Kerr S. E. M. (2018). Columbine school shooting. In: Gun violence prevention? (pp. 57-71). Palgrave Macmillan.
The chapter from this book is dedicated to the notorious and terrible event of 1999 – the mass and violent shooting at Columbine school. The author proves the powerful impact of this tragedy as “seven out of nine school shootings occurring in the United States from 1999 to 2007 were influenced by Columbine” (Kerr, 2018, p. 57). This horrible event provoked thousands of policy debates about the possible causes of such violence (Kerr, 2018). Some people blame entertainment media, some make religion responsible for it, and others accuse schools and the gothic culture of youth.
Certainly, some attempts to address this concerning issue were taken. According to the author, policy proposals focused on limiting the ease of access and availability of firearms, especially to children (Kerr, 2018). The lack of background checks at gun shows was a principal issue. Other suggestions included banning assault weapons and large-capacity clips, more severe punishments for people who sell guns to kids, and educating people about responsible firearm usage. In this chapter, the author rationalizes why most of these rather appropriate suggestions failed to become law (Kerr, 2018). To conclude, Kerr (2018) explains why “the Columbine incident was instrumental to the ‘gun show loophole’ being closed in Colorado via a citizen ballot initiative” (p. 58). An extended number of references allows the readers to believe in the relevance and reputation of this article and its author, who is a social researcher and criminologist working in the U.K.
Martaindale, M. H., & Blair, J. P. (2019). The evolution of active shooter response training protocols since Columbine: Lessons from the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training Center. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 35(3), 342-356.
This article’s purpose is to compare the actions of police officers twenty years ago (during the Columbine shooting) and two years ago (during Santa Fe High School attack) and find out whether there are any improvements. Precisely the events at Columbine High School thrust the phrase “active shooter” into the lexicon of American people (Martaindale & Blair, 2019). When mentioning the tragedy of 1999, the authors note that “this attack became a catalyst that changed how law enforcement prepared for similar attacks at schools and other locations” (Martaindale & Blair, 2019, p. 342). Active shooter response training protocols were developed and adapted by departments across the U.S., and many training centers, including the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) Center, were created.
This article makes the efforts of the American law enforcement departments seem quite impressive. This paper is a proper and relevant resource since its authors got an education at Texas State University and now work as the Directors of Research for the ALERRT Center, and this article is based on their studies and extensive expertise (Martaindale & Blair, 2019). The target audience is sociology, criminology, politics, and social policy academics and students, as well as all people who want to feel safer in this world. The authors provide the readers with exact data and all the necessary information (Martaindale & Blair, 2019). If one is reading and gets a question, the possibility of him or her find the answer to it on the next page is high.
Roberts, M. (2019). School shootings list in twenty years since Columbine: 240 and counting. Westworld. Web.
As well as some other papers, this article tries to see the connection between the shooting at Columbine and all other similar tragedies that happened during the last twenty years. Unfortunately, despite the horror and fear of this attack, such events still do not stop happening once in a while. The Columbine shooting is believed to be “changed the way law enforcers from coast to coast deal with school shootings and inspired efforts such as Safe2Tell, which allows anonymous reporting of safety concerns” (Roberts, 2019). Certainly, there are some positive consequences of the attack, but there are many more negative ones.
Probably, if something adverse and global happens, it becomes the beginning of similar events. For example, the author notices that there have been two hundred and forty school shootings with and without victims in the United States (Roberts, 2019). Though Roberts (2019) admits that incredible efforts were successfully made to solve the problem of students’ violence, more has to be done so that preventing firearms-related assaults on schools becomes possible. This article is reputable and trustworthy, even though it is not supported by many references. It is written by a journalist who works for this magazine since 1990, has a degree in criminology, and covers politics and other shocking events.
Schildkraut, J., & Muschert, G. W. (2019). Columbine, 20 years later and beyond: Lessons from tragedy. ABC-CLIO.
This book is dedicated to the Columbine High School mass shooting, its circumstances, and the ways this horrible attack has influenced the safety of students living in the modern world. The authors provide a detailed story of that day’s events, and the tone of the text is relaxingly terrifying (Schildkraut & Muschert, 2019). The readers learn much information about the school itself, its success, and its high level since this place and its student shouldn’t be remembered for and associated with only the tragedy.
When the authors describe the shooting itself, which makes them more than five pages, it is impossible to remain calm and unemotional. This powerful book shows how one shocking event has significantly affected both people’s understanding of youth-related social issues and the policy responses to them (Schildkraut & Muschert, 2019). For all people interested in learning about this terrible event and its long-term impact, this book is an indispensable resource. It provides a comprehensive look at how the shooting unfolded and what has changed since the attack to improve the safety of students (Schildkraut & Muschert, 2019). This information is useful for all readers regardless of their age, profession, education, and working area. It is a reputable and trustworthy source since its authors are associate professors of criminal justice and sociology at the State University of New York at Oswego. Moreover, Jaclyn Schildkraut is also the co-author of Mass Shootings: Media, Myths, and Realities.