Mass Shooting Analysis

America’s contagious mass shooting epidemic is spreading so rapidly that America endures more mass shootings than any other county in the world. What makes America so susceptible to the infiltration of mass shootings? Many would argue that it is the result of excessive amount of guns we possess as a nation plus the easy access to own a gun, but others would assert that it is the result of ineffective mental health care. Despite the ongoing controversy, one conclusion that the nation agrees with would be the early detection of red flags to prevent future mass shootings. In the New York Times article, “Texas Gunman Once Escaped From Mental Health Facility” writers describe the recent occurrence of the Texas church mass shooting that killed 26 innocent people. Primarily, they examine gunman Devin Kelley’s life in light of numerous red flags about the threat the gunman posed. In the following paragraphs, I will define and categorize Devin Kelley’s negative deviance through Heckert & Heckert’s typology. Ultimately, I will apply social bond theory, self-control theory, and differential association to his deviance to explain why this individual engaged in negative deviant behavior and consequently how he killed himself as a way to deal …show more content…
The norms are social expectations that guide people's behavior. Devin Kelley would be labeled as a deviant according to his behavior which would be an achieved deviant status. Mr.Kelley’s horrifying action deviates from the normal social expectations that one must abide human rights. In this particular case, the right to life. The right to life indicates that every human has the right to live and should not be killed by another human. According to Heckert & Heckert’s typology of deviance, Mr. Kelley’s mass shooting would be categorized as negative deviance. This particular type of deviance identifies the individual as under conforming or nonconforming to the