Based on the manifesto, the shooter doesn’t appear to have been stupid, and anyone who is not stupid is able to work out the cost-benefit analysis of these shootings. There is no benefit to speak of, and the costs, both to the individual and to right-wing politics, are extreme.

Ultimately, the only person who can actually be blamed for a mass shooting is the guy who did it. But of course, we live in a society, and all people are products of their society, so there is good reason to analyze what puts a teenager into a mind space where they think doing something so destructive is a good idea.

The most obvious and most important societal cause is political censorship. It has been understood since the printing press, mass literacy, and the subsequent political enfranchisement of the masses of people that political engagement is the only way to avoid political violence. What has happened over the last 5 years is a program of total censorship of American people who disagree with the government. This is total political disenfranchisement of the entire society. If you are only free to agree with the establishment, then you do not have free political speech (even if you do agree with the government).

When people are not allowed to express themselves and engage with society with words, some of those people will engage in violence. The various shootings that have been blamed on “white supremacy” have all happened after the US began its mass censorship campaign. Obviously, political censorship doesn’t justify shooting a bunch of random people. Individuals must be held responsible for their actions. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t say “if this person wasn’t censored, they would not have done this shooting.” The media is blaming internet speech, when this is literally the opposite of the truth.