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School Shooting Roundup: Laws, Tips, and Questions

By Christopher Coble, Esq. on May 18, 2018 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

As news of yet another school shooting scrolls across our news feeds, the usual questions come to mind. What was school security like? Where did the shooter get the guns? Could it have been prevented?

Sadly, mass shootings have become far too common, so we've covered some of those issues before. Here's a roundup of legal questions regarding school shootings, along with some of the pertinent laws and tips for student safety.

1. School Shooting, Lockdown Tips for Parents

Each school may have their own set of procedures in the event of a school shooting, so check with your child's school on what they, and you, should do during or after a shooting. Here are some general tips.

2. Which States Allow Guns in Schools?

It may sound weird, but not every school is a gun-free zone, and 18 states allow adults to carry loaded guns onto school grounds. Which ones?

3. Criminal Penalties for Murder Threats

School shootings often follow warning signs, if not explicit threats. So, can a student, or someone else, who threatens a school shooting get in trouble?

4. 'Joke' Gun Violence Threats on Social Media Will Get You Arrested

School administrators and law enforcement officials take threats, even those posted to social media, very seriously. And even if you claim your threat was a "joke," you can get arrested.

5. When Is It a Crime to Plan a Crime?

For as many school shootings that occur, there are also many that are thwarted before ever happening. So if there was no explicit threat, but still a plan to commit a school shooting, is that in and of itself a crime?

6. Emergency School Text Alerts Can Save Your Life

Schools nationwide have set up emergency notification systems for crisis situations, including when there's an active shooter on campus. Is your school, or your child's, using such an alert system?

7. What to Do If Your Child Commits a Crime

Almost worse than imagining your child as a victim, what if it was your child who committed the school shooting? Find out what to do here.

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