Trigger Points: Inside the Mission to Stop Mass Shootings in America, Mark Follman’s latest book, examines how a community-based preventative method known as “behaviour threat assessment” can help avoid mass shootings.

To recognise behavioural signals in criminals that typically lead to shootings, the technique brings together collaborative expertise, especially in mental health and law enforcement. Follman also addresses the subject of “copycat” mass shooters and explains why he believes it is unhealthy for the media to sensationalise mass shooters.

Things We Know

He’d texted his friends about — you know, sort of “joking” about “shooting up the school,” quote-unquote. He was making remarks like that three months before he did it, after all. And as the assault neared, these signals intensified, which is a behavioural pattern found in nearly all of these cases, to the point where, you know, in the days leading up to the attack, he was looking for ammo using his mobile.

Things We Could Have Done

This is a list of well-known warning indicators in the field of prevention. And, you know, there are a lot of unanswered concerns in this instance about why they were not observed or taken seriously, or whatever the case was that enabled such an obvious issue to continue to grow to its awful conclusion.

The Solution

One of the most intriguing aspects of the threat assessment approach is that it is focused on shared responsibility and community-based prevention programs. As a result, everyone here is to blame. To the degree that they are aware of an issue, it rests on the family, the school, and local law enforcement.

So, there are some serious questions about how we could do more as a community to get ahead of this issue now that we have seen it coming and have the opportunity to know it coming.