It was not the ringing of a class bell, but rather that of a .38 caliber revolver that echoed down the halls of a Cleveland high school last Wednesday. Thus continued the trend of recent school shootings and outbreaks of violence among American youth. The daunting similarities between recent school shootings are no mystery. There is great media coverage of the who, what, when and where; maybe it is time to start examining the why.

Since 1992 there have been 272 homicides committed in U.S. schools. Though the number of school shootings has declined slightly, the reported acts of violence have increased dramatically.

Approximately 11.6 percent of males and 6.5 percent of female adolescents have been threatened or injured by a weapon in school. Metal detectors, sign-in procedures and attempts at buffed-up school security have synthesized in response to the Columbine High School massacre in April 1999. While there is no harm in increased precautionary measures, they obviously fall short in eliminating school-based acts of violence.

It is foolish to believe that loose gun control laws, violent video games and poor school security are the true roots of violence in America’s youth. Whether shootings at SuccessTech Academy in Cleveland, Delaware State University, Virginia Tech and New Hope Amish School are copy cat acts or independent acts of violence, attention needs to be given to the similarities between these school shootings.

As we see with the most recent shooting, and more notably at Virginia Tech last spring, it is not feasible to physically protect an entire college campus or even high school. Rather than wasting efforts and funding to try and accomplish an impossible goal, it is time to examine a more crucial problem: what drives students to commit such unthinkable acts?

Bullying has become a national issue and major campaigns have surfaced to control its widespread evolution into school violence. But how much is actually being done to help students cope with feelings of anger, depression and isolation?

A study done by the University of Michigan health department found that around ’15 percent of the college student population may be struggling with depressive illnesses.’ According to the National Institute for Mental Health, suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students, claiming approximately 1,100 lives per year. And the No. 1 cause of suicide for college student suicides (and suicide in general) is untreated depression.

There is no need to look further than the words of the students and shooters themselves when examining why such horrific events occur. The exact words of Seung-Hui Cho, the Virginia Tech shooter, were, ‘You caused me to do this.’

Now we cannot fully place blame on ourselves, as the actions of misguided individuals cannot always be stopped. However, why is it that we tend to overlook the possibility that maybe we do all deserve a share of the blame?

Moving forward, it is impossible to restore justice or account for the lives lost in the barrage of recent school shootings. There should be no excuse, however, for not examining why so many students feel they have no other option but to engage in such heinous acts. Most of us can find healthy ways to cope with adversity, but there are those out there who can’t. As the problems of stress and anger within the youth of America continues to escalate, let us focus on eliminating the harrowing explanation: ‘I had no other choice.’