This article first appeared in the Opinion section of The San Diego Union-Tribune on May 22, 2026.
After three people — including a heroic security guard — were killed Monday at the Islamic Center of San Diego, one can only imagine the shock experienced by the families of those directly affected.
The question is what continues to drive these acts of violence despite declining crime rates. Crime is down across the U.S., in some cases reaching its lowest levels in decades. The Council on Criminal Justice said that last year, the nation had its lowest homicide rate since 1900, with the largest one-year percentage drop in homicides.
Yes, the rate of firearm-related deaths in our nation has been rising, reaching a near three-decade high in 2021. But that is due to an increase in gun suicides. The number of firearm-related homicides actually has decreased, going from 20,958 in 2021 to 19,651 in 2022. While mass shooting deaths represent only about 1% of all firearm-related deaths in the U.S., the number of those incidents is increasing.
What motivates the nation’s mass shooters, given the overall decrease in violent crime? Many will point to all the hateful rhetoric that is amplified by social media. Like a sharp stone cast into calm waters, antagonistic posts generate a ripple effect.
Believers in Islam are a particular target. The Center for the Study of Organized Hate recently found that the targeting of Muslims has increased in 2026. The center reports that such behavior spiked on Feb. 28, the day the U.S. went to war with Iran.
A disturbing number of social influencers perpetuate hatred. The San Diego shooters who committed suicide after their attack were 17 and 18. As noted in the UCLA Initiative to Study Hate: “Our results help to highlight the distressing number of young people who may encounter hateful content on social media, sounding a clear alarm.”
City, state and federal budget shortfalls have resulted in the slashing of programs aimed at helping at-risk individuals and preventing them from being radicalized. Dwindling mental health funding presumably contributes to the violence playing out before innocent communities.
Gun laws have fallen victim to divisive partisanship. Even universal background checks on gun buyers are a partisan issue. At least one of the mosque shooters had access to a parent’s gun arsenal. How can one logically dispute safe storage requirements? These debates reflect a much broader failure to confront gun violence.
Finally, most of us have not (yet) been directly impacted by incidents like Monday’s horrific tragedy. We are understandably busy living our daily lives. But we can all do something before becoming a statistic. If we do nothing, we should consider who to hold accountable when gun violence affects our communities.
Slomanson is a distinguished professor emeritus at the Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego and a member of the Alliance to End Gun Violence, formerly known as San Diegans for Gun Violence Prevention.
photo credit: K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune