School shootings have been occurring for centuries, but now in the past few years, there have been too many to count.
“The earliest known United States shooting to happen on school property was the Pontiac's Rebellion school massacre on July 26, 1764, where four Lenape American Indian entered the schoolhouse near present-day Greencastle, Pennsylvania, shot and killed schoolmaster Enoch Brown, and killed nine or ten children (reports vary). Only two children survived.” (Glavin, C.).
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The worst school shooting as of now that has happened in the United States is Virginia Tech in which the shooter killed thirty-two people and left seventeen in a critical state, this number of killings could be surpassed any day. I remembered when this occurred and it’s the reason why I know the number of how many innocent people died that day. That day could have been avoided, and those people could have gone home. This is becoming more frequent and more innocent people have been getting killed in an environment where it is supposed to be safe for them. There are many factors in creating a school shooter which could be video games, bullying, anger issues, mental disorders, and the biggest one being able to access weapons. This type of shooting is different from the other types of shootings.
“A school shooting is a type of mass shooting that deliberately targets an educational institution such as a daycare center, primary school, high school, or university. School shootings have become increasingly common, particularly in America. Recent school shootings (and other mass shootings) have contributed to a rise in public concern over gun violence and socialization of children and young adults.”
There is never going to be one true factor of what makes a person a school shooter and why they do what they do. The majority of school shootings always have a different background and story. This has been the biggest problem that has been occurring in America and name something even scarier than not seeing your child come back from school or going to work not realizing it could be your last day. “There have been at least 288 school shootings in the United States since January 1, 2009. That's 57 times as many shootings as the other six G7 countries combined.” (Grabow C.). This is just the school shootings in a decade not including hundreds of more before that. Who would want to move or live in a country that is more likely to get a school shooting every week? These statistics could equal an average of about 15 people will die every year. What are we waiting for, do we want to wait till every school is unsafe? Why is this subject not our top priority, instead of focusing on what other countries are doing let's try to fix ours. This is a very important subject and should be our focus as it happens in our country and for generations to come. Mr. President this is not a subject that would fade away, in fact, it is doing the opposite, I am going to go in-depth into three solutions that could stop school shootings and prevent, also I will also explain my best preferred solution as it would be the best beneficial one for this situation.
Solution 1
One of the solutions would change the amendment for which it would be appropriate to the time and era. School shootings were not happening back when they made these laws, so time has changed so should the amendment. The Second Amendment was created in the 1700s and it is mostly known for the right to bear arms.
“The Second Amendment was created so that the states could form militias or armies to destroy insurrections or slave rebellions because the federal government had no standing military for a long time. The Founding Fathers were frightened by a standing army because they feared coups. Without a standing army, the only protection the people and the government had were militias.” (Quora).
Since this amendment was created so long ago it is time that we change it a bit since the government already has changed a few amendments before they can do the same for the second amendment. The First Amendment grants you the right of freedom of speech but has regulations on what you cannot say. I would want major regulations but would not want to take weapons away from the citizens because it is a right to protect yourself, and the founding fathers were right to create that amendment. The age at which you can bear arms is my biggest answer but at what age is going to be the best? Many States have very different regulations, but this can be changed under federal law that all states should follow. There is also should be stated what type of weapons should be obtainable, there are so many varieties of weapons that should all be legal. Hunting rifles are a branch of weapons that can be obtained at a very young age which is very dangerous for a person who is not even an adult yet. I would also recommend putting this change in the amendment on the top of the list, this isn't a matter that can be in the process of changing for years. Getting this up and running in the country as fast as you possibly can will benefit you and this country. These types of change will be beneficial to amendment and support putting a stop to school shootings. As it would limit how or when people can obtain a weapon. The cons of this change are that it would take too long to go through the process of the legislatures to change. Also, some people are weapon owners and pro-guns and this time of change could affect people's mindset. Many people are very patriotic and who knows if they could retaliate against the government causing more problems. Manipulating or changing someone's right can greatly impact the look of this country of what else could we possibly change shortly.
Solution 2
The Second solution would be to put more protections and security measures in Schools. “There are 132,853 K-12 schools in the U.S., according to 2015-16 data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).” (Riser). This puts in perspective how many schools are in our country that should all equally get as much security and protection. Great factors that could be given that officers would be at each school at all times, training all teachers and staff, securing doors, and teaching kids what to do if that of an emergency shooting. This would cost a very large amount of money and funding which the government does not embrace, but no amount of money can weigh more than the life of a human being. “If you were to install one full-time cop at every school in the United States, it would cost more than $5.4 billion.” (Hickey). This is just one officer who has the training to put down a shooter and protect people at every school. If they do not have an officer; the response time will never be as fast as if someone were there full time. There have been school shooter drills and they are efficient but could never fully stop a shooter. Another great factor is bulletproof windows and locking mechanisms that can make it difficult for shooters to get in.
“While prices vary for this type of setup due to the custom nature of the design needed for optimal protection and functionality in a school setting, expect to pay upwards of $25,000 or more for the barrier components and installation. This price can fluctuate based on accessories, hardware, number of entrances you want to be protected, and overall lineal feet of framing.” (Pricing).
This is another form where they could easily benefit the school. This would take about a month or so to be installed at school entrances which is not a very long time. These are very strong manufactured materials that would be very difficult to break or shoot through. The cons of this change is the money itself, this just going to be countless days spending millions to protect these public or private schools. Some police officers would be taken out of the street and put into schools instead. Also having an officer who has a uniform with a weapon could be very distracting and cause fear for kids of any age seeing that.
Solution 3
The third solution would be more background checks, security measures for selling weapons, and keeping track of weapons. One problem is that there are so many illegal weapons and trafficking that if somebody wanted to get a hold of them, it would be too difficult. One could be able to buy weapons online or from a local gun shop.
“Background checks are only required if you purchase a gun through a Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL), which includes retailers (anyone from Walmart to mom-and-pop shops) and some individuals. You do not need to undergo a background check if you buy a gun online, through a gun show, or some private sales.” (Background Checks).
This is a problem in itself that anyone can be able to obtain a weapon without knowledge of the background or the mental capability of the person. As many people buy and already own weapons it would be a lot of files of owners. This would be able to support officers to know where these weapons are going and know the background of multiple individuals.
“The objective of the weapon Tracking system is to give an immediate issue/no issue decision on weapon type and level of officer authorization and provide quick information regarding the current location and status of a weapon within the firing range complex. The system provides an auditable record of all firearms issues, returns and movements, and weapon maintenance information by providing the management information and generates reports based on real-time information captured, to include a full weapon inventory at any given time.” (Weapon).
This makes a lot of issues that come with firearms to be slimed down and makes it way easier to know who wants to buy and if they are mentally capable of doing so. Cons of this change will be an ongoing process that will keep on going to keep everything in check. This is not going to be a one-time thing done and it cost a lot of money and process. This can start more conflict with people trying to bypass the security measures and more illegal actions of transferring weapons can go up.
Best Solution
The second solution would be the best which was more protection and security measures in Schools. With all the Pros and Cons of all the solutions, this was the best option as it is a one-time deal. With all the security measures just needing to be built, one would only pay for it once and not an ongoing process of paying. The only ongoing payment would be an officer on duty, while this is way different than the of solution paying funds for tracking weapons and background checks which would cost way more. People can always find a way to find a backway for getting weapons. It is not going to be as easy as entering a School with an officer present and security always. This would be the least costly option as of now. This also is a better solution as the government does not have to change the Second Amendment or regulations that could cause an uproar among civilians and gun enthusiasts. The process of changing an amendment could potentially take more time than this country needs. As a solution, one could help all gun problems, but this should focus purely on School shootings. This solution works basely on the problem of school shootings and would have the best protection for the students and faculty, which is why this would be the best solution for it. This would also bring great positive change in the community that people would feel safe for their children to go to school and the look of our country. Making this change could bring more money into the economy as many families would want to immigrate here for better security than in other countries. Mr. President if you don’t act upon this right now, the lives of every individual that will be killed and injured at another school shooting would lay on your shoulders. The burden is on your hands, let's see if you are willing to change this country once and for all.
Bibliography
- Glavin, C. (2018, July 26). History of School Shootings in the United States. Retrieved from https://www.k12academics.com/school-shootings/history-school-shootings-united-states.
- Grabow, C., & Rose, L. (2018, May 21). The US has had 57 times as many school shootings as the other major industrialized nations combined. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/21/us/school-shooting-us-versus-world-trnd/index.html.
- Hickey, W. (2012, December 21). Here's How Much It Would Cost To Put Cops In Every School In America. Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.com/heres-how-much-it-would-cost-to-put-cops-in-every-school-in-america-2012-12.
- Pricing and Timelines For School Bulletproof Glass Barrier Projects. (2019, July 16). Retrieved from https://www.tssbulletproof.com/blog/cost-pricing-bulletproof-glass-system-schools/.
- Quora. (2017, June 16). What the Founding Fathers Meant When They Wrote the Second Amendment. Retrieved from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/what-the-founding-fathers_b_10479314.
- Reasons for school shootings: why are they so frequent? (n.d.). Retrieved from https://netivist.org/debate/reasons-for-school-shootings.
- Riser-Kositsky, M. (2019, July 22). Education Statistics: Facts About American Schools. Retrieved from https://www.edweek.org/ew/issues/education-statistics/index.html.
- Weapon Tracking System. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.bartronics.com/weapon-tracking.html.
- What You Need to Know about Background Checks for Guns. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.criminalwatchdog.com/faq/background-checks-for-guns.
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