Understanding and Addressing Mass School Shootings: A Call to

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Jun 10, 2024

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1 Final Project: Position Statement Kathy Spencer Southern New Hampshire University SOC 324: Sociology of Crime and Violence Dr. Divinity Oconnor De Los Rios October 15, 2023

2 Introduction The chosen crime or violence issue I decided to research was mass school shootings by children ages ten to eighteen. We have all heard about or even possibly witnessed a child entering their school, injuring and killing their fellow students and staff members for several reasons. Today, over seven hundred sixty mass school shootings have been committed by children ages ten to eighteen (Statista Research Department, 2023). This is nearly the same number of graduating students at your average high school. Although mass school shootings are not the norm, they leave behind trauma for the survivors. Those survivors could be a direct witness, secondary witness, or the community where the shooting occurred. Many people over the years have stated that the most significant reason a person commits a crime such as a mass school shooting is because they are deranged and severely mentally ill. Hirschi’s social bonding theory is that “delinquent behavior occurs when the bond of an individual to society is broken or weak” (Ozbay & Ozcna, 2008, p. 137). As we know already, most perpetrators have, at some point prior to the shooting, shared some, if not all of their plans with others. It is those people who “Say Something, Do Something: (Spencer, 2023) are trying to reach. With the ability to say something, we can then work towards providing that child, their family, the school staff, and even the community with the necessary tools for success. From my research, many people, including teachers and other school staff members, have not said anything about different warning signs before a child commits this type of senseless crime on school campuses. If people had a place where they could anonymously report what they have seen or heard, it would be a step in the right direction to getting the child(ren) whatever help they might need.

3 The social advocacy group “Say Something, Do Something” (Spencer, 2023), is a free and confidential service that is here to help anyone anonymously report when they feel a child needs any form of help and support without the fear of retaliation. The group aims not only to look for why children commit senseless crimes against their peers but also to provide a service to which every person in need can find access in one place. Being able to provide children with the best care to treat them is where we need to put our focus. Many people interact with the children throughout the day, yet they do not say anything. Sometimes it is out of fear of retaliation, or they do not know the best person to report the information to. The article “Not Another School Shooting: Media, Race, and Gun Violence in K-12 Schools, states, “perpetrators with mental health issues only account for less than 3% of shooting incidents” (Hilaire, et al., 2022, p. 813). There has been a substantial amount of research on mass school shootings, although additional data and information are still needed in order to help document the magnitude of the problem; “despite research on school shootings, few have examined the salience of the situational context amongst these tragic occurrences” (Paez, et al. 2021, p.171). Everyone today talks about politics, gun laws, or lack of gun laws, the gender or race of the perpetrator, but they hardly ever honestly talk about the aftermath of the shooting. It is no wonder that gun violence is one of the most senseless and horrific crimes that a person can experience. The communities affected by this senseless act are left to rebuild and mend the damage caused by the individual. Even a person within the community would be able to make an anonymous call to “Say Something, Do Something” (Spencer, 2023), if they feel concerned about a child(s) actions, without fear of retaliation. Nowadays, parents are far more fearful of sending their children to school; “as a consequence of these shootings, an increased focus has

4 been placed on safeguarding American schools in the past two decades” (Gammell, et al. 2021, p. 818). Many researchers have worked for years to identify different characteristics among the types of shootings on K-12 school campuses. How can schools prevent school shootings from taking place, to begin with? The issue of gun violence among the younger generations has become a heated topic among many different groups. Mass school shootings are a topic that stimulates passionate discussions, making it very hard to find a solid middle ground for everyone. While some groups call for stricter gun laws, others blame mental health illness. Although we need more defined laws regarding a person's ability to purchase a gun, we must also look into creating a better way to help treat mental illness. Analysis As I stated earlier, when it comes to a child being bullied at school or if they are going through some form of traumatic issue at home, they can become antisocial and start showing other signs like having a fascination with guns or other types of violence. The social bonding theory states that a child's behavior can happen when their bond to society has been broken. The four major areas of the social bonding theory are the child’s attachment to their parents, peers, and school, the need for occupational and educational commitment, academic involvement, and belief in social rules and conventions. So a child who is bullied in school or has suffered a traumatic issue could, in fact, not have a bond with society. Another example of the social bond theory would be when a child has suffered abuse from their parents or a family member, their attachment to them will have been broken, which can lead to disregarding family bonds and increasing their decision to cause harm to those family members. Instead of letting things escalate, a person can call in to “Say Something, Do Something” (Spencer, 2023). The

5 advocacy group would then provide that information to the appropriate authorities or other groups that can provide help, no matter what that help needs to be. As a research assistant for my advocacy group, I continually analyze evidence and apply Hirschi’s social bonding theory to mass school shootings. I have found through my research that there are many stereotypes regarding mass shootings. One of the more common stereotypes is that most people feel that a mass shooter is a white male with a history of mental illness. Some other articles have stated, “emotional distress, anger, suspiciousness, and indifference to life are often words used to describe perpetrators of mass violence” (Skeem & Mulvey, 2020, p. 87). Through my research, I discovered that when it comes to K-12 shooters, they are typically white males, current or former students of the school, have a history of trauma, have suicidal ideations, extensively plan their crime ahead of time, have shown others what their intent is before committing the crime, and using one or multiple guns that they have obtained primarily from a family member. Peer pressure to fit in at school can also play a significant role in a child deciding to commit a crime as senseless as a mass shooting. When children start to form friends in school, there is sometimes that sense that in order to fit in with a group, you need to follow along with whatever they are doing. If you do not follow along, your relationships will change and cause other children to make fun of or bully others. In “K-12, college/university, and mass shootings: similarities and differences,” it was stated, “the primary reason for perpetrating K-12 shootings was revenge, followed by fame-seeking, conflicted domestic relationships, self- defense, hate crimes, and disputes” (Kowalski, et al., 2021, p. 758). As for college or university shooters, they are typically non-white males who are current college students, have a history of violence towards family members and others, tend to have suicidal ideations, and may also have dealt with trauma during their childhood. Because they are of legal age, they can purchase the

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