risen still further, the response to mass shootings has gotten stuck between the gears somehow. our public officials roar and gnash their teeth, but nothing ever catches. policy doesn't change. one of the questions being asked now after this particular spate of mass shootings is whether that stasis will still hold, even now, even as this crisis takes on a frightening new form. [ gunfire ] >> reporter: it happened again this weekend. [ screaming ] >> reporter: and then again. where else in the western world do these shootings happen with such numbing regularity? the answer is nowhere. >> this is also a mental illness problem. these are really people that are very, very seriously mentally ill. >> reporter: the mental illness argument is a convenient retreat, but it's not like other countries are free from mental illness or violent video games or disaffected youth or any of the other proxies we blame after