Can we predict or prevent mass shootings?

Too many times in the last few years we’ve heard the similar story of tragic, unnecessary violence: Someone who has been identified as mentally ill goes either without help or without sufficient help, gets a gun and shoots many innocent people.

Is there anything we can do to predict, treat, or change this seemingly random violent behavior, or should we give up and focus minimizing its deadly expression though controlling access to weapons?

Our guests are Dr. Peter Landman, psychologist and author of Why Kids Kill: Inside the Minds of School Shooters. We’ll also talk to Cornell psychiatrist Dr. Richard Friedman who wrote a piece for The New York Times about whether doctors can prevent violence or not, as well as Mental Health D.A. Noel Ann DeSantis, from the Mental Health Court System of Philadelphia. We’ll also hear from Mo Canady, the Executive Director of NASRO (The National Association of School Resource Officers).

Additional resources:

• National Institute of Mental Health: Resources for Children and Violence
• Harvard Health Publications: Assessing Risk of Violence
• APA Report on Gun Violence Identifies Precursors and Promising Solutions
• The Atlantic: Confusing Mental Health Intervention With Violence Prevention