On Sept. 4, 14-year-old Colt Gray shot and killed two students and two teachers, and wounded nine others, at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia. He used an AR-style rifle his father had bought him as a Christmas present.
Sixteen months earlier, an investigator from the sheriff’s office in Jackson County had questioned Colt and his father Colin about an online threat to “shoot up” his middle school. Colt’s mother — whose history with law enforcement included guilty pleas for property damage, trespass and family violence, and warnings about drug possession — no longer lived with them. Colt denied that he was responsible for the threat. Colin Gray revealed that Colt had been bullied at middle school, but insisted his son did not have “unfettered” access to guns. “I have to take you at your word,” the investigator said, “and I hope you’re being honest with me.”
K-12 school shootings occur far more frequently in the U.S. than in any other country. Most shooters give off warning signs before they act. Nonetheless, Republicans in Congress and in many states have often blocked measures to reduce gun violence, including three common-sense initiatives that the majority of Americans support.
First, nine states and many school districts mandate that every public school form, train and utilize a “threat assessment team.” Composed mostly of school personnel and drawing on a model initially designed by the Secret Service, teams are tasked to avoid “the single point in time” approach used by law enforcement by assessing reports of concerning behavior. The teams interview relevant individuals and follow up, if appropriate, with monitoring, counseling, mental health referrals, transfers to alternative educational settings and, if necessary, exercise their duty to warn or inform.
Although assessment teams are cheaper than hardening schools with gates, metal detectors and guards, the vast majority of them are underfunded. Nonetheless, evaluations of the impact of this initiative are encouraging. A recent study found that Florida’s program, adopted after the Parkland school shooting in 2018, was “widely, but not uniformly successful” in preventing threats to safety. Other studies indicate that by identifying and addressing serious threats, schools can handle less serious cases more effectively.
The second measure is “Red Flag” laws, which 19 states and D.C. had passed as of the beginning of 2024, up from just five in 2018. Also called “Extreme Risk Protection Orders,” they allow law enforcement officers, medical professionals or family members to petition courts to temporarily seize firearms from individuals who pose a risk to themselves or others. Grounded in assessments of risk and dependent on individual circumstances, these orders can require counselling and are renewable.
Measuring the impact of these orders is difficult because, like threat assessment teams, they have been in place for only a short time and some sheriffs use them only in “exigent circumstances.” That said, a recent report found that if “well-targeted,” Red Flag laws could reduce suicides and homicides.
Third is universal background checks. With this measure stalled in Congress, 20 states now require them for all or most private gun sales. A recent study concluded that when combined with permit-to-purchase licensing strategies, background checks can reduce homicide and suicide rates. They are less effective, however, when nearby states lack the same regulations. This is another reason why 86 percent of Americans (including 80 percent of Republicans) support a federal government mandate for background checks on all firearm purchases and transfers.
Georgia allows adults to carry firearms without a conceal carry permit. Although it is illegal for anyone to “intentionally, knowingly or recklessly” sell or give a handgun to a minor, exceptions are granted when a youngster attends a hunting or firearms course, or lives at home and has parental permission to access the weapon.
Georgia’s legislature has not required or funded threat assessment teams, passed Red Flag laws, safe-storage laws or universal background checks. Eighty-two percent of Georgia citizens support Red Flag laws and 85 percent support background checks for all gun buyers, including purchases at gun shows.
Nationwide, 86 percent of Americans, including 80 percent of Republicans, support a federal government mandate for background checks on all firearm sales and transfers. A substantial majority, it is worth noting, also support a ban on purchases of assault weapons.
Implementation of the three initiatives described here may or may not have prevented the killing spree at Apalachee High School. But given our country’s appalling record of school shootings, these small steps are very much worth taking.
Glenn C. Altschuler is the Thomas and Dorothy Litwin Emeritus Professor of American Studies at Cornell University.