{"id":35908,"date":"2023-01-05T02:23:41","date_gmt":"2023-01-05T02:23:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/?p=35908"},"modified":"2023-01-05T02:23:41","modified_gmt":"2023-01-05T02:23:41","slug":"recent-threats-of-school-shooting-in-puerto-rico-part-of-worrying-trend-in-latin-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/05\/recent-threats-of-school-shooting-in-puerto-rico-part-of-worrying-trend-in-latin-america\/","title":{"rendered":"Recent Threats of School Shooting in Puerto Rico Part of Worrying Trend in Latin America"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> [ad_1]<\/p>\n<div>\n<div id=\"attachment_204290\" style=\"width: 1210px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-204290\" data-attachment-id=\"204290\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.latinorebels.com\/2023\/01\/04\/puertoricoschoolshooting\/school-university-gardens-puerto-rico\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.latinorebels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/school-University-Gardens-Puerto-Rico.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1200,800\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1670350485&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"school University Gardens Puerto Rico\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;University Gardens High  School in San Juan, Puerto Rico, (San Juan Daily Star)&lt;\/p&gt;&#10;\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.latinorebels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/school-University-Gardens-Puerto-Rico.jpg?fit=600%2C400&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.latinorebels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/school-University-Gardens-Puerto-Rico.jpg?fit=700%2C467&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-204290 jetpack-lazy-image\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.latinorebels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/school-University-Gardens-Puerto-Rico.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.latinorebels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/school-University-Gardens-Puerto-Rico.jpg?w=1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.latinorebels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/school-University-Gardens-Puerto-Rico.jpg?resize=600%2C400&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.latinorebels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/school-University-Gardens-Puerto-Rico.jpg?resize=700%2C467&amp;ssl=1 700w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.latinorebels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/school-University-Gardens-Puerto-Rico.jpg?resize=250%2C167&amp;ssl=1 250w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.latinorebels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/school-University-Gardens-Puerto-Rico.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.latinorebels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/school-University-Gardens-Puerto-Rico.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;is-pending-load=1#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\"\/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-lazy-fallback=\"1\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-204290\" data-attachment-id=\"204290\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.latinorebels.com\/2023\/01\/04\/puertoricoschoolshooting\/school-university-gardens-puerto-rico\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.latinorebels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/school-University-Gardens-Puerto-Rico.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1200,800\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1670350485&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"school University Gardens Puerto Rico\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;University Gardens High  School in San Juan, Puerto Rico, (San Juan Daily Star)&lt;\/p&gt;&#10;\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.latinorebels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/school-University-Gardens-Puerto-Rico.jpg?fit=600%2C400&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.latinorebels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/school-University-Gardens-Puerto-Rico.jpg?fit=700%2C467&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.latinorebels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/school-University-Gardens-Puerto-Rico.jpg?w=1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.latinorebels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/school-University-Gardens-Puerto-Rico.jpg?resize=600%2C400&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.latinorebels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/school-University-Gardens-Puerto-Rico.jpg?resize=700%2C467&amp;ssl=1 700w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.latinorebels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/school-University-Gardens-Puerto-Rico.jpg?resize=250%2C167&amp;ssl=1 250w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.latinorebels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/school-University-Gardens-Puerto-Rico.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.latinorebels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/school-University-Gardens-Puerto-Rico.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" class=\"size-full wp-image-204290 lazyload\"\/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-lazy-fallback=\"1\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-204290\" data-attachment-id=\"204290\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.latinorebels.com\/2023\/01\/04\/puertoricoschoolshooting\/school-university-gardens-puerto-rico\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.latinorebels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/school-University-Gardens-Puerto-Rico.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1200,800\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1670350485&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"school University Gardens Puerto Rico\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;University Gardens High  School in San Juan, Puerto Rico, (San Juan Daily Star)&lt;\/p&gt;&#10;\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.latinorebels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/school-University-Gardens-Puerto-Rico.jpg?fit=600%2C400&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.latinorebels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/school-University-Gardens-Puerto-Rico.jpg?fit=700%2C467&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-204290\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.latinorebels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/school-University-Gardens-Puerto-Rico.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.latinorebels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/school-University-Gardens-Puerto-Rico.jpg?w=1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.latinorebels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/school-University-Gardens-Puerto-Rico.jpg?resize=600%2C400&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.latinorebels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/school-University-Gardens-Puerto-Rico.jpg?resize=700%2C467&amp;ssl=1 700w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.latinorebels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/school-University-Gardens-Puerto-Rico.jpg?resize=250%2C167&amp;ssl=1 250w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.latinorebels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/school-University-Gardens-Puerto-Rico.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"\/><\/noscript><\/noscript><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-204290\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">University Gardens High School in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where plans for a shooting were discovered on December 5, 2022, forcing officials to evacuate the school. (<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sanjuandailystar.com\/post\/authorities-threat-to-shoot-up-2-schools-was-no-joke\" rel=\"noopener\">San Juan Daily Star<\/a>)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><b>SAN JUAN<\/b> \u2014\u00a0<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latinorebels.com\/search\/%22Puerto+Rico%22\" rel=\"noopener\">Puerto Rico<\/a> has inherited a lot of cultural artifacts from the United States as its colony, such as fast food, car-centric city design, and <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latinorebels.com\/2022\/12\/12\/christmascolonization\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Santa Claus<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But the latest import is far darker than the others: the threat of school shootings.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Children, parents, and school staff have been wracked with worry over threats made to two schools in San Juan and a university campus in Mayag\u00fcez, as well as an incident where a student brought a firearm to a school in San Juan.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On Monday, December 5, police were sent to University Gardens and Juan Jos\u00e9 Osuna after school officials were made aware of WhatsApp messages between two students who were allegedly planning a mass shooting. Officials evacuated the schools as a preventative measure and no one was hurt.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Police have identified the students and are currently interviewing students and parents to better ascertain the motive behind the threat.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Puerto Rico Rep. Jos\u00e9 \u201cPichy\u201d Torres Zamora (PNP-At-large), whose son attends University Gardens, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latinorebels.com\/2022\/12\/12\/christmascolonization\/\" rel=\"noopener\">criticized the Department of Education<\/a> for their response.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The school \u201csent a communiqu\u00e9 and gave the kids from all grades a 20-minute orientation in the University Gardens amphitheater, but not to parents. The youth said he thought about it (the threat), that he had the intention. The police said that. They notified me that yesterday, and today it was in the news. And us parents, we haven\u2019t been notified,\u201d Torres Zamora said in a radio interview with NotiUno shortly after the threat was reported at his son\u2019s school.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The following day, December 6, school officials evacuated a building at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayag\u00fcez after an alleged \u201cbomb threat\u201d was made by a female student through Twitter in a \u201cjoke\u201d post about the long wait needed to register for classes. Again, no one was hurt and police are investigating the incident.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UPR-Mayag\u00fcez students criticized the response by the school\u2019s administration for only evacuating one building while leaving other buildings and classes full of students, which could have resulted in a graver incident if there was an actual threat.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"es\" dir=\"ltr\">la situaci\u00f3n de hoy me hizo pensar en c\u00f3mo la universidad no est\u00e1 para nada preparada para atender una emergencia o amenaza. hab\u00eda tanta confusi\u00f3n de que estaba sucediendo. me di\u00f3 demasiado estr\u00e9s el que s\u00f3lo se dec\u00eda desalojar chard\u00f3n, pero pod\u00eda ser un peligro a todo el recinto<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 vale (@valerieartez) <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/valerieartez\/status\/1600115463349882880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"noopener\">December 6, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While gun crime is high in Puerto Rico, there has never been an active shooter situation inside a school in the archipelago\u2019s history. The closest scenario to that in recent memory was a shootout inside the housing project Vista Hermosa, which forced students of the Evaristo Ribera Elementary School to duck under their desks.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a response to the threats, the Department of Education (DE) has assured that schools are \u201csafe spaces\u201d and that they would not take any threats lightly.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While no one was hurt in all situations, the events showed that Puerto Rico is underprepared for an active shooter situation inside a school, an event that is becoming all too common across the world.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Not Only in Puerto Rico<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Similar to Puerto Rico, other countries across Latin America have experienced a relative boom in threats and mass casualty events at schools in recent years.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Brazil, a 16-year-old former student with a<\/span> <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2022\/nov\/26\/boy-16-killed-three-people-and-wounded-13-in-two-schools-in-brazil\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">swastika pinned to his vest<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> killed three and wounded 13 in an attack on two schools on the same street in the state of Espirito Santo. The boy had been planning the attack for two years, according to state police.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Attacks in schools are infrequent in Brazil. But they have ticked up recently, including a former student in Vit\u00f3ra who entered a school with knives and homemade explosives in August 2022. No one was injured. A month later, a teenager in the northeastern state of Bahia used his father\u2019s gun to kill a student in a wheelchair. Both attackers had met previously <\/span><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2022\/nov\/26\/boy-16-killed-three-people-and-wounded-13-in-two-schools-in-brazil\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">through online chat groups<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, police later learned.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Mexico, the United States\u2019 nearest Latin American neighbor, there was a shooting in a school in the northern city of Torre\u00f3n in 2020, which an investigator characterized as \u201c<\/span><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2022\/nov\/26\/boy-16-killed-three-people-and-wounded-13-in-two-schools-in-brazil\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">gringo style<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d because it diverged from the city\u2019s more typical cartel-linked shootings.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All three countries have high rates of gun crime but low instances of violence in schools. <\/span><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2022\/nov\/26\/boy-16-killed-three-people-and-wounded-13-in-two-schools-in-brazil\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to Homicide Monitor<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Puerto Rico had 616 homicides in 2021, with a rate of 18.7 per 100,000 inhabitants. Brazil had 47,353 and a rate of 22.2, while Mexico had 33,308 and a rate of 25.8.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Comparatively, the United States had 23,260 and a rate of 6.9. But the United States has six times its global share of mass shooters, according to <\/span><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2022\/nov\/26\/boy-16-killed-three-people-and-wounded-13-in-two-schools-in-brazil\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">studies<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> done by Dr. Adam Lankford, a professor of criminology and criminal justice at the University of Alabama.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While not measuring school shootings exclusively, the study titled \u201c<\/span><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tandfonline.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1080\/01924036.2022.2052126?journalCode=rcac20\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Global mass shootings<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: comparing the United States against developed and developing countries\u201d<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0by Dr. Jason Silva, assistant professor of sociology and criminal justice at William Paterson University in New Jersey, concluded that mass shootings in developing countries were more likely to involve military and police perpetrators and military or police locations. Additionally, the study found that mass shootings in developed countries were more likely to involve ideological and fame-seeking motives and take place in schools.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>There have been 48 school shootings with injuries or deaths in 2022 that resulted in a total of 36 people killed, according to <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tandfonline.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1080\/01924036.2022.2052126?journalCode=rcac20\" rel=\"noopener\">Education Week.<\/a> The most notable of these is the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latinorebels.com\/search\/Uvalde\" rel=\"noopener\">school shooting in Uvalde, Texas<\/a> on May 24, 2022, where 19 students and two teachers were killed by a former student of Robb Elementary School.<\/p>\n<h3>America\u2019s Exceptional Rate of School Shootings<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As far as understanding why there is such a comparatively high rate of school shootings in the United States when compared to Latin America, there are many possible reasons, from sociocultural attitudes to stricter gun control. But there is very little conclusive research about school shootings in Latin America, likely because they are so rare in the region.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yet there is a lot of ancillary research that could help root out an answer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For Dr. Paul Hirschfield, associate professor and director of the Criminal Justice Program at Rutgers University, the answer is complex. He warns about not boiling it down to one specific thing, and goes into detail about the possible reasons why Latin America has a lower rate of mass shootings in an article for Foreign Affairs titled \u201c<\/span><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foreignaffairs.com\/united-states\/why-are-there-so-many-mass-shootings-united-states\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why Are There So Many Mass Shootings in the United States?<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When mass shootings happen in the United States, the conversation among many naturally shifts to stricter gun control laws. While U.S. politicians have been reluctant to pass any meaningful, common-sense gun control legislation, research has shown that it would have <\/span><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latinorebels.com\/search\/Uvalde\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">prevented at least some deaths<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cSome of the people who committed mass shootings actually could have had their guns removed and would have had a hard time obtaining their guns were they in some countries like Brazil\u2014at least until recently,\u201d Hirschfield told Latino Rebels.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Countries like Puerto Rico and Brazil have made the process of acquiring a gun easier\u2014though Brazil\u2019s new president, Luiz In\u00e1cio Lula da Silva, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/g1.globo.com\/politica\/noticia\/2023\/01\/01\/lula-assina-decreto-para-suspender-medidas-de-bolsonaro-sobre-armas.ghtml\" rel=\"noopener\">promptly undid his predecessor\u2019s loosening of gun laws<\/a> upon taking office on Sunday. The Puerto Rico Weapons Act of 2020 lowered fees, changed regulations from may issue to shall issue, and combined possession and carry licenses into a single license.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, countries like Brazil, Chile, and Argentina, require a <\/span><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/g1.globo.com\/politica\/noticia\/2023\/01\/01\/lula-assina-decreto-para-suspender-medidas-de-bolsonaro-sobre-armas.ghtml\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">psychiatric examination<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> before gun licenses are granted, which may stop the people most likely to commit mass shooting events from acquiring the weapons needed to do so. Multiple attempts to institute similar psychological examinations for those wanting to acquire gun licenses in the United States have failed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While the prevalence of a higher amount and access to guns likely has an impact on the number of school shootings in the United States, experts warn against using that as the single explanation. Instead, some view the largely collectivistic cultures of Latin America as a large part of the possible reason for the significantly lower rate of school shootings.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cPeople (in Latin America) who are suffering from these various problems that tend to characterize mass shooters might have access to more of that warmth, empathy, and might have more people who both want to help them steer clear of this dark path\u2026 and are better equipped to help them because they have those skills,\u201d Hirschfield explained.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hirschfield points out that Latin Americans typically live within a larger family dynamic than people in the United States, where <\/span><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2022\/11\/29\/health\/men-friendships-wellness\/index.html\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">social alienation among men particularly<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is higher than it has been in decades<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Comparatively, people in Latin America tend to have wider social circles that include extended family members and are reportedly more adept at creating social bonds outside of their typical circles, a concept called \u201c<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/29959208\/\" rel=\"noopener\">relational mobility<\/a>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cOne predictor of engaging in an aggressive act is having the experience of being socially excluded or socially rejected,\u201d Dr. Cristina Salvador, an assistant research professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University, told Latino Rebels.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She explained that a high level of interdependence within Latin American communities could explain part of the reason there are so few mass shootings, as interdependence could work as a buffer for social isolation and exclusion at different parts of the social processes. She pointed to the study \u201c<\/span><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/313720602_Culture_Social_Interdependence_and_Ostracism\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Culture, Social Interdependence, and Ostracism<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,\u201d which, while not done on Latin America, centered on other collectivistic societies such as Turkey, China, and India, in comparison to individualistic societies such as Germany and the United States.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIn an individualistic society, if you\u2019re socially excluded by someone, it says something about yourself because that\u2019s sort of the single person, the single unit in the world. But in an interdependent society, you\u2019re embedded in your close social relationships, whether that be family, friends, other people. So if someone socially excludes you, you still have this other group you can rely on, so you\u2019re not as affected by it,\u201d Salvador said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Research conducted by social psychologist Dr. Geert Hofstede shows that Latin American countries tend towards collectivism instead of individualism, meaning \u201csociety fosters strong relationships where everyone takes responsibility for fellow members of their group,\u201d according to <\/span><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hofstede-insights.com\/country-comparison\/puerto-rico\/\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hofstede Insights<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>In terms of individualism, on a 100-point scale, Hofstede\u2019s research gave Puerto Rico a score of 27, Mexico a 30, and Brazil a 38, meaning they tended more towards collectivism than individualism. The United States, meanwhile, received a 91.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hirschfield put forward a theory for the lack of mass shooters in Latin America: the lack of veneration for the \u201cone-man army\u201d archetype.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As Silva\u2019s study noted, developed countries tend to have more mass shootings linked to fame-seeking motives. Mass shooters in the Western world tend to look for veneration from other would-be mass shooters, which is why they share multiple symbols and \u201cmemes\u201d within their manifestos meant for others to pick up on. In fact, the shooter who killed two people and injured a third outside a gay bar in Bratislava last October became \u201c<\/span><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/vsquare.org\/bratislava-terrorist-radicalized-on-terrorgram-its-members-take-credit\/\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The First Saint of Terrorgram<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,\u201d a neo-fascist propaganda network primarily based around the messaging platform Telegram.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ultimately, though, both Salvador and Hirschfield warn against making definite conclusions about the reason for the stark differences in school shootings between the United States and Latin America, as it is a clear mix of several cultural factors alongside a relative lack of access to guns that have led to the lower rate of school shootings and other types of mass shootings in Latin America when compared to the United States.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">***<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Carlos Edill Berr\u00edos Polanco<\/strong> is the Caribbean correspondent for Latino Rebels, based in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Twitter:\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Vaquero2XL\" rel=\"noopener\">@Vaquero2XL<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p><!--www.crestaproject.com Social Button in Content Start--><!--www.crestaproject.com Social Button in Content End--><\/p>\n<p><h3 class=\"jp-relatedposts-headline\"><em>Related<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/>[ad_2]<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/__i\/rss\/rd\/articles\/CBMiQWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmxhdGlub3JlYmVscy5jb20vMjAyMy8wMS8wNC9wdWVydG9yaWNvc2Nob29sc2hvb3Rpbmcv0gEA?oc=5\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[ad_1] University Gardens High School in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where plans for a shooting&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":35909,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35908","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-theory"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35908","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35908"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35908\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35910,"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35908\/revisions\/35910"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35909"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35908"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35908"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35908"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}