Search

The most frequent policy lesson drawn following the Columbine school shootings was the need for more gun controls. Review of the details of both Columbine and other contemporary school shootings indicates, however, that the specific gun control measures proposed in their aftermath were largely irrelevant and almost certainly could not have prevented the incidents or reduced their death tolls. These measures included restrictions on gun shows, child access prevention laws mandating locking up guns, and bans on assault weapons. Ironically, exploitation of school shootings for the advocacy of irrelevant gun controls may have obscured the genuine merits of various gun control measures for reducing 'ordinary' gun violence. Thus, mass school shootings provided the worst possible basis for supporting gun control. Keywords: gun control; mass shootings; school violence

After the shootings at Columbine High School, many public schools increased their visible security measures, such as use of security cameras and guards. This study assesses this policy response. Particular attention is given to the fear that prompted changes in school security, the types of visible security measures adopted by schools after Columbine, and the positive and negative consequences of these measures. Synthesizing the relevant literature highlights the lack of evaluative work regarding the effectiveness of school security and how little is known about the impact of security measures on students' civil liberty and privacy interests. Gaining a better understanding of school security can help officials make more informed decisions in response to rare, but highly publicized, violent crimes such as Columbine. Keywords: school violence; school security; public policy evaluation; student privacy interests

The 1999 Columbine school shooting incident in Colorado gained far more media attention across a broader range of issues than any school violence episode before or since. One might expect that Columbine would have had an influence on public opinion, public policy, and scholarship commensurate with the attention it gained. We find that the event did contribute in a limited but interesting way to scholarship on media framing. But the effect of Columbine on public opinion and the nature and substance of public policy was limited. Attention to school shootings peaked with Columbine, and the attention surrounding that event mostly spurred more rapid implementation of existing policies and tools that were already available to schools. In this article, the authors review first the media and public opinion research generated by Columbine; they then review the public policy research referencing Columbine and evaluate the 'lessons' scholars have drawn from that event. Keywords: news media; framing; school violence; agenda setting

The purpose of this article is to explore how the Columbine shootings on April 20, 1999, influenced subsequent school rampage shootings. First, school rampage shootings are defined to distinguish them from other forms of school violence. Second, post-Columbine shootings and thwarted shootings are examined to determine how they were influenced by Columbine. Unlike prior rampage shooters, Harris and Klebold committed their rampage shooting as an overtly political act in the name of oppressed students victimized by their peers. Numerous post-Columbine rampage shooters referred directly to Columbine as their inspiration; others attempted to supersede the Columbine shootings in body count. In the wake of Columbine, conspiracies to blow up schools and kill their inhabitants by outcast students were uncovered by authorities. School rampage shootings, most of which referred back to Columbine as their inspiration, expanded beyond North America to Europe, Australia, and Argentina; they increased on college campuses and spread to nonschool venues. The Columbine shootings redefined such acts not merely as revenge but as a means of protest of bullying, intimidation, social isolation, and public rituals of humiliation. Keywords: Columbine; rampage shootings; school violence; bullying

Each year, approximately 234,000 teachers in the United States are victims of school-related violence. After a violent incident, school-based mental health professionals, psychologists from the community, and administrators appropriately intervene to provide counseling and other services for students. Unfortunately, many school personnel who have been victimized do not receive adequate treatment after such incidents occur. In this article, the authors argue that psychologists, school personnel, and mental health counselors must be aware of the needs of teachers and administrators who have been affected by these events and must, therefore, provide counseling for them as well. Keywords: crisis planning, crisis response, intervention, school violence, teacher victims

The relationship between school bullying in adolescence and long-term unemployment in adulthood was investigated. A questionnaire was distributed to 68 participants of a training program for people with long-term unemployment in Finland. Responses were compared with data of a nationwide investigation (sample 53,394) of the prevalence of school bullying, according to which 8% of Finnish pupils are regularly bullied at least once a week. Among people with long-term unemployment, 29% reported having been exposed to school bullying at least once a week during their adolescence. This finding indicates a relationship between self-reported school bullying in adolescence and long-term unemployment in adulthood.

The effects of leader education and experience, therapeutic alliance and group participation on the prosocial skill development of school-based groups are analyzed. It was found that these skills help in reducing aggression level in the groups.