EDIT: I see my post is being downvoted. I know that it may come across as insensitive to immediately leap to the gun control debate, but frankly I'm more angry than upset by this news. How many times does it have to happen? We have a good 48 hours of emotional outpouring and then everyone forgets it ever happened.
Everyday on HN there's this drone about the next Instagram or 37 Signals. Or who will produce better email or flamewars regarding the next dominant mobile OS. Time wasted, honestly (Oh yeah, 'I figured out project management, again.')
Where's the debate on HN on how best to handle gun control in the U.S. using technology? Can this community not produce answers for those questions?
Computers are logical and deal in absolutes. People are the exact opposite. Gun control is an emotional, sometimes irrational issue, and the solutions (I suspect) lie in societal changes. Gun control doesn't need advanced technology, as far as I can see. But I'd be interested to know what ideas people have.
A classic anti-technology strawman. It is like saying "Computers only use numbers, you can't do graphics or text with them".
At the very lowest level computers are entirely logical, but you can program one to deal with uncertainties and probabilities.
In fact that argument isn't quite relevant, unless you are arguing against the computers making the policy decisions, which I think was never under consideration.
Computers/technology can certainly be a strong tool to assist gun control.
One idea completely off the top of my head would be to data-mine as much info as possible about past shooting/shooters and then use this to help guide granting (or not) of gun licenses. With Bayesian this-and-that, the computer could give a number "estimated 0.000001% chance of serial killing" and refer the application to the appropriate person (e.g. a detailed analysis for people "at risk" (large probability), or a quicker check for "safer" people).