Nashville Shooter: One in Long Line of Killers Who Targeted the Defenseless

School security is a deterrent. It’s time to prioritize school security and safeguard our children. pic.twitter.com/LuxfnQ7oxc

— NRA (@NRA) March 27, 2023

Metropolitan Nashville Police said in a press conference last Monday that the Nashville school shooter had their sights set on multiple locations, but chose the Covenant School due to its lack of security. 

According to Police Chief John Drake, investigators found a manifesto written by the shooter. The 28-year-old killer was a former student of the private Christian school.

Although Chief Drake did not provide a specific motive, he mentioned the shooter’s prior planning for the attack, saying in an interview with Lester Holt on NBC News, “We have a manifesto, we have some writings that we’re going over that pertain to this date, the actual incident. We have a map drawn out of how this was all going to take place.”

The manifesto goes on to describe other locations, according to the police. 

“It wasn’t the only school that was targeted. There was another location that was mentioned, but because of a threat assessment by the suspect of too much security, they decided not to,” Drake said. “That area was here in Nashville, so we’re continuing with that investigation as well.”

While police have mentioned a potential theory, they have not officially declared any motive.

WATCH: Bodycam Footage Shows Police Taking Down Nashville School Shooter

“There’s some belief that there was some resentment for having to go to that school,” Chief Drake said.

Regardless of the shooter’s motive, Drake believes he understands exactly why the individual chose the school and how they planned to carry out the attack. 

“In any case, there was going to be shootings at multiple locations. The school was one of them,” Drake said. “There was actually a detailed map of the school and surveillance entry points and how this was going to be carried out on this day.”

According to an updated article from the nonprofit CrimeResearch.Org, it is much more common for a shooter or domestic terrorist to pick their victims based on security — or the lack thereof.

The perp behind the “The Dark Knight” theater shooting in Aurora, CO, planned to target either movie theaters or an airport, according to his journal.

“Airport X substantial security,” the journal entry said. “Too much of a terrorist history. Terrorism isn’t the message. The message is that there is no message.” 

Out of the seven theaters within 20 minutes of the shooter’s residence, only one displayed “gun-free zone” signs. The same one he chose for his rampage. 

SEE ALSO: Alec Baldwin Gets Destroyed for Promoting Gun Control in Wake of Nashville Attack

The shooter who carried out the 2022 Buffalo shooting left also left behind a manifest. It indicated that the shooter had been planning the attack for weeks and had chosen the grocery store in Buffalo because it was a “gun-free zone.” He believed he would encounter little resistance.

The manifesto reportedly contained statements such as, “areas where CCW [concealed carry weapons] are outlawed or prohibited may be good areas of attack” and “areas with strict gun laws are also great places of attack.”

These statements suggest that the shooter deliberately targeted the store because he believed it would be an easier target due to the lack of armed resistance.

This information aligns with research from the Crime Prevention Research Center (CPRC) which shows a pattern of mass shooting events taking place in gun-free zones. According to the study, 98% of mass shootings happen in places where the average citizen is banned from carrying a gun. 

All this raises an obvious question: Why don’t we put an end to gun-free zones?

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