Inside the growing industry to defend schools from mass shootings

Summary

The Indicator from Planet Money

Episode Title: Inside the Growing Industry to Defend Schools from Mass Shootings
Air Date: October 15, 2025
Host: Waylon Wong
Guest: Meg Anderson (NPR Criminal Justice Reporter)
Featured Experts: Gillian Peterson (Hamline University), Kai Ruggieri (Columbia University), Industry Vendors

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Episode Overview

This episode examines the booming industry built around protecting U.S. schools from mass shootings. Hosts Waylon Wong and Meg Anderson explore what kinds of products are being sold to schools, whether these security solutions actually work, and the economic and psychological forces fueling demand. Through on-the-ground reporting, expert commentary, and market analysis, the episode questions if America is attempting to “buy its way to safety,” and probes the consequences of this uniquely American approach.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Landscape of School Shootings in the U.S.

• Historical context: The conversation opens with a recap of the tragic 1999 Columbine High School shooting, signposting how it became a defining moment in American consciousness about school shootings.
  • [00:12] “Columbine wasn't the first school shooting, but for many Americans, it marks a turning point, the beginning of a dark era…It's not the only school shooting we know by name. Sandy Hook, Parkland, Virginia Tech, Uvalde.” (Waylon Wong)
• Since Columbine, there have been over 400 school shootings in the U.S. ([01:04], Meg Anderson).

The Emergence of the “School Shooting Industry”

• A multibillion-dollar industry has grown around school security:
  • Products include drones, body armor, panic buttons, facial recognition technology, trauma kits, metal detectors, guns, and tasers. ([01:34], Meg Anderson; [02:49], Meg Anderson)
• Expo Hall Example:
  • Meg attended a conference hosted by the National Association of School Resource Officers, featuring a marketing expo for school security products. ([02:49])
• Vendor Highlights:
  • Titan Armored's bulletproof mobile whiteboard:
    • “This is a bulletproof mobile whiteboard...you could hide behind it if you needed to.” (Kai Ruggieri, CEO, Titan Armored) [03:44-04:07]
    • Example of products designed to blend into learning environments, aiming not to frighten children.
  • Campus Guardian Angel’s anti-shooter drones:
    • “These drones live inside a school, and if there's a shooter, remote pilots...deploy them...to debilitate the shooter.” (Justin Marston, CEO)
      • Includes siren, pepper gun, and impact from drone at 60 mph. ([04:28-04:57])

Market Size & Growth

• Market worth: School security industry is currently valued at about $4 billion; projected to reach nearly $6 billion by 2027. ([04:57], Waylon Wong; Omdia market research)

Evidence and Effectiveness of School Security Products

• There is little evidence that most school security products actually work:
  • Lack of data on which products are installed and their effectiveness ([05:11-05:33], Meg Anderson; Waylon Wong)
  • Hard to quantify preventative success (“so hard to study something that didn’t happen”) ([05:42], Meg Anderson)
• Expert Viewpoint:
  • “Typically...shooters are former or current students who have access to guns. Oftentimes they’re too young to purchase guns.” (Gillian Peterson, Hamline University, [06:02])
  • Shooters often obtain guns from family/friends’ unsecured firearms and are usually in crisis.
  • Mental health interventions in schools are supported by research as effective prevention, yet are underfunded relative to security guards:
    • “We spend about $12 billion a year on school security guards. That's about a billion more than we spend on school counselors.” ([06:22], Meg Anderson)

Security Measures vs. Security Theater

• Simple measures: Recommendations include basic steps such as locking school doors and having emergency managers, versus high-tech gadgets. ([06:33], Waylon Wong)
• “Hardening” schools:
  • Adding layers of security hardware (hardening) has not been shown to reduce shootings.
  • “It is security theater. I feel like we tried hardening for 25 years post-Columbine...It has gotten worse.” (Gillian Peterson, [06:52-07:02])

The Psychology & Economics Behind Security Spending

• What ifs and Fear:
  • “Those what-ifs are powerful...what if buying something could make the difference?”
  • Fear and the emotional weight of even the slightest chance to stop a tragedy drive decision-making. ([07:05-07:32], Waylon Wong; Meg Anderson)
• Economic Decision Frames:
  • Optimizing (work within a budget, balancing risk and reward) vs. Maximizing (do whatever it takes, especially with human life at stake). ([07:32-08:22], Kai Ruggieri, Columbia University)
  • Quote:
    • “Anything where you're talking about the protection of human life...people aren't going to be nearly as price sensitive.” (Kai Ruggieri, [08:22])
  • Schools (like airlines and cars) fall into the “maximizing” category for security spending, driven by perceived stakes.

The Uniquely American Response

• Buying Our Way to Safety:
  • The U.S. response to shootings has been economic—purchasing products rather than addressing root causes.
  • “It is uniquely American that we will take any sort of issue and turn it into an economic opportunity. In many cases, it's to our benefit.” (Kai Ruggieri, [09:45])
  • Yet, this market approach can incentivize symptoms over solutions:
    • “Sometimes it disincentivizes simply reducing the problem itself.” (Meg Anderson, [09:54])
• Gun ownership parallels: Many buy guns for protection, but evidence shows increased risk ([08:56], Waylon Wong).

Limits of Policy Change

• Large-scale gun control is considered unlikely in the current American context, so the industry continues to grow in response to parents’ and administrators’ fears, reinforced by cultural factors.
  • “People aren’t stupid. Life is complicated…And you can show a parent every study that says these things will reduce threats...and the parents might say...do that everywhere else but at this school, here's what I want.” (Kai Ruggieri, [09:22])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the cycle of shootings:
  • “It's quiet for a while, and then it all starts again.” (Meg Anderson, [01:22])
• On evidence-based investment:
  • “We spend about $12 billion a year on school security guards. That's about a billion more than we spend on school counselors.” (Meg Anderson, [06:22])
• On 25 years of “hardening” schools:
  • “I feel like we tried hardening for 25 years post-Columbine, like, we were all in on hardening. It has gotten worse.” (Gillian Peterson, [06:53])
• On the Americanization of school security:
  • “It is uniquely American that we will take any sort of issue and turn it into an economic opportunity.” (Kai Ruggieri, [09:45])
• On rationality and protection:
  • “Anything where you're talking about the protection of human life, that's obviously going to have much less larger flexibility and people aren't going to be nearly as price sensitive.” (Kai Ruggieri, [08:22])

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Important Segment Timestamps

• [00:12] — Columbine and the rise of mass shooting awareness
• [01:34] — The growth of the “school shooting industry”
• [02:49] — Expo of school security products
• [03:44] — Bulletproof whiteboard product demonstration
• [04:28] — Drone-based anti-shooter solution
• [04:57] — Industry valuation and projections
• [05:11] — Effectiveness skepticism, data vacuum
• [06:02] — Profile of typical school shooters
• [06:22] — Spending on security guards vs. counselors
• [06:52] — Hardening schools: security theater critique
• [07:32] — The psychology of “what if” and spending decisions
• [08:22] — Price insensitivity when lives are at stake
• [09:45] — The uniquely American market approach to public safety

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Episode Takeaways

• Despite billions spent on technology and security products, there's little evidence these tools prevent school shootings.
• Emotional imperatives and fear drive spending on unproven technologies, propelled by both parents’ and administrators’ desire for any possible layer of security.
• The U.S. can be seen as “buying its way to safety,” turning disaster prevention into a market, while mental health interventions and root problem-solving are neglected.
• Cultural, psychological, and political realities make this market-based response uniquely American—and potentially self-perpetuating.

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This episode provides a concise, critical look at the economics and psychology underpinning the rapidly expanding school security industry, raising questions about both efficacy and societal priorities.

Transcript

[Meg Anderson]

Npr.

[Waylon Wong]

You really only have to hear one word in the following news clip to know exactly what the reporter is talking about. At least two gunmen opened fire today at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. There were many Columbine, April 20, 1999. Fifteen people were killed that day, including the two gunmen. Another 20 were shot but survived. And another victim recently died from complications related to her injuries. Columbine wasn't the first school shooting, but for many Americans, it marks a turning point, the beginning of a dark era. Because now, of course, it's not the only school shooting we know by name. Sandy Hook, Parkland, Virginia Tech, Uvalde. I'm joined today by Meg Anderson, a criminal justice reporter at npr. Meg, you helped cover the Parkland tragedy.

[Meg Anderson]

I did. And others. There have been more than 400 school shootings since Columbine.

[Waylon Wong]

And there's a familiar rhythm to it all. We learn the victims names, we try to find a motive. Some people offer prayers, others push for gun control. And not a lot changes.

[Meg Anderson]

It's quiet for a while, and then it all starts again.

[Waylon Wong]

But from the seemingly endless cycle, a multi billion dollar industry has emerged.

[Meg Anderson]

There's a long list of things schools can buy to try to deter a mass shooter, from drones to body armor. And business is booming.

[Waylon Wong]

This is the indicator from Planet Money. I'm Waylon Wong and today we're gonna take a look inside the school shooting industry. What's for sale, whether these products can actually prevent school shootings. And the psychology behind the growing industry.

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[Meg Anderson]

Apply for Apple Card in minutes, subject to credit approval. Apple Card is issued by Goldman Sachs Bank USA Salt Lake City Branch terms and more at applecard.com so over the summer, I was at this conference put on by the national association of School Resource Officers. Those are the police officers stationed in schools at the conference, they had all kinds of training sessions for the officers, like how to work with kids who've experienced trauma. But they also had this big expo hall where there were tons of things for sale. Panic buttons, facial recognition technology, trauma kits, metal detectors, guns, tasers. The expo hall was like a mini version of the industry all in one room.

[Waylon Wong]

Okay, so your name is Scott.

[Meg Anderson]

Scott Newman.

[Kai Ruggieri]

Yes, ma'. Am.

[Meg Anderson]

And you're the CEO?

[Kai Ruggieri]

Yeah, I'm founder and CEO for Titan Armored.

[Meg Anderson]

Okay, and tell me about. What are we looking at?

[Kai Ruggieri]

Okay, we are looking at layman's terms. This is a bulletproof mobile whiteboard.

[Meg Anderson]

So essentially, it was a big dry erase board. Someone had even written welcome on it. I think that was to show it could be used like a regular teaching tool.

[Waylon Wong]

Right. It's designed to be discreet, so it won't scare children. But the idea is that students, teachers, whoever, could hide behind it if they needed to.

[Kai Ruggieri]

I just felt at that point, there's got to be a way that we can protect students and teachers in the event there is something they. They need to be able to shelter in place until the first responders can get there.

[Meg Anderson]

There was even a bullet hole in the whiteboard on display, which did not go through to the other side. And actually, this example was kind of low tech in comparison to other things I saw.

[Sponsor/Advertisement Voice]

Yeah.

[Kai Ruggieri]

So we use drones to stop school shootings.

[Meg Anderson]

Justin Marston is CEO of Campus Guardian angel, and his company did a whole demo. The idea is that these drones live inside a school, and if there's a shooter, remote pilots who work for the company deploy them from their headquarters to debilitate the shooter.

[Kai Ruggieri]

So we typically go first with a.

[Sponsor/Advertisement Voice]

Siren, which is kind of a distraction, and then we will take shots with a pepper gun, and then we hit them with the drone at kind of 60 miles an hour.

[Waylon Wong]

This industry is growing quickly. According to the market research firm Omdia, the school shooting industry is now worth as much as $4 billion. They predict it will be worth nearly 6 billion by 2027.

[Meg Anderson]

That's a lot of money. But the problem is that we really have no idea if most of these school safety products even work.

[Waylon Wong]

There isn't a comprehensive data set about which products are even being used in schools. Some are bought by local school districts. Others are bought by police departments. They're then used by the more than 23,000 officers stationed in schools.

[Meg Anderson]

There isn't a lot of data on what technologies would actually work to stop a shooter.

[Sponsor/Advertisement Voice]

And.

[Waylon Wong]

And it's even harder to study shootings that were Averted.

[Meg Anderson]

It's so hard to study because it's so hard to study something that didn't happen, right?

[Waylon Wong]

Which is literally what prevention is. That's Gillian Peterson. She's a professor at Hamline University in Minnesota who studies school shooters. She says you can look at the similarities of people who do carry out these acts to get an idea of how to prevent them.

[Meg Anderson]

Typically, she says, shooters are former or current students who have access to guns. Oftentimes they're too young to purchase guns.

[Waylon Wong]

So they're taking unsecured guns from family and friends. They are also usually in crisis. So Gillian says strengthening mental health care in schools is important. Other research backs that up, too.

[Meg Anderson]

But according to a study by the Urban Institute, we spend about $12 billion a year on school security guards. That's about a billion more than we spend on school counselors.

[Waylon Wong]

There are a few simple things gun violence experts say do make a difference that schools should invest in, like having an EM and keeping school doors locked.

[Meg Anderson]

But adding lots of security bells and whistles to schools, also known as hardening the building. Jillian says that isn't proven to be effective.

[Waylon Wong]

It is security theater. Right.

[Meg Anderson]

I feel like we tried hardening for 25 years post Columbine, like, we were all in on hardening. It has gotten worse.

[Waylon Wong]

Like, we just.

[Meg Anderson]

I don't think we can harden our way out of it.

[Waylon Wong]

When it comes to protecting kids, obviously the stakes are incredibly high, and fear.

[Meg Anderson]

Plays a big part in the decision over what schools need. For instance, what if the metal detector at the door does catch a gun in a backpack and averts a tragedy? What if making your windows shatterproof is the thing that makes the shooter give up?

[Waylon Wong]

Or on the flip side, what if we don't buy these things and they could have made a difference?

[Meg Anderson]

Those what ifs are powerful. Kai Ruggieri is a professor at Columbia University. He studies population behavior and decision making. And he says they represent a specific type of economic decision.

[Kai Ruggieri]

So when we talk about rationality, we kind of have to split it into these two ways. What we have is we have maximizing outcomes and we have optimizing outcomes.

[Waylon Wong]

So when we optimize, we are making a decision within a budget.

[Meg Anderson]

Let's say you're renovating your kitchen, you love cooking, and you want a really nice stove, but you also probably want to make sure you're getting good quality cabinets. You can't have the rest of the kitchen fall apart because you spent all your money on the stove. So you'll make the best decisions you can make within your monetary constraints, that's optimizing.

[Waylon Wong]

But with maximizing, all bets are off. You're not going to cut corners. You're going to spend whatever it takes.

[Kai Ruggieri]

Something like airline safety would be a great example. No one's going to admit to saying there's an upper level of investment we're willing to put into keeping planes safe or putting keeping cars safe and all this. Anything where you're talking about the protection of human life, that's obviously going to have much less larger flexibility and people aren't going to be nearly as price sensitive.

[Waylon Wong]

School security fits into that category.

[Meg Anderson]

At the conference I went to this summer, police officers stationed in schools told me as much. They said that on the awful day a shooter does show up, they want whatever tools they can get, even if they're not proven to be effective.

[Waylon Wong]

Gun ownership is like that, too. Most people who buy guns say they're doing it for protection, when actually having a gun in the house increases the risk of being shot.

[Meg Anderson]

Even if research suggests there are more effective ways to stop a school shooting from happening, like strengthening mental health supports, Kai says people are acting rationally within the confines of the country we live in, where gun control isn't coming on a large scale anytime soon.

[Kai Ruggieri]

People aren't stupid. Life is complicated, right? There's threats and worries. And you can show a parent every study that says these things will reduce, you know, threats to the school. And the parents might say, yeah, that's great, that's great. Do that everywhere else but at this school, here's what I want.

[Waylon Wong]

Kai says it's not surprising that the response in the US to school shootings has been to try to buy our way to safety.

[Kai Ruggieri]

It is uniquely American that we will take any sort of issue and turn it into an economic opportunity. In many cases, it's to our benefit.

[Meg Anderson]

But he also says sometimes it disincentivizes simply reducing the problem itself.

[Waylon Wong]

This episode was produced by Julia Ricci, with engineering by Robert Rodriguez. It was fact checked by Sarah Juarez. Keegan Cannon is our editor and the indicator is a production of NPR.

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