Americans have been repeatedly shocked by school violence. In 2013, a student killed two classmates at Taft Union High School in Taft, California.

Just days later on January 15, at the Stevens Institute of Business and Arts in St. Louis, MO., a part-time student shot and injured a school employee then shot himself, according to St. Louis police. The images of traumatized parents and a campus surrounded by police tape shake the country profoundly.

Another unwanted school shooting took place in Oregon recently. Tragedy struck this Oregon school June 10, 2014, just days before the start of summer vacation. Gunshots were released into a crowd of unsuspecting students before first period began.

This marked the third outbreak of gun violence in less than three weeks in a U.S. school.

“I think school shootings are occurring more often because the kids who are committing these crimes feel as if there is no hope. They unfortunately feel as if they need to take their own life and I think they want to go out big,” Kaneland High School teacher Sandy Faletto said.

Society looks for an answer to the unsolved issue.

“I think these situations can be prevented by making sure your kids at home are well. Just take time to bond with children, that way you know when something is wrong. Kaneland can help students by encouraging them to talk to parents or family and if not them then we are always open,” senior Kellsie Pepponi said.

Faletto admits that school shootings are one of the most terrifying things.

“I think about this scenario a couple times a year and it’s honestly so terrifying because it could happen to any school,” Faletto said.

Looking at past school shootings makes people wonder what causes the person to commit such a crime.

“I think a lot of kids feel like they have no one to go to or they’re so so they keep it bottled up until they explode,” senior Alyson Kowalczyk said.

Oregon has marked the 74th instance of shots being fired on school grounds or in school buildings since the late 2012 elementary school shooting in Newtown, Conn., according to a list maintained by the group Everytown for Gun Safety.

In this case, the 15 year old gunman, Jared Padgett, arrived at Reynolds High School in Troutdale, OR., carrying a guitar case and a duffel bag on his bus, Troutdale Police Chief Scott Anderson told reporters Wednesday.

The freshman student had an AR-15 type rifle, a semi-automatic handgun, nine loaded magazines capable of holding several hundred rounds and a large knife a policeman stated.

Padgett entered the building into school gym where he began firing shots in a locker room that killed 14 year old freshman Emilio Hoffman. He also shot and wounded a physical education teacher, Todd Rispler, who fled the locker room.

Despite his wound, Rispler quickly alerted the school to the danger.

No student in Reynolds High School thought this type of situation would happen.

As the school became aware of the danger, an assistant principal told students to go into lockdown mode.

He ended his announcement by telling students and staff that this was not a drill.

Padgett encountered police in the school hallway and exchanged gunfire with an officer. He was later found in a bathroom stall, where it was determined that he had taken his own life.

Anxious parents waited for news that their children were safe as word of the shooting spread. Students were transferred to a local grocery store parking lot and released after clearing a police pat-down for weapons.

“I think shootings like this one can be prevented in the future if teachers take an active role in really listening and making a connection to every student. Also, students need to be aware, and if they hear anything suspicious about another student, they should always report it to a teacher. If you hear something, act on it,” Faletto said.