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School Shootings: An Epidemic Unfolding Throughout America
Imagine living in an era where horrendous acts targeting our youth’s best and brightest
have become weekly occurrences. Where students walk into class readily anticipating worse-
case scenarios. Where ticking-time bombs go unnoticed until it’s too late. Alas, American
citizens don’t have to use the full extent of their imagination, since these incidents have been
transpiring among schools across the country. Although the rate of violent crime has dropped
by 37 percent since 1980, a recent study found that more people have died or been injured in
mass school shootings in the United States in the past 18 years than in the entire 20th century.
Henceforth, the rate of school shootings has drastically increased. Ranging from elementary
schools to college campuses, there have been 45 school shootings within 46 weeks this year
alone—almost one occasion per week. One of these incidents struck just last week, where a
high school student elected to celebrate his 16th birthday in the most horrific way possible: by
turning a gun against his fellow classmates at Saugus High School.
On November 14, in Los Angeles, California, 16-year-old student Nathaniel Berhow shot
five of his classmates and himself in a matter of 16 seconds. Wielding a .45-calliber pistol, the
attack resulted in the hospitalization of three students and the death of two more. After
remaining in critical condition, Berhow eventually succumbed to his wounds the next day.
Following the tragic event, social media platforms were bombarded with panicked cries of
frustration speculating the worst: that nothing good would come of the shooting. Yet,
something must be done to formulate concrete impediments for future shootings, or this
epidemic will only continue to escalate.
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Typically, school shooters fit a specific profile that takes numerous factors into
consideration—such as behavior, societal influences, mentality, and external appearance. To
craft one explanation behind criminal activity, Cesare Lombroso—the father of the Positivist
School of Criminology—utilized Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. In doing so, Lombroso
applied the term “atavism” to introduce the concept of abnormal physical features contributing
to someone’s likelihood of committing a crime. Additionally, this notion included the
identification of stigmata, which are unusual physiognomies—such as big ears, a crooked nose,
or large lips—linking people to criminal behavior. These characteristics often guarantee certain
people remain on the outskirts of society, creating a domino-effect of bullying and
consequential retaliation. In the Columbine High School Massacre, one of the shooters had a
