School Shootings: When Will We Learn?

We can bring this down to politics and opinion, however, there are families across the country who couldn’t care less about the statistics when they have just lost their child. As I am writing this, I wish that I didn’t have to. I wish I didn’t have to talk about the 27th school shooting in this year alone. That I didn’t have to think about what to do at the prospect of this situation. That I had better safety measures to trust if this does happen to me.

288. That is the number of shootings in America in the span of just 10 years. That is 50 times more than the other G7 countries combined. AOC recognizes this and notes how with all “the billions and trillions that this body authorizes in the name of national security, we can't even keep our kids safe from their school being turned into a war-zone.” 288 might be just a number but in our reality, it is the number of times that millions of people have had their lives ripped out of their hands and placed in the possession of a gun. “Again?” We ask as the horrid alert flashes across our screens. Sometimes it seems like asking that question is all we do.

Yes, again. Uvalde, Texas was the place our world lost 19 elementary students and 2 teachers. Yet these souls, both young and old, are simply added as tallies to our extensive list. When will we open our eyes and finally do something? When will we finally stop arguing over a fact? When will we see that this is a problem that doesn’t just affect “them” it affects us?

People see this happening and then fight about whether this is because of mental health or gun violence. Though access to guns may not be entirely the problem they definitely are a huge part of it, and experts agree. Louis Klaveras, a research professor who studies gun violence at Columbia University, said “the idea that gun laws won’t have an impact in reducing mass shootings and school shooting violence is a myth.” America is the country with the highest gun ownership with 120.5 civilllian guns per 100 people. The truth is that gun policies such as background checks and red flag laws will most definitely reduce the problem by creating a more secure form of gun ownership as it checks the powers of these owners. For example, car crashes have reduced due to restrictive laws enforcing a safer way of driving. That the main purpose of these laws, safety. Safety for the entire population and for the gun owners themselves. In fact, despite Texas not enforcing these, 55% of Texans agree with background checks on guns. Then what is stopping us? Cassandra Crifasi, an associate professor of health policy at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, says polticians. More on gun laws in Neha Regis’s article.

It is also imperitave that we remember the other side to this argument which happens to be just as valuable - mental health. According to the Centers for Violence Protection, one of the best ways our schools and communities can help this problem is by creating a better environment for students. By letting people feel as though they have someone to talk to, who listens, and who cares they are less likely to want to damage theirs and other’s future. According to a study conducted by Alfred University, many students agree with this course of action. Students who are experiencing our school’s current environment concur that our current stressful, unfair, and hostile space thoroughly harms young minds. Other students pointed out that inequality and lack of education on inequality are also problems contributing to the motives of school shooters. There are also some students who simply don’t know if there is a solution. This uncertainty is one of the things holding us back, the truth is that in a situation as fatal as this we need to grasp a reasonable answer and enforce it until we find the right mixture that helps us prevent shootings. In the case of mental health, it is a very reasonable answer supported by students and centers alike. One that you- the reader- can help take part in by encouraging your community or school to listen, care, and share. Together we can find a way, even if it turns out to take a while. At least we would be able to say that we are getting closer to safety.

We don’t need to fight, we need to find the source, noting that there will be more than one, and attack it. We need to execute plans not quarrel over a starting point. We need to accept that we might be wrong so that we look at the facts and make decisions to solve this problem. It is important to remember that these numbers aren’t just numbers, they mean something. They tell us how protected our loved ones are.

Not just statistics, human beings. Not just losing guns, saving lives.

Note by the author: If you or someone you love is struggling don’t be afraid to reach out to Lifeline. Please visit Centers for Violence Protection to see more about what you can do. By simply sharing this information you can help protect our children, let us work together. Rest in peace our 21 fallen angels.

Citations:

Barragán, James, and Jolie McCullough. “Texas Searches for Solutions after Mass Shooting. Experts Have Found Some.” The Texas Tribune, The Texas Tribune, 6 June 2022, www.texastribune.org/2022/06/06/texas-uvalde-gun-policy/. Accessed 17 June 2022.

“Can We Prevent School Shootings? | Alfred University.” Www.alfred.edu, 2022, www.alfred.edu/about/news/studies/lethal-school-violence/can-we-prevent.cfm. Accessed 21 June 2022.

“Gun Ownership by Country 2022.” Worldpopulationreview.com, 2022, worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/gun-ownership-by-country. Accessed 17 June 2022.

Haltiwanger, John. “AOC Says It’s “Internationally Embarrassing” the US Had 288 School Shootings While Other G7 Countries Saw Jus.” Business Insider, Business Insider India, 8 June 2022, www.businessinsider.in/politics/world/news/aoc-says-its-internationally-embarrassing-the-us-had-288-school-shootings-while-other-g7-countries-saw-just-5-in-the-same-10-year-period/articleshow/92091297.cms. Accessed 17 June 2022.

https://www.facebook.com/texaspoliticsproject. “Background Checks on All Gun Purchases (June 2021).” The Texas Politics Project, 24 June 2021, texaspolitics.utexas.edu/set/background-checks-all-gun-purchases-june-2021#overall. Accessed 17 June 2022.

“Preventing School Shootings.” Center for Violence Prevention, 4 Dec. 2020, violence.chop.edu/types-violence-involving-youth/school-shootings/preventing-school-shootings. Accessed 21 June 2022.

“School Shootings This Year: How Many and Where.” Education Week, Education Week, 5 Jan. 2022, www.edweek.org/leadership/school-shootings-this-year-how-many-and-where/2022/01. Accessed 17 June 2022.

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