In order to prevent school shootings, Minnesota lawmakers direct funds and policy towards school lockdown drills and security infrastructure. The Violence Project's co-founders Jillian Peterson and James Densley believe this approach is inadequate in actually preventing school shootings. Rather than lockdown drills, Peterson argues for putting … [Read more...]
Experts: Minnesota’s strategy on school gun attacks wrong
Current school safety measures aren’t enough to prevent shootings
The Violence Project's co-founder James Densley sat down with Manda Lillie and Angela Davis to discuss school shooting prevention. Densley said he would like to see "the conversation move away from lockdown culture." Their conversation also included Rick Kaufman, head of the Columbine crisis-response team. Kaufman and Densley agreed that there … [Read more...]
One year after Parkland, are Americans equipped to prevent school shootings?
Thursday marks the one year anniversary of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida. Since then, there have been six school shootings in the U.S., including one at Frederick Douglass High School in Baltimore on Feb. 7. A recent study from CNN found that since 2009 the U.S. has had 57 times as many school shootings as all … [Read more...]
School shooters usually show these signs of distress long before they open fire, our database shows
One of the biggest challenges schools face when averting school shootings is recognizing and acting upon warning signs. School shooters almost always give warning signs well before opening fire. The majority showed signs of a crisis and leaked their plans ahead of time on social media. The Violence Project's founders Jill Peterson and James … [Read more...]
Why the usual approach to school security isn’t working
Mass shootings are becoming increasingly deadly. Recent studies have demonstrated that active shooter drills may increase anxiety and fear among students, as well as contribute to a negative school culture, which is a risk factor for school violence. Data indicates that before mass violence takes place, there is typically an immediate trigger in … [Read more...]