Georgia high school shooting shows how hard it can be to take action even after police see warning signs

Most school shootings don’t just happen out of nowhere – there are typically warning signs. In the case of the recent shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia, authorities visited the suspect’s home a year before the attack to investigate several anonymous tips about online threats to commit a school shooting.

A failure to prevent tragedy

When they interviewed the 13-year-old boy, he denied making the threats. His father told police there were hunting guns in the house but that the boy didn’t have “unsupervised access” to the weapons. Despite this, there was no probable cause for an arrest, and local law enforcement only alerted schools to continue monitoring the suspect.

A week before the shooting, teachers at the school had been supplied with special identification cards with panic buttons. While authorities credit the ID cards with preventing the shooting from being worse than it was, the action came too late to stop the killings.

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A familiar pattern emerges

This story is all too familiar. As sociologists and psychologists who have collected data on mass shooters in recent years, we believe that it typifies one of the biggest challenges that schools face when it comes to averting school shootings: recognizing and acting upon warning signs that school shooters almost always give well before they open fire.

In our database of U.S. mass shootings since 1966, there have now been 15 shootings at K-12 schools. Seven of those shootings occurred in the past decade, including the second and third deadliest on record: Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, in 2022 (21 dead) and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, in 2018 (17 dead).

A trend of tragedy

Since the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, school shootings have become more frequent and more deadly. Despite the billions of dollars invested in school safety since Columbine, law enforcement and school officials are still struggling to recognize and respond to warning signs.

Our research suggests that part of the problem is the influence of myths and misinformation about Columbine. Law enforcement and school officials are often unaware of the warning signs that can predict a mass shooting and may not know how to respond effectively to a tip about a potential threat.

A call to action

It’s time for a different approach. Rather than criminalizing or punishing threats, we need to focus on connecting students to school- or community-based services or interventions, including peer-mentoring or mental health treatment. This can include monitoring students who show signs of distress or warning signs, and providing support to address their needs before they act out.

Parents also have a critical role to play in preventing school shootings. We need to encourage safe storage of firearms and accountability for adult gun owners. This can include requiring gun owners to store their weapons separately from their ammunition, locked and unloaded, and to account for their guns at all times.

Conclusion

Preventing school shootings requires a multifaceted approach that involves schools, law enforcement, families, and the community as a whole. By working together, we can learn from the warning signs of mass shooters and take action to prevent these tragedies.

FAQs

Q: What are some common warning signs of mass shooters?

A: Mass shooters often show signs of crisis or despair, including depression, mood swings, agitation, isolation, and trouble with daily tasks. They may also communicate their intent to do harm ahead of time, either directly or through social media posts or messages.

Q: Can school shootings be prevented?

A: Yes, many school shootings can be prevented by identifying and responding to warning signs. This includes connecting students to school- or community-based services or interventions and providing support to address their needs before they act out.

Q: How can parents help prevent school shootings?

A: Parents can play a critical role in preventing school shootings by encouraging safe storage of firearms and accountability for adult gun owners. This can include requiring gun owners to store their weapons separately from their ammunition, locked and unloaded, and to account for their guns at all times.

Q: Why do many school shootings go unprevented?

A: Many school shootings go unprevented due to a failure to recognize and respond to warning signs. This can be due to a lack of knowledge about mass shooter trends or a failure to take reports of threats seriously. Law enforcement and school officials often struggle to identify and intervene before a mass shooting occurs.

Q: Can we learn from past school shootings?

A: Yes, past school shootings can provide valuable lessons for preventing future tragedies. By analyzing the warning signs and behaviors of past mass shooters, we can better understand what drives them to commit such acts and take steps to prevent similar tragedies from occurring.