Motive is less relevant than the means

Re No motive for ‘mind-boggling’ spree, Jan. 24 Regardless of the shooter’s motive, he certainly made unnecessary walks down Etobicoke streets less advisable over the span of two weeks.

As a psychiatrist and public safety watcher since 1977, let me say that motive in the cases of mass shootings is far less important than the means used to commit such atrocities. Most mass shooters feel powerless and helpless, and a gun confers on them instant adequacy and respect.

As for the means, the police must inform the public on the type of handgun that was used, whether the young man had a license to have a gun and, if he did not, they must investigate how and where he obtained his gun.

One thing is clear: the man was a lousy shot and I would bet his gun wasn’t the state-of-the-art kind of Glock handgun used by shooters who produce incredible numbers of fatalities and wounded. Many such shooters attended firing ranges for weeks or even months ahead of going on their shooting sprees.

If you believe there is no set of laws that can help drive up the price and drive down the availability of guns used on the street, then either you are a fatalist or you have drunk the NRA Kool-Aid. Ron Charach, Toronto

Re At least 2 dead in U.S. school shooting, Jan. 24 As the U.S. experiences yet another school shooting, I am sure the Senate and Congress, both in the pockets of the National Rifle Association (NRA), will be sending their “thoughts and prayers” to the families and survivors of this latest massacre.

And then, as usual, they will accept the donations of the powerful gun lobby in return for doing nothing to help curb the gun violence in the United States. J. Richard Wright, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont.