The first question most people ask after mass shootings like the one last week at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis in which a 19-year-old male murdered eight people before taking his own life is “how did he get the gun?” He was known to authorities. A gun he previously owned was seized because he was believed to have mental problems.
So, how did he manage to legally purchase two guns last summer, three and four months after the first gun was seized? His mother had already told police her son wanted to commit “suicide by cop.”
The second question: What could or should have been done to prevent the tragedy?
The third question: Can anything be done to prevent future incidents like this, which are happening with greater frequency?
We have heard these questions – and more – asked after previous acts of carnage. They are never satisfactorily answered. At least they are not answered in ways that produce results capable of protecting innocent people.