Countering Lone Wolf Mass Shootings in Connection with U.S. Far-Right Extremist Ideology.
“Security forces respond with tear gas after pro-Trump rioters stormed the US Capitol as lawmakers were set to sign off on President-elect Joe Biden's electoral victory in what was supposed to be a routine process. (Probal Rashid/LightRocket via Getty Images)”
Executive Summary:
Lone-wolf extremist attacks in the United States have increased significantly in recent years, partially due to a rise in harmful ideologies fueled by online radicalization, identity culture, and political polarization. It is hard to get a measure on the exact number of extremist attacks as there’s still debate in the United States to define extremism in relation to the culture here. A culture that attempts to balance an outdated second amendment, arguably at the expense of the safety of its citizens. However, for the purposes of this report and its application, right winged extremism can be defined, but is not limited to, lone mass shootings that have been influenced by far-right winged radicalization. It’s important to include that while not all mass shootings in the United States have been committed by right winged extremists specifically, there is still a disproportionate amount that are, so much that an ADL Center for Extremism report has found all mass shootings that were linked to extremism in 2022 were linked to right winged extremism. The Center for Research on Extremism found that far right extremism “is usually defined as a specific ideology characterized by ‘anti-democratic opposition towards equality’. It is associated with racism, xenophobia, exclusionary nationalism, conspiracy theories, and authoritarianism.” Therefore, cases of shootings related to white supremacy, anti-democracy, and anti-gun reform will be included in this analysis. As a roadmap, this policy report will begin with three short case studies involving right-winged extremists who have committed mass shootings as proven through manifestos posted online supporting white supremacy ideals and calls for violence. In these case studies, I’ll highlight some important factors such as the shooters’ eerily similar profiles, including their young ages, race, and involvement in online radicalization. That will lead to the policy proposals to combat this gun violence epidemic, including countering online radicalization from its source, tackling identity politics from its historical roots, and suggesting alternatives to the two-party system that has been holding America back from solving these persistent issues with sustainable solutions such as gun control.
Case Study: Right-Winged Extremist Manifestos in Mass Shootings Linked with White Supremacy Ideals.
One alarming connection that’s been made in recent years is far right-wing manifestos being found after lone wolf mass shootings. The majority of these shootings call attention to a harmful ideology of Great (White) Replacement Theory, which is the idea that white people are being replaced by other races and calls for the preservation of the white race in white countries. These sorts of ideas and discussions are extremely prominent in far-right forums online, particularly those on 8chan or reddit, or other conspiracy fueled webpages, that many young men specifically may find themselves radicalized.
The 2022 Buffalo Supermarket Shooting was later founded to be in connection to far right extremist views after police found a manifesto detailing the shooting and reasons for it by the 18-year-old perpetrator. The white shooter labeled the “Great Replacement Theory,” as being one of his reasons for choosing a black neighborhood to target, a theory that has been at the core of many white supremacy shootings. “In the document, the writer claims he was radicalized on an extremist 4chan forum while he was “bored” at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020.” This isn’t the first, nor last, right winged extremist manifestos that have been found after mass shootings, but it’s important to note the age of this shooter. For an 18-year-old to be fueled with such misinformation that they’d abuse their proclaimed cherished amendment rights and risk their life for a mass shooting means there’s a deeper psychological problem to address.
“A crowd gathers as police investigate after a shooting at Tops Market in Buffalo, New York, on Saturday. Joshua Bessex / AP”
The 2019 El Paso Supermarket Shooting is another example of a possible far right extremist mass shooting that has connection to a manifesto. What has been called “The Inconvenient Truth,” and has taken inspiration from the 2019 Great Replacement Mosque shootings in New Zealand, surfaced on 8chan 19 minutes before the shooting took place in a predominately Latin American community. Its contents include ideas of Texas being invaded by Latin Americans and warned white people of replacement. Texas, being on the southern border, is at the center of much controversy when it comes to immigration and racial tensions. This is partially due to former President Donald Trump, who spent most of his presidency blaming Mexicans for political problems that did not relate to immigration, calling them criminals, drug smugglers, rapists, and calling for a wall to be built between the US and Mexico. This harmful rhetoric from an authoritative figure who is supposed to be deemed trustworthy, along with misinformation online, makes radicalization much easier.
The 2019 Poway Synagogue Shooting is the last case study to highlight, also inspired by the 2019 Great Replacement Mosque shootings, has a lot more information online where the 19-year-old shooter had previously participated in racist conversations based on conspiracy theories. In his manifesto, “the Poway Synagogue shooter even weighed in... “They can’t fathom that there are brave White men alive who have the willpower and courage it takes to say, ‘Fuck my life—I’m willing to sacrifice everything for the benefit of my race.’”
“Mourners created a makeshift memorial for victims of the massacre at an El Paso Walmart in 2019. Mark Rralston/AFP/Getty Images”
The question now becomes, what is causing all these young men to sacrifice their entire lives and the lives of others for these ideas online? There are three potential causes, the first being online radicalization from those already engulfed in far-right extremist beliefs. The second being the identity culture of America, where individualization and gun rights unite the far right. Lastly, the ever-growing political polarization of the two parties makes it impossible to progress when it comes to addressing underlying issues that may push an individual to extremism.
Countering Online Radicalization.
Possibly the biggest growing threat to this issue of far-right extremist attacks in the United States is the rise of social media and communication forums where extremists manipulate and exploit young men to radicalize them. However, there is a unique aspect of self-radicalization that is needed for these young men to find these discussion boards and a level of relativity that enables them to participate. One of the ways these extremist groups communicate is through the use of memes and jokes to plan attacks and perpetuate harmful ideologies. Robert Owens, a conflict journalist writes about the 2019 Poway synagogue shootings, “This shooter’s manifesto is filled with “shitposting” — internet in-jokes meant to distract authorities and the media and make 8chan’s /pol/ board seem less threatening, and less worthy of serious concern. The fact that this is the second /pol/-related shooting in a house of worship in slightly more than a month should be enough to explain that this is false.” The use of these memes and jokes to recruit young individuals is highly effective as it creates a sense of community to these groups and can slowly integrate these ideas without putting too much responsibility onto the reader. By making jokes, those who aren’t fully radicalized can pass them off as just that- jokes, without taking on responsibility for their outcomes. However, the longer that these young men continue to visit these forums and engage with those already radicalized, they walk a thin line of what can be considered humor versus what is seriously harmful, before they know it, they are fully radicalized apologists for the few who do end up committing mass shootings and other attacks in the name of these discussions. The Geneva Center for Security Policy recommends, “western agencies must shift focus and intelligence by penetrating far-right networks to prevent future attacks. To do this, they must recognize that extremism has moved quickly towards the online domain and must respond accordingly by understanding the theory of how people become radicalized.”
To counter this, I’ll suggest two solutions:
Discussion Monitoring:
If these sites, such as 8chan, are not going to be held guilty or at all liable for their contribution to the rise in extremist violence, there needs to be changes made to these sites. The internet is not a sovereign land that cannot be regulated, in fact, it must be regulated to keep citizens safe. Therefore, there needs to be monitors on these sites to censor false information that could lead to harmful ideas being produced and acted upon. In addition to this, the Department of Homeland Security, CIA, and other agencies should have groups dedicated to monitoring these groups and a strict response plan to prevent further attacks. This monitoring, while it may not prevent more extremists from joining the conversation in the future, can help erase some of the harmful ideology that’s already inspired such tragic events as mentioned above. However, the next suggestion may be more preventative in nature.
Engaging in Discussions with Counter-Narratives
Building on the last suggestion, instead of simply censoring the harmful content, it might be more appropriate to address it directly. While this could be more time-consuming, it doesn’t need to be. These forum sites could have warnings for new users and when misinformation is being spread, automatic replies could be added to the discussion board from trusted agencies that involve counter-narratives. For example, a young 18-year-old who stumbles onto one of these discussion boards is going to be far less likely to engage with it if from the beginning he’s told that the information is false and subscribing to it can lead to harmful radical ideology that will hinder his ability to socialize normally and develop into a healthy adult. The El Paso shooter wrote on LinkedIn while in high school, “I’m not really motivated to do anything more than what’s necessary to get by. Working in general sucks, but I guess a career in Software Development suits me well. I spend about 8 hours every day on the computer so that counts toward technology experience I guess.” What’s more likely, than those who turn to extremism or are radicalized into it, is not created in a vacuum, nor is it inherent or natural, but yet that they are misinformed, vulnerable, and don’t know how to transition from a child to an adult who has easy access to guns and the internet. Showing to these young men that there is another way may be a simple, yet effective solution if these sites were to be regulated with such restrictions.
Countering Identity Culture of Right-Winged Extremism.
Right-winged extremism in the United States heavily involves adopting a certain identity and adjusting your entire personality and beliefs to this. This harmful ideology of white American nationalism is at the center of most, if not all, right-winged extremist attacks. To a young, impressionable man, this idea sounds all too appealing- finding a group of people who want to accept you into their community, no questions asked because you fit their profile, not realizing it’s a trap to radicalize them. The way they typically do this is by creating a perceived threat to said identity. As mentioned above, the Great Replacement Theory is the best example of this. When those who are already vulnerable and too young to have too much to lose, the idea that their kind is going extinct or being targeted is enough of a pull factor for many to jump into the deep end of far-right extremism and that’s when attacks such as lone-wolf shootings occur.
Two solutions to this may be:
Valuing Collectivism over Individualism
One value of the far-right that is heavily emphasized is the idea of individualism over community. To some extent, individualism has done lots of good the United States. The right-wing party of the United States favors this as it limits the governments ability to regulate and make restrictions on the individual, even if for the better of society overall. An article by Jim Powell on the Foundation for Economic Education website writes, “This freedom of choice and action only stops when it directly conflicts with the ability of others to do the same, mainly if it intrudes upon their life, liberty, or property. To an individualist, the maximum role of the government is to protect our lives, liberty, and property.” However, if perhaps there was a stronger emphasis on collectivism, there wouldn’t be a sense of entitlement that lingers on these far-right extremist discussion boards.
Diversity Education
In the last year, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is running for presidential election 2024, has implemented numerous laws limiting Florida schools and universities from education on anything that doesn’t align with his far-right extremist political beliefs. In a concerning authoritarian manner, DeSantis has banned courses that teach critical race theory, any non-white history, and has cut funding to all diversity and inclusion courses and activities. The same education that could be taught to teach young impressionable individuals that the Great Replacement Theory is nothing more than a conspiracy theory is now being outlawed with no higher court stepping in. “[These laws are] part of a coordinated attack by partisan politicians on our right to learn about systemic racism, sexism, oppression, and privilege in higher education” If critical race theory and diversity education isn’t going to be made compulsory, there should at least be the option, however by making it compulsory it limits the risk of generational racism to continue, which is likely a major factor for why many young men find themselves on racist forums online that led to radicalization.
Countering Political Polarization and the Two-Party System; Addressing Gun Reform.
The obvious solution not yet presented is gun reform. However, the culture and political framework of the United States makes this near impossible. Therefore, analysis would be better focused on how to create a more cooperative and efficient government system than the current one. Currently, the United States operates a two-party system, which has made it impossible to progress from its conservative roots or make any progress on controversial issues, and makes third party candidates an impossibility. Due to this, the United States is often found at a stalemate between the two parties with pressing issues ongoing for years before any laws are passed. In a published paper by George Anthony and Arthur Carl from the University of Washington, “Democrats and Republicans cannot agree on certain issues and as such, can’t discuss anything rationally. There are no clear solutions to problems and rather than help each other, parties decide to fight one another. The divide between Democrats and Republicans is so great that they can’t even stay in one room to solve issues to help their country.” Perhaps if the United States were to begin slowly transitioning into a multi-party system, then it would allow for both existing parties to maintain a degree of power, while allowing new ideas and parties to participate.
Some things to consider:
As the two-party system has been operating since the 1700s and formation of the United States government, it is deeply rooted in political identity, which is a pull factor for many young, radicalized individuals who turn to lone wolf mass shootings.
To shift from the two-party system, it will require a change of the way Americans view politics, towards a more accepting view of other ideas and sacrificing some of one party’s power at the expense of democracy. However, it would open the door for political coalitions, which could be helpful in situations where a party has multiple individuals running for one spot and votes are split between them.
Enacting electoral changes that include shorter term limits, abolishing lifetime terms, and most importantly ranked choice voting.
Ranked choice voting could be a slight shift to slowly transition away from the two-party system as it would encourage voters to consider all candidates instead of blindly following their party’s choice without second consideration.
If the United States can then shift away from the two-party system, the next step is to address gun control reform. With a new system that encourages change and progress through cooperation and compromise, parties can work together to tackle the bigger issues: such as an outdated second amendment. However, it is important to note the extent of gun ownership already present in the United States. In a global comparison on gun policy, an analysis from the Council of Foreign Relations, “the United States, with less than 5 percent of the world’s population, has 46 percent of the world’s civilian owned guns...It ranks number one in firearms per capita. The United States also has the highest homicide-by-firearm rate of the world’s most-developed nations.” Therefore, the solution may not be in reducing gun ownership, but relegating it. Perhaps instead of following smaller countries footsteps who have far less gun ownership to compare themselves to the United States, we should rule out gun callbacks and an all-out ban on certain firearms.
However, some gun control measures that could be implemented:
Raising the age to purchase any firearm from 18 to 21.
As many lone wolf shooters are within this age range, it might be even safer to raise the age to 25.
Restricting access to firearms for those with criminal convictions or mental illnesses that might make them susceptible to radicalization.
Many lone wolf shooters have been found to have mental illnesses after they commit mass shootings, which could have been prevented if the United States utilized a better mental health reporting system and had stricter restrictions on gun ownership eligibility.
Enforcing background checks and banning illegal and private trading of firearms, including the passing of firearms from parent to child.
In many lone wolf shootings, the firearms that are used are obtained from the parents of the household.
There are many loopholes in the sale of firearms in the United States, where guns can be sold online or through gun shows where no background check is needed.
Gun Violence Restraining Order
In addition to the last suggestion, immediate family members and police should be allowed to petition in court for certain individuals to be restrained from buying firearms if there is enough evidence to prove this individual could harm themselves or others. California is one of the first states to enact this law.
This could help prevent lone wolf extremist shootings as family members who are closer to the individual will catch early signs of radicalization or mental illness that should bar them from owning a firearm. Law enforcement can monitor forums online and flag individuals that display harmful behavior or are engaging in violent discussions such as the ones mentioned above.
Conclusion
The issue of mass shootings in the United States remains a highly controversial debate domestically and internationally. Some of the many causes include online radicalization (of young impressionable white men primarily), identity politics that is deeply rooted in American history, and political polarization within a two-party system that halts all progress on long term solutions such as gun reform. To counter online radicalization, it’s important to understand how individuals self-radicalize and end up on these forums in the first place, then it is the government’s job to hold these conspiracy promoting sites responsible. Part of holding these sites accountable means implementing discussion monitoring and flagging misinformation that could further radicalize its viewers. To address the identity politics of the United States, it could be beneficial to promote ideas of collectivism instead of grasping onto American individualism that’s run its course with previous generations, as well as protect diversity education and stop individuals from gaining too much power that their decisions cannot be overturned on state levels. Lastly, to implement longer term solutions like gun reform, it is necessary that the two-party system transition into something more cooperative and efficient. Then gun control reform can be introduced and likely make more progress than it has before in legislation. Hopefully with a compromise and application of all these considerations, change can be made, without sacrificing individual freedom, to start prioritizing the lives of all in the United States.
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