On April 20, 1999, two Columbine, Colo. High School seniors, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, shot and killed 13 people — 12 students and a teacher — before turning their weapons on themselves.
The event marked the beginning of an era in which American citizens have repeatedly been forced to deal with the threat of school shootings. Since the Columbine High School shooting, more than 226,000 students at 233 schools have been impacted by school shootings, according to a Washington Post analysis. According to data from the US Naval Postgraduate School, there were 94 school gun violence incidents in 2018 — a record high since 1970, which is as far back as the data goes, and 59 percent higher than the previous record of 59 in 2006. Facing this reality, what can we do to minimize the risk and damage associated with an active shooter?