School Shootings

School shootings are defined as events wherein a person or multiple individuals use gun violence to wound or murder members within an educational institution. These shootings are committed by a variety of people who may be either suffering from a mental illness, who are disenfranchised, current or former students, members of the staff or faculty, or outsiders in the community. There may be prior experiences of bullying or discrimination toward the shooters. The shooters end up killing or wounding their victims and often, in the end, shooting themselves. Shootings that have more than 10 victims are characterized as massacres or acts of terrorism.

History

Violence has been a part of schools as long as there have been such institutions. In the 17th century, European children routinely went to school armed with swords and guns. In the 18th century there were violent uprisings and rebellions by university students who turned their violence toward those in authority.

In 1764, the Enoch Brown school massacre was notorious because of the type of violence involved. Four Lenape American Indian warriors entered a schoolhouse where Enoch Brown, the schoolmaster, and 12 students were working. He pleaded with the warriors to leave the children alone, but they shot and scalped him and tomahawked and scalped the children. Two of the scalped children reportedly survived. Violence was initially directed toward the teachers or masters within a school, but by the 20th century the focus of the aggression began to change as students began to target other students.

Violence and shootings before the 1990s occurred most often in large urban areas; however, school shootings in the 1990s occurred in largely suburban, white, middle-class neighborhoods. The most notorious and widely publicized school massacre occurred at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, on April 20, 1999. It was here that Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, two students at the high school, brought explosives and guns into the high school and began their killing spree. They were attempting to kill hundreds with their explosives and when that didn't work, they went on a shooting rampage that resulted in the death of 12 students and a teacher; 24 others were wounded, and they killed themselves. This was the school shooting that changed policies and procedures in high schools throughout the world.

Cultural Considerations

Worldwide there are families in which work, divorce, economic situations, and the challenges of single parent homes leave children alone much of the time. Many analysts believe this condition has created an environment that fosters a culture of isolation and disconnection in those children. Many of the students who participate in school shootings spend an inordinate amount of time home alone, and it is believed that they become [Page 852]shaped by the culture of the media that they and their peer groups participate in, namely television, the Internet, and violent video games. It is also suggested that violent video games may be linked to an increase in aggression among these young individuals and, in many cases, may lead to their being desensitized to violence.

Along with isolation there are issues of an abusive family situation that breeds fear and rage. Adolescents who have suffered abuse or humiliation, or students who have emotional disturbances and who spend their time alone, may choose to engage in dangerous activities to express their frustration and anger. Religion and politics may also be a factor in some countries.

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