How likely are you to be involved in a school shooting? The answer is unclear for too many U.S. school students as they just aren’t sure about their safety. This is extremely concerning for kids of all ages as concern over the potential for a school shooting can cause anxiety about going to school, who to trust in that exact moment, and whether the school staff is prepared to protect them.

School shootings and gun violence are intriguing topics and have been for several decades. It remains an intriguing topic because there seem to be endless events of gun violence and school shootings throughout the United States. Gun violence in the U.S., specifically in schools, is an important issue that we must find a way to prevent.   

Shootings in the United States are out of control. According to the article “School Shootings by State 2021” from worldpopulationreview.com, ¨The United States has a very high rate of mass shootings. Between 2013 and 2019, there were 2,100 mass shootings in the U.S., killing over 2,400 people and injuring over 9,000.”  School shootings have caused a lot of anxiety for students and their parents as well as teachers and counselors. 

Mass shootings continue in 2021 as the issue is back in schools where they have caused significant injuries and deaths, and continued the stress and anxiety for all. According to the article ¨School Shootings This Year: How Many and Where” by Education Week, from March of this year through October of this year there have been 24 school shootings with injuries or deaths. The incidents have left 40 people killed or injured. This is important because students are now almost entirely back to in-person schooling and families are concerned about them due to continued acts of gun violence in schools. They felt their children were entirely safe at home, so back to school scares them. 

Marlene Lenthang of ABC News reported on a school shooting in Houston, Texas on October 1st. Lenthang reported that the gunman, a 25-year-old former student, “stormed YES Prep Southwest Secondary school in Houston, Texas…and wounded the principal.” According to Houston Police Chief Troy Finner, “When he came to the building, the front door, the glass door, it was locked. He gained entry by shooting on the glass door and immediately fired upon one of the employees of the school.” 

This incident is important because it shows that any school could be the site of a shooting, that it is not always a current student who does the shooting, and everyone is in danger when a gunman enters. This is part of the reason why gun violence continues to be an issue in the nation, particularly in schools, a place where young people should not feel unsafe. 

One way to prevent this incident and others like it in schools is better protection and surveillance cameras. If someone enters a school with better surveillance, the police can more efficiently find the gunman or gunmen. They will also be able to see who remains inside the school after the incident and identify where the victims are. 

Another way to prevent gun violence in schools and the entire nation is to create more disciplined gun laws in regard to ownership and being allowed to continue to own a gun if you act violently with one.  If someone gets in trouble with a gun, no matter their age, they should lose their right to own a gun for a certain period and serve time for the crime they commit. Also, since federal law prohibits anyone under the age of 18 from owning a handgun, anyone under 18 who commits a gun crime – in a school or outside of a school –  should lose the right to own a gun for a considerable period and be sentenced to jail or juvenile detention according to the severity of their crime. 

Gun violence has taken over too many aspects of our society and has caused too many negative outcomes, especially when it finds its way into schools.  Kids losing lives because someone is getting harassed in school and wants payback on their abuser or because someone has a grudge against the school affects everyone. Schools need to make sure they are safe and kids are safe and improving gun laws is one strong way to do this.