Today in class I decided to research about the Columbine school shooting. I learned that it was the deadliest school shooting in America that occured on April 20, 1999. During the mass-murder, Eric Harris and Dylan Kleebold killed eleven people, wounded twenty-three, and then committed suicide. Research shows that both boys were social outcasts and faced bullying for being different. Harris was labeled as a clinical psychopath and Kleebold was a depressive. It has caused much controversy wondering if this tragedy could have been prevented by recognizing the boys' plans before they put them into full effect.
After the tragic incident, people blamed many things for allowing this to happen. They said that media was to blame because bomb-making directions were available online and violent themes came across in music and on the television. The school was also blamed for not have stronger security. Schools have since responded to the violence by installing metal detectors at entrances and putting video cameras in the hallways.
It has been Columbine that has awakened the nation to the seriousness and pervasiveness of bullying. It was bullying that causes Harris' and Kleebold's depression to escalate into something as violent as this. Columbine has demonstrated the dangers of bullying and how it has a strong connection to school violence.
Sources: http://issues.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/950858?terms=columbine
http://issues.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/971107?terms=columbine
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