Report on Gun Violence in American Schools

                The issue of gun violence and mass shootings has been a major problem for American schools since the 1970s, and it seems to continue for many decades to come. The statistics have clearly shown that the issue has been on the rise with the passage of time, and the year 2018 was one of the worst years in this regard. Due to gun violence and mass shootings in school, around 113 people were injured or killed in 2018. The data has also depicted that 94 incidents of gun violence have been recorded in 2018, which is far more than the previous record of 59 gun violence incidents in 2006. The deaths recorded due to gun violence in schools were also the highest in history as 55 people were dead (Lopez, 2018). These stats are an eye-opener for all the stakeholders that gun violence has become a major threat in American schools, which is certainly having a negative impact on school children in terms of their mental health. The children who experience these horrific incidents and get injured or children who lose their friends & family members are left in a trauma, which haunts them for their lifetime. So, it is need of the hour for American authorities to identify root causes of gun violence so that they can take adequate steps along with changing gun laws for a safe future of American school kids.

Identifying the Root Causes of Gun Violence in School Kids

        Gun violence has been on the rise for years and a series of the mass shooting in American schools has become an unstoppable event. The issue has been threatening and raising serious concerns, so it cannot be ignored by any means. The government authorities, schools as well as parents have to be more aware of the fact that why these incidents have been happening so frequently and they all must identify the root causes of these sad incidents because kids are supposed to study in schools rather being killed in a split of a second. The politicians have always tried to attribute this issue with mental illness, but studies have shown that they are not right in their claims. As per the decisions made by courts, it is evident that only 1% of people were suffering any kind of mental illness with regards to mass murders. Another study published in 2016 claimed that people suffering from mental disorders generally do not involve violence. It has also been observed in recent gun violence incidents that people who committed these shootings did show some signs before these incidents, but no one noticed to stop these horrible incidents. The basic root cause of gun violence in America is the gun ownership and statistics have also supported this claim. The population which has more gun ownership is correlated with more gun violence incidents. For instance, the rate of gun deaths is higher in those U.S States, which have a higher rate of gun ownership (Gilligan & Lee, 2018)

            However, gun ownership is not the only root cause of gun violence in schools; there are many other reasons as well. A study was conducted by Alfred University to know that why school mass shootings occur and result taken from this study are quite important to look at. The results showed that revenge was the most obvious reason as per the students’ point of view. 16 questions were asked from students, and 87% of students agreed with the fact that students wanted to take revenge from those, who hurt them. 86% of students agreed with the assumption that mass shooters do this because someone had bullied them or made fun of them. It means that revenge has been one of the most common reason and stakeholders have to keep an eye on such issues so that students may not develop the feeling of revenge against others (Alfred University, 2019). It is important for parents and teachers to keep an eye on kids, and observe any change in their behavior, especially if kids are showing aggressive and abnormal behavior.

            The psychologists believe that multiple factors can contribute to gun violence incidents, so each case should be analyzed separately, and then a series of acts are combined to identify some common factors. It has been observed in various studies that mass shooters were having some difficult times in their lives. A forensic psychologist named Reid Meloy once said that “Adolescent school shooters, there's no question that they're struggling and there have been multiple failures in their lives,” Meloy also believed that these students were certainly dealing with various psychological problems. The students involved in mass shootings were found to have paranoia as well as depression in their lives. The feeling of desperation and disappointed has also led these mass shooters to commit this crime. It was mentioned earlier that mental illness was not directly associated with gun violence, but it certainly a significant risk factor, which cannot be ignored while finding considerable solutions (CHATTERJEE, 2019)

Impact of Gun Violence Incidents on American School Children

        The identification of gun violence root causes is certainly important, but it is also critical to know that what impact is made by this gun violence on school children. It has been observed that mental, as well as psychological well-being of children, is at stake due to increasing gun violence incidents. The children who witness these incidents and hear gunshots, they are left with mental traumas, which not only affect their personality, but their school performance is also largely affected by this. A child who witnesses a mass shooting incident, he/she lives in the fear of the next incident. This thought process leaves a long-lasting impact on the capability of children to continue their studies with focus. The children have been reported to face new anxieties and depression in their lives due to gun violence around them. It has also been reported that black and Hispanic children are the ones, who are most affected by these gun violence incidents because policy decisions made by political class still inject segregation in American societies in so many ways (Everytown.org, 2019)

Finding Pertinent Solutions of Gun Violence in American Schools

        Looking at the root causes of gun violence along with its impact on children, it is time for all stakeholders to wake up and do something to prevent these horrible and tragic events in future so that American children can feel safe when they enter their schools. The first pertinent solution to deal with this problem is to talk to children because mass shooters were one of these children. So, it is important to start with children, because they are smart in their approach, and they certainly need answers. The parents, as well as teachers, should analyze the behavior and mental state of children on a constant basis. If there is a significant change in behavior, then such children should be handled carefully by talking to them and satisfying their concerns. It was mentioned earlier that anger and revenge has been a major reason for students to kill their fellow students and teachers. The children having desperation and anger should be taken into confidence that their concerns will be heard and resolved accordingly. Such measures can prevent such tragic events in the first place.

        The Parkland shooting incident has raised many questions on the fact that political will and action is lacking with regards to considerable gun control laws and measures. The students from Stoneman Douglas High School protested and raised their voice to force the political elite to take strict action in terms of gun control. Their efforts ignited the school children across the country, and various protests were held. One protest with school walkout was led to the White House, which asked the government to come up with better gun control laws and improved safety measures for schools. The protestors have asked to implement red flags laws, which can prevent these events at first place. A gun control bill was passed by state Florida, which allows law enforcement authorities to bar a person from owning a weapon if he/she is deemed a threat in this regard. More such kind of laws is needed across the United States so that students even with age 18 are barred from carrying dangerous weapons and guns. The minimum age requirement should also be reviewed to own a gun because gun ownership can be a constant threat for such horrific events (Kramer & Harlan, 2019)

        It was found that harassment, discrimination, and bullying played their part in various mass shootings across the United States, so it is crucial for schools to implement policies, which prevent these behaviors and actions from their students. The schools should develop a framework, which allows them to keep a safe school environment, where all students are protected. The authorities should also consider banning weapons, which can be used in an assault. For instance, semi-automatic firearms should be banned so that they cannot be turned into automatic firearms. In addition to that schools and communities should have the services of psychologists and psychiatrists so that the mental state of children is kept under the radar, and any kind of violent behavior is handled accordingly. Moreover, schools should have threat assessment experts who can assess the situation on a daily basis, and raise the red flag, if something abnormal is observed. The children should also be encouraged to talk with teachers, if they sniff any danger or threat around them, like if any of their peers have said to pursue any violent action against others (Astor, et al., 2019)

        It is a fact that political desire has been lacking by government institutions and politicians to stop gun violence in American schools. Their role has been questionable in so many ways, as it is believed that many politicians lobby for the National Rifle Association, which spreads the ownership of a gun. Congress should take this matter more seriously, and any barriers related to gun violence research should be removed so that proper research is conducted to analyze the issue so that considerable solutions can be found. The research can propose gun control laws, which may not differ from any constitutional rights of people, and still, serve as a great landmark to control gun violence in schools. The Trump Administration should take notice of this serious issue, and pertinent laws should be developed to stop gun violence so that children don’t have to witness any terrible mass shootings in the future.

Conclusion on Gun Violence in American Schools

        It can be concluded in the end that a number of gun violence and mass shooting incidents in the United States are far more than any other developed nation across the globe. It shows that gun violence in American schools is a serious issue, and it needs great focus and attention of all stakeholders so that American schoolchildren can live a safe life. The recommended solutions can be important to deal with the issue, and if government authorities won’t act upon these solutions, then the situation can get even worst in the situation.

References of Gun Violence in American Schools

Alfred University, 2019. Why Do Shootings Occur?. [Online]
Available at: https://www.alfred.edu/about/news/studies/lethal-school-violence/why-do-shootings.cfm
[Accessed 29 July 2019].

Astor, R., Stein-Wood, L. & Wood, W. S., 2019. Call for action to prevent gun violence in the United States of America. [Online]
Available at: https://dworakpeck.usc.edu/news/call-for-action-to-prevent-gun-violence-the-united-states-of-america
[Accessed 29 July 2019].

CHATTERJEE, R., 2019. School Shooters: What's Their Path To Violence?. [Online]
Available at: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/02/10/690372199/school-shooters-whats-their-path-to-violence
[Accessed 29 July 2019].

Everytown.org, 2019. The Impact of Gun Violence on Children and Teens. [Online]
Available at: https://everytownresearch.org/impact-gun-violence-american-children-teens/
[Accessed 29 July 2019].

Gilligan, J. & Lee, B., 2018. Look at the Root Causes of Gun Violence. [Online]
Available at: https://www.usnews.com/opinion/policy-dose/articles/2018-02-21/after-florida-school-shooting-look-to-the-root-causes-of-gun-violence
[Accessed 29 July 2019].

Kramer, M. & Harlan, J., 2019. Parkland Shooting: Where Gun Control and School Safety Stand Today. [Online]
Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/13/us/parkland-shooting.html
[Accessed 29 July 2019].

Lopez, G., 2018. 2018 was by far the worst year on record for gun violence in schools. [Online]
Available at: https://www.vox.com/2018/12/10/18134232/gun-violence-schools-mass-shootings
[Accessed 29 July 2019].