Opinion: Stop the Tragedy of School Shootings Now

By Molly Powers

Imagine walking into a classroom on a normal day, and instead of being greeted by your teacher, you are greeted by the barrel of a gun. Before you can scream, the trigger is pulled. It’s horrific, but not as unthinkable as it should be. Gun usage has been a topic of interest and, sadly, an even bigger problem in our country ever since the number of school shootings spiked to an all-time high. School was designed to be a safe and positive learning environment where students learn to make friends and create a future for themselves, but lately, many students have faced the complete opposite.

School shootings date all the way back to the 1970s, when technology was expanding. After more than 50 years, you would think that these atrocities would be coming to an end, but unfortunately, they are just getting stronger.

When someone hears the phrase “school shooting,” they probably think of the horror that occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School. This deadly school shooting took place on Dec. 14, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut. In total, the shooter killed 20 students and six adults, including himself, according to the article "Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting."

This school shooting ended up being one of the deadliest that our country has ever faced. After this atrocity, people made an effort to protest against gun violence, and this actually decreased the number of school shootings in 2013. Just last year, our country experienced a total of 219 school shootings. These incidents resulted in the deaths of 59 people and 163 total injuries. “Why is this happening?” you wonder. Well, I wonder too.

When I hear of school shooting stories like Sandy Hook, I wonder how we let monsters like this get access to guns. According to Firearm Violence in the United States, 46% of American citizens admit to having a firearm in their home, and over 30% of American citizens admit to personally owning a firearm. Some citizens will argue that they need a gun for self-defense or hunting, but both do more harm than good.

Self-defense is a great life skill to have, and it’s extremely important to understand how to defend yourself in dire situations, but this should not be your excuse for owning a firearm. I already do not support hunting as a hobby, and so I definitely will not say that this is a good excuse for owning a gun.

My biggest question is, however, how are school shooters receiving these guns, and why are they so powerful? Thankfully, the article "Most School Shooters Get Guns from Home – and More Weapons Are There Since the Pandemic" answered this for me. Carter writes that in 74% of these incidents, the firearm used was obtained from the shooter’s home or from a friend or relative.

Some argue that they have a right to bear arms because of our Second Amendment, which states, “A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” The same amendment that was written 300 years ago. The Second Amendment was officially ratified on Dec. 15, 1791, and we still go by it. It is outdated and does not currently relate to our country's biggest hardships. In 1791, the U.S. did not experience school shootings of any sort.

If you are not a licensed police officer, you should not own a gun. Licensed police officers are correctly trained on how to use guns for the right circumstances. By right circumstances, I mean when their lives are being threatened on the job, and they need a way to catch a criminal without potentially harming themselves or anyone else.

If you’re looking for solutions to act on and officially end gun violence altogether, use sources such as the Solutions and Prevention Institute to gather information and receive a better understanding of solutions to gun violence in general. Even if it’s subtle, I advise you, the reader, to do your own research on gun violence and the ways it affects lives and ways that you, as a citizen, could help eliminate gun violence once and for all.