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School Shootings Begin In The Home (And So The Home Can Fix Them)

Culture begins in the home, and so do many problems in society. School shootings are not an exception.

Whenever there are shootings with fatalities, it sparks a wave of talk about gun control, school security, allowing teachers to keep guns at school, and other methods of prevention. While these things will stop some shootings, they will not help enough.

The factors and problems that can lead to a school shooting can be solved, reduced, or prevented in the home.

Offenders generally do not come from stable homes. Dr. Peter Langman showed that in one sample, 82% of the offenders were from dysfunctional families, while only 18% were from intact families1. Carolyn Moynihan of MercatorNet said that “almost all school shooters come from families where the parents are either divorced or alienated”2. Social scientist Bradford Wilcox also observed nearly all “involved a young man whose parents divorced or never married in the first place.3" Studies show that
within offender's families, there is often a lack of supervision, emotional closeness, and intimacy 4.

President Clinton said, “We're long past the question of whether culture makes an impact. Of course, it does. School shootings...are...symptoms of a culture that too often glorifies violence.5"

Among the topmost motives of offenders were: 76% were bullied/persecuted/threatened, 61% wanted revenge, while 54% reported having numerous reasons. The remaining motives had 34% attempting to solve a problem, 27% suffered from depression and were attempting suicide, and 24% were seeking attention or recognition6. Alienation and persecution also drove many of the offenders to violence7.

Studies have shown that factors behind School Shootings include family dysfunction and a lack of family supervision. These problems can be solved by the parents. “Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. . . . . .Fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners.8" Parents have a duty to teach their children. When a parent teaches their child well (as outlined in The Family:
A Proclamation To The World), the child will know how to forgive those who have hurt them, thus doing away with the need for revenge. The child will also know that they will always be loved, even if they make mistakes.

When a child gets bullied at school, having a loving family to come home to can help them cope with the emotional hurt in a way that can help them forgive those who have hurt them. Having a loving family, a family that accepts a child, weaknesses and all, can help them feel of worth, which empowers them both as youth and adults to accept the past and find peace.

According to School Shooter: A Quick Reference Guide, one reason offenders did what they did was the wish for recognition and attention. Families can effectively solve this problem by creating an environment of unconditional love, acceptance, and approval, and by helping them develop their talents, giving the children another path to fame other than violence.

President Bill Clinton said of school shootings, “when over and over children see cinematic conflicts resolved not with words but with weapons, we shouldn't be surprised when children, from impulse or design, follow suit.9" A strong family unit will give children and youth opportunities to solve problems when differences of opinions arise. For example: parents and child may not agree on a curfew. Siblings and parents will like different TV shows/restaurants/games/etc. Having different opinions in the home
can teach a child/teen to use words to solve problems, not violence—if the parents use the teaching opportunities wisely.

Culture begins in the home, and so do the solutions to many problems in society, including school shootings.

“Around our kitchen tables, on our public airwaves, in our private thoughts, we [should] all [be] asking ourselves, what are the root causes of such youth violence?10"

School shootings are merely one of the symptoms of a culture that glorifies violence.

And what is the sickness that causes these symptoms? Weak families. Families are the fundamental unit of society11, so if we fix the family, then the culture will be fixed, society will be fixed, and school shooting will happen rarely, if ever.





Sources:

1 Peter Langman, Ph.D. “School Shooters: The Myth Of The Stable Home”

2 “Way Back Machine”. February 20, 2018

3 “Sons of divorce, school shooters”. Aei.org

4 Gerard, F.J.; Whitefield, K.C.; Porter, L.E.; Brown, K.D. (2015) “Offender and Offense Characteristics of School
Shooting Incidents”. Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender

5 President Bill Clinton, June 13, 1998, on the radio

6 School Shooter: A Quick Reference Guide. United States. Federal Bureau of Investigation National Center of Crime
Analysis (US)

7 Fein, R.A.; Vossekuil, B.; Borum, R.; Reddy, M.; Modzeleski, W. (May 2002)”Threat Assessments in Schools:A Guide
To Managing Threatening Situations and Creating Safe School Climates”. U. S. Department of Education and U. S.
Secret Service

8 The Family: A Proclamation to The World

9 President Bill Clinton, June 13, 1998, on the radio

10 President Bill Clinton, June 13, 1998, on the radio

11 The Family: A Proclamation to The World

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