Potential violence is always a threat on the American sociopolitical scene, as it might be in any society that allows political dissent. However, a rash of deadly violence by young adults and teenagers highlights a disturbing societal trend: alleged killers emerging from relatively stable and financially secure upbringings.

That was a through line in the murders over the past year of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk, and two detainees at Immigration and Customs Enforcement‘s Dallas Field Office, in an attack seemingly aimed at federal agents.