Historical Context

*Timeline*

April 20, 1999- Columbine High School shooting:

Two students entered Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, injuring 23 people and killing 12 of their peers as well as one teacher. After opening fire, the two men committed suicide, this began the horrific continous issue spawning America and it’s issue with gun violence and schools.

1999-2005: Lawmakers and policymakers passed new statutes and enacted new regulations in hopes of stopping similar incidents. They focused on safety laws that worked to prepare for shootings rather than looking for ways to prevent shootings and gun incidents.

March 21, 2005- Red Lake Senior High School Shooting:

A 16 year old shot and killed 7 people and wounded 5 others at Red Lake Senior High School in Red Lake, Minnesota. The victims included an unarmed security guard, a teacher, and 5 other students. The Gunman later committed suicide. After the shooting, the district came out with a statement stating that they felt that they had done a very good job at putting security measures in place and had practiced for such an event.

October 2, 2006- The West Nickel Mines School Shooting:

A gunman takes hostage of 10 girls aged 6-13, killing 8 of them before committing suicide in Nickel Mines, Pennsilvania schoolhouse.

April 16, 2007 Virginia Tech School Shooting:

A senior at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia opened fire in residence halls and classrooms on campus, killing 32 people and injuring dozens before committing suicide.

2007-2012:

Colleges and Universities begin to rethink how deeply they value campus safety and emergency protocols, behavioral intervention resources and how to report anything or anyone suspicious. The University adopted nearly all 280 safety recommendations that came out of a safety report mandated by then-Gov. Tim Kaine, but also for colleges and universities across the country. Setting into place a systemic overhaul of campus safety regulations. One of the most significant impacts of the mass shooting was an amendment to the 1990 Clery Act, the federal law that requires institutions of higher education not only to collect and report campus crime statistics, but also to develop a multi-modal emergency warning system to dispatch information as quickly as possible.

April 2, 2012- Oikos University Shooting:

Seven people were killed and three were wounded when a former student opened fire at Oikos University in Oakland, California.

December 14, 2012- Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting:

At Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, an armed 20 year old man entered the school with a semi-automatic rifle killing 26 people including 20 first graders and 6 adult staff members. The gunman later committed suicide.

Days following Sandy Hook:

Legislators pledged to introduce some form of gun control legislation in the wake of the Newtown shootings. President at the time, Barack Obama stated that he would use all his power in office in order to stop future mass shootings. The National Rifle Association responded by advocating the introduction of armed guards into all American schools. More than 1/5 of public and private schools in the U.S. already employed police or other armed security personnel.

January 2013 Sandy Hook Promise is created:

Created by Mark Barden, a father who lost his son Daniel in the Sandy Hook shooting created Sandy Hook promise as a way to educate and empower youth and young adults to prevent violence within schools, homes, and communities. As well as their “Know the signs” program that helps teach young people and administrators to be able to recognize and intervene for those that may be at risk of hurting themselves or others.

2013- Assault Weapon Ban:

A month after the shooting this bill banned the sale of more than 150 specific firearm models as well as magazines that held more than 10 rounds of ammunition.

May 23, 2014:

A community college student killed six people and wounded 13 in a shooting and stabbing attack in the area near University of California- Santa Barbara campus. Later shooting himself after the attack.

October 1, 2015:

A shooting at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon, killing ten people and leaving seven wounded. Shooter later killed himself.

February 14, 2018- Stoneman Douglas High School shooting:

In Parkland, Florida, a student at Stoneman Douglas High school opened fire on students and staff after activating the fire alarm. Seventeen people were killed and seventeen were injured.

March 24, 2018: March for Our Lives:

Beginning the “Never Again” movement advocating for legislation to enact laws that will combat gun violence and put an end to school shootings across America. Led by survivors of the Stoneman Douglas school shooting.

2018 -Red Flag Laws:

Allow law enforcement officials to disarm people who may be violent after receiving requests from police or family members. As well as expanded background checks, banned bump stocks, and added a three-day waiting period to purchase a handgun. Lawmakers pledge “Never Again” to school shootings.

May 24, 2022- Robb Elementary School shooting:

An 18 year old former student opened fire at Robb Elementary school in Uvalde, Texas killing 21 people, 19 being students, and 2 being educators. This shooting was the deadliest school shooting in Texas history.

June 2022:

Texas education agency announces new safety procedures and rules after the Uvalde shooting. These measures will include inspecting doors to make sure they are locked from the outside, emergency radios will be tested regularly, vestibules for visitors to wait before being let in, and ground level windows that will be bulletproof. The state allocated $400 million for increased safety measures that will be disbursed out to districts.

Angry yet? You should be.