Stephen Dubner

Riedman is an assistant professor at Idaho State University, and he's getting a Ph.D. in artificial intelligence. But he is not one of those Ph.D. candidates who went straight from college. He grew up in Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C., and went to nearby Georgetown to study literature.

Riedman is an assistant professor at Idaho State University, and he's getting a Ph.D. in artificial intelligence. But he is not one of those Ph.D. candidates who went straight from college. He grew up in Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C., and went to nearby Georgetown to study literature.

If you had to sum up David Riedman's central motivation, it might be this, protecting innocent people from terrible things.

If you had to sum up David Riedman's central motivation, it might be this, protecting innocent people from terrible things.

If you had to sum up David Riedman's central motivation, it might be this, protecting innocent people from terrible things.

Reidman runs the school shooting database out of his guest bedroom. He has recorded every school shooting in the U.S. since 1966, more than 3,000 incidents and 1,000 deaths.

Reidman runs the school shooting database out of his guest bedroom. He has recorded every school shooting in the U.S. since 1966, more than 3,000 incidents and 1,000 deaths.

Reidman runs the school shooting database out of his guest bedroom. He has recorded every school shooting in the U.S. since 1966, more than 3,000 incidents and 1,000 deaths.

Why does Riedman care about all these details? This goes back to what Ed Gallia, the astrophysicist turned disaster scholar, told us. That most tragedies come at the end of a chain of events. For David Riedman, assembling that chain takes a lot of time.

Why does Riedman care about all these details? This goes back to what Ed Gallia, the astrophysicist turned disaster scholar, told us. That most tragedies come at the end of a chain of events. For David Riedman, assembling that chain takes a lot of time.

Why does Riedman care about all these details? This goes back to what Ed Gallia, the astrophysicist turned disaster scholar, told us. That most tragedies come at the end of a chain of events. For David Riedman, assembling that chain takes a lot of time.

David, you sent us an email a while back. That sounds to me like both an empirical argument and almost a philosophical argument. Can you unpack that for me? What do you mean by that?

David, you sent us an email a while back. That sounds to me like both an empirical argument and almost a philosophical argument. Can you unpack that for me? What do you mean by that?

David, you sent us an email a while back. That sounds to me like both an empirical argument and almost a philosophical argument. Can you unpack that for me? What do you mean by that?

At this point, it was still not known that he was in possession of the gun?

At this point, it was still not known that he was in possession of the gun?

At this point, it was still not known that he was in possession of the gun?

The shooter is serving a life sentence. And last year, his parents were both convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison. The first parents in the U.S. to face criminal charges for a school shooting committed by their child. Several lawsuits against the school district were dismissed.

The shooter is serving a life sentence. And last year, his parents were both convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison. The first parents in the U.S. to face criminal charges for a school shooting committed by their child. Several lawsuits against the school district were dismissed.

The shooter is serving a life sentence. And last year, his parents were both convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison. The first parents in the U.S. to face criminal charges for a school shooting committed by their child. Several lawsuits against the school district were dismissed.