I am so concerned about random violence. I blame a lot of
it on the our inability to commit an individual to a mental
facility involuntarily. I find it difficult to believe
that the rage the perpatrators were living with didn't show
up to parents or significant others.

We need more institutions to care for people who cannot
function in society. The trend to deinstitionalize
mental health patients was well meaning but it certainly
needs rethinking. A lot of the former patients walking our
streets are homeless and some are a threat to others.
They seldom volunteer for treatment.

Very often people who need treatment wind up in jail because
they have committed a crime. This does not increase mental
health and exacerbates the problem.

Our high tech society and especially violent video games
play a part in this problem. It is not so far from zapping
creatures in a video game to zapping human beings.

Our children are living in a virtual world and interacting
with machines. Unless parents teach empathy and compassion
at home, we will continue to have random shootings.