When Men Get Angry
Impulsive Men rather than Invading Terrorists
When the New Orleans mass killings occurred, followed a few days later by the explosion of a Tesla truck outside Trump tower it was predictable that people would speculate about terrorism and about closing the US borders. (Indeed, Trump still is talking about the border.) However, it turns out that both perpetrators were USA born men, who had recently served in the US military. Possibly, more important is that both men had marital problems.
The New Orleans killer, Shamsud-Din was a 42-year-old army veteran who was born and raised in Beaumont, Texas. He made comments in a video about his divorce and how he had at first planned to gather his family for a “celebration” with the intention of killing them. The driver of a Tesla Cybertruck that exploded in Las Vegas was a Donald Trump-loving “Rambo-type” who took his own life days after his second wife filed for divorce, it has emerged.
This pattern of men reacting badly to relationship problems appears to be a major factor in mass killings.
Men committed 145 out of 151 mass shootings in the USA between 1982 and Sept 2024. (Source Statista) In 46% of the shootings the killer shot their partner. (Everytown Research https://everytownresearch.org/report/guns-and-violence-against-women-americas-uniquely-lethal-intimate-partner-violence-problem/ )
Impulsive Men
Younger men are more likely to be violent with 72% of mass shootings carried out by men under 40 years of age. Data indicates that 57% of shootings are impulsive, caused by emotional problems that overwhelm the killer – not that this is not the same as long term mental illness.
We know that males are more impulsive, that we react more quickly without thinking through the consequences than women do. In some spheres this can be an advantage, but in others the outcomes can be tragic.
Every month in the USA approximately 76 women are killed each month by their partners in gun violence. Quite simply, we men need to get a grip on our emotions and the rules on men having access to guns need to be tightened.