Introduction
The prevalent idea that many students’ schools are unsafe has been largely fueled by recent school shootings, which have generated significant public concern. Even though they don’t happen very often, murders committed at schools are among the most widely reported cases in the United States. The devastating effects of gun violence have significantly impacted the majority of the neighboring areas. There have been a significant number of fatalities due to the lack of gun control measures in our homes and schools.
In this study, we investigate whether or not banning weapons could reduce the number of shootings that occur in schools. In addition, the study will explore various strategies backed by research that have been shown to reduce the number of people killed in school shootings. The number of crimes that have been perpetrated with assault weapons is at a level that cannot be ignored, which is why there should be a ban on these kinds of weapons.
What Are Assault Weapons
Semiautomatic versions of lethal firearms that have been specifically built for use on the battlefield are often referred to as assault weapons. They are constructed and rigged with components that make it easier to commit mass murder, such as the ability to maintain a high rate of fire and shoot rapidly at a large number of people in a short amount of time. The ease with which they can be obtained has contributed to a concerning rise in school shootings across the globe.
The perpetrators of many of the deadliest school shootings, such as those at Robb Elementary School and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, used assault rifles that were equipped with magazines that could hold a large amount of ammunition. When combined with large-capacity magazines, the wounds caused by assault weapons are more severe and likely to be deadly than wounds caused by other firearms (“Scholarly articles on gun control: History, legislation & activism”). Assault weapons also have the capacity to damage more individuals in a shorter amount of time.
Effects of School Shootings
Schools are among the most secure locations for children to be left alone by their parents. As a result of recent school shootings, the majority of parents’ perspectives on the level of safety at their children’s schools have evolved. Kids’ capacity to learn may be hindered when they engage in aggressive behavior toward one another at school.
As a result of the shootings that have taken place on school grounds, there may be long-term repercussions for both the students and the institutions. Such occurrences have the potential to influence both the students’ choices regarding whether or not they will continue their education as well as their behavior while they are at school. Following a shooting, some students may choose not to attend lessons out of fear for their personal safety as a result of the incident.
Causes of Shootings in Schools
There needs to be research into the causes of school shootings before any proposals for banning assault weapons can be made. Most school shootings are carried out by a single, mentally unstable student or ex-student who brings a gun to school and opens fire on teachers and classmates out of actual or perceived embarrassment. While the shooter’s mind may have been on the circumstances leading up to the shootings, the shootings themselves were typically either random or deliberate.
For safety reasons, the vast majority of students now bring assault weapons to class. The New York Times reports that some female students take precautions against sexual assault by bringing firearms to class. Evening class attendees should arm themselves with weapons and training because assaults are more likely to occur at these locations and attackers are more likely to be armed (“Why I bring my gun to school”). One study found that the risk of violence against LGB students was almost doubled in schools with a high cultural diversity index. As a result, some LGBTQ youth may need to bring firearms to school for protection.
In the United States, banning assault weapons has become one of the most discussed topics. According to the 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 23.6% of students reported engaging in a physical altercation on school grounds within the past year, while 6% of students reported being threatened or injured with a weapon on school grounds. 15.7% of 9th through 12th graders had carried a weapon (gun, knife, or club) at least once in the previous 30 days. According to CDC data, more than 75 percent of school-related fatalities are caused by firearms.
Recommendations for Reducing School Shootings
A school is considered excellent if it provides a secure setting for academic pursuits. It is not enough to prohibit the possession of assault rifles to reduce the risk of gun violence. Instead, comprehensive measures are required to make schools as safe and secure.
To begin, one of the goals of the movement toward sensible gun regulations is to lessen the ease with which school-aged children and the general public can obtain potentially lethal firearms. It is critical to regulate the buying of assault weapons for people to feel safe, experience a sense of ownership, and exercise their rights. People would have these feelings and the chance to exercise their rights more often if there were restrictions on the purchase and use of assault weapons. If there were more limitations on guns, people’s lives in schools would be a lot safer and less fraught with anxiety. The vast majority of assault rifles utilized in school shootings are often lawfully obtained by the perpetrators of the attacks.
School safety perceptions are quickly swayed by shocking but isolated instances, such as school shootings, making it all the more important to identify methods of preventing them. New initiatives, such as scanning programs, can be implemented to ensure no weapons enter the school after the ban on assault weapons goes into effect. Metal detectors can be installed in classrooms, and children must go through them to ensure no weapons, including firearms, are brought into the school.
A culture of gun safety needs to be institutionalized, with measures like limiting access to firearms for at-risk youth and other people. Further, non-lethal technology should be created to aid in self-defense and lessen the impression that a handgun is necessary. Most school shootings are the consequence of impulsive rage; thus, it’s crucial to investigate the connections between the two (Kodelja). It’s also essential to consider the student’s emotional and psychological well-being. For instance, it’s been shown that investing in local communities improves people’s mental and emotional health and overall resilience.
A significant aspect that plays a role in school shootings is the incapacity of those who own firearms, particularly parents, to keep their weapons out of the reach of children. At the time when the first CAP rules were passed into law, gun owners were required to keep their firearms locked at all times and were held legally liable if a child was able to obtain access to and use one of their firearms for illegal activity. However, the CAP Act caused intense debates, with some claiming that restricting access to firearms for minors would also make it more difficult to obtain firearms for adults who were the victims of home invasions and needed them quickly for protection.
Conclusion
In brief, there is no reliable way to avoid school shootings since they are often unpredictable. Although prohibitions on assault weapons may reduce the total number of victims of school shootings, there is no way to prevent school shootings entirely. In addition to making it illegal to own assault weapons, other measures that can be taken to avoid school shootings include enforcing existing laws within schools, installing target-hardened surveillance cameras and metal detectors, and instituting zero-tolerance policies. It is essential to impose the necessary restrictions on the purchase of assault weapons to prevent individuals from losing their sense of security, their sense of ownership, and the opportunity to exercise their rights if they are prevented from acquiring and making use of assault weapons.
Works Cited
Kodelja, Zdenko. “Violence in schools: zero tolerance policies.” Ethics and Education, vol. 14, no. 2, 2019, pp. 247-257.
“Scholarly articles on gun control: History, legislation & activism.” Scholarly Resources for Learning and Research | Gale, 2022, Web.
“Why I bring my gun to school.” The New York Times – Breaking News, US News, World News and Videos, Web.