{"id":33230,"date":"2023-03-12T17:47:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-12T17:47:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=33230"},"modified":"2023-03-13T17:01:31","modified_gmt":"2023-03-13T17:01:31","slug":"3-ways-to-prevent-school-shootings-based-on-research","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/3-ways-to-prevent-school-shootings-based-on-research\/","title":{"rendered":"3 ways to prevent school shootings, based on\u00a0research"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Beverly Kingston<\/a>, University of Colorado Boulder<\/a><\/em> and Sarah Goodrum<\/a>, University of Colorado Boulder<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the months leading up to his 2012 attack that killed 26 people in Newtown, Connecticut, a 20-year-old man exhibited a cascade of concerning behaviors. He experienced worsening anorexia, depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder. His relationships deteriorated, and he became fixated on mass murders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2013, an 18-year-old had enraged outbursts at school and threatened to kill his debate coach. Concerned, the school\u2019s threat assessment team interviewed him, rating him as a low-level risk for violence. But three months after the assessment, he shot and killed a classmate and himself on school grounds in Centennial, Colorado.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By 2018, a 19-year-old man had more than 40 documented encounters with law enforcement and a history of threatening others and weapons purchases. After his mother died in 2017, family friends contacted law enforcement and expressed concern about his behavior. In 2018, he perpetrated a shooting that killed 17 people in Parkland, Florida.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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https:\/\/embed-player.newsoveraudio.com\/v4?key=x84olp&id=https:\/\/theconversation.com\/3-ways-to-prevent-school-shootings-based-on-research-196548&bgColor=F5F5F5&color=D8352A&playColor=D8352A<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can listen to more articles from The Conversation, narrated by Noa, here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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All three perpetrators displayed disturbing behavior before their attacks \u2013 and the people around them missed the opportunities to intervene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We<\/a> are sociologists<\/a> at the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence<\/a> at the University of Colorado Boulder. We study the circumstances that lead to violence in which an attacker picks a target<\/a> \u2013 like a person, group, or school \u2013 in advance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We find that the same patterns of concerning behavior emerge among the perpetrators, but that\u2019s not all. We also find that there are often many opportunities to intervene with the perpetrator before the tragedy that peers, family members, school staff, law enforcement officials, and others miss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Much of the public discussion on preventing school shootings focuses on whether and how to limit people\u2019s access to firearms. While these efforts remain important, over the past 30 years, our work has identified other strategies that can reduce the risk for violence. Here are three evidence-based steps that schools and communities can take to prevent violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Teach students and adults to report warning signs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Most school shooters exhibited concerning behavior<\/a> and communicated their plan<\/a> to cause harm before their deadly attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These troubling behaviors and communications provide opportunities for adults to step in<\/a>, for students to speak up, and for people to help a student who may be in psychological or emotional distress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the warning signs for violence can be difficult to distinguish from other types of problem behavior, particularly among adolescents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the U.S. Secret Service, the 10 most common concerning behaviors among school attackers<\/a> are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n