Only a few weeks into the school year, families around the nation were reminded of the dangers their children face in school. A 14-year-old, starting the pathway into adulthood and fresh into Apalachee High School arrived with a rifle in hand and left in handcuffs. Four lives were taken on Wednesday, Sept. 4. As families and loved ones have grieved, this event has put into perspective how commonplace this pain has become.
Our district has had its own history of threats of violence. In the spring of 2023, a gun was brought to an FHC basketball game. In the fall, a bomb threat at FHHS. As time goes on, the fear instilled in the community and the nation has only increased – with seemingly no end in sight. As more and more members of school communities become victims, one can only wonder: how many memorials does it take for real change to start?
Firearms are the leading cause of deaths in children age 1-18 today, according to congress.gov. In four out of five school shootings, at least one other person knew of the attacker’s plan ahead of time (sandyhookpromise.org). Pervasive and preventable, these tragedies take the lives of loved ones mercilessly. Schools should be an environment of learning and growth, yet they have taken up a new mantle of anxiety; students can only wonder if their school could be the next to make national news.
There is not enough urgency in movements for change. An issue that is taking lives should be at the forefront of discussion until it is no longer ravaging our communities. Regretfully, some find it easier to push it under the rug. Potential solutions get dismissed as “radical,” yet more moderate ideas aren’t brought up as alternatives. The conversation about gun violence in schools has laid complacent for too long.
In the case of Apalachee, the perpetrator was already under investigation for threats of violence. Before lives were lost, preventative actions could’ve been taken. Many suggest furthering mental health resources for struggling teens, with the hope that those struggling with violent ideations reach out. This is a valuable option, however it hinges on voluntarily using help from mental health professionals. In a society that still has much room to grow in regards to mental health stigmas, this idea can seem hard to reach for teens without violent thoughts, much less those turned against the world already.
In a more heads-on approach, many claim that increasing security measures within schools should be the solution. To some degrees, this is hard to deny. Tools such as metal detectors could be a convenient way to protect a school, albeit costly. Even further, some argue for armed teachers as a line of defense for students. Fighting fire with fire, while it could be successful, does not counter the root causes of gun violence, but rather serves as a band-aid to “isolated” incidents. Furthermore, the addition of firearms into the school environment takes focus away from education. Choosing to introduce the mechanism harming people as a solution would only feed the fears of coming to school, a place where students are supposed to develop who they are and what they know about the world.
That leaves the concept demonized by many and rarely agreed upon completely: gun control. Numerous iterations of gun control laws have been drafted, and few have been supported by all people. Some suggest a ban on assault rifles in their entirety, citing the fact that they are weapons of war – made to kill as many people as possible, not to defend a suburban home. Others argue for red flag laws, a type of legislation that limits those exhibiting warning signs (“red flags”) to owning or possessing any kind of firearms. For those affected by gun violence, such policies feel comforting, knowing that weapons will be taken out of the hands of irresponsible individuals.
However, this is not a universal sentiment. Proud gun owners fear that the government will overreach and abuse the public’s Second Amendment rights. A valid concern, since there is an undeniable culture of distrusting the government developed. That said, there are reasonable and unreasonable concerns. For the typical American, a handgun would be considered above par for self defense. A hunting rifle, serving the purpose of marksmanship and skill, should not need the excess killing power of an automatic rifle. The only purpose of these automatic assault rifles being filled is killing our young and the people educating them. As validated as fear of helplessness in the home may be, it will never outweigh the fear a helpless child will face in a school shooting.
Life is undoubtedly full of unforeseen dangers, but gun violence in schools isn’t one of them. This isn’t a mysterious force taking away our young, it is a repeating series of mistakes by our communities. A mistake made by not deciding to take necessary action, action needed to insure that children get to live the lives they deserve. I hope that as time goes on, people will understand the pain that so many are subjugated to by these failures, and that people will come to a proper consensus on how to save those who entrust their lives to people in power. How to save us. Will parading assault rifles around in the name of the Constitution prevent violence? What will the authorities in our community do to stop such shattering of families? I hope that someday in the future, children won’t have to be afraid to learn.
