Well, we had a series of “education reforms” that changed what was taught in schools and “revamped” teaching methods. Teachers have little interest in special needs kids, and the school systems are not suited for mainstreaming them.
Also, around 1970, a series of court actions forced mental institutions to release anyone not “committed” based on their rights. It became very hard to get custodial care (or whatever the term is), leaving it up to the family but ultimately the police to deal with seriously mentally compromised people. These folks that used to be in State Hospitals are now on the street and in our schools, and we can’t lock them up until after they kill a dozen or so people. The incipient killers are “mainstreamed” in with the rest of us.
Another factor may be that the media working with the antis continually advise unstable people that their story will be told, a huge effort will be spent on their manifestos (what could the motive have been?), the evildoers name will be repeated a thousand times per day, possibly even by the President, if they follow certain rules as to weapon type and location (we didn’t hear much about the Navy Yard shooter, he used a three-shot pump shotgun I believe- not much media amplification).
It’s not simple but I think I hit three reasons.
A hyper-scientific approach to “mental illness” rather than a holistic, spiritual understanding of the human person, human soul, in relation to GOD — also not good. :(
Most of these shooters were on some form of medication meant to “cure” them...
Three good reasons, DBrow. The de-institutionalization of mentally ill people has been a total disaster. Every burg, town and city is overrun with homeless people, many of whom should be committed. They degrade civic life to the point where Internet “poop maps” are now online.