© H. DARR BEISER / USA TODAY NETWORK
(Littleton, CO) – On April 20, 1999, the world changed forever. At the very least, life for generations of school children and their parents were irrevocably changed when two students opened fire at Columbine High School, targeting their classmates and teachers. Thirteen people were killed that day in Littleton, Colorado.
In the immediate aftermath there was plenty of mourning for the victims, as well as intrigue and question surrounding the shooters. Both of them committed suicide by turning their own guns on themselves at the end of their rampage. Writings and recordings emerged suggesting both of the male shooters were victims of bullying or at least perceived themselves as such.
It’s unquestioned that school shootings have more or less become a macabre way of life for schools. Since that fateful day in 1999 other school names have entered the public lexicon: Stoneman Douglas in Parkland, Florida, Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut, Uvalde in Texas, and sadly many more. Since the Columbine High School Shooting Massacre at least 415 victims have been slain in mass school shootings.
Debates have raged for these past 25 years concerning things like metal detectors in schools, armed guards, giving teachers guns, and all sorts of other suggestions. Sadly, we’re no closer to solving the scourge of school shootings as we stretch past the quarter century mark since Columbine.
