Rampage School Shootings: Why They Occur and How to Prevent Them

Employing a uniquely theoretical approach, sheds light on the complex issue of school shootings and offers research-based solutions for proactive prevention. The text features an innovative focus on understanding why school shooters commit acts of violence, encouraging readers to not only understand how to effectively assess an individual who poses a threat, but why they came to be a threat in the first place. Throughout the text, readers are exposed to information that bridges the gap between what researchers know about rampage school shootings and what the general public knows. Different types of school shootings are explained and common assumptions about contributing factors are examined. An in-depth case study dives into the psychological underpinnings of school shooters. Readers are presented with a theoretical explanation for school shootings and explore the implications of that theory on prevention measures at both the national and local level. Scholarly in approach, yet highly accessible, is well suited for courses in social work, psychology, sociology, counseling, criminal justice, policing, or school administration/counseling. The text is also valuable for professionals who work within school settings and are interested in implementing proactive prevention tactics. is an associate professor of social work and the graduate coordinator of the Master of Social Work Program at Radford University.