Most school shootings aren’t mass killings, study finds, and they’re often driven by community violence | CNN
www.cnn.com
Many Americans think of school shootings as mass casualty events involving an adolescent with an assault-style weapon. But a new study says that most recent school shootings orchestrated by teenagers do not fit that image — and they are often related to community violence.

Many Americans think of school shootings as mass casualty events involving an adolescent with an assault-style weapon. But a new study says that most recent school shootings orchestrated by teenagers do not fit that image — and they are often related to community violence.

The study, published Monday in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, analyzed 253 school shootings carried out by 262 adolescents in the US between 1990 and 2016.

It found that these adolescents were responsible for only a handful of mass casualty shootings, defined as those involving four or more gunshot fatalities. About half of the shootings analyzed — 119 — involved at least one death. Among the events, seven killed four or more people.

A majority of the shootings analyzed also involved handguns rather than assault rifles or shotguns, and they were often the result of “interpersonal disputes,” according to the researchers from University of South Carolina and University of Florida.

  • pgp@sh.itjust.works
    314·
    11 months ago

    So if it’s not a mass shooting, we should be fine with it, that’s the angle?

    • MicroWave@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      221·
      11 months ago

      An example from the article:

      Sathya, who was not involved in the new study, says it is important to highlight the difference between a mass shooting at a school and a school shooting brought on by community violence because the perpetrators often look different and are committing these acts of violence for different reasons. Therefore, the respective solutions look very different, as well.

      • BURN@lemmy.world
        34·
        11 months ago

        So basically “black people commit more violence” is what this is trying to say.

        What a useless, trashy, racist article

        • brygphilomena@lemmy.world
          15·
          11 months ago

          From the quote that was provided to you:

          Therefore, the respective solutions look very different, as well.

          There needs to be a distinction so that it can be more appropriately and efficiently prevented.

            • Occamsrazer@lemdro.idEnglish
              4·
              11 months ago

              It might partially solve for it, by reducing severity of these acts, but guns are really just a means to violence. There are plenty of other ways to enact violence if that’s what you want to do.

    • ryathal@sh.itjust.works
      94·
      11 months ago

      We should be angry about the media narrative pushed by some that banning guns that look scary and limiting magazine sizes will do anything.

      This shows that teaching non-violent conflict resolution, and getting the larger community to buy in would eliminate almost all shootings. Students need better interpersonal skills, and they need role models to show what those skills look like.