I stared at my phone, reading the name of a high school trending on X. Without a second thought, I shut the screen off. Instantly, I understood why the school was labeled “breaking news”.
The United States has had over 200 school shootings this year and 349 in 2023 (K-12 School Shooting Database). 46 people have been killed in school shootings so far. “So far”. The U.S. has had increasing rates of gun violence in schools since 2020. Despite the horror at Robb Elementary School where 19 children and 2 teachers were killed or most recently at Apalachee High School where 4 were killed, it seems as though no amount of death and violence will equate to safety in schools. Children and adults, teachers and students, assistants and professors will continue to die due to gun violence in our country, and no, your “thoughts and prayers” won’t fix this national problem.
Since I was five years old in Kindergarten I have practiced school shooting drills. While this may seem unreal to some, it’s an everyday reality for students across the U.S.. The fear of going to school and not making it out alive is a terror that seeps through the minds of students. Recently, there was a power outage while I was in gym class. To say that I didn’t think of a school shooting even for a millisecond would be a lie. My head was confused, waiting for the lights to turn on, and at any second ready to send an “I love you” text to my parents.
In 2022, Congress passed its first federal gun safety law in 30 years to enhance background checks, clarify requirements for firearms licenses and provide funding for state “red flag” laws. Within 32 years, there have been over 700 school shootings, regardless of death or injury (K-12 School Shooting Database). Although this piece of legislation is a step in the correct direction, it by no means eliminates the possibility of a mass shooting.
The question “How many more?” appears to go in one ear and out the other of politicians. On the weekly, American students are being killed for getting an education. No matter how many innocent lives are lost there seems to be no push for federal gun bans. The rationale for assault rifles is often rooted in claims of self-defense by the Second Amendment’s right to bear arms, but these justifications fall short when they are up against the exponential number of school shootings. In spite of the overwhelming evidence of the harm caused by these weapons, political polarization and divide reign supreme. As a result of gridlock, countless lives continue to be at risk. Every day the survival of students and teachers is being threatened; this is the reality of our world and cannot be downplayed.
Instead of calling for action, some members of Congress wear AR-15 pins to show their “Second Amendment” support and offer their most sincere prayers for families affected by shootings. This way of showing sorrow, “Thoughts and Prayers” has become a joke and meme in the realm of social media. The repetition of this phrase is caused by no action being taken besides offering “thoughts and prayers”. While politicians feel saddened for the families of victims, their “sympathy” will never be enough to take away their sweet, sweet guns. So I advise you to take these thoughts and prayers with a grain of salt and always remember that no life is worth more than assault rifles!
The time to act cannot wait any longer. The years will pass just as they always have with lives continuing to be lost in schools. This is the tragic truth, whether it be at a kindergarten or a university, guns will inflate the once sacred space of school. Teachers, who hold one of the most important jobs in society, deserve better than this. Are killings the way we repay them? No. We must demand a change, the fight for gun control is for the collective good. Look around your classroom, will it be you next? Will you not come back to school again tomorrow? Will you not be able to say goodbye to your loved ones? This is a frightening situation to think about but were the realities of hundreds of students and educators. We cannot ignore the current state of our country. The right to education should not spark terror, we must act decisively to pass gun-restricting legislation to ensure that schools remain a haven for learning, not fear.
