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 can be contagious, research shows
Are mass shootings truly contagious? According to expert, Dr. Jillian Peterson, it's a form of social contagion, somewhat like a suicide contagion - that's when a high-profile suicide leads to more people to take their own lives. For example, following the suicide of actor Robin Williams, researchers documented a 10% spike in suicides in the months … [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...]