Two Shootings at North Carolina Schools in Three Days: How the US Protects Children and Why It Doesn't Work

There is no evidence that the huge spending on school security in the US is justified.

Two shootings took place at schools in the state of North Carolina (US) within three days. We explain what happened during the incidents, how the US protects children from attacks, and why it is pointless. 

Two Shootings in Three Days

On August 30, a 15-year-old boy opened fire at a middle school in North Carolina, wounding one of the students. 

The shooter was arrested. The sheriff's office charged him with attempted first-degree murder and possession and use of a weapon on school grounds. He was arrested a few hours after the attack. 

According to the sheriff's office, the injuries of the wounded student are not life-threatening. Officials, citing videos from social media, said the shots were fired after an argument on campus. 

On September 1, a shooting also took place at a school in Forsyth County, North Carolina, but one student was killed in the incident. A few hours later, the suspect was arrested. He is also considered a student, but officials did not immediately disclose details. 

The wounded student was taken to hospital, where he died of his injuries. Police closed the roads leading to the school, which has more than 1,500 students, and numerous ambulances were at the scene. 

What Is Columbine

On April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in a suburb of Denver, two students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, killed 13 people, wounded 23, and then took their own lives. To this day, the massacre remains one of the most high-profile in the US. 

Communities of “Columbiners” regularly appear online, justifying the killers' actions and calling themselves their copycats. In 2019, a few days before the anniversary of the Columbine shooting, 19 schools in Colorado were closed and security measures were increased. 

The decision was made after the FBI learned about an 18-year-old Florida resident who had come to Colorado and bought a rifle at a store 3 km from Columbine High School. The girl was later found dead. 

How Schools in the US Are Protected From Attacks

Amid frequent school shootings in the US, large sums have been spent for several years on security measures, from facial recognition software to placing former law enforcement officers in schools disguised as teachers. 

In 2018, a teenager brought a pistol to school and accidentally shot a female student, although the building was equipped with cameras, three guards were on duty in the corridors, students' bags were periodically searched, and metal detectors stood at the entrance. 

US school representatives believe that the most effective security measures are simple ones: training staff in evacuation rules, barricading doors, and preparing employees for quick, coordinated action in an emergency. 

Most schools consider the human factor the main means of preventing such crimes. If they have trusting relationships with students, they can warn staff in advance that someone is making threats. Moreover, before committing a crime, schoolchildren often talk about their plans in some form with friends or online.