My misunderstanding was based on my ignorance of the obsession which recent (well, in the 1980s) assassins (or would-be assassins) had with the novel.
I had falsely assume that posters here were implying that the novel's main character, Holden Caufield, was a "terroristic type" or that the novel, itself, advocated or encouraged (even indirectly) mass murder.
I haven't read the novel since I was in high school. I remember only that the main character's self-preoccupation and imagined "world-weariness" were a little off-putting.
Regards,
“I remember only that the main character’s self-preoccupation and imagined “world-weariness” were a little off-putting.”
—
It would seem, for whatever reason, some people are just strongly inclined to identify with the character. Would be interesting to study why that is.