𝑰𝒎𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝑫𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝑨𝒍𝒍 𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 & 𝑬𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒔: 𝑩𝒖𝒍𝒍𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒗𝒔. 𝑷𝒉𝒚𝒔𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝑨𝒔𝒔𝒂𝒖𝒍𝒕

As a parent in Virginia who cares deeply about school safety (and has studied school violence since before Columbine), I’ve noticed something concerning. When kids come home with bruises, black eyes, injuries from being tripped, pushed into walls, hit, or worse, too often it gets labeled simply as “bullying.” While bullying is a serious issue that schools must address, physical assault is something different--and it’s a crime. Virginia law defines bullying as aggressive, unwanted behavior intended to harm, intimidate, or humiliate, usually involving a power imbalance and repeated over time (or causing severe emotional trauma). It does not include ordinary teasing or conflict. But when it crosses into punching, stabbing, tripping to cause injury, or other harmful physical contact? That’s assault and battery under Virginia law.

Calling clear physical violence “bullying” downplays the harm to our children and can let schools treat it as a minor discipline issue instead of what it is: a criminal act. Media and schools sometimes blur this line too, which leaves many parents unaware of their rights and options.

Why does this matter? Bullying policies focus on school interventions (counseling, suspensions, etc.).

Physical assault gives parents stronger tools: involving law enforcement, pressing charges if appropriate, and holding everyone accountable for student safety.

READ MORE HERE ON FACEBOOK: How long are we going to play dumb about school safety?

Studies on various aspects of school shootings and school violence PART FIVE

I  often hear "The government has done no studies on school shootings in over 2 decades!!!" Why wait for the government? "The government has funded studies through various universities and colleges. But when "the government" funds studies, a number of people do not like the findings, or find fault with the authors of the studies based on real or perceived political biases. 

Below are a few studies, articles, etc. in no particular order. I added them as I located them from my files. Be sure to check the dates on the studies; some are indeed older than 2 decades. That doesn't make them worthless; it is helpful to see that research has been done, added to, corrected over the years, and so on.

The link is under the title of each study; copy and paste the link into your browser. As I have time, I will make the hyperlinks clickable. 

I will add more over time.

LINK TO PART ONE

LINK TO PART TWO

LINK TO PART THREE

LINK TO PART FOUR

An evaluation of completed and averted school shootings

https://www.academia.edu/123208508/An_evaluation_of_completed_and_averted_school_shootings

Shootings in American Schools

https://www.academia.edu/14144461/Shootings_in_American_Schools

Characteristics and Obtainment Methods of Firearms Used in Adolescent School Shootings

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/article-abstract/2812306

Toward a Theory of Legitimated Adolescent Violence

https://www.academia.edu/873091/Toward_a_Theory_of_Legitimated_Adolescent_Violence

Gun Violence and Democratic Education in America

https://www.academia.edu/40950219/Gun_Violence_and_Democratic_Education_in_America

Social Structure and Deviance

https://www.academia.edu/85615962/Social_Structure_and_Deviance

Beyond First-Person Shooter Video Games: Using Computational Modeling and Simulation of Mass Violence for Threat Assessment and Management Journal of Threat Assessment and Management

https://www.academia.edu/42786059/Beyond_First_Person_Shooter_Video_Games_Using_Computational_Modeling_and_Simulation_of_Mass_Violence_for_Threat_Assessment_and_Management_Journal_of_Threat_Assessment_and_Management

Studying Rare Events Through Qualitative Case Studies Lessons From a Study of Rampage School Shootings

https://www.academia.edu/28377131/Studying_Rare_Events_Through_Qualitative_Case_Studies_Lessons_From_a_Study_of_Rampage_School_Shootings

The Role of Teachers and School Leaders in Mass Shootings and Multiple Victim Violence

https://www.academia.edu/101751982/The_Role_of_Teachers_and_School_Leaders_in_Mass_Shootings_and_Multiple_Victim_Violence

Research in School Shootings

https://www.academia.edu/103378345/Research_in_School_Shootings

Rampage: The Social Roots of School Shootings

https://www.academia.edu/9460684/Rampage_The_Social_Roots_of_School_Shootings

Public Health Analysis: The Strength of State School Safety Laws in Relation to the Number of Injuries/Deaths from School Shootings

https://www.academia.edu/37035662/Public_Health_Analysis_The_Strength_of_State_School_Safety_Laws_in_Relation_to_the_Number_of_Injuries_Deaths_from_School_Shootings

Responding to School Violence

https://www.academia.edu/19267505/Responding_to_School_Violence

More studies will be posted as time allows. I do this on my own with no compensation.

© Julie Clark 2023. Please seek permission to use material from this blog.

Studies on various aspects of school shootings and school violence PART FOUR

I often hear "The government has done no studies on school shootings in over 2 decades!!!" Why wait for the government? "The government has funded studies through various universities and colleges. But when "the government" funds studies, a number of people do not like the findings, or find fault with the authors of the studies based on real or perceived political biases. 

Below are a few studies, articles, etc., in no particular order. I added them as I located them from my files. Be sure to check the dates on the studies; some are indeed older than 2 decades. That doesn't make them worthless; it is helpful to see that research has been done, added to, corrected over the years, and so on.

The link is under the title of each study; copy and paste the link into your browser. As I have time, I will make the hyperlinks clickable. 

Six studies are listed below; I will add more over time.

LINK TO PART ONE

LINK TO PART TWO

LINK TO PART THREE

LINK TO PART FIVE

Animal Abuse as a Warning Sign of School Massacres: A Critique and Refinement

https://www.academia.edu/25467836/Animal_Abuse_as_a_Warning_Sign_of_School_Massacres_A_Critique_and_Refinement

Glamorizing Rampage Online: School Shooting Fan Communities on YouTube

https://www.academia.edu/8526533/Glamorizing_Rampage_Online_School_Shooting_Fan_Communities_on_YouTube

Expecting the Worst: Active-Shooter Scenario Play in American Schools

https://www.academia.edu/38993209/Expecting_the_Worst_Active_Shooter_Scenario_Play_in_American_Schools

Super Columbine Massacre RPG!: The Procedural Rhetoric of Critical (Gun) Play

https://www.academia.edu/26322384/Super_Columbine_Massacre_RPG_The_Procedural_Rhetoric_of_Critical_Gun_Play

A Study of Active Shooter Incidents in the United States Between 2000 and 2013

https://www.academia.edu/96724267/A_Study_of_Active_Shooter_Incidents_in_the_United_States_Between_2000_and_2013

Introduction to the Special Issue on School Safety: Increasing Understanding/Decreasing Misunderstandings in the Realm of School Safety

https://www.academia.edu/55041448/Introduction_to_the_Special_Issue_on_School_Safety_Increasing_Understanding_Decreasing_Misunderstandings_in_the_Realm_of_School_Safety

Suicide by mass murder: Masculinity, aggrieved entitlement, and rampage school shootings

https://www.academia.edu/3431765/Suicide_by_mass_murder_Masculinity_aggrieved_entitlement_and_rampage_school_shootings

Consequences of Violence for Communities

https://www.academia.edu/33948024/Consequences_of_Violence_for_Communities

Making Prevention a Reality: Identifying, Assessing, and Managing the Threat of Targeted Attacks — FBI

https://www.fbi.gov/file-repository/making-prevention-a-reality.pdf/view 

Female Involvement in School Rampage Plots

https://www.academia.edu/36238648/Female_Involvement_in_School_Rampage_Plots

Etiology of School Shootings

https://www.academia.edu/3796402/Etiology_of_School_Shootings

Violence and Society

https://www.academia.edu/586613/Violence_and_Society

The bullying-school shooting nexus: Bridging master narratives of mass violence with personal narratives of social exclusion

https://www.academia.edu/35435583/The_bullying_school_shooting_nexus_Bridging_master_narratives_of_mass_violence_with_personal_narratives_of_social_exclusion

"It’s Better to Overreact": School Officials’ Fear and Perceived Risk of Rampage Attacks and the Criminalization of American Public Schools - Madfis 2016

https://www.academia.edu/15426911/_It_s_Better_to_Overreact_School_Officials_Fear_and_Perceived_Risk_of_Rampage_Attacks_and_the_Criminalization_of_American_Public_Schools_Madfis_2016

Parricides, School Shootings and Child Soldiers: Constructing criminological phenomena in the context of children who kill

https://www.academia.edu/34690680/Parricides_School_Shootings_and_Child_Soldiers_Constructing_criminological_phenomena_in_the_context_of_children_who_kill

An Examination of the Individual and Contextual Characteristics Associated with Active Shooter Events

https://www.academia.edu/12230361/An_Examination_of_the_Individual_and_Contextual_Characteristics_Associated_with_Active_Shooter_Events

Beyond First-Person Shooter Video Games: Using Computational Modeling and Simulation of Mass Violence for Threat Assessment and Management Journal of Threat Assessment and Management

https://www.academia.edu/42786059/Beyond_First_Person_Shooter_Video_Games_Using_Computational_Modeling_and_Simulation_of_Mass_Violence_for_Threat_Assessment_and_Management_Journal_of_Threat_Assessment_and_Management

‘The age of school shootings’: A sociological interpretation on masculinity 

https://www.academia.edu/27017539/_The_age_of_school_shootings_A_sociological_interpretation_on_masculinity_La_era_de_las_masacres_en_las_escuelas_Una_interpretaci%C3%B3n_sociol%C3%B3gica_sobre_la_masculinidad

Media Coverage of Mass Killers: Content, Consequences, and Solutions

https://www.academia.edu/36222194/Media_Coverage_of_Mass_Killers_Content_Consequences_and_Solutions

Violent Conditioning: Teaching Children the Mechanics of Killing?

https://www.academia.edu/14751033/Violent_Conditioning_Teaching_Children_the_Mechanics_of_Killing

Exploring College Leaders' Critical Incident Experiences Pursuant to Improving Campus Safety Policies during the Mass-shooting Era

https://www.academia.edu/35543050/Exploring_College_Leaders_Critical_Incident_Experiences_Pursuant_to_Improving_Campus_Safety_Policies_during_the_Mass_shooting_Era

Don't Name Them, Don't Show Them, But Report Everything Else: A Pragmatic Proposal for Denying Mass Killers the Attention They Seek and Deterring Future Offenders

https://www.academia.edu/34493731/Dont_Name_Them_Dont_Show_Them_But_Report_Everything_Else_A_Pragmatic_Proposal_for_Denying_Mass_Killers_the_Attention_They_Seek_and_Deterring_Future_Offenders

"This can't happen here!" Community Reactions to School Shootings in Finland

https://www.academia.edu/1130440/_This_cant_happen_here_Community_Reactions_to_School_Shootings_in_Finland

The monsters next door: Media constructions of boys and masculinity

https://www.academia.edu/654432/The_monsters_next_door_Media_constructions_of_boys_and_masculinity

More studies will be posted as time allows. I do this on my own with no compensation.

© Julie Clark 2023. Please seek permission to use material from this blog.

Studies on various aspects of school shootings and school violence PART THREE

I often hear "The government has done no studies on school shootings in over 2 decades!!!" Why wait for the government? "The government has funded studies through various universities and colleges. But when "the government" funds studies, a number of people do not like the findings, or find fault with the authors of the studies based on real or perceived political biases. 

Below are a few studies, articles, etc., in no particular order. I added them as I located them from my files. Be sure to check the dates on the studies; some are indeed older than 2 decades. That doesn't make them worthless; it is helpful to see that research has been done, added to, corrected over the years, and so on.

The link is under the title of each study; copy and paste the link into your browser. As I have time, I will make the hyperlinks clickable. 

LINK TO PART ONE

LINK TO PART TWO

LINK TO PART FOUR

LINK TO PART FIVE

PART THREE, 25 studies:

A Practical Ideal Model for Responding to Active Shooter Incidents in Schools

https://www.academia.edu/7516714/A_Practical_Ideal_Model_for_Responding_to_Active_Shooter_Incidents_in_Schools

School Shootings and Gun Culture in the United States: Promoting Awareness and Theories for Change

https://www.academia.edu/19810196/School_Shootings_and_Gun_Culture_in_the_United_States_Promoting_Awareness_and_Theories_for_Change

School Shootings: Creating Safer Schools

https://www.academia.edu/66702571/School_Shootings_Creating_Safer_Schools

Multi-victim school shootings in the United States: A fifty-year review

https://www.academia.edu/43392351/Multi_victim_school_shootings_in_the_United_States_A_fifty_year_review

Fatal school shootings and the epidemiological context of firearm mortality in the United States

https://www.academia.edu/103378351/Fatal_school_shootings_and_the_epidemiological_context_of_firearm_mortality_in_the_United_States

When Prevention Isn’t Enough: Managing School Mass Shootings Along The Risk Continuum

https://www.academia.edu/79779167/When_Prevention_Isn_t_Enough_Managing_School_Mass_Shootings_Along_The_Risk_Continuum

Public Health Analysis: The Strength of State School Safety Laws in Relation to the Number of Injuries/Deaths from School Shootings

https://www.academia.edu/37035662/Public_Health_Analysis_The_Strength_of_State_School_Safety_Laws_in_Relation_to_the_Number_of_Injuries_Deaths_from_School_Shootings

Mass-Casualty Events at Schools: A National Preparedness Survey

https://www.academia.edu/19430202/Mass_Casualty_Events_at_Schools_A_National_Preparedness_Survey

Being Prepared: The School Emergency Response Plan Handbook

https://www.academia.edu/48161406/Being_Prepared_The_School_Emergency_Response_Plan_Handbook

Seven school-related disasters: Lessons for policymakers and school personnel

https://www.academia.edu/54567210/Seven_school_related_disasters_Lessons_for_policymakers_and_school_personnel

Knowledge and behaviors of parents in planning for and dealing with disasters and emergencies at schools

https://www.academia.edu/21899095/Knowledge_and_behaviors_of_parents_in_planning_for_and_dealing_with_disasters_and_emergencies_at_schools

Evaluating risk for targeted violence in schools: Comparing risk assessment, threat assessment, and other approaches

https://www.academia.edu/2623752/Evaluating_risk_for_targeted_violence_in_schools_Comparing_risk_assessment_threat_assessment_and_other_approaches

Premeditated Mass Shootings in Schools: Threat Assessment

https://www.academia.edu/18778/414Premeditated_Mass_Shootings_in_Schools_Threat_Assessment

School shootings: Making sense of the senseless

https://www.academia.edu/7797784/School_shootings_Making_sense_of_the_senseless

What can be done about school shootings? A review of the evidence

https://www.academia.edu/2623748/What_can_be_done_about_school_shootings_A_review_of_the_evidence

School violence: Prevalence, fears, and prevention

https://www.academia.edu/85559605/School_violence_Prevalence_fears_and_prevention

An introductory packet on Violence Prevention and Safe Schools

https://www.academia.edu/5140473/An_introductory_packet_on_Violence_Prevention_and_Safe_Schools

Exploring school rampage shootings: Research, theory, and policy

https://www.academia.edu/2525708/Exploring_school_rampage_shootings_Research_theory_and_policy

The Active Shooter

https://www.academia.edu/36695386/The_Active_Shooter

A Study of Active Shooter Incidents in the United States Between 2000 and 2013

https://www.academia.edu/96724267/A_Study_of_Active_Shooter_Incidents_in_the_United_States_Between_2000_and_2013

The final report and findings of the Safe School Initiative

https://www.academia.edu/2623805/The_final_report_and_findings_of_the_Safe_School_Initiative

Making Our Schools Safe

https://www.academia.edu/43712172/Making_Our_Schools_Safe

Introduction to the Special Issue on School Safety: Increasing Understanding/Decreasing Misunderstandings in the Realm of School Safety

https://www.academia.edu/55041448/Introduction_to_the_Special_Issue_on_School_Safety_Increasing_Understanding_Decreasing_Misunderstandings_in_the_Realm_of_School_Safety

Preventing school violence: A practical guide to comprehensive planning

https://www.academia.edu/734973/Preventing_school_violence_A_practical_guide_to_comprehensive_planning

Reducing School Violence: Building a Framework for School Safety. Third Edition

https://www.academia.edu/29588593/Reducing_School_Violence_Building_a_Framework_for_School_Safety_Third_Edition

More studies will be posted as time allows. I do this on my own with no compensation.

© Julie Clark 2023. Please seek permission to use material from this blog.

Studies on various aspects of school shootings and school violence PART TWO

I often hear "The government has done no studies on school shootings in over 2 decades!!!" Why wait for the government? "The government has funded studies through various universities and colleges. But when "the government" funds studies, a number of people do not like the findings, or find fault with the authors of the studies based on real or perceived political biases. 

Below are a few studies, articles, etc., in no particular order. I added them as I located them from my files. Be sure to check the dates on the studies; some are indeed older than 2 decades. That doesn't make them worthless; it is helpful to see that research has been done, added to, corrected over the years, and so on.

The link is under the title of each study; copy and paste the link into your browser. As I have time, I will make the hyperlinks clickable. 

LINK TO PART ONE

LINK TO PART THREE

LINK TO PART FOUR

LINK TO PART FIVE

PART TWO, 25 studies:

Shootings in American Schools

https://www.academia.edu/14144461/Shootings_in_American_Schools

From ‘‘I Don’t Like Mondays’’ to ‘‘Pumped Up Kicks’’: Rampage School Shootings in Young Adult Fiction and Young Adult Lives

https://www.academia.edu/37978241/From_I_Don_t_Like_Mondays_to_Pumped_Up_Kicks_Rampage_School_Shootings_in_Young_Adult_Fiction_and_Young_Adult_Lives

Fashion of Fear for Kids

https://www.academia.edu/32929383/Fashion_of_Fear_for_Kids

Architectures of Risk and Resiliency: "Embedded Security" in the Redesign of Sandy Hook Elementary School

https://www.academia.edu/38993208/Architectures_of_Risk_and_Resiliency_Embedded_Security_in_the_Redesign_of_Sandy_Hook_Elementary_School

Mass Murder at School and Cumulative Strain - Levin and Madfis 2009

https://www.academia.edu/4059087/Mass_Murder_at_School_and_Cumulative_Strain_Levin_and_Madfis_2009

Research in School Shootings

https://www.academia.edu/103378345/Research_in_School_Shootings

Gooble, Gobble, We Accept Her, We Accept Her, One Of Us, One Of Us: An Examination of the Views of Self for Incarcerated School Violence Perpetrators

https://www.academia.edu/90754376/Gooble_Gobble_We_Accept_Her_We_Accept_Her_One_Of_Us_One_Of_Us_An_Examination_of_the_Views_of_Self_for_Incarcerated_School_Violence_Perpetrators

The Columbine Legacy Rampage Shootings as Political Acts

https://www.academia.edu/2768787/The_Columbine_LegacyRampage_Shootings_as_Political_Acts

School Violence Beyond Columbine: A Complex Problem in Need of an Interdisciplinary Analysis

https://www.academia.edu/19258651/School_Violence_Beyond_Columbine_A_Complex_Problem_in_Need_of_an_Interdisciplinary_Analysis

EXPERIENCES OF COLUMBINE PARENTS: FINDING A WAY TO TOMORROW

https://www.academia.edu/6604501/EXPERIENCES_OF_COLUMBINE_PARENTS_FINDING_A_WAY_TO_TOMORROW

Responding toSchool Violence: Confronting theColumbine Effect

https://www.academia.edu/19267505/Responding_to_School_Violence?

Threat Assessment in the Post-Columbine Public School System: The Use of Crisis Management Plans in the Public School Sector as a Means to Address and Mitigate School Gun Violence

https://www.academia.edu/1539550/Threat_Assessment_in_the_Post_Columbine_Public_School_System_The_Use_of_Crisis_Management_Plans_in_the_Public_School_Sector_as_a_Means_to_Address_and_Mitigate_School_Gun_Violence

America's Armed Teachers: An Ethical Analysis

https://www.academia.edu/31564961/Americas_Armed_Teachers_An_Ethical_Analysis

Armed and Dangerous - Teachers? A Policy Response to Security in our Public Schools

https://www.academia.edu/87170587/Armed_and_Dangerous_Teachers_A_Policy_Response_to_Security_in_our_Public_Schools

Safety at Schools: Identifying the Costs Associated with the Necessary Safeguards for Arming Educators

https://www.academia.edu/57171884/Safety_at_Schools_Identifying_the_Costs_Associated_with_the_Necessary_Safeguards_for_Arming_Educators

Rural Schools and Safety Issues

https://www.academia.edu/51431669/Rural_Schools_and_Safety_Issues

GUN VIOLENCE AND SCHOOL SAFETY IN AMERICAN SCHOOLS

https://www.academia.edu/42060294/GUN_VIOLENCE_AND_SCHOOL_SAFETY_IN_AMERICAN_SCHOOLS

An Examination of Public School Safety Measures Across Geographic Settings

https://www.academia.edu/4412198/An_Examination_of_Public_School_Safety_Measures_Across_Geographic_Settings

Guide for Preventing and Responding to School Violence 2nd Edition

https://www.academia.edu/13909468/Guide_for_Preventing_and_Responding_to_School_Violence_2_n_d_E_d_i_t_i_o_n

An Original Theory on Averting School Rampage Violence

https://www.academia.edu/39038032/An_Original_Theory_on_Averting_School_Rampage_Violence

School Violence and Disruption: Rhetoric, Reality, and Reasonable Balance

https://www.academia.edu/22246801/School_Violence_and_Disruption_Rhetoric_Reality_and_Reasonable_Balance

Youth Violence Prevention Comes of Age: Research, Training and Future Directions

https://www.academia.edu/21884533/Youth_Violence_Prevention_Comes_of_Age_Research_Training_and_Future_Directions

Critical issues in the prevention of violence-related behavior in youth

https://www.academia.edu/19156969/Critical_issues_in_the_prevention_of_violence_related_behavior_in_youth

Youth Violence: What We Know and What We Need to Know

https://www.academia.edu/55727789/Youth_Violence_What_We_Know_and_What_We_Need_to_Know

Causes and prevention of youth violence

https://www.academia.edu/92241103/Causes_and_prevention_of_youth_violence

More studies will be posted as time allows. I do this on my own with no compensation.

© Julie Clark 2023. Please seek permission to use material from this blog.

Studies on various aspects of school shootings and school violence PART ONE

I often hear "The government has done no studies on school shootings in over 2 decades!!!" Why wait for the government? "The government has funded studies through various universities and colleges. But when "the government" funds studies, a number of people do not like the findings, or find fault with the authors of the studies based on real or perceived political biases. 

Below are a few studies, articles, etc., in no particular order. I added them as I located them from my files. Be sure to check the dates on the studies; some are indeed older than 2 decades. That doesn't make them worthless; it is helpful to see that research has been done, added to, corrected over the years, and so on.

The link is under the title of each study; copy and paste the link into your browser. As I have time, I will make the hyperlinks clickable. 

LINK TO PART TWO

LINK TO PART THREE

LINK TO PART FOUR

LINK TO PART FIVE

PART ONE, 25 studies:

Averting School Rampage: Student Intervention Amid a Persistent Code of Silence

https://www.academia.edu/25568776/Averting_School_Rampage_Student_Intervention_Amid_a_Persistent_Code_of_Silence

Gun Culture in the USA. The Initial Print News Coverage of the Parkland High School Shooting and Further Frames

https://www.academia.edu/40154768/Gun_Culture_in_the_USA_The_Initial_Print_News_Coverage_of_the_Parkland_High_School_Shooting_and_Further_Frames

When Prevention Isn’t Enough: Managing School Mass Shootings Along The Risk Continuum

https://www.academia.edu/79779167/When_Prevention_Isn_t_Enough_Managing_School_Mass_Shootings_Along_The_Risk_Continuum

Offender and Offence Characteristics of School Shooting Incidents

https://www.academia.edu/61004481/Offender_and_Offence_Characteristics_of_School_Shooting_Incidents

The School Rampage in International Perspective: The Salience of Cumulative Strain Theory

https://www.academia.edu/39212734/The_School_Rampage_in_International_Perspective_The_Salience_of_Cumulative_Strain_Theory

Fatal school shootings and the epidemiological context of firearm mortality in the United States

https://www.academia.edu/103378351/Fatal_school_shootings_and_the_epidemiological_context_of_firearm_mortality_in_the_United_States

The costs of gun violence against children

https://www.academia.edu/13819666/The_costs_of_gun_violence_against_children

Effect of Gun Culture and Firearm Laws on Gun Violence and Mass Shootings in the United States: A Multi-Level Quantitative Analysis

https://www.academia.edu/83578647/Effect_of_Gun_Culture_and_Firearm_Laws_on_Gun_Violence_and_Mass_Shootings_in_the_United_States_A_Multi_Level_Quantitative_Analysis

Exploring school rampage shootings: Research, theory, and policy

https://www.academia.edu/2525708/Exploring_school_rampage_shootings_Research_theory_and_policy

The Effects of Witnessing a School Shooting on a Teacher's Career: A Narrative Study

https://www.academia.edu/5777897/The_Effects_of_Witnessing_a_School_Shooting_on_a_Teachers_Career_A_Narrative_Study

Should Teachers Carry Guns? An Emergency Room Survey of Parents of Two New York Communities

https://www.academia.edu/98912075/Should_Teachers_Carry_Guns_An_Emergency_Room_Survey_of_Parents_of_Two_New_York_Communities

Teacher Experience, Learning, and Change: An Investigation of the Effects of Long-Term Professional Development

https://www.academia.edu/1540192/Teacher_Experience_Learning_and_Change_An_Investigation_of_the_Effects_of_Long_Term_Professional_Development

What can be done about school shootings? A review of the evidence

https://www.academia.edu/2623748/What_can_be_done_about_school_shootings_A_review_of_the_evidence

Gun Violence and the Meaning of American Schools

https://www.academia.edu/90364999/Gun_Violence_and_the_Meaning_of_American_Schools

An Examination of Public School Safety Measures Across Geographic Settings

https://www.academia.edu/4412198/An_Examination_of_Public_School_Safety_Measures_Across_Geographic_Settings

The American Gun Culture: Potential Impact on K-12 School Violence

https://www.academia.edu/33341902/The_American_Gun_Culture_Potential_Impact_on_K_12_School_Violence

Mental Illness, the Media, and the Moral Politics of Mass Violence: The Role of Race in Mass Shootings Coverage

https://www.academia.edu/37032312/Mental_Illness_the_Media_and_the_Moral_Politics_of_Mass_Violence_The_Role_of_Race_in_Mass_Shootings_Coverage

School House Hype: School Shootings and the Real Risks Kids Face in America. Policy Report

https://www.academia.edu/23136456/School_House_Hype_School_Shootings_and_the_Real_Risks_Kids_Face_in_America_Policy_Report

The norm of solidarity: Experiencing negative aspects of community life after a school shooting tragedy

https://www.academia.edu/1130439/The_norm_of_solidarity_Experiencing_negative_aspects_of_community_life_after_a_school_shooting_tragedy

How to Improve Early Warning Systems at US Institutions of Higher Education

https://www.academia.edu/75848070/How_to_Improve_Early_Warning_Systems_at_US_Institutions_of_Higher_Education

Commentary on: "For Safety's Sake: A Case Study of School Security Efforts and Their Impact on Education Reform

https://www.academia.edu/68535809/Commentary_on_For_Safetys_Sake_A_Case_Study_of_School_Security_Effor_ts_and_Their_I_mpact_on_Education_Reform

Presence of Armed School Officials and Fatal and Nonfatal Gunshot Injuries During Mass School Shootings, United States, 1980-2019

https://www.academia.edu/69508148/Presence_of_Armed_School_Officials_and_Fatal_and_Nonfatal_Gunshot_Injuries_During_Mass_School_Shootings_United_States_1980_2019

School Violence and Disruption: Rhetoric, Reality, and Reasonable Balance

https://www.academia.edu/22246801/School_Violence_and_Disruption_Rhetoric_Reality_and_Reasonable_Balance

Psychological Profiles of School Shooters: Positive Directions and One Big Wrong Turn

https://www.academia.edu/7321771/Psychological_Profiles_of_School_Shooters_Positive_Directions_and_One_Big_Wrong_Turn

13: In the Eye of the Storm: Students' Perceptions of Helpful Faculty Actions Following a Collective Tragedy

https://www.academia.edu/103528670/13_In_the_Eye_of_the_Storm_Students_Perceptions_of_Helpful_Faculty_Actions_Following_a_Collective_Tragedy

More studies will be posted as time allows. I do this on my own with no compensation.

© Julie Clark 2023. Please seek permission to use material from this blog.

Westside Middle School shooting 25th anniversary

Twenty-five years ago, March 24, 1998, two of the youngest mass shooters--11 and 13 years old-- committed a sniper-style rampage on their school, Westside Middle School, in Jonesboro, Arkansas. They served juvenile life; each getting out at age twenty-one. Both were able to legally purchase weapons--which they did. The older boy served a prison sentence as an adult for weapons charges.

The night before their rampage, the two boys amassed an arsenal of 13 weapons and over 2,000 rounds of ammunition. They loaded the weapons and ammunition into a van belonging to a mother of one of the boys. They also packed food, drinks, snacks, and camping gear. All of this activity went unnoticed by all the adults around them. 

The next morning, one of the boys took his mother's keys and drove her van to pick up his accomplice. He was 13 and didn't know how to drive very well. It was later reported by a neighbor that he saw the van almost take out a stop sign and land in a ditch. No one reported the near mishap. 

After picking up the younger boy, they needed to get gas. Neither of the boys knew how to pump gas and asked for help at two different gas stations but people declined to help. At the third gas station, someone did help the boy to pump gas into the van. But not one person called police to report two little boys driving around by themselves without an adult. No one asked the boys why they were out driving, or asked where their parents were. 

Apparently no one in these boys lives or in their community paid any attention to what they were doing. Tragically. 

Links to more info:

A shooting in Jonesboro, Arkansas kills 5

Westside School Shooting

There are many lessons in this tragic shooting. Parents need to be more involved in the lives of their children--these parents didn't even know that their van was being stocked with weapons, ammunition, camping supplies, etc.! The guns were stolen from the grandfather of one of the boys; the weapons were only minimally secured. Apparently no one noticed the weapons were missing. Same with 2,000 rounds of ammunition--no one noticed it was missing.

The driver of the van nearly wrecked. A neighbor saw it happen but didn't report the incident. A handful of people saw the boys trying to get gas. No one asked them anything, or reported them. 

And that's for starters. Each school shooting incident teaches what went wrong and what could be done better in the future. Twenty-five years have passed. It seems we have not learned anything. And there seems to be no interest in learning. And these tragedies will keep occurring until people get serious. And I don't mean screeching at politicians--on all sides--on social media. That's easy. Anyone can do that. 

While people screech for "commonsense gun laws," they think that's all they need to do. There were more than 40 laws broken for the Columbine shooting to take place (to be included in a future post). Were those laws not commonsense laws? If a warrant for Eric Harris on other matters had been served in a timely manner, Columbine may not have happened. We already have laws against killing others. But as we often see on the news, laws are sometimes not enforced. Unenforced laws are no laws at all. The 5 year enhancement for gun charges is seldom applied now. Every law, "commonsense" or not, can be broken. All laws can be broken.

And, as we have seen, human error contributes to school shootings--parents with felony records who pass background checks because no one took the time to do the research. Some school officials fail to have threat assessments in place, or to use them properly, and sometimes don't take it seriously when told of threats by students. Sometimes doors are left unlocked. Law enforcement who didn't serve timely warrants, or act on tips.

The shooting on March 23, 2023 in Colorado at East High School shows that the shooter was attending school while on probation for previous gun charges. He'd been kicked out of one school and to enroll in another school, he had to agree to a "safety plan" that included daily pat-downs for weapons. So much for that "safety plan."

Why do I study school shootings and share what I learn? Hopefully to get others to learn these things, too. Parents, community, schools, law enforcement all play a part. One thing people better be aware of, especially school officials--school shooters study previous shooters. They find out the mistakes made, what went went right, what to do better, what not to do, best times to act. They often hope to out-do previous shooters. It would serve school officials well to study these tragedies--because potential school shooters do study them. The Columbine shooters planned for 13 months...

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Content copyright © Julie Clark 2023. Please seek permission to use material from this blog.