It's true that all mass murders are tragic and despicable. That said, it doesn't mean they're all the same, or that the same considerations or solutions apply to them.
In the case of school shootings in this country, we can say that these are the acts of individuals, usually mentally disturbed ones. The shootings are not done with a societal or ideological agenda (there may be a purported one, but it's always twisted--not a true ideological one disseminated throughout a culture, with other adherents). They're the acts of desperate and mentally unbalanced persons. What we need to address here is better education about mental illness and better treatment, as well as ways to prevent firearms from getting into the hands of such individuals. Beyond that, it's impossible for a government to predict who will commit one of these tragic crimes.
In the case of an Oklahoma City, or a World Trade Center, or the recent targeted killings at Charlie Hebdo and the kosher store--these acts have been done by organized groups of people, well trained in militia tactics, and with recruitment efforts that attract more adherents to their ideological positions. And therefore, there is the possibility for further acts. These killings are done by reasoned people with a societal (not personal) agenda and stated aims. They are meant to be warnings to society: act this way or believe this way, and you will be killed. These acts are committed by groups, not individuals (whether a homegrown right-wing militia or an international Al Qaeda or ISIS organ). They are done in the name of an ideology to counter the positions of governments or institutions. Or, in the case of all the murders, rapes, and beheadings in Syria and Iraq--to kill people who have a different form of worship or belief. What we need to address here is preventing young men from joining these groups, exposing the falseness of the ideologies ... and yes, sadly, performing the needed intelligence to prevent the acts in the first place, where possible.
It's sort of like this. Your neighbor is murdered by her husband. That's sad and horrific. Your governor is assassinated by a member of a right-wing militia group that opposes its politics. That is a threat to your entire state.
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