School is a safe place, right?

Blog #1-Personal Story

Not a Normal day- Friday, September 7th, 2012

The third Friday of my newly begun journey through high school was a groggy, mucky day amongst the cornfields of Normal, Illinois. This dreadful weather typically coincided with Central Illinois in the early fall, so I was only at a mild state of despondency. To heighten my disapproval of the forecast, the thrilling football game spirit was only present in the team’s away jerseys and the cheerleaders’ uniforms.

I was an utter mess as I crammed my soaked jacket into my tiny, rusty locker at the end of the poorly lit, oversized hallway. Moving my uncoordinated, size four feet at an injury-prone speed, I raced the second hand on the clock, arriving at my first hour classroom just as the bell rang. Running late, I believed, was the disaster of the day. But then came the onset of the whirlwind.

Anticipating the bell to dismiss first hour from class, the second floor of Normal Community High School was unaware of the chaos soon to unfold on the first floor. As the 8:05AM bell sounded, I whipped my cell phone out of my pocket in the hopes someone other than my mother or father would have text me. My phone displayed a message from my brother. I figured he had some sly remark about how he actually was not late for his physical education class despite my nonstop complaints that morning. We were both going to be late for school if he did not make a decision on what vibrant shirt he was going to wear with his newly starch-pressed khaki shorts, looking nice in hopes to offset the defective haircut he rushed the night before. I opened the text as I flew out my English classroom’s door.

Gun in the building tell your teacher.

Rumors roared through the crammed hallways and classrooms as I hurried into my second-hour room across the hall. I plopped down in my wobbly, overused desk right next to the door, my heart panicking like a parent who lost their child in a crowded grocery store. My mind questioned what I should do with this new information. My contemplating ended quickly, as my recently-turned-fourteen-year-old mind did not give myself enough courage to inform my insanely tough teacher, who at the time I feared, about the shocking text I had received.

In a large school overflowing with 2000 teenage students having technology glued to their fingertips, talk about what was going on got around faster to us then to anyone else. I thought about life more than ever in the next five minutes, fearing it could soon end.

I knew my brother was my best friend at home. But school was a different story, since an upperclassman talking to an underclassman was a well-known social crime. I fully trusted my brother though and knew he always looked out for me, despite my mere presence being a nuisance to him.

Once receiving my heart attack over the message, I tried to settle my stirred mind by rationalizing that my brother probably heard this and just wanted me to know to be aware of what was being said.

It was still very hard to depress the mind-consuming thought, as I knew my brother would not typically text me in such a concerned, no-attention-to-grammar-despite-how cool-he-thought-he-was manner as he did. Never did I think he saw the gun and witnessed the fear-ridden faces of the students around.

My mind was racing. Fear was brutally torturing me. The need for answers to all my questions was driving me to the point where I swore I was about to crumble into emotional pieces.

Was it a student or group of students? But how could something this horrendous happen in a school full of all the kids I have known since kindergarten?

Maybe it was someone from town. But in a community that everyone seems to be trapped in, we all know one another in such a way that we feel so safe around each other.

Minutes into the start of the panicked second hour class, the buzz of the intercom sounded. For the first time this school year, every student ceased from their busy life and listened intensely. The second hand on the clock halted, as if it too was anticipating what would be said. Distant, muffled noises over the intercom created words that usually only come out of rowdy teenagers’ mouths. Following the foul commotion were two words. The two words that bring the most fear into an individual’s life. The shaky voice behind these detrimental words carried the most panic I have ever heard spoken. CODE RED.

In the health room below my classroom, a fourteen-year-old classmate of mine was in need of people to listen to him. Sitting on a stool in front of the classroom, he quickly caught the attention of his first year teacher and his freshman classmates with a handgun, a hatchet, a canteen of kerosene, and a bottle of painkillers. The boy then proceeded to collect the phones of those in the classroom, unknowingly right after the teacher dialed 911.

In the time that the classmates were ordered to comfort the girl crying by the door, the boy with the gun turned his back to the class and faced the teacher, allowing an opportunity for most students to flee the classroom, which they successfully did. Enraged, the boy shot the gun into the ceiling. As the situation unfolded with adrenaline rushing in those remaining in the classroom, the health teacher grabbed the gun that the student had just put down on the desk and tried to unload all the rounds before the student jumped on his back. Along with the help of another student, the teacher tackled the gunman to the ground. The incredibly brave students helped contain the situation by putting the safety lock on the laden gun and gathering the other weapons to move safely to the teacher’s desk. The student had two additional guns and two knives.

After localizing the situation, the SWAT team escorted our school to nearby Eastview Christian Church, where local businesses met with food to serve in the wait for concerned parents to pick up their shocked children.

I will never forget the emotions that overwhelmed my teacher’s face during these seemingly forever-long moments. At the time the unspeakable words were cried over the intercom, she no longer was my teacher, but my mother. By no means did I ever fear her again. I could only fully respect her. She displayed the courage and strength I hope one day I can obtain. In fight or flight, she was a full on fighter. I guarantee she would have stopped anything that came in between her and her students. She provided the highest level of protection through the extraordinary measures she took to fully secure the classroom from imminent harm. Someday I will have the words to express myself, but all my heart can fully come to say, even today, is that I cannot thank you enough Mrs. Budak.

In addition to her bravery, it was only Mr. Schonauer’s twelfth day as a teacher when he saved a classroom of twenty-eight students. Despite his claim that he is not a hero and that he just did what anyone else would have done in that situation, I will forever look at Mr. Schonauer as heroic. He defined what an Ironman, my school’s mascot, is. He is my role model for bravery in the storms of life. Thank you so very much.

This mucky fall day in 2012 forever changed the community I live in. Luckily, no student or teacher was injured or killed. Although my community generally feels safe in town, they now know that they are never always safe. However, they are more equipped to deal with a similar situation, if it should ever arise. My community came closer together to help in a situation I never imagined would happen, something that has impacted who I am and how I look at the world.

The life-altering shock of a school shooting has occurred in millions of communities in our country, some more traumatizing than others. These events are starting to become a common occurrence, but they must stop.

Blog #2- Introduction to Paper

Once a week, a school shooting traumatizes America. Often these shootings end with the loss of innocent lives. It is a horrific situation that leaves the community mourning the death of children, teachers, principals, and other school members. In addition to the loss of lives, citizens of the targeted community lose their sense of trust and safety they thought they had. Lives are emotionally scarred and forever changed.

With great misfortune, I have an association with this matter. I have experienced the impact this nightmare has on students, their families, and their community that thought they were safe. I am able to attest to the emotional scarring this event has had on my life. I can recount and empathize the fear of a school shooting, even though my school shooting ended without any loss of lives.

However, terror haunts the lives of all affected. These moments create vast, lasting psychological impacts on those within the school, commonly experiencing:

• Overpowering emotions such as crying, shaking, or screaming
• Honestly not knowing whether they are going to live or die

• Not knowing if help is there, on its way, or going to come in time
• If their siblings, friends, and teachers are safe, alive, dead, or injured
• If or when they would see their siblings, friends, or parents again
• Uncertainty of how many shooters, where they are at in the building, and what they are doing
• Questioning of their faith

These are feelings one should never have to face, but upon dealing with these, all while trying to remain as quiet as possible, detrimental scarring will occur. For the many severely impacted in these fearful situations, most of these emotions can easily be remembered and felt to the same extent all over again, following various triggers. Any loud sounds can cause these memories to flood their minds and make their heart race. Although these problems may ease up with time, they never really go away.

Nearly three years later, I still feel these psychological impacts in my everyday life, but they have been healing. Many of these impacts will stay with me though. All together:

• My trust has become broken with many people I know. Because of this, I usually draw myself distant from all people now and have become more introverted.
• When I am out in public, my alertness is always on high. This becomes very mentally exhausting, so now I try not to go places if I do not absolutely need to.

• At school, when lockers slam shut or books drop on the ground, my heart races to where I feel it pound in my head.
• Hearing someone yell or scream causes me to quickly become short of breath.
• I panic and become very defensive when someone or something scares me.
• Seeing someone run causes my body to become weak and shake.

In writing these blogs, I have experienced a form of therapy, as I am able to try to put words to these emotions and reactions. This has been very difficult though and has caused me to have many sleepless nights as I relive these moments in my head.

According to “Effects of School Shootings”, a psychological blog from Penn State, many children affected by violence at school experience difficulties trying to return to school. They encounter many issues at school, such as suffering academic performance, head/stomach aches, and trust changes with staff and peers. Issues occur at the homes of these children, like sleeping troubles, eating problems, and socially distancing themselves. They lose interest in the many things they loved to do before. Posttraumatic stress disorder is common in students, a serious disorder that can severely harm their future life if counseling is not sought after. It is devastating to watch students who were once so passionate about learning and had so many friends change drastically following school violence, something students should never have to worry about or be faced with.

Sometimes overlooked, staff also suffers from PTSD after a violent circumstance. At school, teachers suffering become burnt out quickly, missing more days of school. They do not feel safe, thus withdrawing emotionally from their job. They have increased divorce rates and additional family issues at home, according to the source from Penn State mentioned above. Students look up to school staff but when they are truly struggling just to keep a smile on their face, it becomes a difficult situation for learning to be had.

In the last twenty years, there have been hundreds of school massacres, such as Columbine, Virginia Tech, Northern Illinois University, and Sandy Hook. Millions of lives have been changed long term because of these events. Issues concerning weapons available to citizens and the security measures schools take to protect their students and staff become nationally popular. This country becomes split on how they should respond to these controversies, even though the goal of preventing innocent lives from being taken is shared by all. In many situations, citizens are upset at the decision a school board makes to address the problem, or lack of decision thereof. America needs to realize that gun-free zones are actually defense-free zones. Schools need to act on this, making logical decisions to take advanced measures to protect their students and staff before it is too late, so these attacks can be stopped as early as possible. It is crucial for communities to speak out about the need to remove the lack of armed protection within their schools.

Luck does not begin to describe the fact that nobody was injured in my personal experience as I cannot imagine the impact that would have. Unfortunately, many do end with casualties.

Blog #3- Columbine

Fifty minutes that changed America- Tuesday, April 20th, 1999

Seniors Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Klebold, 17, began their day a far cry different than any of the other students did at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado on April 20th, 1999. As the other high school teenagers ventured through their morning classes as they normally do, Harris and Klebold were finalizing their preparation to make history.

The two adolescents, characteristically dressed in black attire and long trench coats, were victims of bullying in their jock-dominated high school. They had their own clique of school outcasts that wore similar Goth clothing, by which they referred to themselves as the “trench coat mafia”. Harris and Klebold had a defined hatred towards their school and towards many of the students that had exclude them, as they expressed within the blogs and journals they had privately kept for many years. The blogs, mainly written by Harris, did receive complaints about the content. The matter of the blog conveyed claims that Harris had multiple weapons, plans of how to execute a killing, and whom he would target. The blogs were never investigated but later removed by the boys. They continued to share their plans in journals and through video footage.

Separately, the teenagers arrived late to school, at about 11:10 AM. They entered the school’s empty cafeteria and strategically aligned two duffel bags full of explosives in the lunchroom. Then, the seniors returned to the parking lot and waited for their plans to unfold. The large bags were not of suspicion as roughly four hundred students crowded in for lunch. The duffel bags failed to detonate at the 11:17 AM. designated time, thus deferring the boys’ intended plans. Two minutes later, Harris and Klebold advanced towards the school, whipped their guns out, and began shooting students outside the cafeteria doors. They made their way into the building, targeting the cafeteria and library where most students were in attendance. The police were notified as herds of students tried to escape, while others hid for their lives.

Within approximately fifteen minutes, the shootings of students and staff came to a halt, and the gunmen roamed the halls without direction. Outside, police filed around the school and injured students were relocated to various hospitals to treat their wounds. Meanwhile, the uninjured were escorted off school grounds to a safe location where they were identified and interviewed. Less than an hour after the teenage shooters arrived at school, they took their own lives in the cafeteria. The SWAT team entered the building, evaluated the situation and then cautiously evacuated the school.

On the 110th anniversary of the birth of Hitler, the Holocaust leader who the teenagers were highly interested in, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold executed a massacre on their high school, Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. This mass shooting is currently the deadliest high school shooting in the history of the United States. The murder of twelve students and one teacher, along with the injury of twenty-three others before their suicides, terrorized our country and set off a chain of shootings to come.

Impact:

Citizens of Littleton, Colorado responded towards the shooting in various ways. Many families of those who had an injured or killed loved one filed lawsuits. Some families that were impacted refused to file a lawsuit but rather talked with the families of the gunmen. Others expressed their concern about how the situation could have been controlled earlier. The parents of sophomore, Kelly Fleming, who lost her life, questioned why police did not enter the building as soon as they arrived to the scene. Kelly’s mother, DeeDee, expresses, “There was no one in that school that had a gun other than the two killers…and no one pursued them. No one tried to engage them…for almost 20 minutes she waited. Twenty minutes, that’s a long time for someone to have the opportunity to come in and make a difference.”

Despite the different ways families responded, the community came very close together and worked towards helping the well being of the community in the days, weeks, months, and years to come. They all supported one another and addressed the common issues that were present towards bringing a new normal to the town. The school had reconstruction to repair the damages, physically at the school and emotionally in the students. The cafeteria was completely changed so it would not remind the students of what occurred, the hallways were repaired of damages, and the library was rebuilt next to the school, which also serves as a memorial for the thirteen lives, not counting the shooters’ lives, lost.

America’s shock of the massacre caused changes nationwide. Schools have heightened their security, adopted a no-tolerance policy on bullying, become serious on any word of danger, allowed students to have cell phones, provided counselors at schools, prepared emergency plans, etc. Although these have not prevented school shootings, they have decreased potential violent attacks by taking threats inside schools very seriously. Unfortunately, although security measures are being taken inside the school, it is not always students that bring this violence. Columbine was only the start of the many school shootings to come.

Blog #4- Sandy Hook

When does the terror end? — Friday, December 14, 2012

Children anxiously look forward to winter break as the month of December rolls around. Presents begin to make their way under the large evergreen tree that fills the house with the aroma of pine needles. Curiosity shakes the packages in hopes of getting a clue if the year’s new craze is wrapped inside. Homes begin to prepare for additional family members planning to bring holiday joy to share in celebration. Children await a relaxing break from school to spend with family and friends. But the 2012 Winter Break in Newtown, Connecticut ended with presents unopened. Holiday joy was gone. The break from school was mandatory and was not spent with the friends originally intended.

The gray, clouded morning of December 14th began with twenty-year-old Adam Lanza scattering bullets through his mother’s head as she slept. Nancy Lanza, 52, was a divorced mother of two sons. She was an avid gun holder, having multiple guns for protection at home and for use when target shooting. She did not have a job but spent a large portion of her time caring for her youngest son, Adam, because of many psychological issues he had. Adam suffered with social interactions and spent many months at a time hidden in his bedroom at his mother’s house. Nancy did not fear her son or know about his motives. Adam attended the Sandy Hook school system for a short time during his youth, but his mother pulled him out to home school because of the issues he was having. Adam received psychological counseling and medication to ease his problems during his early teenage years, but Adam discontinued the help after his mother was concerned about his strange reaction to the prescribed antidepressants.

Following the murder of his mother, Adam Lanza drove to his former elementary school for his rampage. Arriving at Sandy Hook Elementary School around 9:35 AM, carrying his mother’s rifle and two handguns, Lanza created his own entrance by shooting through the glass next to the locked front doors. Not identifying the popping noise as gunshots but suspicious as to what the chaos heard was, the school’s principal, vice-principal, and psychologist, who were in a meeting together, exited the office to observe what was occurring in the entranceway. Encountering Lanza, the three yelled out that there was a shooter, alerting the members in the main office to hide.

Immediately following their cry, the principal and psychologist were fatally shot. The vice-principal sustained critical injury. The yells and the shots were heard over the intercom during the morning announcements, prompting teachers to take immediate refuge with their students. Following these shots was the first call to 911 from the school secretary. Lanza stormed in the main office, apparently not seeing the staff that had taken cover, and immediately left.

Lanza strode down the first hall of the school and barged his way into a first grade classroom. The substitute teacher, behavior therapist, and fifteen of the students that were crammed in the bathroom at the back of the room were all quickly killed. The sole surviving, six-year-old girl was later found by the police after playing dead in the corner of the bathroom, hidden amongst the bodies of her classmates and teachers.

Quickly following the massacre in this classroom, Lanza met another first grade teacher on her way to lock her door. Lanza made his way into this nearby classroom, killing five students, the teacher, and the teacher’s aide.

Hearing the commotion from a separate hallway, the school’s custodian informed police of what he was hearing as he warned other classrooms in the school to lock their doors and take shelter. Lanza was not able to enter another classroom.

Within approximately five minutes from entering the school building, Lanza had fired over one hundred fifty shots, taking away the lives of twenty-six innocent people: six women, twelve girls, and eight boys. The death toll, including Nancy Lanza, came to twenty-eight lives when the gunman committed suicide as the police arrived.

Impact:

Similar to the Columbine shooting, the families of the victims responded in many different ways. Many parents have publicly posted letters about the impact of this event in their lives. Their brokenness has changed their lives, affecting how they look at the world, how their surviving children are now, and how the community they live in has changed. Many expressed the incredible difficulty they faced trying to return those unopened presents that captured the curiosity of their son or daughter. Others shared the pain of not being able to tuck their child in bed and sing him/her to sleep. These parents will miss all the life experiences their child would have had, such as their first dance, getting their drivers license, and their wedding day.

In addition to the changes in the home lives of the impacted community members, the town and country responded to the deadliest shooting at a K-12 grade level. The elementary school was demolished in hopes of removing all physical memories from this catastrophe. A new school was built for the following fall and security was increased at all the local schools. An officer was added at Sandy Hook. The eleven million dollars that was donated was spent on support and counseling for the community as well as family expenses for the victims. The gunman’s home was recently torn down and will be replaced with a nature site. Nationwide laws were passed banning a multitude of guns as well as limiting the amount of rounds one can carry in a gun.

Like the shootings at Columbine and NCHS, many issues, such as the amount of security schools have and various laws about guns, come up in discussion. There are many different opinions on these issues and many different steps are taken by school districts across the country to address school shootings.

Blog #5- Issues

I am beyond grateful nobody was hurt at Normal Community High School (NCHS) on September 7th, 2012, but there were many times within this situation that had the nationwide issues linked with school violence, such as allowing concealed carry and equipping schools with more advanced security, been present, the circumstance could have been stopped earlier. Unfortunately, Columbine High School and Sandy Hook Elementary School lost many lives.

All three schools mentioned (NCHS, Columbine, and Sandy Hook) are gun-free zones, like most schools in the country are. Fortunately, NCHS did have an active, full-time police officer at school at the time of the shooting. Columbine also did have an officer for the school, but he was monitoring students outside on the opposite side of the building from where the shooting occurred. In either case though, having one officer as the only form of protection, was not enough to safely survey the situation. The lack of safety in these schools to protect against shootings becomes an issue of many concerns.

1.) Allowing staff to concealed carry would deter gunmen from targeting schools.

According to the Crime Prevention Research Center, 92% of shootings occur in a gun-free zone. Gunmen have expressed their reasons for committing crime in gun-free zones. Because we are defenseless in these places, gunmen do not fear their plan will be stopped.

Elliot Rodger, a twenty-two year old, who shot six people to death in California, stated in his fully executed plan to seek maximum attention that the location he was set to instill fear on was not ideal for him. He said, “I figured this would be the perfect day to attack…but after watching Youtube videos …I saw that there were way too many cops walking around on such an event. It would be impossible to kill enough of my enemies…”

James Holmes was the gunman at the premiere of the movie “Batman” in 2012. Of the seven theaters in Aurora, Colorado within twenty minutes of his apartment, Holmes did not go to the largest theater or the one closest to where he lived but went to the only theater that was labeled as gun-free.

These two examples prove that gunmen target those who are harmless, such as individuals in gun-free zones, in order to carry out their horrendous act with the most “success”. By allowing staff or retired veterans in the school to be armed or by having additional officers present, the fear a gunman has of being stopped would increase. This fear of not being able to draw attention and complete their deranged plan would deter them from targeting schools.

2.) Metal detectors would stop many weapons from entering the school building.

The threat of being caught with weapons would discourage a shooter from bringing the weapons to school. The weapons would be detected and handled before entering the school building.

According to a study done at New York City public high schools, students were surveyed about how safe they feel at school and how they respond to the threat of possibly being targeted. In the thirty days preceding the survey, over fourteen percent of students claimed they had brought a type of weapon to school. Of those fourteen percent, the majority believes that having a weapon made them feel safer from violence. The same survey asked students questions about the use of metal detectors. The results showed that students were less likely to bring a weapon to school if metal detectors were present. Although metal detectors are not one hundred percent accurate and gunman who were determined to do harm could find other ways to bypass this security device, these devices have still stopped weapons from entering the building and causing harm.

3.) Armed staff would intimidate gunman to take a weapon out.

If many or all teachers within the school were trained and armed with protection, a student might fear the result of taking weapons out of his backpack. If he proceeded, the teacher would have had the means to protect his life and the life of the other students.

An example of this can be taken from the shooting that almost occurred at Sullivan Central High School on August 30th, 2010, although it was a resource officer who stopped the gunman.

The sixty-two year old gunman arrived at the high school with two handguns containing thirteen bullets. He pulled out his gun and started pointing it at people, one of the people being the school’s principal. The school’s resource officer, who was walking along side the principal, shielded those targeted and drew her gun at the gunman. The resource officer then inched the gunman into an empty classroom and engaged in a standoff until police arrived. Because the shooter encountered another gun, he was no longer able to continue out his attack.

According to article “Armed teachers aim to defend K-12 schools”, written by Kate Murphy of News21, following the Sandy Hook shooting, “five states [have given] school administrators the authority to arm their teachers,” giving rise to allowing guns on school campuses for safety. More states have since passed laws about guns on school grounds. This rising acceptance for guns on campuses is slowing becoming a new way schools will protect their staff and students.

A school in Texas has been interviewed by CNN about their addition of guns on staff members. In the video, two students claim they feel safer knowing their teachers can protect them. They also make light to how they do not fear their teachers with guns because they do not see the guns, thus eliminating the issue that students would be afraid of their teachers if they were armed. The superintendent of the school district, David Thweatt, states that the first responders in school shootings are the ones who have stopped shooters in any shooting in the nation. He wanted the staff at his school to be able to be the first responders. By having the staff armed, Thweatt claims it would be able to make the situation easier because the staff knows how to get around the school and they know who is good and who is bad. This recent example shows one of many school’s perspective on having guns on staff in schools.

Other schools have made news through signs they have posted on their school grounds concerning guns. Unlike the signs that raid the front windows of many schools in the nation, stating the building is gun-free, a couple schools have made it known that their staff are armed.

A school district in Texas has displayed this sign, warning everyone that the teachers within are armed.

Another school in Arkansas posted a similar sign.

These signs serve as threats to potential gunman that the building they are entering has the means of protecting their students and staff against the shooter’s attack.

4.) Panic buttons on teacher’s desk would allow help to be contacted sooner.

Panic buttons are in place on teachers’ desks in many schools in the country in preparation for any serious event. When the button is pressed, immediate help is provided from the school’s stationed officer, personnel from the school’s office, or the local police. Had a teacher not had immediate access to his/her cell phone, the situation could be identified with a panic button.

The news article “After Tragedy, Schools Turn to Technology,” written by Meredith Rutland of The Wall Street Journal on August 20th, 2013 discusses how panic buttons are becoming the latest technology used in schools for security. These panic buttons are fairly inexpensive compared to many other security device, and they are not concerning parents of their students safety by having these buttons hidden under teachers’ desks. These panic buttons are the most effective way of communicating a dangerous situation and accessing help immediately. Meredith Rutland states, “When pressed, [the panic buttons] silently alert local security companies or 911 dispatchers of a high-level emergency, signaling that authorities should be sent immediately — no questions asked.” This method is quicker, safer, more reliable, and less conspicuous than calling from a phone, assuming one had a phone within reach to use. Panic buttons are trending now in schools in order to save every precious second in dire situations.

These safety features would allow schools to manage a violent situation with more ease. Metal detectors and panic buttons are two devices that are expensive but not highly debated on when it comes to school security. Metal detectors can help prevent weapons from entering the building and panic buttons can help contact authorities. Neither one, however, can stop a gunman. Having guns on campus, whether in the hands of staff or additional officers, gives schools the opportunity to stop a gunman from harming the occupants of the school building. Guns carry much controversy in this country though. Many people wish all guns in the nation were banned to stop shootings, but that simply would not stop this problem.

Gun Laws:

There are many crucial reasons why we should not ban guns.

1. Gun laws are in place now, but they are not working because school shootings are happening more often than before.

2. Criminals do not follow the laws, and they are the ones using guns unsafely, taking away innocent lives in school shootings. So even if guns are banned from citizens by law, criminals are still going to use guns. James Earl Jones states this message as true by simply saying, “The world is filled with violence. Because criminals carry guns, we decent law-abiding citizens should also have guns. Otherwise they will win and the decent people will lose.”

3. Criminals are not going to give up their guns because the law says so. If they want to have a gun, they are going to have one.

4. If guns become illegal but criminals still have them, everyone else following the law will be at a greater disadvantage. We will not have protection for our family, our friends, and ourselves if we do not have the ability to be armed.

Founding Father, Thomas Jefferson, would know the Second Amendment the best. He states, “The laws that forbid the carrying of arms are laws of such a nature. They disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes…. Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man.” Jefferson claims that by taking away guns from innocent citizens, the risk of harm to those people is only greater than if they are armed.

5. More gun laws would not help the situation. Criminals are not the ones that apply for a FOID card (if in the state of Illinois), take safety courses, and buy their guns from authorized places.

6. If we have the ability to be armed, criminals would be less likely to shoot people. Even if they did, minimal lives lost before they are stopped. A criminal’s goal is to attract as much attention to himself or herself so people remember them. Being shot down as soon as they fire the gun would not give them the attention they desired.

And as they say…

Guns laws are constantly debated throughout this nation. Not always argued, but still a major topic, is school security because of the expense and the consumption of time.

School Security:

There are many issues that are tied with the addition of more advanced school security, but the additional protective measures pay off when an emergency situation occurs. These issues need to be addressed from both sides, addressing the negative effects that these additions cause while supporting the positive impacts these devices have, which is primarily to provide safety for the students and staff.

1. Security devices can be expensive to install and maintain. This money takes away from the education fund, but the school now has better access to what objects, such as weapons, are in the school. The devices can provide students with an eased mind that they are safer, and they are a threat to those attempting to violate the school.

2. Certain devices may become time consuming for the students, but in the event of an emergency, every second counts. Taking the extra time to better insure safety makes a large difference in times of trouble.

3. Security devices all across the school may impact students psychologically by either making them feel that their school is a dangerous prison or one the other hand, by giving them false security that nothing will ever go wrong now. This issue was brought up during an interview about school shootings with one police officer from the Bloomington-Normal area. In response to this concern, I asked other members of the police force what their opinion on this issue is. One officer stated, “In light of what happened at NCHS a couple years ago and what is seen on the news nearly everyday, I believe students would understand what the safety devices were for.”

4. Devices installed in the school provide protection inside the building but not on the school grounds or on the bus. There are not many options for these other than to have supervision and accessible escape plans.

5. Schools cannot rely on one source of security; they need multiple types of security devices. This can become a hassle for the school but every device has the ability to stop incidents and protect the lives of those in the building, which at the end of the day is most important.

Overall, more advanced school security needs to be part of every school’s budget because the safety of students is most important. These measures need to be taken before a crisis arises in order to help guarantee the lives of the staff and students are as protected as they can be.

Still a current student with many years left of schooling, my voice on these issues matter. Having had a shooting at my high school, my stance is very strong. Schools should no longer be gun-free zones. Being defenseless, schools are targets for terror. Students need to be in a safe, protected environment so learning can flourish. In addition to making schools defensive zones, these educational institutions must have more advanced security. If problems arise, the issue needs to be quickly addressed to the proper source. The circumstance needs to be clearly defined so those dealing with it know exactly what is going on. With more security devices and measures, problems can be immediately resolved with minimum struggles.

Others oppose my stance.

Having guns in schools seems even more dangerous.

The state of Illinois only permits qualified applicants over twenty-one to concealed carry a handgun only after they complete a sixteen-hour training course. Therefore, the only individuals in the school building with a gun would be the staff. Those legally carrying have been trained when and how to use a gun if needed, so staff will not be pulling their guns out at free will. The guns remained concealed, so students do not feel threatened. In addition, other states that have allowed concealed carry have not seen an increase in violence or death by guns.

Advanced school security is expensive.

Lives are priceless. The safety of students should be of number one importance at schools in order to foster a safe learning environment. “School safety is our top priority and we will do everything we can to keep our students safe,” said Dr. Gary Niehaus, the superintendent of Unit 5 schools, which houses NCHS, following the shooting. Safety as the number one priority is common stated by school districts across the nation, but no action is being put towards these words. School systems spend lots of money on items that are not necessary or are far too costly. Putting more money towards protecting students and staff should be top priority over getting a new football field or better basketball equipment.

Violence is not the answer to violence.

When shots have been fired, the only way to stop them is with more shots. It is important to keep in mind that police respond to shooting with their guns loaded and ready to shoot in order to protect innocent lives. Legally carrying citizens should have the right to protect themselves and others wherever they go too. The response of using a gun against another gun is for protection against violence, not to cause more violence.

How would the police know who is the gunman versus who is the citizen protecting himself/herself?

Shootings typically end before police arrive, so this usually is not an issue. If the police did arrive, they are trained to be cautious of individuals who are only trying to protect themselves compared to the ones trying to hurt innocent people. In training, concealed carriers learn to put their hands up when police enter. By this skill taught in training, licensed carriers allow the police to handle the rest of the situation, so they can quickly identify who the shooter is.

Every week more of our country’s children are becoming victims of violent attacks in their school. This needs to stop now. Students’ concentration needs to be placed on learning only, not what to do when something terrible breaks out. America needs to protect the next generation by demanding that their schools stop relying on the sticker at the entrance to protect all the lives inside. Command armed protection for your community’s schools.

Because school is suppose to be a safe place.