TransShooter to Friend: "I'm Planning to Die."

Why did gun clubs exist in High Schools before the 80s?

Because people were raised, i.e. mentally conditioned, differently then. A higher percentage of people were comfortable around guns because more were taught to handle them with respect. They were also taught to respect others, plus many other aspects of civility. They weren't coddled so they learned to cope with the harshness of reality more adequately, producing fewer emotionally, mentally fragile time bombs waiting to explode. The root of most of these types of problems in the U.S. stem from this shift in culture. Some kids even drove to school with gun racks in the back of their trucks. No one worried. What's changed since then?

So are guns the primary problem? Sure, they're a factor, but is there a correlation between gun ownership and gun violence? Gun ownership in the U.S. has remained within a 10% range, fluctuating between 37% to 47%, for the past 50 years. So per capita, gun ownership hasn't significantly increased, staying in the same narrow range. And yet shootings have increased. So what's changed, since the percentage of gun owners clearly isn't a factor? I would argue it's about an increase of immaturity and incivility.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/249740/percentage-of-households-in-the-united-states-owning-a-firearm/

The human brain doesn't fully develop until around 25 years of age (plus young men are hopped up on testosterone, elevating the underlying emotional instability that spawns these events, which is why most of them are young men). Less structure and discipline in their lives to counter the lack of natural maturity produces a higher penchant for violent outbursts. Those who are emotionally coddled and enabled while the frustrations of life percolate tend to bubble over more easily. The more people are raised like this, the less they mature into adulthood, and the older the average shooter may become, because they aren't being forced to grow up and take responsibility for both themselves and those around them. And when narcissistic immaturity clashes with the strife of reality they cope with it like a toddler, lashing out and throwing a tantrum. Except now they can wield deadly weapons.

I'd advocate for psychological evaluation and mandatory firearm training and certification. However, those measures will only have a small effect on the problem since the issue stems from the comparably more juvenile nature our culture has descended into. Even if we could "Thanos snap" all guns from existence, the violence problem would remain. Both aspects need to be addressed. Like with everything, a genuine solution is a blend of ideas from both ends of the ideological spectrum. History reveals, though, that behavior is the biggest factor. A portion could be curtailed by rule of law, but the root of the problem lies with changing how people treat each other and view themselves. And an increase in violence isn't the only byproduct. Most societal problems are forged by this.
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Never believe. Always question. Rebuke belief, a.k.a. bias, a.k.a. groupthink, a.k.a. ideology, the bane of skeptical, logical reason.

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