The year has barely begun and already the first report of a school shooting is here. On Jan. 22, 17-year-old Soloman Henderson opened fire in the Antioch High School’s cafeteria, resulting in the death of one student and the injury of another. Henderson then turned the weapon around and shot himself. The reasons for this remain unknown.
Last year, there were 39 shootings that resulted in the death or injury of one or more students and faculty. Six shootings took place in January. The year before that, there were 38. And in 2022, there were 51. Fifty-one students entered a building with the intent to end lives. This needs to be stopped, these are innocent lives being lost.
No other country struggles with this kind of problem. We do because of America’s strong gun rights. In fact, 4.6 million American children live in a house where a gun is kept loaded and unlocked. That’s 4.6 million children with access to something that can create a tragedy. How can we expect these kids to know better when their parents don’t?
Mexico also has gun rights, but since 2009, the country has only experienced eight school shootings, coming in second place for most shootings. That number should obviously be brought down to zero, but this is a significant improvement from America’s astonishing 288, showing that while gun rights are a major issue, there is another underlying cause: this country’s culture.
Our culture is based on our gun rights; from bumper stickers to social media, guns can be found everywhere. Due to this, Americans have become desensitized to the point where dark humor and memes about these deaths are posted. Jokes about such shootings are made in school settings. Overall, these incidents don’t get the type of attention they deserve from our media and our society.
“Part of the issue is how often these events are publicized and how our society handles them,” Principal Matt Jones said. “It’s a complex and heartbreaking problem that demands attention and collaboration from schools, communities, lawmakers and mental health professionals to address effectively, creating lasting change and ensuring the safety of school communities.”
While Jones agrees with me, many don’t. Some think that population might also play a role. They say with this many people, there is going to be a high chance of school shootings, but that might not be the case. Mexico’s population is about 130 million while the United States’s is about 330 million. Even though America does have a larger population, it doesn’t explain the ratio of school shootings 130,000,000:8 versus 330,000,000:288, disproving this theory.
Now, even as this article’s focus is on the cause, it’s also important to talk about solutions. One of the main things Jones was intent on was stopping a problem before it became an issue, especially one that resulted in the loss of a life.
“We must focus on prevention—including improving mental health resources, positive school climates, and creating early intervention strategies for students who might be at risk,” Jones said.
I have to agree with him. The best way to deal with tragic incidents is to prevent them, not to exploit them through the media. Student’s mental health should be a priority, along with keeping weapons in an inaccessible area. The idea that so many people are thinking of their guns over their children is repulsive. America’s guns were given for self-protection, not destruction.
