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Astor on Suicidal Thoughts, Gun Violence
A Houston Chronicle story on a woman who used an assault rifle to open fire at a Texas megachurch cited Ron Avi Astor, professor of social welfare at UCLA Luskin. The woman, who had a history of mental health struggles, was killed in an exchange of fire with security officers. There were no other fatalities. Suicidal thoughts are not uncommon among those who perpetrate mass shootings, Astor said. “These are really suicides, too. These are not just homicides.” In addition, a High School Insider article shared research by Astor that offered an encouraging counterpoint. In California, day-to-day danger on school campuses declined significantly between 2001 and 2019, according to the study published in the World Journal of Pediatrics.
It seems like if someone has lowered their standard for valuing life to the point of wantonly destroying innocent lives, that person’s own life would be also not very valued. With most mass shootings, it seems like the perpetrators expect to not survive the ordeal.