With mass shootings becoming more prevalent in the mainstream media, it is important to look into these threats and take them seriously. “In 80% of the mass shooting cases that we studied the person leaked their plans ahead of time and made a specific threat,” Jillian Peterson, an assistant professor of criminology and Criminal Justice at Hamline … [Read more...]
Have police really thwarted more mass shootings since El Paso and Dayton, or are we just paying closer attention?
Mass shootings: Experts say violence is contagious, and 24/7 news cycle doesn’t help
"In a nation that has sometimes become numb to mass shootings, people are shaken. Weekend massacres in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, have many looking for ways to stop the carnage, whether through stricter gun control laws, better mental health services or shutting down certain social media platforms. As research suggests that violence, … [Read more...]
School shootings: What administrators need to know
An analysis of 46 active shooters in schools revealed several common characteristics they tend to share. The majority of active shooters were current or former members of the school, were in crisis and suicidal before the shooting, acquired guns by borrowing or stealing them from friends or family, and the majority of shooters leaked their plans in … [Read more...]
School shootings didn’t start in 1999 at Columbine. Here’s why that disaster became a blueprint for other killers and created the ‘Columbine Generation’
Why did the April 20, 1999, mass shootings at Columbine High School in Colorado become a blueprint for future shooters? After all, it was hardly the first time that shootings took place on school campuses. This post looks into how “society and culture have reared a Columbine generation,” and what role the media played. Read … [Read more...]
We can do more to prevent mass workplace shootings like Aurora, Illinois
Since the Columbine High School shooting in 1999, violence prevention has largely targeted schools. Lockdown drills, arming teachers, metal detectors, and evacuation plans are just some of the strategies form for schools. Meanwhile, there have been four times as many mass shootings in workplaces. There have been almost 50 workplace shooters in the … [Read more...]