The Aftermath of a School Shooting
A lone gunman rushed the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis Wednesday morning shattering the prayers and the worship of the children gathered to start their day in Chapel.
These should be the best days of a child’s life. But, once again, we are talking about another school shooting, the death of two children, the injuries to 17 more children and teachers, and families who are forever changed by the tragic shooting.
“An act of terrorism motivated by hate-filled ideology” is the official statement from the FBI.
Although there are still more questions than answers, Annunciation in Minneapolis has become the 44th school shooting in America in 2025 according to CNN’s analysis of events reported by the Gun Violence Archive, Education Week and Everytown for Gun Safety. One source I read from BBC.com and CNN.com recently showed school shootings since 1927. There were only about 6 incidents in the almost 40 years between 1927 and 1965. After that 40 years, there has been a steady rise and cycle that has been repeated over 60 times.
That’s about one per week.
Some History
The past few years in American teen life has been violent. Maybe one of the most volatile we have seen in this 25+ year rise of violence in our schools since Columbine High School in Colorado. How much worse could this get?
My parent’s generation was settling these issues by dealing with the teacher in a meeting, by spanking their child when they got home, or having a parent/child meeting in the principal’s office.
My generation settled it at the playground or the bus stop with a vigorous wrestling match and sometimes even our fists. And we were friends with our counterpart shortly after.
This generation is dealing with these same issues by not going to school, social media shaming, bullying, gangs, and shooting each other with guns in the hallway or cafeteria.
Parenthetically, I am not asking for a return to aggressive problem-solving. Actually, something better.
The State of the Family in America
The debate today will be about mental health, gun control, and hardened schools. And rightly so. However, there is a looming issue in America that must be addressed.
The state of the family in America.
First, what are the signs we should be looking for?
The signs are pretty clear. And they are more than a sociological guess. Although not every violent teen or shooter has walked the same destructive path, the signs have become a recognizable pattern:
A student is hurt or bullied in some way, a student isolates themself, a student gets caught in violent gaming or videos in their bedroom, a student reads threads of violence and anger on social media, a student is filled with images and violent conversations from music and movies, a student discovers an infatuation with weapons or serial killers, a student plans how to get back at the people or the system that hurt them, the parent/child/family relationship is disjointed, and ultimately, a student has no one to talk to.
Conversations
Secondly, what do the conversations with our children look like?
It sounds simple doesn’t it. That conversation could be a solution to rising violence in our schools. It is good to have conversations about political leans or bends in our discussions about guns and gun laws, police presence at schools, hardened schools with metal detectors or one-entry campuses, and mental health counseling.
We can compare gun laws in Japan or Australia, talk about whether guns shoot themselves or cars drive drunk, debate from a democratic or republican interpretation of the 2nd Amendment to the Bill of Rights, or even demand it all started when prayer was removed from school.
I tend to believe that there is more prayer going on in our schools than ever before. But, back to the post at hand.
So here is my ideal solution to the kind of talk we should be having with this generation right now. A solution that can solve the problem BEFORE the gun or weapon or media or hardened school’s issues. It begins at home!
Here are 5 discussions to have with teens in America about the rise of violence and school shootings:
1. Manners
I truly believe that an elementary discourse can lead people to deep change and real faith. Teaching basic manners and social skills at an early age can be formative for behavioral development. Saying please and thank you, holding the door for someone, deferring in the lunch-room line, sitting with lonely students in the cafeteria, helping a freshman student find a room, and even smiling are revolutionary acts of kindness that will change the culture and atmosphere of a school campus – and ultimately a society.
2. Talking
Society (the home, Church, school, community sectors) must reach students to solve problems by talking and communication. If we can break the non-relational ‘screen addiction’ and the ‘digital native’ issues and get young adults and teens to talk, then we can solve many of our cultural problems with ideas and relationship. Ask teens questions and get them talking. Ask them about their hobbies, school, friends, goals, and their dreams. And then maybe we uncover the signs of aggression in a child.
3. The home
Deeper and purposeful conversations must be taught and modeled in the home first. We need more parents and guardians and siblings to lead the home with good practical conversations in the home. That includes consistent bible reading, worship, and current events discussion. Conversation leads to relationship and ultimately problem-solving.
4. Youth Development
Youth Development must teach a holistic and comprehensive conversational relationship with teenagers. To help the Gen Z and Alpha Gen students who may not come from a biblical or Christian worldview at home, the Church, and youth ministry specifically, must define the value of conversation with young people. If a young person knows they can have dialogue with a youth leader, their chances of violence decrease.
5. Unconditional culture
A culture of love can be built when we teach unconditional love and relationship. Isolation, judgment, and cynicism have become the default way of thinking in this generation. We must stop the spiral of depression and isolation prevalent in young people today. I’ve learned how valuable conversational unconditional love and acceptance is. It is almost foreign to our society. Everything in our society has become conditional. A sweeping unconditional acceptance in our homes, churches, society, and our schools would become viral amongst teenagers who are looking for affirmation.
Finally
Every youth leader, para-church, coach, counselor, and teacher in the school system must model open conversation and relationship building with the next generation.
It will take a compilation of conversations to solve this problem of violence and school shootings. Spiritual, legislative, social, institutional, civil, corporate, and familial sectors must all do their part to raise our children so that when they leave our home they are not killing each other.