Immediately after an horrific mass murder like last Sunday’s tragedy, it’s only human to respond with shock, grief and outrage. Those immediate reactions are usually followed by passionate pleas. How? Why? And how can we prevent such events from happening again? But we can only find genuine answers and solutions if we move past the emotions.
 
We need to calm down and engage in some thoughtful analysis – what triggered this madness and what, if anything can we do to prevent future catastrophes – and not allow the reactionary Left to whip us into a gun-banning frenzy. Before fighting over so-called solutions, we have to find out why Las Vegas happened.
 
Because we really haven’t gotten any satisfactory answers from official sources yet, conspiracy theories are everywhere. Was there more than one shooter? Was the whole thing a set-up? Was Stephen Paddock radicalized? ISIS is claiming responsibility – a possibility that law enforcement dismisses – but shouldn’t necessarily be ruled out.

But there’s also the drug angle. What about the diazepam? This article from the UK Daily Mail suggests a strong link between mood-altering medications and aggressive, anti-social behavior ~

Does diazepam cause aggression? We explain the dangers of the powerful and highly-addictive anti-anxiety drug prescribed to Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock ~
 
In the wake of the devastating shooting in Las Vegas, it has emerged that gunman Stephen Paddock was taking diazepam, the generic form of Valium.
 
The revelation has sparked a debate surrounding the powerful anti-anxiety medication and its side effects.
 
For the majority of users who take the medication under close supervision, side effects are akin to alcohol: drowsiness, dizziness, memory issues, and even sexual dysfunction.
 
However, in some rare cases the drug can trigger suicidal thoughts, aggressiveness, panic attacks, impulsive thoughts, and a lack of empathy […]
 
Stephen Paddock was allegedly prescribed 50 10mg pills of diazepam in June.
 
To put that in context: anything near 40mg of Valium in one day would be a very strong dose, and not recommended unless advised by a doctor […]
 
The vast majority of psychotropic drugs in both the US and the UK are not prescribed by psychiatrists.
 
In 2009, a study by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration found at least 62 percent of anti-anxiety and antidepressant medications were prescribed by family doctors. The agency estimates that figure has since risen closer to 70-80 percent.

 
It’s curious that psychotropic drugs are rarely mentioned after one of these tragedies, even though it’s frequently a common thread in mass murders ~

It is the use of psychotropic drugs such as antidepressants that ties so many of these horrific events together. In case after case the perpetrators were either taking them or they had been taking them recently. Anyone who has ever tried to kick a drug habit knows the depths of depression that can bring.
 
According to the Citizens Commission on Human Rights International, “At least 36 school shootings and/or school-related acts of violence have been committed by those taking or withdrawing from psychiatric drugs resulting in 172 wounded and 80 killed (in other school shootings, information about their drug use was never made public—neither confirming or refuting if they were under the influence of prescribed drugs).”
[Dan Roberts of AmmoLand has compiled a partial list of murders/suicides]

 
So before we start infringing on the 2nd Amendment maybe we should have a national discussion about psychotropic drugs. There are a lot of troubled people out there, but prescribing these meds like candy may not be the most prudent way to help them.
 
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Related:
Against the Misguided Moral Superiority of Gun Controllers ~

In fact, there are a host of ways to dramatically decrease gun violence while still protecting the Second Amendment. How do we know? We’ve been doing it for a quarter-century. At the same time that legislatures across the country have been loosening gun laws, Americans have purchased an unprecedented number of guns, and millions of citizens have obtained concealed-carry permits — and violent crime has plunged.[…]
 
Do we see spikes in violence in cities? Conservatives ask whether changes in police tactics have produced negative results. They also ask, Are existing gun laws unenforced, permitting criminals to obtain guns in defiance of the law? Are more people committing suicide? Thoughtful conservatives seek creative ways to preserve families and strengthen the spiritual institutions that provide the most vital interventions in troubled lives. Is a mass shooter inspired by jihad? Conservatives try to extinguish the terrorist entities that inspire violence and better monitor potential jihadists here at home.