Much as we might like, we can't just edit away a shooter's identity and background from public view

After every mass shooting, there is always the suggestion battered around that the identity of the shooter not be released, his background not be released, his motives not be released, etc.

And I get why people say they want this. They don't want some sick, demented person out there to celebrate mass shooters as twisted celebrities and perhaps invite them to copycat their handiwork. Nor do they want discussion about the shooter and his possible motives to overshadow those of his victims.

I get what you're saying. Really. I do.

But you can't just do that.

First of all, there's what's called the First Amendment and public records laws and freedom of the press and freedom of information. So there's a huge legal obstacle right off the bat.

But beyond even that, do we really want to whitewash away key facts about these tragic events that we are so tired of having to go through? How can we learn about how to better address these situations in the future if we've hidden the facts from past incidents?

The problem is, we live in a country where the gun lobby has prevented so many sensible legal restrictions on gun purchasing and ownership that would have likely prevented at least some of the incidents we've come to know in the past few years. Because our laws and our enforcement of such laws are so lacking, it requires additional vigilance on behalf of ordinary people to recognize the signs of mental illness or anti-social behavior (anti-social as in potentially sociopathic and unusually aggressive, not as in shy) in friends and family, especially those who have expressed an interest in guns and weapons. That way, a peaceful intervention from loved ones to get needed help and shift them away from any dangerous weapons before problems arise can prevent future catastrophes.

As much as we'd like to think people like Adam Lanza, Eric Harris, Dylan Klebold, James Holmes and numerous other mass shooters never existed, we need to know where signs were missed and how to address future potential problems with smart proaction, especially from those who know and love the people who could end up joining those names.