Columbine High School Shooting on April 20, 1999 - Collection Finding Aid

Columbine High School Shooting on April 20, 1999 - Collection Finding Aid

This collection consists of records concerning the Clinton Administration’s response to the Columbine High School shooting on April 20, 1999. Over the course of several hours two heavily-armed students killed 12 classmates and a teacher and wounded 23 others before taking their own lives. The records include agendas, articles, cables, emails, letters, memos, press releases, public statements, schedules, speeches, and transcripts. The subject matter includes the Administration’s first responses and follow up, both in policy and strategy; recommended phone calls to victims’ families and local government officials; and speech texts for President Clinton, Mrs. Clinton, Vice President Gore, Education Secretary Richard Riley, and Attorney General Janet Reno. Reaction to the massacre also resulted in a higher emphasis on dealing with the issues of school violence and weapons legislation to include several high-profile conferences on youth violence.

William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum