As you talk about mental health screening as a way to prevent attacks, I would remind you of the story of Lisa Nowak.
I don't know that any agency of the government does more thorough screening of their candidates than NASA does. Nothing they saw would predict what she did in a fit of pique.
Was it a mass shooting? No. But it was and is emblematic of our inability to anticipate reactions to circumstances.
Good point.
Our best idea in my opinion is to improve security at schools, and at public places.
And if people are too greedy to spend the money to protect our children, then we need to use lawyers to force the schools to protect our children.
It's not (only) greed. It's practicality.
How many church services are there in Texas on a Sunday morning? How many entrances? How many vantage points for a shooter?
How many football games are there on a Friday night or Saturday afternoon in Texas, with how many fans at them? How easily covered are those games by security?
How many playgrounds, pools, and lakes are there that are open in the summer?
How many clubs, movies, plays, concerts, etc. at the professional, amateur, and high school levels?
1600+ high school football games every weekend for 17 weeks. Average attendance is over 1000 per game. At least one game pulled 43,000+.
There is not enough security available - it's not the money, it is the range of venues and the number of them and how scattered they are.
This could have been a mall as easily as a school, with more deaths.
Bambu keeps talking about absolute security, but it remains a myth.
Planes are not being hijacked in America anymore. Absolute security started with simply locking the cabin doors and having armed air marshals. Then came body 'xray' scanners....to stop the 'shoe-bombers', 'bra-bombers', 'underwear-bombers', 'bombs under hats bombers', ...and surveillance measures on the planes to foil the 'construct bombs in the plane toilet from parts handed into the toilet by terrorists lined up outside the toilet' brigade.
When tourist mrs bambu landed in America from Canada, at the airport she was fingerprinted, face-scanned, and her luggage no doubt checked and scanned. Her luggage had also been rearranged inside her case.
A very serious attempt at absolute security.
When I attend footy games in bambuworld, outside the grounds there are security tables and security staff, and "secret police" watching like hawks what's going on.
Terrorists have threatened to blow up stadiums and everyone in them.
I must present any/all my bags for searching.
Then if I pass inspection there, between the entry gates and me there are security guys with wands selecting people at random for scanning.
Then to get thru the turnstiles I must scan my electronic card pass.
A very serious attempt at absolute security.
I can't just waltz thru the gates of the stadiums with assault rifles...or any other weapons, including glass containers of any kind.