When it happens, you don't even realize it. Just a brief, surreal moment that could turn out to be a dream. You couldn't see the horror coming. A booming sound comes from down the hallway that almost sounds as if a firework has been accidently set off. And then you see blood, yellow caution tape, paramedics with stretchers, cops with guns and handcuffs, and then, the horrifying discovery that your classmate has been shot by another classmate. You think to yourself, “What happened? What was this person thinking? True, he wasn't the most popular kid in school” And then a light bulb turns on. You realize the shooter was the victim of continuous bullying that sparked a dangerous and life-threatening but avoidable situation. School violence is an unfortunately common issue that affects an average of five junior high schools, high schools and college campuses every year. The various reasons and causes of these tragic epidemics stem from many sources, particularly mental illness and bullying. But despite its known correlation with violence in schools, bullying is one problem that is not discussed as much as it needs to be. Bullying, harassment and intimidation are linked to 75 percent of school shootings. This particular issue connected to school violence can often be ignored because of the victim’s fear or people’s own negligence. In a 2011 study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 20 percent of students in grades nine through 12 reported being bullied within the grounds of their school, while 16 percent of the students reported being cyber-bullied. There are millions of children and teenagers who are bullied every year, yet these percentages only reflect the reported cases of bullying. These statistics cover only reported cases, but it’s reasonable to suspect that the percentages are in fact much higher. The proportions may not seem incredibly large, but the problem still exists and will continue to exist unless serious actions are taken by the people who can create the most change, including school board representatives and higher-level government figures. According to an article on PolicyMic.com, there have been 31 school shootings since the infamous Columbine High School Massacre in April 1999. Included within these horrific acts of mass murder is the Virginia Tech Massacre in 2007, which is the deadliest school shooting by a single gunman in United States history. Virginia Tech was also an incident motivated by bullying. The shooter, Seung-Hui Cho, suffered a great deal of bullying from his high school classmates prior to attending Virginia Tech. Cho was constantly mocked and laughed at in high school because of his quiet nature, shyness and difficulty speaking English. This example alone is just one scenario out of many that have resulted in a tragedy that could have been prevented. Cho’s unfortunate history of being bullied was a contributing factor to the grisly deeds committed six years ago. He, along with many other shooters, was abused and intimidated by cruelty and oppression. Aside from the humiliation, many quiet and shy students like Cho did not receive, and still don't receive, enough help or guidance from teachers and other administrative staff. Even though Cho chose not to talk to a counselor, more of his past instructors should have recognized Cho’s unusually quiet behavior and lack of social aptitude in order to help him through the continuous bullying. Being bullied and mocked by anybody creates a weakness within an individual-a loss of confidence so to speak.