School shooters do not fit a single consistent profile; perpetrators, motivations, and attacks vary widely¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · review r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2018 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person · overdue for a recheck since 2023: baselines and conditions change

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Research finds no accurate or useful profile of students who engaged in targeted school violence; shooters vary in age, demographics, attack type, and school connection. → Langman 2018

Evidence¶

Langman 2018¶

Langman, P., Petrosino, A., & Persson, H. (2018). Five misconceptions about school shootings. San Francisco, CA: WestEd. https://www.wested.org/resources/five-misconceptions-about-school-shootings/

q2 · i? · review · r2

The brief cites the U.S. Secret Service and Department of Education Safe School Initiative report, which concluded there is "no accurate or useful 'profile'" of students who engaged in targeted school violence. The brief adds that shooters range in age from 11 to 62 with more diversity than often recognized.

"A report by the U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Department of Education following the Columbine massacre in 1999 concluded that "there is no accurate or useful 'profile' of students who engaged in targeted school violence""

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• School shooters are rarely the bullied loners of popular stereotype, and bullying prevention alone will not eliminate shootings — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Two mass shootings exemplify how metal detectors can be insufficient at stopping such attacks — related
• Crisis-response training such as lockdown and Run-Hide-Fight can save lives but does not prevent school shootings — related