Advancing responses to mass shootings using a routine activity approach

In the aftermath of high-profile mass shootings, such as those in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Sutherland Springs, Texas, there is continued demand for policy responses to such tragedies. Often, these responses are rooted in emotion rather than empirical evidence and a strong theoretical foundation. As a...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Schildkraut, Jaclyn (Author) ; Stafford, Mark C. (Author) ; Naman, Brandon M. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: [2019]
In: Crime prevention and community safety
Year: 2019, Volume: 21, Issue: 4, Pages: 346-361
Online Access: Volltext (Resolving-System)
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Keywords:
Violence Prevention
Crime Prevention
Routine Activity Theory
School Shootings
Mass shootings
School shootings
Routine activity theory
Crime prevention
Violence prevention
Description
Summary:In the aftermath of high-profile mass shootings, such as those in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Sutherland Springs, Texas, there is continued demand for policy responses to such tragedies. Often, these responses are rooted in emotion rather than empirical evidence and a strong theoretical foundation. As a result, there is little progress toward prevention, and the same dialogue is revisited with each new event. In this paper, we propose that Cohen and Felson’s (Am Sociol Rev 44(4):588-608, 1979) routine activity theory can be used as a framework for developing evidence-based responses to mass shootings. Specifically, by considering mass shootings as a function of the theory’s three key elements (motivated offenders, suitable targets, and capable guardianship), we consider how this theory, which overcomes many of the challenges found with typical responses to mass shootings, can be used to develop effective policies.
ISSN:1743-4629
DOI:10.1057/s41300-019-00077-3