As the list grows longer, it gets harder to remember the names. Columbine, Newtown (Sandy Hook), perhaps even Littleton, Colo., or Paducah, Ky., stick in our memory. But what about Marysville, Wash., in 2015? Just in the few weeks that it took to research this article, a statewide threat to schools in Wyoming failed to make the national news, and a shooting at an elementary school in Townville, S.C., that left two dead was quickly eclipsed by the latest political exploits. School shootings have now become so commonplace that they no longer even command a 24-hour news cycle.
But each and every time an incident occurs at a school or university, the communities surrounding it do sit up and take notice. Consequently, across the nation, K-12 school security has become top of mind, and school districts are making it a priority to raise money for equipment that can prevent or limit the damage of such tragedies.