Instead of just letting all the myriad whackjobs out there amongst us simmer and eventually explode into these surprise attacks on unsuspecting victims, I have a proposition that can (a) save lives and reduce the trauma on the general population; (b) provide some fine entertainment; (c) quite possibly solve the budget deficit by imposing a robust tax on the cable TV networks that would air the 'series.'
We create a "National Lottery." Anyone can sign up. It would work sort of like a blog. Everyone on the blog would be encouraged to express ALL of their opinions, in the most outspoken, opinionated, and intolerant way they possibly could. Expression of extreme opinions would be encouraged, use of inflammatory, insulting language would be considered to be "good etiquette."
Now we have a good 'breeding ground' for the monthly (might even quickly have a surfeit of contestants that weekly or daily matches could be mustered!) mortal kombat events that will provide good wholesome entertainment value to the World audience.
After the swirling cesspool of hate and venom that such a site would inevitably become was allowed to simmer for a month or two we would be all set. Every month (week/day), the moderators and administrators of this site would select opposing parties based on the venom of their blog posts and nominate them for "The Arena."
The Arena would be a walled compound that was several city blocks in size and included various buildings, working vehicles, and weapons (polearms, AK47s, chain saws, flame throwers, hand grenades, etc.). Both sides in any given prospective "match" would be given a few days to prep and access to some basic gear (fatigues, rucksacks, fake weapons with blank ammo, various training equipment). After three to five days of preparation at separate training facilities identical in construction to the arena grounds, the two sides would be ready for battle. The details for any given arena scenario could be based on the dialogue of the preceding blog discussions. For example, if a stalwart lone wolf (imagine Nero) valiantly did battle from a seemingly unassailable 'high positions,' but never seemed to get down low into the melee, then such a contestant (Green Team in this example

) might be given 6 hours to prepare a defensive position in the arena and then the enemy team would have to overwhelm the defenders.
There is all kinds of possibilities here really: chainsaw death matches between Code Pink and Karl Rove groupies (first group missing more than 50% of hits fingers/hands/arms, if not dead loses); Pellet gun battles between pro-NRA and gun control lobbies (first team to lose more than 50% of its eyes loses); or just pure good old flamethrower death matches between the pro-death (aka reproductive rights) / LGBT freaks and the pro-poverty (aka pro-life) bible thumpers.
All arena combatants would have to be pre-screened for physical fitness (must be below a certain maximum level of thinness, aerobic fitness and muscular strength), psychopathy (must harbor exceptionally hateful and venomous attitudes about one opinion or another) and military training (ex-cops, and soldiers need not participate, we want this to be a 'fair' fight among incompetent, pathetic, craven, despicable exemplars of modern day ideologues, NOT an actual contest between trained warriors; for that we have several ongoing wars that we can watch on Youtube anytime we like).
The beauty of this would be that, all the would be spree killers would naturally feel inclined to get involved. There could be prizes for the winners, and of course the great esteem of knowing "I killed, maimed, and dismembered 3 people who exemplify my most inimical ideology . . . before I got hit by that stray shot and wound up in this wheel chair . . ."
I mean we all know that combat, killing people, hearing the lamentations of the womens (all you vets jump in and back me up here okay!), watching your comrades fall in glorious battle against the enemy, the satisfaction of watching your opponent writhe in agony as his or her guts strew out on the ground . . . no greater joys than that! Such an institution would go a long way towards (a) taking these would be spree killers off the streets; (b) preventing those of us who dont' really care to get involved in these cataclysmically important ideological struggles for supremacy over modern civilization and the future of humanity from accidentally being hit by a stray shot; (c) provide a boost to the cable TV networks, which are seeing a lot of lost revenue to Youtube and other web-based entertainment.
There could even be a once a year "Congressional" death match in which legislators strip down to their skivvies and knife fight their nemesis on the other side of the aisle to death or submittal. Imagine how much more productive congress would be if every time they insulted or slighted each other there was a good chance that their honor would be challenged in the arena!