Gun Violence and Cases of Shooting in Schools

Gun violence, in schools, is a reoccurring tragedy that needs to stop now. Innocent children and teachers have been murdered in their schools for over 178 years. When is it going to end? The Bible is consistently talking about sin and the works of evil and how to give it all to Jesus but there's one question I have for everyone. How can we teach more people about the love of Christ in public schools? Students and teachers should not have to live in fear in the classroom. Change needs to happen now.

The beginning of new school year is a time most students look forward to. A new school year symbolizes a new chapter in life. As well as new friends, responsibilities, and fun. Unfortunately, for some people a new school year can be quite scary and traumatizing. Especially, because of the traumatic occurrences happening within schools all over the United States. In 2017, there was not ten, not twenty, but sixty- five school shootings. As the new school year approaches, parents, guardians, and teachers are being forced to teach their children and students about how to protect themselves from intruders with weapons. The issue has gotten so out of hand, that local stores are now selling bulletproof backpacks. The fact that parents are afraid to send their children to school is outrageous to me and needs to be dealt with. Enough is enough.

According to K12 Academics, the first documented school shooting was on July 26, 1764. Four armed American Indian men walked into a school house, in Pennsylvania, and took the lives of one teacher and around ten children. There was only one survivor from the catastrophe, an innocent child. School shootings have been an issue in America for over two hundred and fifty-four years. Hundreds of thousands of lives have been taken by a person that walked into a school with a loaded gun. Some of the shootings were intentional and some were on accident. Change is not always easy, but it is possible.

Recently, I read a book called Columbine by Dave Cullen. The book is based off the true events of a school shooting that occurred in Littleton, Colorado on April 20, 1999. Dave Cullen is a journalist that arrived at the school shortly after the incident. Throughout the book, he talks about the lives of the shooters, how the evidence was mishandled by authorities, and all the false information that was released in the news. It was clear, Cullen wanted to discover what truly happened leading up to the disastrous day of April 20, 1999. It's easy to tell that he wanted to get down to the bottom of things because others weren't.

In todays society, everyone has an opinion on everything and everyone. One of the biggest debates in the United States is the gun debate. Many people believe that not every person should be able to go to their local store and buy a gun with ammo. On the other hand, other people believe that every person has a right to have a gun whenever and wherever they'd like. Guns should not even be compared to the safety of children and students. Student safety should be the number one priority of all parents. Not guns. Period.

One of the first things you see on social media, after a school shooting, is people saying that their thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims. According to Kate Shellnutt with Christianity Today, one of the most popular scriptures that people post is, The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18. What does this scripture mean? And why is it such a popular scripture to post? If you break down the scripture, it means that God is with you at your most troubled and heart-breaking times and if you fall he'll be there to catch you. I feel like this scripture is common because behind a phone screen, you can't do much but try to comfort the families of the victims and pray for them. I've had people say to me, you can pray all you want but it's not helping or doing anything. Yes, I agree that more needs to be done, but the power of prayer is so extraordinary and can move mountains. Up and coming generations are hurting and broken and want to feel loved but are seeking it in the wrong areas. More people who are passionate about our youth need to come together and show these kids how great the love of Christ is for them and it could make a huge difference in the violence that we are seeing today.

School violence is not okay and will never be okay. School should be one of the safest places for not only the children, but the faculty. Change is never easy, but it needs to happen. Mental illness is real and should not be an excuse for all the lives that have been lost. Buying a gun should be as hard as buying a car. We need to keep our children safe. They are not only the younger generation, they are world changers.

Cite this page