Report page 57

Prior NTAC research has identified common motives for those who have planned or perpetrated acts of targeted violence.

For example, in a study examining mass attacks in public spaces, NTAC found that such attacks were most commonly motivated by grievances (e.g., personal, workplace, or domestic), ideologies/racial bias, symptoms of psychosis (e.g., paranoia or delusions), desire to kill, and seeking fame or notoriety.

Motives are often multifaceted, and an individual’s desire to act violently may not be driven by one factor in isolation.

Therefore, the BTAU should work to identify the relevant factors contributing to the motivation for violent behavior and then take steps to redirect those motives to more appropriate prosocial behavior and, ultimately, positive outcomes.

Redirecting motives requires strategic use of resources to mitigate factors of concern, such as resources to mediate interpersonal grievances, counseling to build better problem-solving strategies, mental health treatment, or other social services that can address the circumstances driving the individual’s behavior.

For example, if a BTAU determines an individual has been harassing neighbors following a land use dispute, the BTAU may be able to identify a community-based mediation resource to help reconcile the disagreement.

Risk management strategies should work to create a situation less prone to violence. One way to create a less volatile situation is to limit access to weapons when permissible under legal and constitutional protections.

NTAC research has shown that nearly three-quarters (73%) of mass attacks in the United States involved firearms, and over one-quarter (29%) of the attackers who used firearms met at least one criterion that federally prohibited them from purchasing or possessing a firearm.

In addition to existing federal laws, state law may establish additional restrictions on firearm possession. For this reason, it is important for the BTAU to consider if an individual is in possession of a firearm and, if so, whether that possession is legal.

Depending on the nature of the firearm possession, there are three primary strategies for limiting access, which include seeking voluntary storage, pursuing court-ordered removal, and enforcing existing firearms prohibitions.

Voluntary storage: Voluntary out-of-home storage of firearms is an informal process that does not involve a court order. With this strategy, an individual agrees to temporarily store their firearm with a trusted family member, friend, or participating storage facility (e.g., gun retailer or police department) for safekeeping.

Having a positive rapport with an individual of concern can be helpful in encouraging voluntary out-of-home storage.

This strategy can be helpful for BTAUs operating in a state where there are no avenues for court-ordered removal or situations in which the criteria for court ordered removal have not been met.