As a new school year approaches, parents, students and school personnel are likely thinking about, planning for and hoping for a positive and productive time for everyone involved. Unfortunately, administrative, security and law enforcement staff also need to plan for safe responses to critical situations, one of the most dangerous being a school shooter scenario.
Recently, there has been a change in the legal response to school shootings, and that involves criminally charging a parent for shootings done by his child. Most recently, Colin Gray, a resident of Georgia, was found guilty of second-degree murder and wounding nine people due to his 14-year-old son’s actions.
According to the judge and attorneys involved in the case, Mr. Gray facilitated his son’s violent crimes by gifting him an AR-15 style rifle and ammunition for Christmas, failure to keep the rifle secured from his son and ignoring “red flag” behaviors (indicative of potential danger) on his son’s part. Clearly the whole situation could have possibly been preventable.
Prior to retirement from my career as a psychologist, I was brought into the study of violence in school and other settings, and several of my colleagues and I worked hard to develop and share prevention strategies. Some of this involved working on a gun safety committee that included gun shop owners and firearms trainers.
In New Hampshire, it’s important to recognize we have large rural and hunting areas, and hence lots of firearm ownership. Part of that tradition includes family involvement in the use and care of guns. It’s important to remember that caring for guns involves careful and secure storage and supervision of young people using and handling frearms.
Equally important is having a good understanding of the behaviors and emotions of those handling guns (including adults). Are they acting rationally and exhibiting self-control? Has anyone been aggressive or confused? How about depression, for another concern with firearms is also suicidal behavior? And no one should be abusing alcohol or drugs around firearms.
In the event of our seeing or being told about potentially dangerous behavior around guns, the person doing that behavior ought to be separated from the weapon, and law enforcement or a health professional may need to become involved. Reports of threatening or dangerous behavior on the part of someone need to be taken seriously and explored carefully.
Let’s hope that there will be no more need to respond to dangerous behavior at schools.
Mark Ciocca is a retired psychologist from Penacook.