good.
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