The mass shooting at Columbine High School in April, 1999 changed the way SWAT teams operate; it changed the way administrators and parents view security at schools; it changed the national discussion about gun violence, mass shootings, and school bullying.
In the worlds of security, risk management, and law enforcement, we don’t like to give power to mass shooters by posting their name(s) – this can tend to glorify the act of being a shooter, bring notoriety to the shooter (which is sometimes the motivation behind a mass shooting), and detract from the names of the victims. So while we name victims of mass shootings, we do not name the shooters. (The media generally doesn’t follow the same line of reasoning; shooters are frequently named, their history is usually researched, and often their media coverage overshadows that of the victims.)
With that said, the mother of one of the Columbine High School shooters recently decided to speak out about her experience as the mother of one of the shooters. Her TED Talk does not glorify mass shootings, it is not a case for increased security at schools, and it is not a diatribe on gun violence; but it is worth watching, given how significantly the mass shooting at Columbine was for our nation.