The shooting at Columbine High School

 

The Columbine High School shooting took place on April 20, 1999 following the actions of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold; students at the school who went on a shooting rampage. Their major targets were their fellow students as well as teachers in what many have come to consider to have been an attempt to fight against the constraints placed on them by society. It is important to note that these individuals were teenagers who were greatly influenced by the social circumstances surrounding them, including bullying from their fellow students as well as feelings of being socially isolated. Furthermore, in the case of Harris, there have been speculations concerning his having been a psychopath, which resulted in his seeking to cause harm to others who had not necessarily wronged him. 

One of the most significant aspects of the actions taken by these individuals was that they intended to cause as much deaths as possible at the school. This was done following considerable planning, which included seeking to make use of explosives, specifically bombs, to kill many of their fellow students, and later killing the rest by shooting them. They planted bombs in the cafeteria as well as in their cars, which were supposed to go off during the lunch break, when most of the students were in the cafeteria. Luckily for most of the students, the bombs failed to go off as planned, and instead, they either only partially exploded or did not explode. This is what prompted Harris and Klebold to go on the shooting spree that led to the deaths of so many within the school. The result was that 13 and 24 people respectively were killed and wounded respectively; making it one of the deadliest school shootings in the United States at the time.

In less than an hour from the beginning of the shooting, SWAT teams were already stationed outside the school amid ambulances taking the individuals wounded in the shooting to the hospitals. The SWAT teams, despite their reputation for efficiency, were placed in a scenario where they could not act effectively due to the lack of reliable information concerning the situation on the ground. This resulted in a scenario where they were forced into a prolonged shootout with the two shooters as there was a failure to determine the exact positions of the latter. It is noteworthy that because of the lack of information, the prolonged shootout led to a call for additional ammunition within a short time; a sign that the SWAT teams had not come prepared for such a long engagement. However, soon after, the two SWAT teams on the scene entered the school and moved from one classroom to another seeking out the shooters, while at the same time discovering the students and faculty members that were hidden within. 

Moreover, they entered the end to the school opposite the library, which proved to be a difficult endeavor because of the use of old maps that failed to show that a new wing had recently been added to the building. This shows the way that the lack of information on the entire scene hampered the SWAT operation that would have led to the early end of the situation. It is also pertinent to note that the SWAT teams were also prevented from attaining their highest efficiency because of the sound of fire alarms across the school. Thus, from the beginning of events, the lack of information concerning the situation inside the school made it more difficult for law enforcement to attain the level of efficiency that would have led to a swift end to the shootout.

The media ended up playing a prominent role in the Columbine High School shooting due to its coverage. The coverage was one that began by asking questions concerning the events that were taking place, but as the situation continued, media showed a level of irresponsibility when it began to speculate concerning the reasons behind the events. This created an environment where the media seemed to be seeking a justification for the shootings that were taking place to such an extent that some of the speculations came to be believed as fact, even by those who had witnessed the events unfold within the school. The media played a prominent role in bringing the events taking place at Columbine to national attention. This allowed for media at both national and local levels to not only get to the scene, but also cover most of it, including some of the most gruesome events, such as the one involving the boy on the window. 

It is also noteworthy that because of the attention generated by the media, the events that took place at the Columbine became a part of the popular culture because while some vilified the event for the brutality of the perpetrators, others went on to justify their actions. Consequently, the reality of the situation, which involved the deaths and wounding of people in the school, only became a footnote when considering the events. Public officials could have better handled the media coverage through preventing the latter from covering the events live. Instead, they could have stressed the importance of not covering the events live until such a time as they came to an end as a means of making sure that the shooters were not given the fame that they craved. It is possible that the media coverage is what made the situation worse; meaning that public officials could have handled media coverage better.

The Columbine shooting has become a reference point for mass violence in schools, with other shootings since being compared to it. It can be considered to have been a cultural touchstone in the recent history of the United States. The shooting has made it possible for similar individuals to the shooters to become copycats in order to gain fame and notoriety. This can be considered to be a consequence of the way the media covered the events of the shooting (Murray, 2017). The impact of the events that took place at the Columbine High School have been significant because it has led to their popularization. This is to such an extent that numerous individuals, especially troubled youth, have come to view Harris and Klebold as martyrs or even heroes (Broll, 2020). Consequently, it has become common for individuals who undertake similar shootings in schools to refer to Harris and Klebold in their journals or videos attempting to show the inspiration for their actions.

The Columbine massacre can be considered to have been a turning point when it came to how school shootings are perceived. The considerable media attention it garnered has created a scenario where most members of society are wary of such events happening again to such an extent that there has been the implementation of changes in school district policies aimed at prevention (Daggett, 2017). There have been times when entire school districts were closed because of a potential threat; a sign of the trauma that continues to be felt in society because of the events. It is noteworthy that suggestions have even been made to arm teachers so that students can feel safer in the school environment. This has become a part of the debate concerning gun control and has therefore become a highly controversial and politicized matter across the nation.

In the aftermath of school shootings since the Columbine massacre, governments at all levels have initiated programs aimed at the prevention of such events in schools. Considerable funds have been allocated to this process, including teacher training, violence prevention programs, and peer mediated interventions (Smokowski & Evans, 2019). These have been aimed at making sure that the school environment remains safe and that mental and social problems that face individual students are addressed early in order to prevent escalations that could lead to other shootings. Thus, the Columbine shootings played a role in forcing government and school districts to consider the deeper sociological issues affective students and the provision of investment to ensure that such incidents are prevented.