Let’s never forget what we have lost and that we need to be prepared
According to police officials across the country, things actually are getting worse but not as bad as they once had been. To understand where we are it is important to take a step or two back. While statistically speaking things have definitely become worse, the most recent turning point was 2020. Prior to that things in NYC and around the country, for that matter, were actually quite good. Crime was generally at all-time lows.
However, something happened in late 2020. Violent crime started to spike. While many blame the George Floyd protests and the COVID lockdowns – the protests surrounding these were not as big as we like to remember – and were generally controlled by June of that year.
Nevertheless, the rate of violent crimes, in particular murders – spiked, going from 300 for the year to 600 in a very short time-period. And it was not only murders, but other crimes – such as burglaries and larcenies – that were also increasing.
Added to this was that life on the subways and in places of high-volume public interaction got stranger – with more people in crisis. Identity theft also increased, with the fentanyl problem as bad, if not worse, than ever.
In sum, New York City, and much of the major cities of the U.S., are now more uncertain and dangerous than they were in 2018. And while this is not a positive thing by any stretch of the imagination, it has to be placed in context as it is not as bad as it was in the 1970s or 1990s.
More recent trends have been heading in a positive direction – especially vis-à-vis violent crime; however, police have noted that the gun issue remains problematic. They pointed out that the more guns they get off the streets, the more they seem to be showing up.
According to senior police officials – No one has a real handle on the gun issue.
Among the trends are the following
- Despite efforts to enlist police departments in the southern portions of the U.S. to help stop the flow of weapons along the “Iron Pipeline” – the route that includes North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Georgia where legally purchased guns are claimed as lost and make their way north – the flow continues almost uninterrupted.
- The use of “Community Guns,” which has one weapon being used in multiple incidents in the same area by the same gangs, is a growing phenomenon throughout cities.
- The growing threat posed by Ghost Guns is something that police forces are trying to get a handle on, however, the technology makes it increasingly difficult. These unserialized firearms are made either from individuals parts purchased online (often not as regulated as the entire weapon), or those making them will use 3D printers to circumvent any vendor or the ability of authorities to track their efforts.
And while assault rifles garner most of the attention and concern by politicians and community activists – handguns are causing most of the deaths – in incidents surrounding domestic violence and suicides.
As if it is not complicated enough to deal with, senior police officials are tracking not only a myriad of other crime trends facing the country, but also the growing threat posed by Domestic Violent Extremists and Racially Motivated Violent Extremists – both of which are getting harder to track. And these are movements we cannot afford to let run uncontrolled.
And it is these groups, and the people they influence, which takes us to the ever-increasing number of mass shootings in the country. The recent shooting in Tennessee at the Covenant Christian School, in which six people (three children and three adults) were killed, is only the latest.
When trying to make sense out of why this is happening, police and analysts are at a loss. They point to different factors – from disaffected youth to the rising influence of RMVE and DVE groups influenced from their forerunners around the world, to loners or anti-government anti-authority violent extremists.
While clean and neat niches are not something that have been identified to addresses this painful phenomenon, what senior police officials do agree on is there are more issues than ever activating people to take extreme actions – often leading to these mass shooting events.
And the real challenge is trying to find them as they are not necessarily overt on the internet, social media, or even among friends until it is too late. As for the individuals themselves, the playing field in which law enforcement is trying to find them has become less deep and more wide.
In addition, these individuals are learning from each other – staying off chat rooms and communication apps that are compromised – choosing instead to use platforms like Telegram, rather than Meta/Facebook and Twitter, as the former allow for less oversight over content. They also have better encryption and make it harder for law enforcement to identify those on the fringe.
And of critical importance, those getting involved in these groups, being influenced by radical left and right elements by messages that touch upon their own disaffection from society (something that is resonating), are becoming younger.
We are starting to see pre- and early teens (usually from white middle/upper middle-class areas) getting involved, as these platforms are taking these messages and gamifying them – attracting children with a “cool factor” related to this way of thinking. This is why 16–17-year-old children are burning swastikas into playgrounds in Long Island. And while many of those attracted to this type of messaging are not operationalized, it is believed by law enforcement that it is a matter of time.
This uncertainty is something that we are seeing across the board – from the political dynamics of the U.S. and its allies, to the direction and fallout from the war in Ukraine and the confrontation with China.
There is no one answer to any of this, and as we have seen, it is affecting us on a local level – with our schools and other public locations under threat.
The realities of this are horrific, and we cannot afford to let these shootings become white noise or something that affects “them” rather than us.
Here are Brosnan Risk we strongly believe that we need to keep these incidents front and center, We cannot, and will not look away. Rather, our intent remains to stare directly into the eye of the storm to ensure we and our clients are prepared.
Preparation is paramount, as these horrors will eventually touch us all. And only by being prepared can we prevent them from happening, ensuring our children, families, colleagues, and businesses remain safe from mass shootings, insider threats, active shooters and the like. Our team of experts are intimately experienced in mitigating these threats and are ready to help ensure you are prepared to keep what matters the most to you safe.
In order for us to not forget, we have included the list of all the mass shootings that have taken place in the U.S. since 1996 – 481 listed below. We hope that by scanning this list you will see names of schools and places that resonate. We need to learn from these incidents. Thousands have needlessly died, hundreds of thousands of students have been negatively affected, and hundreds of communities are still trying to find a way forward.
Thurston High School
Columbine High School
Heritage High School
Deming Middle School
Fort Gibson Middle School
Buell Elementary School
Lake Worth Middle School
University of Arkansas
Junipero Serra High School
Santana High School
Bishop Neumann High School
Pacific Lutheran University
Granite Hills High School
Lew Wallace High School
Martin Luther King, Jr High School
Appalachian School of Law
Washington High School
Conception Abbey
Benjamin Tasker Middle School
University of Arizona
Lincoln High School
John McDonogh High School
Red Lion Area Junior High School
Case Western Reserve University
Rocori High School
Ballou High School
Randallstown High School
Bowen High School
Red Lake Senior High School
Harlan Community Academy High School
Campbell County High School
Milwee Middle School
Roseburg High School
Pine Middle School
Essex Elementary School
Duquesne University
Platte Canyon High School
Weston High School
West Nickel Mines School
Joplin Memorial Middle School
Henry Foss High School
Compton Centennial High School
Virginia Tech
Success Tech Academy
Miami Carol City Senior High School
Hamilton High School
Louisiana Technical College
Mitchell High School
EO Green Junior High School
Northern Illinois University
Lakota Middle School
Knoxville Central High School
Willoughby South High School
Henry Ford High School
University of Central Arkansas
Dillard High School
Dunbar High School
Hampton University
Harvard College
Larose-Cut Off Middle School
International Studies Academy
Skyline College
Discovery Middle School
University of Alabama
DeKalb School
Deer Creek Middle School
Ohio State University
Mumford High School
University of Texas
Kelly Elementary School
Marinette High School
Aurora Central High School
Millard South High School
Martinsville West Middle School
Worthing High School
Millard South High School
Highlands Intermediate School
Cape Fear High School
Chardon High School
Episcopal School of Jacksonville
Oikos University
Hamilton High School
Perry Hall School
Normal Community High School
University of South Alabama
Banner Academy South
University of Southern California
Sandy Hook Elementary School
Apostolic Revival Center Christian School
Taft Union High School
Osborn High School
Stevens Institute of Business and Arts
Hazard Community and Technical College
Chicago State University
Lone Star College-North
Cesar Chavez High School
Price Middle School
University of Central Florida
New River Community College
Grambling State University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Ossie Ware Mitchell Middle School
Ronald E McNair Discovery Academy
North Panola High School
Carver High School
Agape Christian Academy
Sparks Middle School
North Carolina A&T State University
Stephenson High School
Brashear High School
West Orange High School
Arapahoe High School
Edison High School
Liberty Technology Magnet High School
Hillhouse High School
Berrendo Middle School
Purdue University
South Carolina State University
Los Angeles Valley College
Charles F Brush High School
University of Southern California
Georgia Regents University
Academy of Knowledge Preschool
Benjamin Banneker High School
D H Conley High School
East English Village Preparatory Academy
Paine College
Georgia Gwinnett College
John F Kennedy High School
Seattle Pacific University
Reynolds High School
Indiana State University
Albemarle High School
Fern Creek Traditional High School
Langston Hughes High School
Marysville Pilchuck High School
Florida State University
Miami Carol City High School
Rogers State University
Rosemary Anderson High School
Wisconsin Lutheran High School
Frederick High School
Tenaya Middle School
Bethune-Cookman University
Pershing Elementary School
Wayne Community College
JB Martin Middle School
Southwestern Classical Academy
Savannah State University
Harrisburg High School
Umpqua Community College
Northern Arizona University
Texas Southern University
Tennessee State University
Winston-Salem State University
Mojave High School
Lawrence Central High School
Franklin High School
Muskegon Heights High School
Independence High School
Madison High School
Antigo High School
University of California-Los Angeles
Jeremiah Burke High School
Alpine High School
Townville Elementary School
Vigor High School
Linden McKinley STEM Academy
June Jordan High School for Equity
Union Middle School
Mueller Park Junior High School
West Liberty-Salem High School
University of Washington
King City High School
North Park Elementary School
North Lake College
Freeman High School
Mattoon High School
Rancho Tehama Elementary School
Aztec High School
Wake Forest University
Italy High School
NET Charter High School
Marshall County High School
Sal Castro Middle School
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
Great Mills High School
Central Michigan University
Huffman High School
Frederick Douglass High School
Forest High School
Highland High School
Dixon High School
Santa Fe High School
Noblesville West Middle School
University of North Carolina Charlotte
STEM School Highlands Ranch
Edgewood High School
Palm Beach Central High School
Providence Career & Technical Academy
Fairley High School (school bus)
Canyon Springs High School
Dennis Intermediate School
Florida International University
Central Elementary School
Cascade Middle School
Davidson High School
Prairie View A & M University
Altascocita High School
Central Academy of Excellence
Cleveland High School
Robert E Lee High School
Cheyenne South High School
Grambling State University
Blountsville Elementary School
Holmes County, Mississippi (school bus)
Prescott High School
College of the Mainland
Wynbrooke Elementary School
UNC Charlotte
Riverview Florida (school bus)
Second Chance High School
Carman-Ainsworth High School
Williwaw Elementary School
Monroe Clark Middle School
Central Catholic High School
Jeanette High School
Eastern Hills High School
DeAnza High School
Ridgway High School
Reginald F Lewis High School
Saugus High School
Pleasantville High School
Waukesha South High School
Oshkosh High School
Catholic Academy of New Haven
Bellaire High School
North Crowley High School
McAuliffe Elementary School
South Oak Cliff High School
Texas A&M University-Commerce
Sonora High School
Western Illinois University
Oxford High School
Robb Elementary SchoolThurston High School
Columbine High School
Heritage High School
Deming Middle School
Fort Gibson Middle School
Buell Elementary School
Lake Worth Middle School
University of Arkansas
Junipero Serra High School
Santana High School
Bishop Neumann High School
Pacific Lutheran University
Granite Hills High School
Lew Wallace High School
Martin Luther King, Jr High School
Appalachian School of Law
Washington High School
Conception Abbey
Benjamin Tasker Middle School
University of Arizona
Lincoln High School
John McDonogh High School
Red Lion Area Junior High School
Case Western Reserve University
Rocori High School
Ballou High School
Randallstown High School
Bowen High School
Red Lake Senior High School
Harlan Community Academy High School
Campbell County High School
Milwee Middle School
Roseburg High School
Pine Middle School
Essex Elementary School
Duquesne University
Platte Canyon High School
Weston High School
West Nickel Mines School
Joplin Memorial Middle School
Henry Foss High School
Compton Centennial High School
Virginia Tech
Success Tech Academy
Miami Carol City Senior High School
Hamilton High School
Louisiana Technical College
Mitchell High School
EO Green Junior High School
Northern Illinois University
Lakota Middle School
Knoxville Central High School
Willoughby South High School
Henry Ford High School
University of Central Arkansas
Dillard High School
Dunbar High School
Hampton University
Harvard College
Larose-Cut Off Middle School
International Studies Academy
Skyline College
Discovery Middle School
University of Alabama
DeKalb School
Deer Creek Middle School
Ohio State University
Mumford High School
University of Texas
Kelly Elementary School
Marinette High School
Aurora Central High School
Millard South High School
Martinsville West Middle School
Worthing High School
Millard South High School
Highlands Intermediate School
Cape Fear High School
Chardon High School
Episcopal School of Jacksonville
Oikos University
Hamilton High School
Perry Hall School
Normal Community High School
University of South Alabama
Banner Academy South
University of Southern California
Sandy Hook Elementary School
Apostolic Revival Center Christian School
Taft Union High School
Osborn High School
Stevens Institute of Business and Arts
Hazard Community and Technical College
Chicago State University
Lone Star College-North
Cesar Chavez High School
Price Middle School
University of Central Florida
New River Community College
Grambling State University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Ossie Ware Mitchell Middle School
Ronald E McNair Discovery Academy
North Panola High School
Carver High School
Agape Christian Academy
Sparks Middle School
North Carolina A&T State University
Stephenson High School
Brashear High School
West Orange High School
Arapahoe High School
Edison High School
Liberty Technology Magnet High School
Hillhouse High School
Berrendo Middle School
Purdue University
South Carolina State University
Los Angeles Valley College
Charles F Brush High School
University of Southern California
Georgia Regents University
Academy of Knowledge Preschool
Benjamin Banneker High School
D H Conley High School
East English Village Preparatory Academy
Paine College
Georgia Gwinnett College
John F Kennedy High School
Seattle Pacific University
Reynolds High School
Indiana State University
Albemarle High School
Fern Creek Traditional High School
Langston Hughes High School
Marysville Pilchuck High School
Florida State University
Miami Carol City High School
Rogers State University
Rosemary Anderson High School
Wisconsin Lutheran High School
Frederick High School
Tenaya Middle School
Bethune-Cookman University
Pershing Elementary School
Wayne Community College
JB Martin Middle School
Southwestern Classical Academy
Savannah State University
Harrisburg High School
Umpqua Community College
Northern Arizona University
Texas Southern University
Tennessee State University
Winston-Salem State University
Mojave High School
Lawrence Central High School
Franklin High School
Muskegon Heights High School
Independence High School
Madison High School
Antigo High School
University of California-Los Angeles
Jeremiah Burke High School
Alpine High School
Townville Elementary School
Vigor High School
Linden McKinley STEM Academy
June Jordan High School for Equity
Union Middle School
Mueller Park Junior High School
West Liberty-Salem High School
University of Washington
King City High School
North Park Elementary School
North Lake College
Freeman High School
Mattoon High School
Rancho Tehama Elementary School
Aztec High School
Wake Forest University
Italy High School
NET Charter High School
Marshall County High School
Sal Castro Middle School
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
Great Mills High School
Central Michigan University
Huffman High School
Frederick Douglass High School
Forest High School
Highland High School
Dixon High School
Santa Fe High School
Noblesville West Middle School
University of North Carolina Charlotte
STEM School Highlands Ranch
Edgewood High School
Palm Beach Central High School
Providence Career & Technical Academy
Fairley High School (school bus)
Canyon Springs High School
Dennis Intermediate School
Florida International University
Central Elementary School
Cascade Middle School
Davidson High School
Prairie View A & M University
Altascocita High School
Central Academy of Excellence
Cleveland High School
Robert E Lee High School
Cheyenne South High School
Grambling State University
Blountsville Elementary School
Holmes County, Mississippi (school bus)
Prescott High School
College of the Mainland
Wynbrooke Elementary School
UNC Charlotte
Riverview Florida (school bus)
Second Chance High School
Carman-Ainsworth High School
Williwaw Elementary School
Monroe Clark Middle School
Central Catholic High School
Jeanette High School
Eastern Hills High School
DeAnza High School
Ridgway High School
Reginald F Lewis High School
Saugus High School
Pleasantville High School
Waukesha South High School
Oshkosh High School
Catholic Academy of New Haven
Bellaire High School
North Crowley High School
McAuliffe Elementary School
South Oak Cliff High School
Texas A&M University-Commerce
Sonora High School
Western Illinois University
Oxford High School
Bridgewater University
Robb Elementary School
Michigan State University
Covenant Christian School
