Business Model Problem Solving Methods Applied to School Shootings

(Don’t Start with Perceived Solutions)

• Situation
  • USA accounts for 85% of global school shootings. It is not just problematic, it is an epidemic. Average shooter age is 17.
  • Almost all school shooters die by suicide, either self-inflicted or by police. School shooters are Mentally Ill Violent People (MIVP).
  • In 4 out of 5 school shootings, at least one other person had knowledge of a shooter’s plan but failed to report it.
  • National school shooting data definitions vary and include boys fighting with guns in the school parking lot as well as a school mass shooting.
  • Military weapons, with large scale magazines, are the weapon of choice and have increased over time, from 19% in 1990 to 60% in 2020.
  • 70% of general shootings amongst children < 25 are with handguns and account for approximately 3,000 deaths/year.
  • School shooting solutions will help reduce general shooting incidents amongst those <25.
  • Many proposed solutions to gun violence stay locked in emotional political arguments and misinformation.
  • Guns are the leading cause of death among USA children and teens. In the USA, 390,000 students have experienced gun violence since 1999. In the USA, 1,400 children and teens (0 to 17) have died by guns, and 3,700 have been injured. Many school shooting improvements = broader gun violence improvements.
  • The total Minnesota societal cost of gun violence is $6.2 billion /yr. Unlike most industries, where societal type of costs are paid by consumers, retailers and/or manufacturers, the total societal costs from gun violence are primarily paid out of the Minnesota general fund and victims.
• Constraints and Arguments Against Special Session on Gun Violence
  • Proposed solutions to gun violence, in this survey, must not violate the Second Amendment.
  • Proposed solutions should be cost effective, easy to implement, and reduce total societal and taxpayer costs per year..
  • The final solutions must bypass the current bipartisan battles, respect hunting traditions, and result in win win outcomes.
• Problem Statement
  • Our children are the victims of school shootings by mentally ill (long term and recently radicalized) people who use various weapons often with large scale magazines. Assault type rifles with high-capacity magazines are the weapon of choice but not the most frequently used weapon. Adults on both sides of the debate have failed to agree on how to protect our children because they are embroiled in the broader argument of gun control vs gun rights. The cost of gun violence is absorbed by the victims and your average taxpayer. Civic emotions that demand action start decreasing after month two and peak again when the next shooting happens.