More than the bullies it is their victims who are more likely to carry weapons to schools, a study indicated.
In view of growing shootouts by peers in schools, the study has important implications for implementing more effective preventive and intervention strategies.
“The greatest focus should not just be on bullies, but on the victims of bullies (who are) most likely to carry a weapon and potentially use deadly force if threatened,” researcher Andrew Adesman was quoted as saying.
To determine if any combination of factors made bringing weapons to school more likely, the researchers looked at four risk factors: not going to school due to feeling unsafe in school or on the way to school; having property stolen or damaged; being threatened or injured with a weapon; and being in a physical fight.
The study involved 15,000 high school students in the US.
Of the 20 percent of high school students who said they had been bullied, 8.6 percent carried a weapon to school compared to 4.6 percent of those who said they had not been bullied.
The students were 31 times more likely to bring a weapon to school when all four risk factors were present, Discovery News reported.