School Shootings (Part 2)

In last week’s blog piece, I talked about the broad differences between school shootings in urban settings and those in suburban, and rural ones i.e. urban shootings usually involve one individual targeting another, whereas suburban/rural shootings usually involve two or more shooters who target fellow students and teachers in a seemingly random and indiscriminate manner. The main difference between the two is that in one a particular individual is targeted and in the other the school as an institution is targeted. This means the Pre-Violence Indicators (PVI’s) are very different, and different predictive methods need to be employed in order to identify such shootings (and shooters) before they occur.

The profile of the shooters is very different between those that bring a gun to school to shoot a specific individual, and those that organize a rampage type shooting. Rampage shooters, tend not to appear on the school’s radar as students who are perpetually in trouble, or have major discipline issues. Rampage shooters tend to largely behave themselves as far as normal school rules go – they tend to be talkers rather than actors. In Urban settings, the shooters either are the known protagonists of violence, or the constant/perpetual victims of these protagonists (if it is a shooting between rival gang members then obvious PVI’s – Pre-Violence Indicators – exist).

A Gun is a great equalizer, as it can be fired at a distance where the individual shooting it can remain safe from their target. If used at close range it is a natural intimidator, which few people would attempt to disarm someone of – especially if they don’t believe the person would actually use it (Denial i.e. “This Can’t Be Happening To Me”, is the first response we have when exposed to danger, when we finally come out of this state we are often frozen by fear, and paralyzed to act). School Shootings whether they are aimed to dispatch one particular victim or many, are committed by individuals who want to equalize things. Shootings are committed by individuals who want some form of revenge e.g. for years of bullying, for not being given the social status and recognition that they feel they deserve. In Urban shootings that target a particular individual, there will largely be a single event that triggers their decision to bring a gun to school – normally the next day; in Rampage shootings the plan is normally hatched over a period of time, when an offhand suggestion starts to be considered as a serious option.

People become violent, when they feel they have run out of other options. If a student has been barred from all of the school’s social groups, and feels that they have not been noticed or recognized for who they are bringing a gun to school is a very effective way of gaining attention – and revenge. Unfortunately, most teachers, don’t have the expectation that a student will resort to such violent means, as a school shooting, and so dismiss many of the indications that might suggest a person is heading down this route. This is not to blame any teacher for “missing” the signs because unless you are considering and looking at what the signs may be pointing towards they will not be significant. Many school shooters, expressed their desire to take revenge, and elevate themselves to prominent positions in the school’s social hierarchy through creative writing projects they were given. Just because a student writes a violent essay doesn’t mean they will become a shooter, however if they are lacking a social support structure within the school, and tend to bond with similar individuals whose writing also starts to reflect such thinking and desire, then a teacher should probably take a step back and look at where things might be heading.

High School Teachers are in a very tough position to identify individuals who are deeply troubled yet aren’t really troublesome to be identified through the schools normal disciplinary procedures. Teachers who only see a student for a particular subject will only get a small picture and idea of where a student’s mind is at, and unless there is formal and/or informal communication between teachers, and the dots joined up a complete picture will not be gained.

Most shooters, whether targeting individuals or the school have in their past (or present) suffered some form of bullying. Bullying should not be restricted to merely physical actions, because making up stories about a person, spreading false rumors etc. are also forms of bullying – and ones that unfortunately we often take less seriously. Teachers and students need to play a part in adopting a zero-tolerance approach to these activities, rather than simply telling a victim to smile and ignore their antagonists. Whilst a bulled student may be smiling, they can be burning with rage inside, both at those giving them the ineffectual advice (the teachers representing the school) and at the person(s) doing the bullying.

Creating a safe environment should be the number one priority of any institution, however this often gets overlooked if the events that go on don’t stop the institution as an institution functioning. If a school is able to educate its students then it will see itself as meeting its over-arching goal. Institutions can often get so lost in their primary goal(s) that they fail to recognize potential problems however unlikely, they fail to consider what could happen and so miss the signals. Understanding the potential for violence, however extreme, needs to be considered.