1. BCJ2501 Criminology
Answers:
School shootings are a form of gun-related violence that has been rising within the U.S. over
the years. The incidences comprise of a student killing one student or faculty member
within the school, though usually multiple deaths tend to occur during such shootings
(Riedman & Neill, 2018). Such attackers may exhibit certain traits of mental illness and may
also belong to unstable families, though such traits can also be possessed by nonviolent
students (Malcolm & Swearer, 2018).
One of the school shootings that has occurred in the U.S. is the Townville Elementary School
shooting. The shooter was Jesse Osborne, and was fourteen years of age at the time of the
shooting. Though at the time of the shooting, the shooter was being homeschooled, he had
attended the school up till fifth grade. Before arriving at the school, he had also killed his
father (Rueb & Garcia, 2019). Another shooting that occurred in the U.S. was the Aztec High
School shooting in New Mexico. The shooter was a 21-year-old who had gone inside the
school disguised as a student. He had prepared for the event for years, and the shooting
resulted in the death of two students of the school (Kellogg, 2018). In certain circumstances,
peer pressure can also lead to the student feeling more vulnerable and further motivate
them to cause the mass shooting (Kozlov, 2020). In the case of the Aztec School Shootings,
the shooter, William Atchison, had been in touch with other individuals with violent
ideologies and was also in touch with an individual from Germany who had killed nine
people in a mall. It is suspected that this may have further motivated him to plan the school
shooting (Kellogg, 2018). Family abuse, neglect and lack of socialization are also traits
common amongst school shooters (Kozlov, 2020). Mostly, the age group of perpetrators has
been found to be within the age group of 16 to 20 years of age statistically (Dumitriu, 2013).
However, this is not applicable in the case of the Townville School shooting and Aztec High
School shooting. Both the school shooters had a former relationship with the school where
the shooting took place, and both the shooters were also mentally unstable.
As per the social learning theory, criminal behavior is often conditioned within the criminal
when the positive consequences of their deviant behavior are often more powerful than
their normal behavior (Trauffer, 2020). In the case of William Atchison, speaking to
individuals over the internet and planning the shooting may have led to such behavior being
2. encouraged (Kellogg, 2018). This would also be supported by the ‘differential association
theory’ that proposes that interaction with other individuals can lead to the adoption of
criminal behavior, values and attitudes (Lokanan, 2018). Furthermore, as per the trait
theory, certain personality and biological traits can create a predisposition for crime
amongst individuals, a low I.Q. and mental illness is one of them (Siegel, 2019). In the case
of the two shooters, both of them were mentally unstable.
One of the primary mechanisms for minimizing such school shooting incidences is to create
stricter gun control laws, as easy access to firearms is one of the primary reasons for
children and young adults being able to engage in such incidences (Scaptur & Boyle, 2020).
This can be ensured through the efforts of state and federal governments. Local law
enforcement authorities should take online threats related to school shootings by younger
students seriously (Alfred University, n.d). In the case of William Atchison, he frequently
engaged in social media communication related to violent ideologies (Kellogg, 2018). Jesse
Osborne, who was the shooter in the Townsville School Shooting, also posted his intentions
of shooting on social media (Mayo, 2019). Such threats should have been investigated
extensively to ensure such children were not threats to various schools. Teachers should
also create a supportive school environment and be able to show deeper concern for
children who may be at risk of violent behaviors and should also educate children about the
issue of school violence (Alfred University, n.d.). In terms of technological advancements
that can aid in preventing school shootings, video surveillance systems, metal detectors, and
entry control equipment can be helpful (Schwartz et al., 2016). Furthermore, technologies
aimed at social media monitoring and providing emergency alerts to the local law
enforcement authorities should also be enabled (Schwartz et al., 2016).
In conclusion, perpetrators of school shootings often have a co-relation to the school and
may also display certain behaviors that are warning signs of the school shooting. However,
through the use of stricter laws and advanced technologies, certain prevention efforts
against such incidences can be undertaken.
References
Alfred University (n.d.). Can We Prevent School Shootings? Alfred.edu.
https://www.alfred.edu/about/news/studies/lethal-school-violence/can-we-prevent.cfm
Dumitriu, C. (2013). School Violence around the World: A Social Phenomenon. Procedia -
Social and Behavioral Sciences, 92, 299
Kellogg, J. (2018). Aztec school shooter reached out to other school shooters, planned
killings online. Farmington Daily Times. https://www.daily-
times.com/story/news/crime/2018/04/17/aztec-high-school-shooting-investigation-
william-atchison/513013002/
3. Kozlov, X.J. (2020). School shootings as a multi-faceted phenomenon: Social-ecological
model-based review. Psychology in Education,2(4), 349
Lokanan, M. (2018).Informing The Fraud Triangle: Insights From Differential Association
Theory. Journal of Theoretical Accounting Research, 14(1)
Malcolm, J. & Swearer, A. (2018). 3 Common Traits of School Shooters.
Heritage. https://www.heritage.org/education/commentary/3-common-traits-school-
shooters
Mayo, N. (2019). S.C. school shooter Jesse Osborne's disturbing history described in court
testimony. Greenville News. https://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/local/south-
carolina/2019/11/12/townville-school-shooting-jesse-osborne-court-sentencing-hearing-
anderson-county-sc/2522008001/
Riedman, D., & Neill, D. (2018). K-12 school shooting database. Center for Homeland
Defense and Security
Rueb, E.S. & Garcia, S.E. (2019). Teenager Who Killed His Father and a 6 Year Old Is
Sentenced to Life Without Parole. The New York Times.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/14/us/jesse-osborne-townville-school-shooting.html
Scaptura, M. N., & Boyle, K. M. (2020). Masculinity threat,“incel” traits, and violent fantasies
among heterosexual men in the United States. Feminist criminology, 15(3), 278-298
Schwartz, H. L., Ramchand, R. N., Barnes-Proby, D., Grant, S., Jackson, B. A., Leuschner, K., ... &
Saunders, J. M. (2016). Can Technology Make Schools Safer? RAND.
Siegel, L. (2019). Criminology: The core (7th ed.). Cengage Learning
Trauffer, N. (2020). A Comparison of Strain, Social Learning, Control, and Trauma Theories
of Crime. City University of New York.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4991&context=gc_etds
