Thank you for the excellent post. Very thorough and I will say that you make a compelling argument, but I'm not sure I agree with this...

nothing will change until the American people confront the deeply-rooted foundation of violent militarism that continues to plague the United States and the world.

I think the lack of proper mental health care for our military and our citizens in general is the real problem. The stigma attached to mental health is another.

The brave men in women in our military risk life and limb on a daily basis. They see sights that most of us can't even imagine and do things they would never do outside of combat... things most human beings would never do. And then, they come home to a health care system that does not prioritize them as patients nor their mental health.

Plus there seems to be an unrealistic expectation for them to be OK after all they've endured. Then they're told to "man up" or "get over it" when they struggle to cope with all they've seen and done. Any sickness left untreated has the propensity to get worse and mental illness is no different.

Violence is a problem, for sure, but the lack of proper mental health care in this country and the stigma attached to mental illness is a core issue behind these horrific mass shootings.