What causes mass shootings? (with Ragy Girgis)

Nov 5, 2025 1h 20m 12 insights Episode Page ↗
Dr. Ragy Girgis, Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Columbia University, shares data-driven insights on mass murders, revealing public shootings are a small fraction. He discusses motivations like nihilism and toxic narcissism, the critical role of firearms, and challenges common misconceptions about mental illness, media coverage, and prevention strategies.
Actionable Insights

1. Report Threats of Mass Shooting

Identify and report individuals who explicitly state or imply they will perpetrate a mass shooting, as this characteristic has the highest predictive value for preventing such events.

2. Limit Media Reporting on Perpetrators

When reporting on public mass shootings, media should omit personal details, names, and photographs of perpetrators to avoid fueling the ‘fame or infamy’ motive that drives these events.

3. De-romanticize Guns in Media

Culture, including movies, TV, video games, and music, should stop romanticizing guns and gun violence, as this contributes to the problem by making guns seem ‘cool’ rather than dangerous.

4. Limit Gun Availability by Law

Implement stronger gun regulation and laws to decrease gun availability, as data clearly shows states with greater regulation have lower rates of mass shootings and gun violence.

5. Implement Smart Gun Technology

Require smart gun technology (e.g., fingerprint locks) on all firearms to prevent unauthorized use, which could address a significant portion of illegal gun issues and some legal ones.

6. Enforce Existing Gun Laws

Strictly enforce current laws designed to prevent illegal firearm sales, such as straw purchases and unreported private sales, as these are the primary ways legal guns become illegal.

7. Annual Gun Examinations/Registration

Consider implementing annual examinations or registration for firearms, similar to motor vehicles, to better track ownership and ensure compliance with safety measures.

8. Ensure Medication for Early Psychosis

Prioritize Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) to ensure young people in the early stages of psychotic disorders are medicated, as this can prevent the 5% of mass murders primarily motivated by severe mental illness.

9. Avoid School Shooting Drills

Discontinue school shooting drills in elementary and high schools, as these have been shown to be more harmful than beneficial, leading to increased anxiety, depression, and fear in young people.

10. Avoid Armed Guards in Schools

Refrain from placing armed guards or school safety officers in schools, as their presence does not help and may actually make schools more appealing targets for perpetrators seeking a strong response.

11. Screen for Specific Public Shooter Profile

Focus prevention efforts on identifying individuals exhibiting the specific three-point psychological profile for public mass shooters: severe nihilism, toxic narcissism (infamy/fame seeking), and a fascination with firearms, as this profile is relatively specific.

12. Recognize Familicide Risk Factors

Understand that familicide mass murders are often perpetrated by middle-aged men experiencing acute emotional upset due to job loss or romantic issues, often accompanied by severe nihilism and a plan to commit suicide.