A Florida teen, Henery Horten, is accused of plotting a mass shooting in his former high school. He is being held at the Palm Beach County jail on a $1 million bail. He is being charged with one count of making a written threat to kill or do harm. Sadly, this is not the only case of teens wanting to commit mass harm. Schools are supposed to be safe places where children and young adults can learn and grow, but now they are places of fear. Parents send their children to school hoping to see them at the end of the day, but now parents must wonder if this will occur. Appropriate measures must be taken to prevent school shootings, beginning with the schools.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, they reported 501 mass shootings in 2023 after Denver’s East High School shootings. There aren’t 500 days a year, meaning multiple mass shootings have occurred yearly. This is our country’s horrible reality, but having children be affected by this is horrendous. Actions that need to be taken to help prevent school shootings are to start with the students themselves. According to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, school shootings occur because of suicidal thoughts, despair, and anger. Schools must build a supportive environment to address these issues so everyone feels safe and secure. Students must feel safe to communicate with each other and staff; decreasing isolation in students will ensure nobody has these thoughts, and if they do, they will feel comfortable enough to share and get the help they need. Social programs must also be added so individuals with these thoughts can get proper medical assistance because this is abnormal. The University of Columbia’s Department of Psychiatry released a study that linked mass shooters to mental illness, and they discovered that 5% had a psychotic psychiatric or neurological illness, and 25% had a non-psychotic psychiatric or neurological illness, including depression. If schools started implementing after-school clubs that help individuals facing these issues, they could help sort them out. Individuals who seem to have a more severe case could be identified and noted to physiatrists and doctors to prevent them from carrying out their actions.
Actions caused by individuals like Henery Horten should not be taken lightly as they involve the lives of children. Whether or not school shootings can be prevented by implementing ideas of creating a healthier school environment could lower the risk of a possible school shooting. Children should not be afraid to attend school, and parents should not worry about their children being attacked. Appropriate measures must be taken to prevent school shootings, beginning with the schools.
References :
https://www.columbiapsychiatry.org/news/mass-shootings-and-mental-illness
https://violence.chop.edu/types-violence-involving-youth/school-shootings/preventing-school-shootings
https://www.insideedition.com/florida-teen-accused-of-plotting-mass-shooting-at-high-school-stabbing-spree-at-church-police-say
