The Struggle to End School Shootings in the United States — An Analysis of Parents’ Acceptability of School Shooting Prevention Measures
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Authors
Blackwell, David
Issue Date
2025-10
Type
Dissertation
Language
en
Keywords
School-shootings , prevention measures , parents , Criminal Justice & Public Safety
Alternative Title
Abstract
School shootings in the United States continue to be a persistent and devastating problem with escalating frequency and deadly consequences—despite decades of prevention efforts (Anestis et al., 2024; Carter et al., 2019; Fink, 2023; Minshew, 2018). This applied culminating project investigated parents’ acceptability of 12 measures that have been used or considered to prevent or respond to shootings in U.S. K-12 schools. Using the Theoretical Framework of Acceptability (Sekhon et al., 2017) and its seven constructs as the study’s framework, a mixed-methods research design was used to assess parents’ knowledge and perspectives of the 12 measures. Findings from a sample of 44 parents in the Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia metropolitan area revealed sound knowledge and varying levels of support and concern across the measures, supporting the comparatively sparse existing research on parents’ perceptions of school shooting prevention measures and also indicating points of contrast. Ultimately, the study stressed the central role of parents, along with other key stakeholders, including politicians and the public, in pushing for a comprehensive, evidence-based national school shooting prevention policy.