Charlie Kirk’s assassination in Utah and the shooting at Evergreen High School in Denver on Wednesday highlight a significant issue in America. Gun violence at schools has become far too common. According to CNN, there have been 47 school shootings this year, leaving 19 people dead and 77 others injured.
Frankly, schools are not safe for students. Even with the safety drills, mass communication efforts and police patrolling campus, it’s still insufficient. As a society, we’re essentially relying on the idea that humans are benevolent.
It’s not working.
Not only are students and faculty dying, but they’re being traumatized as they watch peers lose their lives. How can we expect students to forget and move on with their week, much less a nine-month school year?
There needs to be a change. At most, the Second Amendment needs to be repealed; at the least, we need stricter gun laws. The Founding Fathers gave citizens the right to bear arms as a means to protect themselves. But times were a lot different then. During the 1770s, the most lethal weapons they had were muskets; now we have assault weapons that can unload dozens of rounds in seconds.
What is the purpose of a citizen having access to a military grade assault rifle or a sniper rifle that can end a life from 250 yards away? How many people need to die before a change is made?
As a country, we recognize how precious life is until it’s time to enact change to protect it. Supporters of the Second Amendment say that guns are not the problem; people are. But that ideology avoids responsibility.
Additionally, if this truly is a mental health issue like some claim, why not further invest in mental health resources? This is how our school can help address this issue. Bradley offers free, on-campus mental healthcare to students. Several colleges and even some high schools provide those same resources to anyone in the community. If we want to keep our campus safe, the best way to do it is to make sure everyone in the area is provided for.
Numerous high-population and high-income countries in the world have stricter gun laws, which have kept the number of mass shootings down.
Of course, there will always be bad people in the world, but should we not make it more difficult for them to commit murder?
In April, Bloomington, IL was struck by gun violence; on Wednesday, it was Utah; tomorrow it could be Peoria, unless change is made.