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Declaration of Authenticity II Declaration of Authenticity I, the undersigned, SARRADJ Siham, declare that I am the legitimate author of the present dissertation, and that this thesis is my original work, gathered and utilized especially to fulfil the purposes and objectives of this study. I also declare that this work has not been previously submitted to any other university for a higher degree. Signature III Acknowledgments I would like to express my gratitude to my supervisor, Prof SENOUCI MEBERBECH Faiza. Without your help and your advice, this work would not have been completed. Special thanks to Dr BAGHLI Wafaa, Dr BENHATTAB Lotfi, Prof MOULFI Leila, Prof BELMEKKI Belkacem, Dr DANI Fatiha, and all the teachers who accompanied me throughout my entire educational path. In the memory of Dr BENALI Rachid, the model teacher who inspired me, and left an immortal handprint on my heart. You were a special educator, an honorable tutor, and a friend that only comes along once in a lifetime. IV Dedication All praise is to God Almighty. Thank you Allah for all the things you granted me unconditionally. Thank you for having given me the health and the courage to pursue my studies. Thank you for having given me the patience and the capacity to work, study and raise my lovely three flowers. Thank you for having given me a patient and a comprehensive husband. A special debt of gratitude to my husband. Thank you for your presence, your support and your encouragement. Your unconditional help is what made this dissertation an important step in my life. Thank you so much. To my dearest mother, lovely children Israa, Adam and Ayoub, my darling sister, and all my relatives and friends. Thank you all for your love, your help and your presence. To my grandmother, who left us before the accomplishment of this work. Rest in peace dear grandmother. V Abstract School violence is a serious social problem in the United States and even in many parts of the world. It concerns not only the individuals involved, but also the parents, the teachers, the classmates and the whole community. A violent learning environment poses a real obstacle against a successful and prosperous educational process. This thesis is going to explore the problem through the lens of different perspectives, discuss the different factors contributing to school violence and school shootings, and take the reader into an in-depth analysis of 71 school attacks that took place in the United States from 1970 to 2010. In the end, this research will attempt to assess the proposed solutions and suggest alternative outlets. Key Words: youth violence, school violence, school shootings, case studies, risk factors, safety measures. VI Table of Contents Declaration of Authenticity .......................................................................................................... II Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................................ III Dedication .................................................................................................................................... IV Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... V Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................ VI List of Figures ........................................................................................................................... VIII List of Abbreviations ................................................................................................................... IX List of Appendices ......................................................................................................................... X Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 1 I. CHAPTER I: Introducing Violence, Youth Violence and School Violence ...................... 7 I.1. Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 8 I.2. Defining Violence .............................................................................................................. 9 I.2.1 The Origins of Violence ........................................................................................... 12 I.2.2 Globalization and Violence ...................................................................................... 14 I.2.3 Trends of Violence ................................................................................................... 16 I.2.4 Examining the Roots of Violence ............................................................................ 20 I.3. Youth Violence ................................................................................................................ 22 I.3.1 Trends of Youth Violence ........................................................................................ 22 I.3.2 Risk Factors for Youth Violence .............................................................................. 27 I.4. Defining School Violence ............................................................................................... 30 I.4.1 Historical Background of School Violence in the United States ............................. 32 I.4.2 Trends of School Violence in the United States ...................................................... 38 I.4.3 Risk Factors for School Violence ............................................................................. 44 I.5. Conclusion ....................................................................................................................... 46 II. CHAPTER II: School Shootings in the U.S from 1970 to 2010 ....................................... 48 II.1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 49 II.2. Defining School Shootings .............................................................................................. 49 II.3. Historical Background ..................................................................................................... 52 II.4. School Shootings as a Global Phenomenon .................................................................... 58 II.5. Case Studies: School Shootings from 1970 to 2010 ........................................................ 65 VII II.6. The Findings: The Similarities and the Differences between the Studied School Shootings .................................................................................................................................... 76 II.6.1 Findings Concerning the Attackers .......................................................................... 77 II.6.2 Findings Concerning the Attacks ............................................................................. 78 II.6.3 Discussion ................................................................................................................ 79 II.7. Conclusion ....................................................................................................................... 84 III. CHAPTER III: Direct and Indirect Risk Factors for School Shootings ......................... 86 III.1. Introduction .................................................................................................................. 87 III.2. Direct Risk Factors ...................................................................................................... 87 III.2.1 Availability of Guns ................................................................................................. 87 III.2.2 School Bullying ........................................................................................................ 92 III.2.3 Psychological Problems ........................................................................................... 97 III.3. Indirect Risk Factors .................................................................................................. 101 III.3.1 Violent Media ......................................................................................................... 102 III.3.2 Familial Instability ................................................................................................. 106 III.3.3 The American Violent Culture vs. the Culture of Fear .......................................... 109 III.3.4 Moral Decline ......................................................................................................... 113 III.4. Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 117 IV. CHAPTER IV: The Legal and the Safety Measures toward Gun Violence and School Gun Violence ............................................................................................................................... 118 IV.1. Introduction ................................................................................................................ 119 IV.2. Historical Background of Gun Control Federal Statutes ........................................... 119 IV.3. Assessing the Federal Firearms Laws ........................................................................ 122 IV.4. School Gun Control Laws .......................................................................................... 126 IV.4.1 The Gun Free School
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