Published in Homeland Security·1 day agoSchool shootings are a gun violence problem, not a gender identity issueA deadly shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee on March 27, 2023 is the 89th shooting at American schools in 2023. Three students and three adults were killed in the shooting. In 2022, 303 shootings took place at schools, more than any year since 1970. Assuming male gender…Guns4 min readGuns4 min read
Published in Homeland Security·4 days ago“Cold Dead Hands”: Teen shooter believed he had gun rights at schoolThe shooting of two administrators at Denver East High on Wednesday morning has prompted public outcry from students and parents after another series of seemingly missed red flags failed to prevent gun violence on campus. Why was a student allowed to attend class when he needed to be searched every…Schools4 min readSchools4 min read
Published in Homeland Security·6 days agoThe ‘Matrix Problem’ for School SecurityYesterday at Denver East High School, two school administrators with no formal security training were shot by a student during a daily pat down for a weapon. This was an example of “The Matrix Problem” when staff at a metal detector or security checkpoint don’t actually think they will find…Education3 min readEducation3 min read
Published in Homeland Security·Feb 12Swatting Schools: Serial hoaxes causing real dangersOn Tuesday February 7, 2023, a call came in for a school shooting in progress at Nouvel High School in Saginaw, Michigan. Officers raced to the campus to find the front doors locked. …Schools5 min readSchools5 min read
Published in Homeland Security·Feb 5The Slaughter Schoolhouse: Why carrying rifles all day is a bad idea“We realized that you can’t take a handgun to a rifle fight, because most of the bad guys are coming into the schools with assault rifles,” said a school police officer in Slaughter, LA as he patrolled the hallways with a rifle strapped to his chest. The vast majority of…Police7 min readPolice7 min read
Published in Homeland Security·Jan 24The Other School Shootings: Gun Violence at America’s Poorest SchoolsToday, two students were killed and a staff member was seriously wounded at the Starts Right Here charter high school in Des Moines, IA. Starts Right Here is an educational mentorship program that helps at-risk youth and has won high-profile support from state and city leaders. Ten months ago, three…Education4 min readEducation4 min read
Published in Homeland Security·Jan 23Five Years After Marshall County High School ShootingFive years ago today, a 15-year-old student killed 2 and wounded 18 at Marshall County High in Benton, KY. His planned attack occurred before classes started at 7:57 AM in a large hallway near the cafeteria. Five years later, this school shooting highlights multiple shortfalls that still exist for school…Schools3 min readSchools3 min read
Published in Homeland Security·Dec 30, 2022By every measure, 2022 was the worst year ever for school shootingsIn 2022, there were 302 school shootings, more than any year prior. In fact, for the 2022 school year — fall in particular — there was a shooting pretty much every single school day. …Schools10 min readSchools10 min read
Published in Homeland Security·Aug 19, 2022“One Second From Columbine”: Connecting the Dots Before School ShootingsMore than two decades later, each 9/11 anniversary continues to be a stark reminder of everything that went wrong leading up to that fateful day. Elected officials underestimated the threat. Intelligence agencies weren’t communicating or sharing information. Witnesses to the warning signs had no means to report them. First responders…Schools5 min readSchools5 min read
Published in Homeland Security·Jul 28, 2022What is ‘school security’?In the wake of the Uvalde massacre, President Biden signed the first bipartisan gun legislation in generations. Included in the bill is $300 million in federal grant funding for “school security”. On the surface this provision seems fairly simple - more security would indeed stop the next school shooting. …Schools9 min readSchools9 min read