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

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.

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])

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])

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

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.

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.