Essay on School Shooting in the United States. The Tragedy at Schools
“All teachers lock your doors there's a threat on campus with a concealed weapon. I repeat LOCK ALL DOORS!” Imagine hearing that while your sitting in class trying to do your work how would you feel? I know I would be scared out of my mind. School shootings are uncommon in today's society. No one wants to attend school and feel unsafe, threatened and scared. No one wants to go to school and hear gunshots and have to worry about their life when they should be provided a safe and comfortable environment aside from home to be educated. A lot of schools have open campuses and don't have security anywhere. Yes they may have cameras but that can't stop somebody with a weapon on campus.
There's also many more issues that causes school shooting like bullying depression abuse, and gun control and so much more. School shootings brought a lot of pain and suffering to peoples families John Woodrow Cox and Steven Rich both former workers for the Washington post states that “More than 187,000 students have been exposed to gun violence at a school since Columbine, The Washington Post found.Many are never the same” (Woodrow cox and Rich). Now, these students have a memory and scars that they won't forget. Although guns do kill people, to reduce the number of school shootings in the United States the government should pass a federal law where they give permission for all teachers on school campuses to carry concealed weapons at all times not only for the student safety but for theirs.
School shootings are unexpected and happen over time. Who is to say when a school shooting can breakout. The U.S News library staff, states “Feb. 22, 1978: After being taunted for his beliefs, a 15-year-old self-proclaimed Nazi, kills one student and wounds a second with a Luger-style pistol in Lansing, Mich.” (“Timeline”). They were taunting him and he retaliated with gun violence. Although that was in the past school shooting still happen as of today. According to Elizabeth Chuck, Alex Johnson and Corky Siemaszko former workers at NBC /news address that “February 14, 2018, The teen gunman accused of opening fire with a semi-automatic rifle at his former high school in Parkland, Florida, has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder, officials said Thursday.” These events are random acts that happen unknowingly, and they still happening as of today.
One reason why school shootings breakout because of gun control. Gun control should be stricter than what it is. Jon Schuppe, also a former worker for NBC News explains that “Gallup polling indicates a growing desire for more gun control; 60 percent say gun laws should be stricter, 5 percent say they should be less strict and 33 percent saying laws should remain as is.” (Schuppe). Half of the world says that gun law should be stricter because of the violence of the weapon. Although people might say we should keep the gun law the same what would we be solving in the long run?
We would not be solving NOTHING! People still can purchase guns for good attention or for dangerous ones. If we can make the law stricter than probably the death rates would go down. According to Sarah Mervosh a former journalist for 7the New York times acknowledge that “ More people died from firearm injuries in the United States last year than in any other year since at least 1968, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.” (qtd in Mervosh). If we up the legalization on guns there would probably be fewer deaths throughout America, also fewer school shootings.
What makes people do such a gruesome crime? Is it because of the attention they get at home, or are they being bullied? Whos to say school shooting is a devastating crime, that nobody wants to witness. One cause of school shooting is cyberbullying. Tammy B. Pham, BA, a researcher at the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children’s Medical Center of New York in Lake Success emphasizes that .“Students whose sense of safety had been violated or threatened in successively more ways had a greater propensity to carry weapons to school, with each additional risk factor further compounding this risk,” ( Haelle).
So some people who have been bullied probably feel like they should retaliate with violence, or they might feel as if they have to bring a weapon to protect their self. Also, another cause for school shootings is Mental illness. Grant Duwe and Michael Rocque writers for the New York Time magazine states that “According to our research, at least 59% of the 185 public mass shootings that took place in the United States from 1900 through 2017 were carried out by people who had either been diagnosed with a mental disorder or demonstrated signs of serious mental illness prior to the attack.” Half of the shooting of this year was done by people of mental illness. People who have a mental illness are probably going through things at home, not getting the right attention being bullied, depression all of these things could make someone with mental illness retaliate with gun Violence.
The effects on school shooting interrupt the learning process for the students, physically and mentally also students may be living in fear. ‘“It’s no longer the default that going to school is going to make you feel safe,’ said Bruce D. Perry, a psychiatrist and one of the country’s leading experts on childhood trauma he also asserts that. ‘Even kids who come from middle-class and upper-middle-class communities literally don’t feel safe in schools.’”(qtd. in Cox and Rich). Students should never feel like their life is in jeopardy every day they step onto the school campus. The students should be able to walk to school and feel safe not threaten. Another effect that haves a big part of school shootings it leaves people with that same sick feelings years later or it gives people PTSD (Post traumatic stress disorder) . Every day waking up having flashbacks of the terrible act that occurred can.
According to Marjorie Lindholm a survivor of Columbine High school shooting Survivors claim “that the experience—being trapped in a classroom for "four or five hours" and attempting to save the life of a teacher who had gotten shot during that time while pipe bombs and gunfire continued, until they were rescued by a SWAT team, was life-changing. She dropped out of high school and couldn't bring herself to go to college.” (Basu). That school shooting gave her scars that she may not never recover from.
School shooting needs to stop. It's too many lives that have been at stake and that's been taken. Blue mountain district superintendent David Helsel believes that “At one time I just had the idea of river stone, they’re the right size for hands, you can throw them very hard, ” he told WNEP, “and they will create or cause pain, which can distract.” (qtd in Magness). This can be a good thing to a certain extent. Yes we can throw rocks and stones all we want but is that really going to stop a school shooter from his main purpose. This might be a good solution but there's always question what if the students froze up when the perpetrator comes on to campus. So many question for this solution what happens if the rocks don’t faze the school shooter what if the perpetrator main focus was to get revenge on the teacher and you have students throwing rocks at the perpetrator and now he's mad and starts shooting the students. Having students throw rocks at a school shooter can only lead to more deaths and puts more lives at stake.
The best solution to stopping school shootings is by creating a federal law giving all teachers permission to carry concealed weapons on school campuses at all times. Arming teachers with handguns can have pro and cons to it. According to a article called “Arming teachers pro and cons” the National Rifle Association head Wayne LaPierre Asserts that “Our banks, our airports, our NBA games, our NFL games, our office buildings, our movie stars, our politicians — they're all more protected than our children at school," LaPierre said. "We surround and protect so much with armed security, while we drop our kids off at schools that are so-called 'gun-free zones.” (qtd in Santoni). Which is absolutely true we have all these cops and security guards at concerts and basketball games but we don't have them at schools. Parents send their kids to school to learn they don't send their kids to school to be targeted for school shooters. Parents should feel comfortable to send their kids to school.
Teachers should be armed at all times just in case a school shooting happens to break out and if the teachers can't have concealed weapons at least let the campus security carry a weapon just incase a school shooting breakout . Every school does not have police officers on campuses so how could we protect the students, if we don't have the resources to do it. If the government pass a federal law allowing teachers to carry handguns on campuses we could protect our students and we can make it a safe place to learn.
No matter what solution we try to figure out there are always pros and cons to a solution no solution is the perfect solution. There are alot of cons to letting teachers carry handguns on campuses. Like who would pay for the special training for the teachers... parents have to pay more taxes just for the teachers to be real equip with a gun. Another con... say for example if a teacher gets at a student in a foul way or the teachers gives the student a grade that he or she they don’t want the student can get upset and flash on the teacher and the teacher pulls out their handgun because he or she feels threatened. Which is absolutely true but i feel like if the teachers did have handguns they would not pull it out on the students for a minor situation.
One last con is some teachers could have mental issues which could be PTSD (Post traumatic stress disorder) and they don't feel comfortable carrying a gun . Although there so many cons on letting teachers carry handguns on campus there are also a lot of pros for teachers having handguns. One of the pros is student safety. If we arm teachers they can protect us from all threats that enter the school campuses. Another pro is people will know that the teachers are armed and they would think twice about trying to shoot up the school. One last pro for teachers having handguns is that most schools have Jrotc military veterans who worked with guns and can train the teachers how to use them correctly and responsibly. Even though there's pro and cons to letting teachers carry handguns on campus. The government need to pass a federal law where they allow all teachers permission to carry a concealed weapon at all times.
In conclusion school shooting is a gruesome crime which is a devastating thing to witness. School shooting left families in pain made parents drop their kids out of public schools and much more. We need more protection around all schools even the ones who have security. Enough security is not always enough. Guns do kill people, to reduce the number of school shootings in the United States the government should pass a federal law where they give permission for all teachers on school campuses to carry concealed weapons at all times not only for the student safety but for theirs. Lets stop making excuses on school shootings and lets make a change to stop school shootings.
