Jonson, Cheryl Lero. "Preventing School Shootings: The Effectiveness of Safety Measures." Victims & Offenders, vol. 12, no. 6, Nov/Dec2017, pp. 956-973. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/15564886.2017.1307293.
This article concerns the shootings at Columbine High School, Virginia Tech, and Sandy Hook Elementary School that caught attention. Jonson called for something to be done to defend school in the United States. The article contains many solutions such as many schools employing armed security guards, metal detectors, and training students how to react when a shooter enters school. However, many of these security measures were executed. The failure to formulate evidence-based acknowledgments has had financial and latent consequences that are only now being identified. This article attempts to fill that void by analyzing the evidence surrounding common security measures enacted in response to well-publicized school shootings and calling for the use of an evidence-based approach to school safety
“By 2014, after the shootings of Virginia Tech and Sandy Hook shootings, the percentage of schools locking and monitoring doors grew substantially, with over 90% employing these measures” (Jonson 963).
“Roughly 10% of schools had their students pass through a metal detector on a daily basis to prevent weapons from entering school buildings” (Jonson 964).
Mears, Daniel P., et al. "Columbine Revisited: Myths and Realities about the Bullying–School Shootings Connection." Victims & Offenders, vol. 12, no. 6, Nov/Dec2017, pp. 939-955. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/15564886.2017.1307295.
In this article, the authors present an argument which identifies recommendations for school shootings and the causes of them. In 1999, after the Columbine school shooting, there was concern about bullying. There was a prominent belief that emerged which was believed that bullying caused school shootings. However, many of the assumptions about bullying developed myths—that is, unsubstantiated assumptions. These beliefs about bullying ignore significant issues that have to do with the efforts to understand the bullying–school shootings connection. Given that, these myths are likely inhibiting progress toward a more fundamental perception of the conditions of school shootings.
“What are these “causal” factors? They include, but are not limited to, the following: a history of being bullied; mental illness; past physical or sexual victimization; suicidal ideation; being a “loner”; dressing and acting “Goth”; “bad” parenting; exposure to violent video games and graphic violence; listening to violent music; adoption of a hypermasculine persona; and an interest in weapons” (Mears et al. 943).
“However, none of these factors, or any others, have been shown to exert an effect on the probability of school shootings or of individuals becoming school shooters” (Mears et al. 943).
Metzl, Jonathan M., and Kenneth T. MacLeish. "Mental Illness, Mass Shootings, and the Politics of American Firearms." American Journal of Public Health, vol. 105, no. 2, Feb. 2015, pp. 240-249. EBSCOhost, doi:10.2105/AJPH.2014.302242
This article illustrates notions of mental illness that emerge from mass shootings which exhibit more massive cultural stereotypes and anxieties about matters such as race/ethnicity, social class, and politics. It goes on to say that these issues become obscured when mass shootings come to stand in for all gun crime, and when “mentally ill” ceases to be a medical designation and becomes a sign of violent threat. The article also presents four assumptions that are frequently emerging in the aftermath of mass shootings in the United States: that mental illness causes gun violence, that psychiatric diagnosis can predict gun crime, that shootings represent the deranged acts of mentally ill loners, and that gun control “won’t prevent” another shooting.
Hart, Tom X. “What Causes School Shootings?” Medium, Medium, 15 Feb. 2018, medium.com/@TXHart/what-causes-school-shootings-355f69960d21.
In this article, Tom Hart goes into depth into the reasoning behind the senseless school shootings. For example, is it bullying, mental illness, or merely senseless killings? He reveals statistics regarding the necessary increase of gun violence within the school setting is staggering and alarming. Essentially, he goes on to say that schools were supposed to be safe areas for students and faculty, where everyone can feel protected and work in a climate that is conducive to learning. However, when violent acts, such as gun shootings take place, trust and security are endangered, leaving faculty and students feeling defeated and traumatized. Students and faculties do not feel safe anymore going to school because of the fear of a school shooting happening. No one knows where the next shooting is going to happen. Therefore, to ensure the well-being of all students and faculty, he believes that it would be beneficial for to take all the issues and face them head-on.
“The problem is compounded by the use of various drugs to treat mental illnesses” (Hart).
“Man does not live by bread alone. The social dislocation and confusion that grew from the technocratic welfare states were real” (Hart).
Weller, Chris. “These Four Countries Have Nearly Eliminated Gun Deaths – Here's What the US Can Learn.” The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 18 Feb. 2018, www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/gun-deaths-eliminated-america-learn-japan-australia-uk-norway-florida-shooting-latest-news-a8216301.html.
This article surveys countries that have implemented gun control. Examples of such countries are Australia, Japan, and even the UK. In continuation, the UK, with gun control, it was estimated that in 2010, a study showed that with gun control roughly 50 to 60 gun deaths a year in England and Wales, which have a population of 56 million. Compared to the US, a country about six times as large that has more than 160 times as many gun-related homicides.
“If Japanese people want to own a gun, they must attend an all-day class, pass a written test, and achieve at least 95% accuracy during a shooting-range test” (Weller).
“Sociologists who study the Nordic model have found that social cohesion between citizens and the government goes a long way toward ensuring a (mostly) peaceful society” (Weller).