STUDENTS LIKE ME SHOULDN’T HAVE TO FEAR FOR OUR LIVES
Schools are supposed to be safe places where children can go to receive an education, not risk their lives. On May 24, a gunman opened fire at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, killing 19 students and two teachers. It is one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history, next to the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007, the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012 and the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in 2018. Such tragedies are a uniquely American epidemic.
Students like me require a learning environment free of fearing horrific violence. As a national community, we are desperate to end the repeating cycle of school shootings. The recurring invocation of thoughts and prayers has almost become a routine, along with the empty promises and inaction of our leaders. In a few weeks, it seems certain that things will return to “normal” and no action will have been taken to prevent the same tragedy from happening again.
School shootings and the conversation surrounding them have almost become normalized due to their common occurrence. There have been 27 school shootings this year alone, and 119 since 2018, per Education Week’s tracking. Yet even after witnessing all the harm, death and destruction caused by school shootings, there has been little done to combat the issue. The tragedy that took place in Uvalde, Texas, should be the last. Politicians — and each voter — should take this unthinkable moment to realize the necessity to enact laws and regulations to further protect America’s students. Political divisiveness has already plagued so many aspects of society. We cannot let it get in the way of protecting our youth and the safety of our schools.
There are many commonsense solutions to the problem. I believe background checks are a priority. The process of reviewing gun-buyer data for a criminal record, mental health issues and other relevant characteristics would restrict potentially dangerous individuals from purchasing a firearm. Background checks, when carried out correctly, make weapon accessibility decrease for those who may be putting others’ lives at stake. Background checks are crucial to aiding the fight against school shootings, but they cannot be the only solution.
School shooters, and other people intending harm, will still find ways to get their hands on guns. Therefore, we must fight this epidemic at its core: focusing on mental health. The United States Secret Service has found that most mass school shooters had experienced psychological, behavioral or development symptoms; experienced social stressors involving relationships with peers or partners; experienced negative home life factors; been victims of bullying that had been observed by others; had histories of school disciplinary action; and shared threatening or concerning messages or images online. Most raised concern from others prior to the attacks.
If we can educate school employees and students to recognize the signs, school shootings will be far more preventable. There have been several cases where at least one other person knew of the attacker’s plan ahead of time. In many other cases, it appears families, other students and school staff brushed off alarming activity and behavior. That can lead to a fatal outcome, which is why it is so important to speak up when something does not seem right. To truly prevent school shootings from happening, we must all play a role.
Along with education focused on recognizing signs that point to a possible shooting, we must educate gun owners on how to properly hide and handle the weapon. Moreover, individuals should be aware of the risks that guns can play when improperly stored in a household with children. The Journal of Urban Health reports that an estimated 4.6 million American children live in a home where at least one gun is kept loaded and unlocked. These improperly stored weapons contribute not only school shootings, but also to suicides and deaths of family members, including infants and toddlers. There are likely other solutions, as well. It is important to recognize that these commonsense solutions can be enacted without getting bogged down in a divisive debate over the Second Amendment.
Parents should not be worried about their children’s lives as they are sent off to school. Likewise, children should be able to go to school without the burden of worrying about a random and violent attack. This issue is ongoing in America because of the lack of courage of our politicians and the associated lack of sustained follow-through by enough concerned citizens. While many people are advocating for the solutions discussed here and for others, it is obvious we must increase our efforts and commitment. If not enough politicians will focus on the issue and come together for the sake of our schools, children and education, then each one of us must find a way to contribute while making this a top priority and holding our elected officials accountable. This can be done, and I hope we can finally turn our thoughts and prayers into action.
We must fight this epidemic at its core: focusing on mental health.