The Consequences Of School Shootings

The lack of school surveillance plays a big role for school shootings. Author of the book Rampage: the Social Roots of School Shootings, Katherine Newman states that “Failures of surveillance systems that are intended to identify troubled teens before

High school shootings have been occurring all over the country. All incidents leading to one or more deaths: Jonesboro, Fayetteville, Edinboro, Pearl, Moses Lake, Grayson, Olivehurst, Bethel, West Paducah, and many more. It will never happen to me, you could say, well, it could.y Behind school shootings students spend one hundred and eighty days per year at school, they spend so much time getting an education, but is the environment they’re in actually safe? There are many causes of school shootings and so they are effects.

The effort of this paper is designed to provide an audience with the basic framework in preventing, reacting to, and recovering from a school shooting. By analyzing the crisis of a school shooting, this paper will lay out the practical steps in preparing schools, communities, and local agencies for a tragedy that has already shook many communities across the nation. This paper will also follow the steps necessary to implement and evaluate a school shooting preparedness plan. In concluding this paper, school staff, local agencies, and families will be able to take the practical steps towards providing a safe and comfortable learning environment for students.

“An average of 9,289 people shot dead by a gun, or 774 a month, 178 a week, 25 a day, or a little more than one per hour,” statistics from (Sandy Hook Effect Articles.) School shootings are one of the most tragic events, from Columbine in 1999 to Sandy Hook in 2012, to many more recent ones today. Colleges to high schools and even to elementary schools, there is always a threat and a possibility of having a shooting.

Numerous studies have been conducted to determine if teachers should be in possession of a firearm while on school properties and if this will decrease the number and magnitude of school shootings. Many scholars believe equipping teachers with firearms will be costly and end up unnecessarily endangering more students, but many scholars claim that a teacher should be the last line of defense against a school shooter. The question this paper hopes to answer is how can equipping teachers who teach grades K-12 help to prevent school shootings in the United States. This paper will attempt to answer that question by examining the perspectives of school administration and law enforcement, the impact on student’s safety and education, the

Recently in America a tragedy occurred in San Bernardino, 14 people were murdered by 2 people that allegedly had ties to ISIS. Although officers responded in a matter of minutes, that speed isn’t always available, especially in rural areas. Is this the beginning of a change in America? I believe this is so and I also believe mass shootings should be addressed more specifically school shootings because the means of protection aren’t there. “Since 2013, there have been at least 161 school shootings in America- an average of nearly one a week.” (161 School Shootings in America Since 2013. everytownresearch.org.) That statistic includes 3 Indiana schools St. Mary’s Catholic School in Griffith, Indiana on 4/21/14, Purdue University on 1/21/14 and Indiana State on 9/29/14, also a high school in Louisville, Kentucky a day after the Indiana State shooting. These aren’t just happening on the west coast or down in Florida where the news only talks about, the places that seem to never be close, they’re happening close to home

Sandy Hook Elementary School. San Bernardino. Paris. What do all of these places have in common? They fell victim to unpredictability. Mass shootings are not new to our society, but they are still a devastating problem that should not exist any longer. Mass shootings connect to the novel, Fahrenheit 451, through both the unnecessary violence and the absence of humanity that are evident in the novel. Mass shootings are a devastating problem in our society, and now their numbers have escalated to a new level. This change reflects how both our society and our humanity is beginning to crumble, solutions like banning unnecessary and excessive fire arms are currently being enacted.

Mass Shootings are among the most controversial topics talk about in modern day society, and this is due to the apparent rise in shootings over the past couple of years. The nation has witnessed some of the most gruesome shootings in History such as Virginia Tech, and Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting. From the aftermath of these shootings, a solution was found to prevent such things from happening which is allow concealed-carry weapons on college campuses. It is said if there are more guns on campuses, the chances of a gun man taking out more innocent lives are less likely due to the amount of people with guns. Despite this sound solution of concealed carry on college campuses, the reality is that it causes more problems than it solves, and there are better solutions to this problem at hand. But, what exactly is the true nature of school shootings, is it actually a true threat to our education system?

“There have been 220 shootings on school campuses in the U.S. since 20 children and six adults were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary school in Newtown, Conn. on Dec. 14, according to Everytown For Gun Safety, an advocacy group.” (Krishnakumar, Priya , and Len Degroot) Many people do not feel safe attending or sending their child to a public school where they are possibly subject to a shooting. School shootings were first initially brought to the attention of the public in 1999, Columbine was one of the first school massacres that was recognized nationwide. Because of the magnitude of the shooting there is an abundance of information online bearing information of the event. First off, the shooters had identified specific targets, athletes, minorities and Christians. The two shooters had planned the firing for over a year and thought out their whole strategy. (“Columbine High School shootings.”) There was no plan in place to react to this shooting, because nothing like it had ever happened before. Although if there was, we may not hear about Columbine to the degree we do today. Columbine still is the most well known shooting and the horrific impact is still notable today across the United States. In the eighteen years since Columbine in 1999 there have been hundreds of school shootings, ranging from grade schools to college universities. Obviously, school shootings are a big problem in the United States and hopefully in time with the proper precautions taken they will eventually be eliminated forever.

Since the day America was shocked to hear reports of a school shooting on April 20, 1999, America’s schools have changed in order provide a safer environment, ease any fears among the public, and protect students. The Columbine Massacre triggered an earthquake of changes throughout the school system. Like any earthquake, the shock was felt, then there may be a few aftershocks, but eventually it subsides and things become more lenient. Is this a problem? To figure this out we must look at the changes the massacre brought, their progression, and furthermore, where we are now.

Schools all over the world have become a bit stricter about the way that they handle certain situations. They are also doing a better job to make sure that they keep their environment safer. For instance, it was decided that the school should be closed for a while until everywhere was examined and that there were no signs of any problems. In “The Columbine High Massacre,” it states, “The Columbine Shooting on April 20, 1999 had an enormous impact on not just their town, but nationwide. Schools, and other places have become so much more aware of their surroundings and how to go about things” (Madeline).

In particular, the shooting has brought attention to school safety throughout the country and beyond, has contributed to children’s fears, and possibly inspired future generations of shooters.

This terrible event brought into question the safety and security of public schools. Crigger recalls, “I really considered homeschooling after that,” Crigger, along with numerous other fearful parents, wanted schools to be more secure and safe for their children. Schools are a place for learning, nurturing, and shaping young minds. But after the shooting, schools were a place of terror

Gun violence is a crisis in the United States and it has now dominated national debate since the school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland, Florida. A 19 year old killed 17 and injured 14 people at the school. The article, “No, there haven't been 18 school shootings in 2018. That number is flat wrong,” is by John Woodrow Cox and Steven Rich is published in the Washington Post on February 15, 2018. According to the article, Everytown for Gun Safety, a non-profit group, co- founded by Michael Bloomberg, defines a school shooting as “‘anytime a firearm discharges a live round inside a school building or on a school campus or grounds.”’ Yet the Gun Violence Archive defines school shootings as those that take place during school

It is without a doubt that there has been an increase in violent crimes in schools throughout recent years. School shootings continue to become more and more common, especially in North America. Safety concerns for any and all students and staff in schools are at all all time high due to the high number of fatal and non-fatal occurring incidences. Since 2013 to the present, it is estimated that the United States has seen approximately 205 school shootings. Weekly, that is a shocking one shooting on average. Many of these shootings have resulted in the injuries and deaths of multiple of students and staff members. (Everytown Research, 2017) Evidently, school shootings are tragic events that affect so many more people than just the victims. However, these events are also interesting to look at from the psychological and sociological point of views. Through much research, it can be concluded that school shootings are a complex problem that are caused by a mix of improper brain development and societal and media influences which motivate school shooters to emerge. Psychological factors may include struggling with mental illnesses and/or abuse that leads to damaged brain development. Additionally, being bullied and/or the role of the media are examples of sociological factors.