Rodger and the UCSB murders

http://blogs.kqed.org/newsfix/2014/05/26/amid-multiple-warning-signs-alleged-isla-vista-killer-slipped-through-system/
http://blogs.kqed.org/newsfix/2017/05/27/legislation-santa-barbara-shootings/

It seems like we have this conversation every few months. The press and social media are active as usual, with a WP commentator even insinuating that Judd Apatow movies are to blame for Rodger's unrealistic expectations for his sex life (like how video games were behind Adam Lanza, and Marilyn Manson led to Columbine).

Most people are dismissing Rodger as just "crazy". He was diagnosed with mild autism but was not on any drugs. However, if all of us got thorough psych evals, I am sure over half of us would register something. After reading some of his "manifesto", he doesn't strike me as deranged or irrational. He of course carefully planned the rampage and kept his composure enough to convince the sheriff's dept. that he was not a threat. Personally, I think this case is more about Rodger's morals/socialization than mental illness. Unfortunately, perfectly sane people can hurt and kill others, as long as their worldview/values/ideology are compatible.

Most people in society realize that they need to address grievances lawfully, and don't have the right to be judge and executioner over perceived injustices. Teaching kids to have grit is popular these days too. At a basic level, kids may have better life outcomes if they learn to handle adversity without having egotistical victim complex and homicidal vengeance like Rodger. That is obvious. So parenting and communication could have made a difference. And then there is the cultural angle, especially among college-aged people where hormone-driven sexual assaults are outrageously high. Young men are bombarded by ludicrous messages that they are losers if they do not bed hot babes every week, no means yes, it's always someone else's fault, and so on. Fortunately better judgment and morals usually win out in the public space.

But most of us are subject to the misogynist culture, and most of us don't rape or kill. Most mentally ill people or gun owners don't either. So what is the key variable that separates mass killers from the rest of us? A tragic combination of these and bad luck? If we can't isolate the personal/social causes and take preventative measures, then the next best thing is limiting the ability of murderous people to access weapons.

Gun ownership rates are correlated with gun murders. The NRA would say causation is reversed - people need to own guns in those places because they live in dangerous places. But a reader on the KQED blog made a good point - instead of (or in addition to) the sheriff interviewing Rodger, could they check the database to see if he owns guns, and whether he bought them recently? For decades the NRA has blocked access to info like that, which has infuriated the public and law enforcement alike. Felons can't own guns, even if they didn't commit a violent crime. So why can a moody 14 year old, alcoholic, or a bipolar person legally own a gun? Some would argue that half of Rodger's victims died by knife. But that is just an anecdote - guns kill way more people than knives each year.