Photo provided by Flickr Creative Commons. During the national walkout, on April 20, 2018, students stand against gun violence and school shootings.
How to combat the growing issue in America
On January 4th, 2024, a school shooting took place at Perry High School in Perry, Iowa. The perpetrator was a 17-year-old student who actively attended the school. It has been noted that the particular student fatally shot a sixth grader as well as injuring five others, then finally taking his own life. The event is plagued with questions that are not easily answered. The never-ending discussion of what can be done to prevent these violent events from happening is once again evaluated.
Why Can’t the Question of “Why” be Completely Answered?
Mass shootings often come plagued with the question of “why.” Although it will never be completely possible to delve into the psychology of a mass shooter’s brain, there may be factors that incite these sorts of violent behaviors. It can be deduced that within the arrays of shootings, particularly in schools, the perpetrator tends to seek an “outlet” to place their anger or resentment. Generally, the shooters themselves are in some way affiliated with the school they chose to seek out, targeting a sort of “vengeance” or “lesson” to what caused them distress or pain. This means early action could just about save the life of an individual(s). Providing students who show distressing signs the help they may need could prevent further violent behaviors in the future.
Bullying and its Impact on Students
Bullying is a large topic of conversation for the acts of mass violence. Many offenders received relentless bullying throughout their lives. In the Perry shooting, classmates depicted the shooter as having been relentlessly bullied, finally hitting his “breaking point.” Bullying will never be a reasonable excuse for such a violent event, however, it allows people to have a glimpse of the perpetrator’s motives behind their crime. Prevention of bullying could save the lives of others. The problem lies within school communities deeming bullying as insignificant, despite its underlying impacts on the victim. Zero tolerance for bullying in schools would allow a safer environment for individuals and may prevent a person from being heavily impacted in the future. The fight against school shootings should be a further evaluation of individuals.
It has also been questioned if staff and/or students should be actively armed with concealed weapons in schools.
Prevention is a Far Safer Option than Retaliation.
Students and staff wielding firearms is just further initiative for something to go wrong. It is not possible to completely eradicate gun violence with more guns. Regulatory actions must be put in place. It only takes one moment for someone’s life to be taken due to gun violence. I do not trust students, and even staff, to remain completely cautious with loaded firearms. Easy accessibility promotes further violent actions, such as shootings, accidents and suicide. Concealable weapons in general can be incredibly dangerous. All it takes is a fit of anger or passion for even an unassuming person to commit violent actions.
The Response is Still up to the Schools
The solution to end gun violence, or even school shootings as a whole, is not a cut-and-dry manner. Because the topic is controversial and different political parties hold different values, no proper solutions have been set. Difficult conversations discussing the “whys” and “what ifs” are incredibly important to have. The matter of deciding resolutions is necessary in keeping schools and communities safe.
