As a result, both handguns and long guns are available in many states, with more than half of American households owning one or more firearms.
This perpetual access to deadly weapons is the primary reason that completely eliminating school shootings may be impossible. Schoolyard bullying, low self-esteem, dysfunctional families and troubled teens who fantasize about lashing out violently will always be factors in the educational institution environment, despite continual efforts to address them. Access to firearms in combination with these contributing elements is the deadly mix that will likely continue to enable disaffected individuals to act out violent urges that would otherwise be manifested in less serious ways.
Publicity and the Copycat Phenomenon:
One of the well-known disadvantages of ratings-based media sensationalism is that certain individuals will emulate the violence they publicize, which has been documented in more than a few written testimonials of school shooting perpetrators as well as in interviews with suspects implicated in disrupted school shooting plans. This is not unique to school shootings in particular but is a more general phenomenon evident in myriad forms, in both criminal and non-criminal human behavior in the age of mass media. In relation to indiscriminant shootings, this was precisely the case in the 2007 Westroads...
In many respects, this is likely attributable to the degree to which adolescent bullying behavior and general personal and family-based psychological dysfunctions are common features of human society. The sensational nature of these events accounts for their ability to draw news ratings and contributes to the copycat phenomenon. More than other factors, the widespread availability of firearms in the United States obviously results in more school shootings than would be possible if firearms were more difficult to acquire and more tightly regulated. Regardless of the sincerity of efforts directed at other contributory elements, failure to address gun control will handicap our ability to prevent school shootings. REFERENCES
Schwartz, Emma. The Right to Bear Arms; U.S. News & World Report (March 17, 2008) pp. 38-43.
USSS & USDOE (2002) Threat Assessment in Schools: A Guide to Managing Threatening Situations and to Creating Safe School Climates. Washington, DC. Retrieved April 11, 2008 at http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/Sections/NEWS/PDFs/061002_School_Threat_Assessment.pdf
