why do school shooters shoot themselves afterwards?

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The people that commit these acts have faced serious problems before the shooting. They deem that life is not worth living, just the same as many other people that commit suicide each year. However, the people involved in school shootings associate their pain with those at the school, as a result of bullying, unrequited feelings, inadequacy, failure. Therefore, in their minds they could be doing a good deed by removing these causes of pain, or receiving justice by forcing them to pay the ultimate price for the pain they've caused the shooter. Perhaps the shooter has always felt intimidated by a particular person simply because they were better than them at a particular subject. The shooter may believe that in order to prove they are superior, they must kill them.

Also, assuming, like you, that they are religious, wouldn't they be destined for hell anyway as they have just killed? But honestly, I think that although they may consider the prospect of jail, that isn't high on their agenda. I have a few theories as to why they would turn the gun on themselves afterwards.

Firstly, they were trying to remove the source of their pain. After the shooting, they would have realised that the pain was still there, and in order to remove it they kill themselves.
Or, if they were more logical, they would realise that if they did manage to get out of their alive (as the police often are told "shoot to kill" in these circumstances) they would then have to face their family, the families of the deceased, the community, and witness their pain and suffering, only to be trialled in court (I'm not from America, but don't they have the death penalty? Doesn't it cover these acts?) and have their life/freedom taken away anyway.
But ultimately, I think people who are disturbed enough to perform these crimes are already suicidal, and therefore are not worried about taking their own lives once they have removed the anticipated source of their pain....Show more

Some people feel that an act of cowardice can still have some meaning.

Sadly, some people in this world get through life through acting out of extremes, and enjoy doing so.

The problem with school shootings is not that these people are killing others, but the simple fact that individuals in society are pressurized whether under their own actions or the actions around them into what can only be called a antisocial act, That people can feel such discontent with the society they live in that they would act in such a way is perhaps an implication of these actions.

But i wouldn't know about it, i never let myself think like that....Show more

Well, if the thread snaps and they go around shooting 30 or so people, they could very well just do anything. Many do it as a pathetic "last act of desperation" or something; when the police show up or they are about to run out of ammo, the shooter knows that it is very truly over. The shock of this might hit them like a freight train, and in their fragile state of mind, the depression is enough to cause them to shoot themselves.


But these are just my thoughts....Show more

Based on what I have read, they are usually suicidal first, and decide to become infamous by taking as many people with them as they can. Most of these kids are fans of websites that glorify the Columbine shootings, apparently. So I think most of this is sick copycatting.

For those of you who aren't Americans, like 80% of death penalty cases are in Texas, hardly anyone gets the death penalty, and about half of states do not have the death penalty. I think it is irrelevant anyhow - these kids were suicidal to begin with....Show more

Well, yeah - that's what makes them psychopaths. We look at it and say "Why didn't you just kill yourself - why did you have to take out 32 other people?" But the whole thing was an act of irrational anger that most of us - fortunately! - can't comprehend....Show more