While school shootings make headlines, a second epidemic lurks under the surface.
In Connecticut, on a single day, at least 17 schools were “swatted.” NPR reported “over 180” fake reports of school shootings in 28 states between Sept. 13 and Oct. 21, 2022. Some of these 911 calls “may be coming from overseas,” Yahoo News says (read story here).
A Wisconsin legislator has introduced a bill to make fake calls to police illegal (you mean they’re not already?). But it would only be a misdemeanor, which isn’t enough, because SWAT police storming a school with drawn guns is extremely traumatic for the kids, and will leave some of them with lasting scars, even if the call is a hoax and there’s no active shooter. (See story here.)
“Swatting” is dangerous; at least one innocent person has been killed. The perpetrator in that case got 20 years in prison (read that story here). Just imagine the potential consequences of “swatting” a school full of children.
Misdemeanor isn’t enough, that should be a felony. But the larger question is, what kind of sick society do we live in?