Article Synopsis: Preventing School Shootings
School shootings have a long history, though their reasons are not determined yet. The article under consideration dwells upon the results of studies refuting numerous myths about attackers and suggesting methods of preventing the attacks.
To start with, the studies show that children, who are going to shoot at school, often share their plans with the others and show an interest to violence. Future attackers tell about their ideas mainly to the peers. Thus, classmates can be sources of information.
Then, shooting incidents are mostly well-planned. The attackers get prepared to acts of violence. Timely inquiries make it possible to prevent them.
There is no definite type of character making the person a potential shooter. Their ethnicity, age, family background, school performance, and other characteristics vary significantly. Thus, making stereotypes is a useless prevention method.
The majority of shooters had an experience in the use of guns and could easily get a gun. Due to this, it is necessary to pay attention to weapon access while investigating threats.
Most attacks were over before the police intervened. In these cases, the attackers were stopped by school staff, by other students, or stopped themselves.
About a half of the shooters were encouraged by other people, mainly by friends. Though the attackers’ motives may differ, one of the key ones is bullying. Many children were severely harassed at school. About a half of all acts of targeted violence were committed by the bullied students in order to revenge on the abusers. Future attackers were so maltreated that the cases of cruelty would result in legal consequences, if they occurred among adults. Thus, it is extremely important to struggle against bullying in schools.
Finally, the signs that can predict school shooting are common. In the majority of cases, the attackers behaved in a way which caused concern long before the attacks. Proper response to the students’ problems can probably help to prevent many cases of shooting.
References
National Institute of Justice. (2002). Preventing School Shootings: A Summary of a U. S. Secret Service Safe School Initiative Report. The NIJ Journal, 248, 2002, p. …
