Never Again? A term that is often used after every school shooting. Promising these incidents will not happen again. Since the shooting of Columbine High School, the most significant school shooting of the United States because of the gun laws being made after the tragedy, leaving a mark as one of the more than 417 school shootings.
Since 1999, there have been more than 383,000 students who have experienced gun violence at school. When you think about school shootings the following may come to mind; Sandy Hook Elementary 2012, Virginia Tech University 2007, and most recently Robb Elementary School Shooting 2022. In these 3 shootings, there were a total of 75 victims. School shootings are rapidly appearing all throughout the United States, with an average of 3 shootings per week.
Schools will continue to be under attack until the school districts have proper safety precautions and states have stricter gun laws. Many schools will receive threats and will not do anything due to overlooking threats or simple ignorance of these administrators.
For example a recent school shooting, Apalachee High School, had received a threat yet proceeded to ignore it which led to a school shooting that cost 2 students and 2 teachers lives. Since then there have been more and more school shootings, on the news an 11 year old in Volusia County, Florida. This same 11 year old is being charged as an adult and his face has been published all throughout the news. It seems as if school shootings are accepted by society, as it is at an all time high, with more and more shootings occurring every week, there’s a rising question about the gun laws in the state.
Specifically in California, which has the highest amount of shootings throughout all 50 states. According to extensive research, specifically “Giffords Law Center” shows, California generally prohibits people from possessing a firearm in a place that they know, or reasonably should know is a school zone. A school zone is defined as an area in or on the grounds of a k-12 public or private school providing instruction, or within a distance of 1,000 feet from the grounds of the public or private school.
Generally speaking, California gun laws mandates that the register or record of sale include an acknowledgment by the purchaser or transferee that they have, within the last 30 days, confirmed possession of every firearm that they own or possess.
This law doesn’t go into effect until March 25th, 2025. The lack of gun safety throughout the country is our number one problem, any laws that are being made don’t go into effect until 2 years and more from now. The opportunity many are looking for.
When governors are asked they respond in a PR or practiced way, it seems as if they are being taught how and when to say it. It offers no comfort or a feeling of community when assessing the parents or family members of the victims. A community suffers more and more with every tragedy that happens, all of this could be avoided.
Stricter gun laws need to be put into place, gun control all over the country has been diminishing bit by bit. Even though most citizens can’t purchase a gun legally, there are so many clandestine markets that offer these weapons, many of which are used to commit these crimes. State officials need to put a stop to all of these tragedies because they will only keep rising until they feel as if it is normalized in the United States.
These mass murders will only keep “feeling safe” until something is done because they feel as if it is normalized in society and they will not have any consequences fall upon them. So the question is how many victims must there be until this comes to an end?
By Alizza Jacobo, Staff Writer
Photo Credit: Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times/TNS)Wally Skalij / MCT, (Family members who lost a sibling place flowers outside Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.)