Student: ‘We should not have to suffer through gun violence’
School shootings take place because adults can own guns. Even though there are laws, they are insufficient. This results in death. I ask myself constantly, “What if that had been me?” I do not ever want to be in the position where my life is at stake in a school setting where it is supposed to be safe for the students and staff. Being exposed to gun violence steals part of our childhood. We lose a sense of security. It is not a problem that children should have to deal with.
Gun violence. When I hear those two words, I’m reminded of school shootings, death, and fear. It is not fair that we are exposed to this horror, and that it is now our problem as students. The government’s irresponsibility in not acting upon gun violence results in student suffering and death.
At my school, around four times a year, we go over a drill called ALICE. ALICE stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate. It teaches us what to do when there is an intruder with a weapon inside of the school. We practice this drill regularly; therefore, it has become more normal than not. Some students have become desensitized to these drills and take them very lightly. Other students are bothered by this topic, and have to suffer through the drill. They are helpful and informative drills, but when I think about why we practice this, it makes me wonder what our world has come to. We have to endure these drills because of horrible gun actions that continue to progress due to the government refusing to acknowledge them. We should not have to suffer through gun violence. This is not our responsibility. This needs to end.
In November, there was a school shooting in Oxford, Michigan. It was about 30 minutes away from me and hit too close to home. Many students were greatly disturbed. I remember the main question that students wondered at my school was, “What if we are next?” I was anxious to go to school the next day. I worried about my friends and my two sisters, who go to different schools than I do. We should not be feeling uneasy when it comes to our safety at our school. Experiencing and hearing about such events harms students’ mental health. The PYSCOM article “Another School Shooting: What Parents Can Do to Help Kids Cope,” explains the toll gun violence in schools takes on children: “Children may have increased nightmares, intrusive thoughts, abrupt changes in their mood, and changes in their play behavior (i.e., acting out shootings, mimicking dying, or other aspects of the school shooting, etc.).” Children are being exposed to things they should not have to deal with at this age. Our mental health is being damaged due to such events. Students’ mental health is not only being ruined, but families’ and communities’ as well. It is the responsibility of our government to protect our schools and keep us safe. Without gun restrictions, many people do not feel safe in school. Gun violence is traumatizing, and children do not need to be exposed to it. But we are.
Constantly.
As most people know, on May 24, 2022, Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, endured a horrible school shooting. 19 children and two adults were killed, and 16 people were injured. It is one of the deadliest school shootings our nation has seen. The children killed were all of the age 10 years or younger. My little sister is 10 years old, and I do not think I could bear it if she was a part of that traumatizing event. Families should not be losing loved ones because they were harmed due to gun violence at their own school.
The deadliest school shooting was at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012. 20 first graders were murdered. In Oxford, four students were murdered. One student was an athlete and honor student, another was an aspiring artist. They all were amazing people. Their lives were taken away from them too soon. School shootings take place because adults can own guns. Even though there are laws, they are insufficient. This results in death. I ask myself constantly, “What if that had been me?” I do not ever want to be in the position where my life is at stake in a school setting where it is supposed to be safe for the students and staff. Being exposed to gun violence steals part of our childhood. We lose a sense of security. It is not a problem that children should have to deal with. Since adults won’t act, it has become our problem, and some lose their lives suffering with this violence.
It is clear that times have changed, and we need to take action. We repeatedly witness the death of innocent children in their schools, which has become normalized over the years. Through time it has progressed negatively, and our government continuously fails to make an effort. Politics have now affected the lives of children who should not have to deal with this. We constantly train ourselves for disaster to strike, students are traumatized because they have to witness these events, and we have lost too many lives due to these horrendous actions. Students want to feel safe at school. So, when is enough, enough?