Terrorism vs. Indiscriminate Mass Assaults: What’s the Difference? And Does It matter? 

by S. Lee Funk | Oct 25, 2025 | Case Studies & Cultural Commentary, Inside the Mind: Expert Insights

Many terrorist activities include mass murder but the majority of mass murders are not terrorist acts. Simple as this fact may seem, it eludes many laypersons and some law enforcement personnel as well, including the current Director of the Federal Bureau of...

Terrorism, Rampaging, and Pronouncements: Why Expertise Matters When Framing Public Policy

by S. Lee Funk | Sep 5, 2025 | Case Studies & Cultural Commentary, Inside the Mind: Expert Insights, Prevention & Intervention

A sudden mass assault and a terrorist attack are both subsumed under the category of performative violence, but they are not the same crime and conflating them jeopardizes prevention efforts by obfuscating a thorough appreciation of the myriad forces underlying...

Five Ways the Recent NYC Skyscraper Shooting Conforms with the Performative Intent of a Rampage 

by S. Lee Funk | Aug 12, 2025 | Inside the Mind: Expert Insights, Understanding Violence

Time and place were deliberately chosen to maximize visibility. The assault was conducted in a public setting in the middle of rush hour.[1] There was no attempt to hide the crime. On the contrary, it was contrived purely for attention. Rampageous assailants...

Two Slaughters, Two Offenders, Two Methods, Two Lessons

by S. Lee Funk | Jun 6, 2025 | Inside the Mind: Expert Insights

Nobody attends an outdoor celebration expecting extreme violence, which, of course, from the perspective of the perpetrator is exactly the reason for selecting such a venue. The recent calamity at the Filipino street festival in Vancouver with ll dead by intentional...

Finally, a Proactive Legal Move that May Reduce Rampage Causalities

by S. Lee Funk | Apr 22, 2025 | Inside the Mind: Expert Insights

The state of Georgia is doing something in the wake of a school shooting that is rare and can provide guidance for other states and municipalities. It is putting aside rhetoric and absolutist positions on gun possession to develop realistic bipartisan legislation that...

Surgically Removing the Media Skim and Political Spin to Get Inside The Head of a Potential Assassin

by S. Lee Funk | Jul 31, 2024 | Case Studies & Cultural Commentary, Inside the Mind: Expert Insights

There is an essential point that investigators and journalists are not adequately considering in seeking the motivation for the recent sudden assault by Thomas Matthew Crooks at a rally for former President Donald Trump: namely, it was not an assassination attempt –...