Mass Shootings

The article Shootings by Adam Gopnik depicts the correlation between mass murders and media to be a social gathering in which citizens from all around the world bandwagon onto debates to form “crusades”. Adam emphasises that media sources only shine light upon topics of gun violence and mass shootings in a overly exaggerated tone, rather than finding an appropriate solution. Adam attepmted to propose that media only brodcrasts pinpointed topics that grabs public attention to make headlines by focusing the characteristics of the Virgina Tech’s shooter’s mental illness. According to Adam (2007) “... much of the conversation was devoted to musing on the treatment of mental

Since 2013 there have been 268 school shootings in the United States alone (Everytown for Gun Safety, 2017). School gun violence is becoming increasingly probable. It is imperative that our government and our citizens come together to create a solution and implement a plan to prevent and stop the occurrence of school gun violence. The solution, for some, is to bring more guns into the picture by arming teachers, principals, and other school officials, or place armed police officers at school sites (LaPierre, 2015). For others, the solution is to make even stricter laws regarding gun use or to get rid of these weapons altogether. These certainly are drastic options; I must say that I do believe the true solution is to increase the focus on mental health services and by extension, mental health awareness. There is simply not enough focus on the mental health of our youth and of our students. Mental health services are the most important step to making schools safer, because this solution touches the entire problem of violence at its root level.

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.

Research in school shootings have been administered in many categories, including sociology, psychology, and etc. past studies, and direct later studies in school shootings, offers a sociology stand point for understanding the differences of school shooting incidents, including rampage shootings, mass murders shootings, and examining the mass media dynamic of school shootings; as well as presenting a combination of causes said in the research, including those on the individual, community, and social levels. Suggestions for studies in the future in school shootings are still yet to be explored.

School shootings have become well known around the world due to the coverage by the media. . These shootings are a serious concern and have parents constantly concerned about their child’s safety when they are at school and also have students thinking twice about any unusual or suspicious behavior. The media appears to play a large part in school shootings and it is important to analyze the deviant behaviors of the shooters in these horrific instances and the fear they create in schools. Does the media play a large part in school shootings or does the media play a large part in the sensationalism of school shootings and the fear they create both in schools and with parents?

A method of preventing school shootings would be to acknowledge risk factors that the student is facing. For example, bullying is a risk factor for school shootings. In a research study done in 2001 of 37 school shootings, it was reported that 75% of the school shooters felt bullied, threatened, or injured by others in which most of the shooters in the report had experienced long-term bullying and harassment from their peers (Duplechain & Morris, 2014). In addition, the authors do state: “School personnel too often accept that children get teased and bullied every day, because teachers, parents, students, and other adults have grown up thinking that bullying is a normal part of school life. It has easily become an accepted part of today’s school culture” (Ibid, 2014). The authors believe that schools view bullying as something that students should get used to. This does show how bullying is an issue in schools. It is not solely to blame in regards to school shootings, but is a risk factor for them.

School shootings are becoming more and more prevalent. Without having safety measures in place, more and more incidences of people being killed or maimed will occur. According to David Jannetty there are several steps to help prevent school shootings. The first step would be to advert children’s attention away from violent video games. According to Mr. Jannetty, “there needs to be a greater public awareness effort, paid for by the video companies, to educate parents on the possible dangers associated with violent video games.” Another step from David Jannetty would be the community recognizing students who have mental issues and then those who suffer

Mental Health is the root to numerous problems in America, how your brain deals with certain situations determines how sick or healthy our minds are. Based on a Washington Post-ABC News Poll of 808 adults, 57% agreed that the mass shootings were due to mental health issues whereas 28% said that it was due to inadequate gun control laws (SHEN). Almost 30% additional people thought that it was a mental health issue instead of a gun control issue. Since a larger portion of adults believe that mental health is the root to mass shootings a mental health test need to be complete on anyone who wants to carry or purchase a weapon.

Mass shootings have been a growing epidemic in the past years in the United States. According to CNN between the years 1966 and 2017 there have been 90 Mass Shootings in the United States; with the shootings more likely to occur at the workplace or at schools(1). But why is this happening? Why are unlikely citizens rising up and performing such vulgar actions? What truly has people baffled is what is causing people to commit such a horrific act of violence? We are baffled because we don’t understand what is the cause that the some of the people committing these shootings are thought to be normal, well raised, and stable-mind people. There are many theories as to why people commit these mass shootings. One is that it is that a people's thresholds for the act and they are joining in. Another is that is is testosterone and natural dominance causing those viewed as outcasts to commit the shooting. But I believe it is both of those but that there is a stronger one that explains the reason why good people are committing horrific shootings. My theory is the psychological act of splitting.

“Looking at mass shooting in America, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold stands out in their background and motives. Unlike Adam Lanza at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, or James Holmes at a movie theater in Colorado, or Jared Loughner outside an Arizona shopping center, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold did not have discernable psychiatric diagnoses” (Sancier,2014).

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.

So much damage can be done by one person and a gun. At some point in a shooters life, something went downhill, and it led to them feeling negatively about themselves and their classmates. There is an array of reasons for this, but the main three discussed in this case study are bullying, isolation, and a strong need to “strike back.” As a society, and even more importantly, as students, there is a lot that can be done to prevent school shootings from happening. Prevention ranges from

There have been a number of school shootings over the past few decades. When school shootings are analyzed there is not one school shooter that is the same. There are plenty of ideas that the common person has conjured about school shooters that are wrong. This is why it is important to be critical and understand the distinct characteristics that trouble many school shooters. After looking at the research, “there are two main characteristics that are consistently found in school shooters, peer and social rejection. Not only are school shooters rejected, they lack social support and prosocial relationships” (Bartol & Bartol, 2014). Having no other way to cope they become angry and begin to seek out other forms of comfort. “A school shooter can find comfort in being cruel to animals. They can even pick up an interest in guns and other weaponry. Often times they have easy access to weapons, whether it comes from home or a peer” (Bartol & Bartol, 2014). There can be a correlation found between rejection and support and seeking out alternative ways to cope. School shooters have psychological characteristics that can be attributed to the events prior to the school shooting. Usually, there is a romantic rejection plus other psychological problems. “Some problems can include depression, lack of impulse control and antisocial behavior. A vast majority of shooters have a fascination with death, also known as macabre” (Bartol & Bartol, 2014).

Schools are no longer a safer environment for teenagers and children in today’s society. Every year, many young lives are taken away due to school shootings. School shootings are widespread issue that seek attention because of their dramatic and frighten nature. These shootings results teenagers who have been harassed or bullied into depression come back with the guns to get revenge. However, School shootings are becoming more and more of an everyday incident around the world.

“Since 2013, there have been at least 173 school shootings in America — an average of nearly one a week.” (Everytown for Gun Safety, paragraph 1). Everytown for Gun Safety has been tracking this information since the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting that occurred in 2012. This information is an alarming wake up call for parents of teenagers, who fear the possibility of their children being victims of school shootings caused by teen violence. The leading causes of teen violence are controversial topics, however, it is greatly believed by some that the main causes are bullying, begin misunderstood, and having parents that have given up on them.