A house is often a family’s most valuable asset, but following tragedies like Columbine, it can become one more aspect of life that people can’t control. As we have seen increasingly over the last two decades, otherwise quiet towns with names like Newtown, Connecticut, Parkland, Florida, and Littleton, Colorado, can just as quickly become struck by violence. All three are now etched into our collective memory for tragic school shootings, among many others. In fact, tomorrow marks 20 years from the day when Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 12 fellow students, a teacher and themselves, while also injuring 20, at Columbine High School. No degree of foresight can prepare families or communities for such devastation. The attacks continue to echo for those who remember the sirens, the frantic phone calls, the terrifying waits. While processing this trauma, it’s reasonable that some families might wish to move away and start fresh in new towns. But a surprising factor can stand in their way, and it’s one that impacts the entire community. House prices in school districts affected by mass shootings fell eight percent over a period of five years after the incident — and housing transactions dropped overall. | 