“The school shooting industry is worth billions — and it keeps growing” by Meg Anderson / NPR

Summary for Educators

Source: Anderson, Meg. “The school shooting industry is worth billions — and it keeps growing.” NPR, published September 8, 2025.

What the Article Reports

• The article examines how, in the aftermath of recurring school shootings, a massive industry has grown around school security products and services. Things like training simulators, drones, body armor, facial recognition, panic buttons, bullet-resistant materials, and more are being sold to schools, districts, and safety conferences. 

• According to market research firm Omdia, the industry is now valued at around $4 billion and projected to continue expanding. 

• The article includes examples: at an expo outside the National School Safety Conference in Grapevine, Texas, drones that can shoot pepper balls or physically ram into a shooter are demonstrated. Vendors also display trauma kits, guns, tasers (sometimes), metal detectors, whiteboards treated for bullet resistance, etc. 

Key Themes & Critiques

1. Rapid Growth with Limited Efficacy Evidence

   • Many of the security products on offer have scant evidence that they reduce harm or prevent shootings. There is concern that schools are buying devices without rigorous proof of their effectiveness. 

   • Industry representatives and safety advocates note that the desire for safety makes districts and parents more likely to spend—even when outcomes are uncertain. Fear drives demand. 

2. Cost & Resource Allocation

   • Because the school safety/security industry is profitable, many vendors are pushing technologies to schools. But there's a trade-off: large expenditures on physical devices and tech may draw funding away from other preventive measures. 

   • Simple, low-cost measures like locked doors have been found in some cases to make a meaningful difference. What also emerges in research: mental health services, community trust, relationships, and emotional support are less visible but may produce stronger preventive effects. 

3. Ethics, Design, & Oversight

   • Some of the tools—for example, facial recognition or arming personnel—pose ethical and practical concerns: privacy, correctness, misuse, escalation. Who decides when technology is used, how, by whom, and under what conditions? Also, research cited in the article suggests that many potential shooters have signals or crises beforehand. Responding with community engagement, counseling, and intervention may prevent violence more than reactive security hardware. 

Implications for Educators & School Leaders

• Balance spending: When districts plan budgets for school safety, leaders should carefully evaluate what is evidence-based vs what is market hype. It’s not only about physical tools, but also about supporting students' emotional well-being, mental health, relationships, and school climate.

• Scrutinize vendor claims: Demand rigorous studies or trials demonstrating that a particular device or system works as advertised—and under school conditions. Pilot programs, peer reviews, third-party independent data are useful.

• Prioritize prevention over reaction: Investing in counseling, support staff, threat assessment teams, safe storage, and early intervention may prevent harms before they happen rather than just preparing to respond.

• Engage stakeholders: Students, families, teachers, safety staff should have a voice in deciding what safety measures are acceptable or beneficial. Some technologies may have side effects (anxiety, surveillance), and school community trust matters.

• Training and ongoing maintenance: If schools adopt tools such as drills, metal detectors, body armor, or drones, those tools must be paired with proper training, realistic drills, maintenance, oversight, and evaluation to be effective.

Why It Matters

• Moral & educational cost: While school safety is vital, allowing fear and reactive purchase of technology to dominate may shift school culture away from learning, trust, and support. Overemphasis on hardware can inadvertently create environments of suspicion or stress.

• Budgetary tradeoffs: With limited funds, spending millions on devices might mean cutting back in nutrition, counselor staffing, arts, or enrichment. Educators should advocate for holistic approaches to safety.

• Long-term impact: Safety isn’t just about preventing violence—it’s about fostering environments where students feel secure, connected, emotionally supported, and valued. These qualities also support learning, attendance, well-being, and growth.

Original Article

Source: Anderson, Meg. “The school shooting industry is worth billions — and it keeps growing.” NPR, published September 8, 2025.

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Prepared with the assistance of AI software

OpenAI. (2025). ChatGPT (4) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com