David Cariens launches memoir about mass shootings and their victims Sat., June 7

Book cover

Victims’ rights advocate and Virginia mass shootings expert David Cariens will launch his new memoir Outrageous: Investigating Mass Shootings Saturday, June 7 from 1:00 – 3:00 pm at Great Fortune Restaurant (443 North Main St, Kilmarnock). Cariens will do a brief reading from the book at 1:30 pm.

All are invited to attend; no reservations are required.

Cariens combines personal experience—the mother of his oldest grandchild was killed during the Appalachian School of Law rampage in 2002—and a deep knowledge of gun violence and gun reform in the United States. Cariens also considers the mental health drivers of mass shooters and the policy failures of public and private institutions to propose solutions.

All profits, after taxes and expenses, go to three charities. One third goes to The Haven, a shelter for battered women in honor of Angela Dales, the mother of my oldest grandchild. One third goes to the Michael Pohle Scholarship Fund. Michael was killed in the German class at Va. Tech. One third goes to St. Jude Children’s Hospital in memory of Kate Nixon who was murdered during the May 31, 2019 Virginia Beach Municipal Building shooting. 

Event flyer: Book Launch - A book by David Cariens Saturday, June 7, 2025, 1-3p at Great Fortune Restaurant (443 North Main St, Kilmarnock)
Book cover and blurb. David Cariens is a highly respected victims rights advocate, who has written widely on mass shootings in Virginia, including one that involved the murder of the mother of his granddaughter. His latest book, Outrageous, is the compelling personal story of his psychological and physical journey in trying to deal with gun violence and gun reform in a country where the hypocrisy of politicians, attorneys, and even judges hinder the effort to find accountability for mass shootings. Cariens brings new information to the gaps in America’s mental health system, which is often a contributor to all of these shootings. His criticism of the leaders of Virginia Tech, who were negligent in notifying and protecting their student body, is particularly revealing. Cariens does not try to hide his frustration and rage over these shootings, but he doesn’t let these emotions get in the way of what the United States needs to do about it. Melvin A. Goodman Senior Fellow at the Center for International Policy, Washington, D.C. Adjunct Professor of Government, Johns Hopkins University.