RFK Jr.: What Is The Real Cause Of Mass Shootings?

Gun violence against children is unacceptable. But how do we stop it? On The Capitol Hill Show on @trtworld we discuss the issue.

We’ve had an abundance of guns in this country for a long time. But we have not always had mass shootings. What else, besides the proliferation of guns, causes school shootings? Is there a connection to psychiatric drugs, or video games, or something else? I’m not going to do anything during my presidency to take people’s guns away, but our federal health agencies need to be studying the deeper causes of gun violence.

#rfkjr #kennedy24

[sac]

As usual, RFK Jr. makes good sense. He is a man of great moral courage, common sense, and practicality. Thanks for sharing.

[jeffhaddix]

When the typical approaches aren't getting results it's good to have someone like RFK Jr who is willing to look outside the box to try to solve problems.

[Mindywright]

Thank you for sharing your perspective on gun violence and your stand on the 2nd amendment. I would like to have heard a stronger stance on protecting American’s 2A rights, but I absolutely agree on RFK’s line of questioning. We need to understand why these horrors are happening and it’s just simply not due to the number of guns. RFK 2024 🇺🇸

[jeffchabot]

Well said. Another aspect I believe is the neverending bombardment of politicians and partisan cable news and other outlets keeps people wound up all the time. Our politicians are constantly running to enrich themselves vs solving problems. RFK Jr is refreshing different candidate.

[eyeinsee]

Im sorry but hes the only one talking about real issues. I like Trump but he isnt saying he will do anything his followers are speaking for him.

[steveladner]

People that took the hokie pokie are the ones that are acting more aggressive than ever.

[Mary-ilzz]

Young people have lost hope and confidence in their future and the future of our country. The ultimate root of all plaguing our society. RFK is the only one talking about this. The rest are talking heads. My vote goes to this man who holds up hope for our country and the future of our young people!

[KatsuMitsu]

I work in engineering and I have seen millions of $ wasted by engineers who fall in love with a particular solution to a problem before identifying and proving the root cause that they are addressing with their solution. Standard-issue politicians do this 100x. This is the only sensible position I have heard on this question... first figure out what the true causes are

[ronn]

Finally, this is the first politician I have heard that has asked "Why?".

[danarnold]

I challenge anyone to turn on a television and try to watch a regularly broadcast show that doesn't contain violence. I feel the answer lies there in a sense as to why our country is facing so much it.

[jameskikuoka]

One thing that links many of these shooting is one thing: prescription antidepressants. I hope Kennedy will look into this. I think it is a multifactorial cause, but this could be a major contributor. Just my opinion. And yes, I support the Second Amendment.

[Smasher-Devourer]

We have school shootings because the schools don't do anything about bullying. Kids get depressed, end up on medications, and the school just ignores it until you stand up for yourself. Then YOU are the one in trouble. YOU are the one that gets suspended, expelled, etc. People are so miserable these days, that its no wonder why people are so violent. Unfortunately the people who claim to be fighting for equality and inclusion are also the most miserable and hateful. They take on toxic personality traits, and play victim when people criticize them. They perpetuate hatred upon themselves. And that is why we've had a bunch of transgender shooters lately. Before the past couple of years, there's been pretty much zero transgender mass shooters. Now there is roughly 3-4 of them in the past 2 years. Kids are growing up in dysfunctional households, often without a father figure. Other kids are extremely sheltered and spoiled, and with their lives so easy, they end up seeking ways to make their lives more difficult. Its how the mind works. When everything is perfect, you start looking for things to be stressed out about. Then the entire system is corrupt and full of liars, and there's a saying: "Shit rolls down hill". What the government says and does, people copy it. Government desires to control, people want to control. Only a few people dare to question it. Most people just follow like lambs to the slaughter.

[FreebornJohnLillburne]

He’s proving, like Sen. Frank Church did, that it’s possible to merge liberal concern about the dangers of big corporations and intelligence agencies with a strong position on the Second Amendment. More importantly, what he’s saying is common sense. People with evil in their hearts will let it out. We have to find out why this is happening and why so many people feel inclined to do this.

[badgumby]

No such thing as "gun" violence. Guns have always been a part of American culture. What's changed is people and culture. Not guns.

[Frygonz]

Ranked choice voting would guarantee a Kennedy presidency.

[renkuria]

Pretty sure its just lack of affordable healthcare, which causes physical then mental instability.

[recursivedreamer]

If you want a direct take, without justifying the violence, let me point something out. We have multiple groups in the world that socialize young people to adopt certain prejudices. This process oftentimes happens in the churches, youth groups and the home. This leads some children to have harmful stereotypes about their peers, which they oftentimes use as the basis for bullying. In extreme situations what will happen is that there will be one person whom everyone tends to bully excessively, and even the school staff are complicit, as they will also have their own biases of the individual. They might punish the bullied kid for standing up for himself instead of the bullies, or they may have their own prejudices that their church gave to them. It is when you put a person in this position, where they can't trust anyone and they are frequently targets of abuse by their peers that you risk creating mass shooters. If you want to reduce the number of mass shooters, you need to hold students accountable when they bully, and ensure that school staff are educated about implicit bias, so that they don't find themselves treating a student unfairly and joining in on the abuse. It takes an entire community to drive a person to the breaking point and at a certain point everyone needs to realize their role in these cases. Education could help as well when you teach bullies that their abuse could be increasing the possibility that someone might end up snapping.

[jamesw]

Would have been better without the music in the background.

[carguy]

We're more medicated now than we've ever been. There should be a study done on people taking SSRIs and their effects on the brain and also on people who quit them cold-turkey. For some it makes them have violent thoughts behavior.

[shr]

Finally, someone talking about the connection between killings and depression/anxiety medications.