Active shooters usually get their guns legally and then target specific victims, FBI says
Source: Washington Post
By Mark Berman
June 20 at 10:08 AM
The terror of an armed gunman opening fire in public places has become an all-too-common occurrence, affecting American schools, churches, offices, holiday parties, government facilities and movie theaters.
While the attacks differ in location, level of carnage and the community affected, an FBI study released Wednesday found that a common element of the attacks lies with the shooters, who are frequently motivated by grievances in their lives, wielding guns they obtained legally and targeting specific victims when they open fire.
The study, which examined dozens of active shooters between 2000 and 2013, found that contrary to the public perception of the episodes as being fueled by mental health issues — an assertion frequently given voice by politicians, including President Trump — law enforcement officials were only able to verify that about 25 percent of the attackers had diagnosed mental health issues.
The attackers, who almost always were men or boys, typically attacked places that were familiar to them. They had acted in ways that concerned the people around them ahead of the attacks, with many expressing a desire to carry out violent acts. And most used guns they acquired legally, oftentimes buying the weapons specifically for their attacks, the study concluded.
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Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2018/06/20/active-shooters-usually-get-their-guns-legally-and-then-target-specific-victims-fbi-says/
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