Over the past few years, school shootings have been on the rise with more than 200 incidents occurring since the Sandy Hook Massacre. It was only five years ago that Adam Lanza opened fire in Sandy Hook Elementary School, leaving 20 children and six staff members dead. According to data from Everytown.com for Gun Safety, a website that keeps track of shootings on school grounds, there have been at least 94 gun-related deaths and more than 156 people injured due to the more than 200 school shooting incidents since Sandy Hook. Although it is a sensitive topic, this ongoing issue has been present in many films and television episodes. Television shows such as Degrassi and films such Zero Day, portray the tragedy and seriousness of school shootings and their effects. Some argue that by focusing the attention of school shootings in large media outlets and in films, it often normalizes these incidents and can give others similar ideas. For example, if a student watches a film where the main focus is directed on the school shooter, it may allow them to think that this is a way for them to gain attention. There could also be copycat shooters who are only gaining ideas from these films. In these cases, films have a negative impact in that they may be inspiring violent actions and mixing up students’ perception of what is normal. Others say that this is not the case and that it is important to show the tragedy and horror that school shootings create and the ongoing issue of gun violence in the United States. Hollywood films could be a large platform to express the anger and frustration that many have regarding the issues on gun safety. It is also important to note that there is not a plethora of films regarding school shootings since these types of films can be off-putting to audiences. The movie, Beautiful Boy for instance, followed the parents of a teenager who murdered his classmates and then committed suicide and made $77,000, making school shootings an unfavorable topic for sales. The nonfiction book, “Columbine” by Dave Cullen was going to be developed into a film by Lifetime, however there was a petition against the movie with more than 6,000 signatures including Anne Marie Hochhalter, who was injured in the shooting. Regardless, it is important to remember that though these may only be films, they are portraying real-life incidents which have a long-lasting impact on our country.