Gun Control: Gun ownership is a highly charged political issue with many Americans equating the right to bear arms as a fundamental component of constitutionally protected freedoms. The National Rifle Association (NRA) enjoys a powerful lobbying position in Washington (Schwartz 2008) dedicated to its continuing opposition to gun control
22-caliber rifle, a.22-caliber handgun and a Glock semiautomatic pistol. (Anelauskas, 1999, p
apparently because he was distraught over a breakup with his girlfriend." (Kelleher, 1998, p
In spite of the teasing, Woodham was described as a quiet boy who just absorbed the insults, never even responding, concentrating on his grades and his job at a Domino's Pizza restaurant where he had aspirations of entering an assistant manager's program." (Moffatt, 2000, p
"The school shootings are but a tiny symptom of a vastly greater problem. (Morgan, 1999, p
High School Shootings While schools are seen in terms of statistics as being the safest place for children (Poland, 2003, p
They, like Jeff, were lonely, troubled, and hopeless." (Sallee, 2005) in this case there were many signs and indications of a disturbed child with various problems
He may have felt alienated because his classmates were frightened by him and his gang activity in school. (Seita, 2005) Another characteristic of this shooting, which is found in many others, is the macabre sense of revenge and even "enjoyment "in the actions of shooting others
The concept of the school also became a symbol. To the parents, it symbolized "community, learning, respect, friendship," and after all "it is an experience we all share together" (Anderson, 2009, p 210)
Yet, on the other hand, findings can often be hard too read or inconclusive based on this high level of abstract concepts that derive from such sessions. The strengths of focus groups rest in the ability to test out certain theories, illustrate the major connections between concepts, and to test how the public reacts to certain concepts (Brophy, 2005)
This is a very political topic. Currently, the United States is in the midst of a major conflict about gun regulation (Cooper & Sussman, 2013)
Either the intense level of reporting school shootings was influencing more, or the idea that media seems to highlight violence on TV and movies like never before. There is research that corroborates such ideas (Huesman, 2007)
Gun Free Schools Act The schools now follow the Gun-Free Schools Act (GFSA), according to which a student who brings a gun or any other weapon to school should be expelled from the school for a period of one year. This Act was added to the 'Improving America's School Act in 1994', at the time when the violence in schools was at its peak and around 322,400 incidents of serious crimes took place in America (Dinkes, Cataldi, & Lin-Kelly, 2007)
Social Control Theory According to Social Control Theory, sociological variables like family structures, schoolings and peer groups are the main causes behind the delinquency and criminal behavior. Travis Hirschi explains this concept by explaining that unusual and abnormal behavior can be prevented by many mutual restraints (Hirschi, 1969)
Safe Schools According to the No Child Left behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), the state should develop policies and allow student to choose a safe school of the district if he or she becomes the victim of the criminal behavior in the dangerous school. However, this Act does not provide the criteria or time frame for transferring students to the safer school (Mayer & Leone, 2007)
The criteria used for identifying the cases, methods and findings in these reports are different and vary according to the type of study conducted. However, most of the studies consist of qualitative or descriptive analysis using small samples of cases (McGee & DeBernardo, 1999; Meloy, Hempel, Mohandie, Shive, & Gray, 2001)
A committee of National Research Council performed a case study in 2001 in which six school shooting incidents were considered. It was accomplished in the study that it is impossible to "reach firm scientific conclusions" (Moore, Petrie, Braga, & McLaughlin, 2003, p
Department of Education (Vossekuil et al., 2002) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (O'Toole, 2000)
Security Measures Schools in United States are taking security measures to prevent violence since last several years. They have installed metal detectors and cameras for monitoring the behavior of students and also hired police and security services for school premises Today many schools have basic security measures, these include; school staff monitoring, searching student lockers, strict check on entry and exit of school, checking visitor's passes and other necessary measures (Redding & Shalf, 2001)
Social Control 3. Anomie Differential Association Theory This theory given by Edwin Sutherland gives the idea that the criminal behavior does not develop its self but individuals learn it from the social environments (Sutherland, 1939)