The month of January isn't even over, and already we've seen 39 mass shootings across the United States, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
In the aftermath of deadly mass shootings in Monterrey Park and Half Moon Bay, we talked to a sociology and psychology expert to find out what could be triggering these mass murders that are happening, so far, this year at a record pace.
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“ We're still living in this post-COVID era where people are increasingly disconnected, still disconnected from the institutions that they need to maintain their mental health," said University of San Diego sociology professor Cid Martinez, Ph.D. Martinez said the isolation and disconnect for some people from social outlets like work and community can be a combustible combination, if untreated.
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"That does tend to increase frustration with people. And that could translate into anger. And having the poor skills and resources needed to manage disagreements or anger they may be feeling," he explained.
Some psychologists have a different take, citing the FBI Mass Shooters Study which said mental illness wasn’t one of the frequent elements.
Forensic Psychologist Glenn Lipson, Ph.D. said the planning and weapon gathering some of these crimes involves isn’t consistent with mental illness, but that doesn’t mean the person hasn’t been depressed or suicidal.
Instead, he says one of the key elements is loss or fear of being lonely.
“Any number of losses that puts someone in a place that makes them angry and how they deal with anger becomes propellant or jet fuel that creates momentum to precipitate these events. When people are lonely because they don’t have healthy ways to meet relationships, that only fuels anger and retaliation and that leads to violence," Lipson said.
Dr. Martinez saidabove all, you can't ignore gun sales which soared in 2020. Sparked by COVID fears and social unrest, more than 20 million were purchased in 2020.
That's a 65% increase over 2019, according to Small Arms Analytics.
“When you add in the increased availability of firearms combined with people being disconnected and the mental health issues, when you bring those factors together, I think that that might explain some of the recent mass shootings we've seen,” explained Dr. Martinez.
At least 70 people have been killed and 167 wounded in mass shootings so far in 2023, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
The fact that nearly all mass murders are committed by men has sociologists also studying the link between gender and violence.
"There is a toxic masculinity that seems to emerge when people are disconnected, and they don't have a support system and so they have very poor coping skills," explained Martinez.
