Sandy Hook: “If You See Something, Say Something.”

As of 2023, there have been approximately 376 school shootings since the 1999 Massacre at Columbine High School. The 24 years following the shooting, we continued to have several others such as Sandy Hook Elementary, Robb Elementary, Virginia Tech, Stoneman Douglas High School, and the most recent case of the Covenant Private School in Nashville,Tennessee. We have grown accustomed to this violence, like this is simply just another day in America. A few months after the tragedy, we move on to the next one. And the next, and the one after that. While we mourn and grieve for a little while, parents will never forget that they lost their baby due to senseless cruel actions. Are we scared of going to school? Or have we become numb to this ongoing cycle of restless punishment? Are scanners making a difference? Or are they a waste of money? How can we prevent school shootings if congress is more concerned about our bodies and the social media platforms we decide to use? We need to make a change  before more lives are taken by what America loves the most, our guns. Specifically AR-15’s which are the #1 choice for a shooter, and have been used in 12 recent cases. Do research at your own risk. 

I have interviewed several anonymous students on their perspective on this issue across the U.S. I have asked 4 questions to four separate students in each grade level. 

Questions: 

• Do you ever feel scared to attend school due to the possibility of becoming a target in a school shooting?
• How many school shootings do you think have occurred over the past 24 years? (since the 1st massacre in history)
• Have you ever been through a lock down due to a gun threat or active shooting on campus?
• What possible solutions, besides taking away guns, could reduce or resolve the school shooting crisis across the U.S?

INTERVIEWS:

Senior: 

• “I try not to think about school shootings, but it has crossed my mind a little bit.”
• 300,000, i’m honestly not sure.”
• “I have been through a lock down in the 2nd grade, we were outside during recess and all of our teachers told us to come in and they began grabbing us and taking us inside. We were outside in the quads and we were told to get down.”
• “There needs to be background checks before you can purchase a firearm, such as looking at their criminal record or mental health conditions.”

Freshman: 

• “Absolutely, because the thought of coming to school scares me because anyone that comes in can have a gun. I don’t feel that the scanners are making a big difference because anyone can find their way in no matter what. Any time an announcement comes on I get a pit in my stomach because it could finally be the time, you know?”
• “It has to be around 1,000.”
• Followup: “It would probably be around that number if there were more days in the school year.”
• “I actually have because there was a person who robbed a bank with a gun near my elementary school. I was in 2nd grade so i was pretty terrified.”
• “They tried the scanners to be more diligent but i don’t feel like there is another solution because guns are the problem.”
• Followup: “Do you think that a specific gun is the problem?”
• “I’m honestly not sure, but i think that no matter what gun, they will find a way.”

 Junior: 

• Sometimes, but I think Page could handle it. If there was a gun on campus and one of us was harmed, it would influence the kids to make a change politically.”
• “Over 150.”
• “I did have a lock down in middle school, but it wasn’t because of firearms.”
• “I don’t think there is another solution. I know that mental health plays a big part, so maybe the services offered in schools do not work, and need to be changed.”

Sophomore: 

• • •  “Yes, because I see it on the news happening more frequently  and I wonder if we are in such a horrible state in the south that the right to bear arms is becoming more and more dangerous for us. I know that someone can just walk in here and shoot us up. There was a gunman that entered the school last year, but thankfully it was reported immediately after it happened.”
    • “369 or something. I looked it up the other day because this Wednesday is national walkout day, and i was figuring out what to say if i was to give a speech. it’s just crazy that so many shootings have happened since Sandy Hook, and they will continue to happen if nothing changes.”
    • “Yes. Two people were planning to come to campus after a robbery across the street. They locked down the entire school. Most students were stuck in the classrooms for hours, and it got to the point where I was so tired of sitting there that I began reading a book. I was scared because they wouldn’t tell us what was wrong until later.”
    • I don’t believe in taking away guns but there should be restrictions, especially against the rifles such as the AR-15 which they use in the military. Some people say they need it for hunting, but I disagree because this rifle leaves nothing behind, so what’s the point of hunting if you are just mutilating them?