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Never Regret Truth Many times after a mass shooting occurs that involves a military veteran, people immediately jump to PTSD or the Warrior Ethos as a driving factor. As a veteran myself, I think it’s necessary to set forth some truths to correct this misconception. Mass Killing Stats Key factors • Drug use • Mental Health history (trauma) • Criminal history • Peer influence • Social Media • Age demographic Age trends for mass shooters • 1980s: The median age was 39. • 1990s and 2000s: The median age drops to 33. • 2010 to 2019: The median age drops to 29. • Since 2020: The median age of mass shooters is now just 22. (This one is alarming) The truth on veterans 🇺🇸 • Veterans: 17.9 million • Active duty: 1.3 million > PTSD: 5% - 20% (Iraq & Afghanistan) • Crime Rate: The overall incarceration rate for veterans is lower than for civilians. • Violent Crime: Influenced much more from other factors (drug use, criminal past & personal history), than PTSD. • Mass Killings: While veterans have a higher rate here, they represent about 25% of the total number of mass killings. The percent of the total veteran number is near zero. All cases involve many of the key factors above, which tend to be the drivers. In Summary, we don’t have a problem with our veteran population and we need to continue to honor our vets for their sacrifice and service. As for as mass killers, like those pictured below (vets or not), we need to work on identifying these monsters in advance and push for capital punishment if they act.