Why is it that school (and other) mass shootings usually happen in the suburbs or small towns? Why don’t we hear about them from inner cities?
Not sure it’s the reason, but I’ve seen more cops in city schools than in the burbs. Might be a deterrent.
The students have that market cornered already. It is just everyday life, not a grand statement.
Why would someone who’s planning to kill himself (can’t think of one time it wasn’t a him) care if there were cops around? Might make the body count lower, but I don’t see why it would stop someone from trying it.
I know that suicide is more common among more “privileged” people, so that might be a factor here too.
Perhaps the city schools have metal detectors at the front door?
I teach in such a school. While I can’t speak for every school, here is the situation as I see it at this one:
- Most important: This is their safe place. They are reluctant to damage that.
- There is enough violence in their neighborhoods that they don’t see shooting as a big, dramatic gesture.
- We do have and use metal detectors and such, though bypassing them would not require a master criminal.
Having grown up not too far from Newton, CT, my WAG is that mass shootings tend to happen in more suburban and rural communities because those communities tend to be more isolated and more isolating. Everyone lives in houses on quarter or half-acre plots separated by woods. Other than the local cul-de-sac, there aren’t really a lot of pubic areas that are within walking distance.
There isn’t a lot of social diversity. So if you are shy or weird or even just new in town, it can be tough to find people to connect with.
Parents mostly work, so typically kids come home from school with no one around to supervise them.
So basically, you have a guy whose weird and anti-social to begin with. He’s got nothing to do but sit around thinking of bizarre stuff in his head. And no one knows what’s he’s up to until it’s too late.
Not a school, but an abortion clinic was shot up here some years back. Definitely in the city, but in a more priviledged neighborhood.
I think what both Shagnasty and Scumpup said.
Assuming by “inner city” you mean “socially and economiocally disadvantaged” and not Manhattan, it’s my observation that kids who go to such schools are a: exposed to chaos and violence and high levels of social interaction frequently so shooting a bunch of other people is not much of a statement and b: what Scumpup said about the school being a “safe place” for many students.
But also, why do we think white and Asian males are the most likely to commit suicide, and do we think that’s relevant to this type of thing? These situations aren’t typical suicides, obviously, but might it still figure in?