Op-Ed: School Shootings Aren't Just a Gun Problem - They're a Mental Health Crisis

# The Urgent Need for Mental Health Solutions in School Safety

By Mark Zirtzlaff, Founder and CEO of MZ Security Consulting

School Security Today

It’s been 25 years since the Columbine massacre. A generation later, school shootings are still happening—more often, more violently, and with no end in sight. We’ve locked doors, installed cameras, trained teachers on active shooters, and spent billions on physical security.

And yet, the violence continues.

Why? Because we’ve been focused on the wrong part of the problem.

School shootings aren't only a matter of physical safety. They are a mental health crisis we have ignored for far too long.

The Devastating Numbers

The statistics are alarming. Since Columbine, there have been 837 school shootings in the U.S.

• 538 people have died.

• More than 1,100 have been injured.

• Over 370,000 students have experienced gun violence at school firsthand.

  
  

These aren’t just statistics. They represent children who never came home. Teachers who died protecting students. And entire generations of kids who now associate school with fear, trauma, and lockdown drills.

The Inadequacy of Current Measures

We’ve reacted by tightening security—adding metal detectors, bulletproof backpacks, and armed guards. Some would argue these are necessary, but they remain insufficient. They are layers of defense on top of a deeper wound.

At the core of this epidemic is something less visible: a worsening mental health emergency that has been underfunded, stigmatized, and politicized.

The Mental Health Emergency We Can't Ignore

Rates of depression, anxiety, suicide, and emotional distress among young people have skyrocketed, especially in the wake of COVID-19. Many students are wrestling with grief, feelings of isolation, anger, or overwhelming stress - often in silence.

Teachers see the signs every day: the withdrawn student, the angry outbursts, the subtle but urgent cries for help. Yet most teachers aren’t trained to respond. And in too many schools, there aren't enough counselors, psychologists, or social workers to intervene.

In some districts, one counselor is responsible for 500 students. The recommended ratio is 1 to 250—and even that barely scratches the surface when a school is in crisis. Without adequate support, warning signs go unnoticed until it’s too late. We were starting to make a difference. At the precise moment when students needed more support than ever, we pulled it away. This was not only a missed opportunity—it was a failure of leadership.

Misdirected Blame, Missed Solutions

Too often, political debates and media narratives point fingers in the wrong direction. Some attempt to scapegoat marginalized groups, such as transgender individuals, despite the fact that over 99% of school shootings have been committed by cisgender males.

This kind of misinformation distracts from evidence-based solutions and further endangers vulnerable communities. If we are serious about stopping school shootings, we must deal in facts—not fearmongering.

We Had Help. Then We Lost It.

For a brief period, federal funding allowed schools to expand counseling services, launch trauma-informed initiatives, and provide teachers with training to better support students in crisis. Progress was being made, students were connecting with resources, and schools were beginning to catch warning signs before they escalated.

But in 2025, that funding was cut, stripping schools of the very lifelines that they needed to recognize emotional distress and respond with care, not punishment.

What Real Solutions Look Like

We already know what works. We just haven’t committed to it. Real school safety reform must include:

• Training every adult in the building. Teachers, staff, and administrators should all be equipped to deal in facts—not panic-driven rhetoric.

• Funding mental health infrastructure. Schools need enough counselors, social workers, and psychologists to meet student needs before they reach a breaking point.

  
  

• Making mental health part of every safety plan. Preparedness must extend beyond fire drills and lockdowns to include emotional support systems and intervention strategies.

  
  

• Taking politics out of student safety. Mental health is not a partisan issue. It is a public health issue. Until we treat it as such, students will continue to pay the price.

  
  

The Path Forward: A Call to Action

It doesn’t have to be this way.

Every school shooting sends shockwaves through a community. But it should not take another tragedy to spur us into action. If we want safer schools, we must start by creating safer minds.

That means investing in students’ emotional well-being with the same urgency as physical security. It means supporting teachers instead of asking them to carry the burden of being both educators and first responders. And it means holding our leaders accountable - not after a tragedy, but before one.

The question isn’t whether we know what to do.

The question is: Do we have the courage to do it?

About the Author: Mark Zirtzlaff is a mental health advocate, Certified School Safety Professional, and retired U.S. Navy Senior Chief. He is the Founder and CEO of MZ Security Consulting, where he leads trauma-informed safety training, crisis intervention and de-escalation, risk and threat assessments, and strategic mitigation planning for school districts across southeastern Wisconsin. His work focuses on empowering educators, strengthening school climate, and advancing systemic reform in student safety and mental health infrastructure.