SCRIPT:

News clip – Obama addressing gun violence and recent school shootings

School shootings have been a topic of discussion and debate for the past … years. Different political groups, age groups, and … have a myriad of views and perspectives when it comes to the root of the problem. Across the board, officials agree on the general statement that school shootings have reached an impossibly high level and that action needs to be taken to protect the lives of American children. The true debate lies in how to fix the growing death toll in places of education nationwide.  

In 1999, the nation saw one of the deadliest school shootings in history and one of the first to spark a new level of vigor in the fight against school shootings. This was the mass shooting at Columbine High School. And just this past February, 17 people were killed in Parkland. But the assumption that these limited mass shootings are the only examples of an education system failing to protect their students is false.

Everyone knows that school shootings are an issue, but the argument stems from a disagreement about what the solution is.

The Madfis & Levin model created by professors Eric Madfis and Jack Levin can be used to identify the five stages that a shooter goes through before committing mass murder.

First, a shooter suffers from a chronic strain, which is about the repeated trauma a shooter faces, for example bullying or isolation.

John Malcolm and Amy Swearer in their article state the three common traits of a school shooter which are mental health illness, broken homes, and socio economic insecurity.

Mental health illness is a serious issue, especially when it comes to school shootings. Of course, the vast majority of those suffering with mental illness will not commit violent crimes, but many school shooters do. Could identifying and treating potential mental health illnesses in students early on prevent school shootings? Also, often times school shooters will give clues about their planned attack. In the case of the Parkland, Florida school shooting, the shooter posted a video on youtube about him becoming a “professional school shooter”. Could Identifying these warnings earlier on lead to less school shootings?

Many shooters come from broken homes. The article states, “The gunmen at Sandy Hook, Chadron High School, Isla Vista, SuccessTech Academy, Northern Illinois University, and Santana High School (just to name a few) all had divorced parents”. While not all school shooters come from broken homes, there is evidence that broken homes increase the likelihood of common symptoms in school shooters. “Several studies have found that adolescents from intact families tend to report lower levels of emotional and psychological stress, while those who do not live with both biological parents are more likely to exhibit psychological affective disorders such as hyperactivity, irritability, and depression as adults”.

The last trait is socio economic insecurity. Many school shooters were poor students in high school or were even kicked out. Also, they didn’t have much prospect of a future. “For example, the Sandy Hook attacker was removed from high school by his parents due to sensory-integration disorder, failed to obtain a degree after attending classes at Western Connecticut State University, and was unemployed without any likelihood of holding a job in the near future.

The Parkland attacker had been expelled from high school for disciplinary problems, was taking adult education classes to get his GED, and worked at a Dollar Store”.

Secondly, Madfis and Levin state that the potential shooter starts to exhibit troublesome behavior, also known as an uncontrolled strain, for example the police being called to the shooters home repeatedly.

Next is the acute strain, a specific event that triggers the person, which could be any form of perceived rejection.

After that, the shooter begins the planning phase. Madfis and Levin bring up that the planning phase can last anywhere from a few years to year.

Lastly, the shooter carries out the attack, usually in a school because of the large population most schools have.

Following the shootings, we see the controversy appear. For example, two people from Murfreesboro have two totally different viewpoints of the Second Amendment. The Constitution states that there will be “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”

“I’m pro Second Amendment,” Dean Wilson said Thursday while at the On Target firearms, target shooting and gun instruction business in Murfreesboro. “I believe we have that for a purpose. When you take the power of protection away from the citizens or the law-abiding people, that leaves them vulnerable to those who don’t follow laws.” Kimberly Cagle of Murfreesboro, have concerns about guns being accessible after the Las Vegas shooting. “I think they really shouldn’t allow guns, except if you are a police officer.”

Republican tend to believe in smaller governments and less regulation. When it comes to firearm, republicans believe that all American citizens have the right to own, carry, and use guns. On the other hand Democrats believe in more regulations. They want to make it harder to buy guns.

When it comes to gun rights, there are few similarities and a few differences between Republicans and Democrats. Both parties believe that the mentally ill shouldn’t be able to purchase guns and that people on the no fly or watch list shouldn’t be able to purchase guns.

Democrats are more in favor of banning assault-style weapons, creating a federal database to track gun sales, and banning high capacity gun magazines. In contrast, Republicans are more in favor of allowing concealed carry, allowing concealed carry without a permit, allowing staff members to carry guns in k-12 schools, and to shorten waiting list for buying guns legally.

With all of the attention and … that has arisen as a result of school shootings and the deaths of American youth, people are eager to find a solution that benefits everyone. But the problem once more emerges- what is the answer?

In the past, solutions to gun violence had to be brought to the Supreme Court, including the case District of Columbia v. Heller. In this case, the Supreme Court found that the District of Columbia Code was a violation of the Second Amendment. The Code had provisions where the chief of police could issue one-year licenses, but the handgun had to be unloaded and disassembled. Which basically made it impossible for people to use their Second Amendment rights.

A second answer is directed towards the mental health angle, saying that the nation needs to spend more time and effort helping those who are mentally ill, a condition which, as aforementioned, could lead to potential destructive behaviour.

Another viewpoint places the blame on the guns themselves, calling for stricter gun regulations and restrictions when it comes to who can obtain and keep a gun.

Recently a topic of debate that has come up talks about arming teachers with small handguns that can be kept in their desks.

Does militarizing the schools increase safety in schools and protect the lives of the children of America?