School shooters often grew up with guns as key symbols of bonding and belonging

A new study published in PLOS One suggests that most school shooters in the United States grew up in social environments where guns were more than weapons—they were central to family bonding, leisure activities, and identity. The analysis found that easy access to firearms was common among all school shooters in U.S. history, reflecting a deeply embedded gun culture in their immediate surroundings.

Anne Nassauer at the University of Erfurt conducted this study to address an ongoing question in the field of gun violence: if millions of Americans grow up around firearms without becoming violent, why do a small number commit school shootings?

Although previous research established that the United States has a unique relationship with guns compared to other countries, the role of gun culture in the lives of school shooters remained unclear. Nassauer aimed to explore not just whether shooters had access to guns, but whether firearms held particular social and emotional meanings in their lives that shaped behaviors.

“I am interested in school shootings, because they are such a drastic type of human behavior – often school shootings involve children randomly killing other children – and we still have a hard time explaining why these events happen and how we can prevent them,” explained Nassauer, a professor of sociology and author of Situational Breakdowns: Understanding Protest Violence and other Surprising Outcomes.

To examine these patterns, Nassauer analyzed a complete sample of 83 rampage school shootings in U.S. history, spanning from 1966 through early 2024. Rampage school shootings were defined as attacks carried out by a current or former student targeting random individuals at a school. Cases of gang violence or shootings targeting specific individuals were excluded.

Drawing on court documents, police reports, media coverage, autopsy records, and shooters’ own writings and videos, Nassauer built detailed profiles for each case. Multiple data sources were triangulated to verify findings, and both qualitative case studies and cross-case statistical analyses were used.

The results showed that in most cases, school shooters came from households or social environments where firearms were normalized as tools for recreation and family bonding. In many families, shooting guns was a hobby passed down through generations, often treated with the same casual affection as any other leisure activity. Firearms were often displayed prominently in homes, and children were taught to use them from a young age. In interviews and interrogations, several shooters and their families described guns as symbols of trust, skill, and belonging.

“Many school shooters came from a gun culture where firearms are symbols of affection, bonding, and identity,” Nassauer told PsyPost.

Across all cases, access to firearms was consistently easy. Nassauer classified access levels using a four-tier scale, and found that 97.6% of school shooters had either “very easy” or “easy” access to the weapons they used. In many cases involving minors, guns were retrieved from parents’ bedrooms, unlocked safes, or even under pillows. Among adult shooters, most obtained firearms through legal purchases, often passing background checks despite prior concerning behavior.

Nassauer was surprised by “the fact that all school shooters in U.S. history had easy access to the firearms they used — even those who were very young or severely mentally ill.”

For younger shooters, typically under the age of 18, guns often symbolized connection to parents or other family members. Shooting outings were described as opportunities to bond, and firearms were frequently stored in places easily accessible to children—sometimes even given to them as gifts. In one case, a mother described buying her teenage son a shotgun to practice with before a father-son hunting trip, seeing it as one of the few ways she could connect with him during a difficult adolescence. In another, a father praised his son’s marksmanship and encouraged frequent shooting as a shared pastime.

Older shooters, who were legally able to purchase firearms, often developed an even deeper attachment to guns as symbols of personal identity and comfort. Many described firearms as their main hobby, their passion, or their only source of pride. In diaries and conversations, older shooters often spoke of guns in affectionate terms, describing them as “friends” or sources of emotional stability. Legal records showed that even those with known mental health issues were able to obtain firearms without major obstacles, often viewing gun ownership as an important part of their independence.

“What also surprised me was how strongly some of the school shooters felt about their firearms, describing them as ‘the love of [their] life,’ or their ‘only friend,'” the researcher said.

Nassauer also examined changes over time. Between the 1960s and early 1990s, shooters more often obtained guns legally. After the introduction of federal restrictions in the mid-1990s, such as the 1994 assault weapons ban, shooters increasingly accessed firearms through family homes instead. Despite changes in legislation, the prevalence of easy access remained constant. Nassauer notes that this suggests the widespread availability of guns in American homes may be a more stable factor than legal regulations alone.

As with any study, there are some caveats to consider. While easy access to guns was universal among school shooters, not all young people raised around firearms commit acts of violence. This suggests that gun culture alone is not sufficient to explain school shootings. Other factors, such as mental health issues, marginalization, bullying, and family trauma, are also likely to play important roles. Future research would benefit from studying young people with similar backgrounds who do not commit shootings, to better understand what distinguishes shooters from others who share the same environment.

“The study shows that not a single school shooter in U.S. history had difficulty obtaining the firearms they used in the shooting,” Nassauer noted. “But it cannot answer if those who do not have easy access are therefore deterred. Future research would need to examine whether those who are contemplating a shooting but do not have easy access to firearms decide against committing a shooting.”

“I am currently writing a book on school shootings. In the book, I study all school shootings that happened in US history. I study a range of possible factors and how they interplay, including gun access and gun culture, but also mental disorders, marginalization, family issues, and situational interactional dynamics. A vital component of my research in this field is to be able to support more effective prevention.”

The study, “‘The only friend I had was my gun’: A mixed-methods study of gun culture in school shootings,” was published April 23, 2025.