As one of the countries with the largest gun homicide and suicide death rates in the world, the U.S is constantly debating about gun control laws and the prevalence of gun violence in society. The topic of gun legislation ties into the topic of gun violence because many people are supporting the passing of laws in order to limit the amount of gun violence occurring in the nation, especially school shootings. Since the Columbine shooting in 1999 more and more school shootings have occurred each year fueling the fight against gun violence and for gun control laws. One argument is that the only way to ensure that people are safe is to have stricter gun control laws and to work on gun legislation.

Gun violence has affected the government and its citizens for years; however, in recent years due to the increasing prevalence of school shootings gun control laws are becoming more debated. The discussion about passing stricter gun control laws is largely driven by students who have survived school shootings at their own school. These students are trying to change the legislation around gun violence and gun control in order to prevent school shootings from happening. School shootings not only affect students but entire communities as well. Students are the future and they dictate what the country will be; therefore, the fate of the students affects everyone in the country. An investigation of gun legislation and school shootings prove that the occurrence of school shootings should lead the U.S to create and pass more gun control laws because school shootings can cause constant fear to students and distract them from learning, they are increasing in number and becoming more common, and they are tragedies that can take an enormous toll on a community.

The topic of school shootings and how they relate to gun violence and gun control laws is crucial because children have the right to go to school without the fear of a school shooting, and a child’s life is worth much more than a gun. Gun violence and gun control remain a crucial topic in the United States because the government needs to protect its citizens. School shootings frequently spark the debate around gun control laws. People around the country who have been affected by school shootings implore lawmakers to create and pass harsher gun control laws, in hopes that they might save lives. There is a lot of debate around the issue because many people see gun control laws as a direct violation of their rights instilled by the Second Amendment. The two sides have been arguing for many years starting with the Columbine shooting, but the argument has been increasing as more school shootings occur. Even students have been fighting for change organizing countrywide student walkouts and protests. Student-led action needs to be encouraged in order to continue to make a change. In her article, “Nerves on Edge for Back to School”, Caroline Simon argues that students should not have to go to school in fear and think about ways to prevent a school shooting. “The kindergartners and first-graders have special songs that help them remember what to do if their cheerful classroom suddenly becomes a danger zone and where to run if their school is next in a seemingly endless string of mass shootings.” (Simon) The author argues that the issue has gotten so dangerous and so common that small school children have started to be prepared through songs and where to hide during a school shooting. Schools can no longer rely on the government and laws to protect them. How can children grow up to respect and have pride in their country when their government keeps failing them time and time again. Instead of focusing on learning their focus is on how to survive should there be a school shooting. These morbid thoughts and responsibilities should not have to lie with kindergarten and first graders. Simon also argues that the prevalence of school shootings is not just dangerous, but also distracting to students and their learning. Generations of children are growing up in an age when gun violence is becoming more common and a real threat for schools. Teachers say the increasing pressure and concern for school shootings distract students from learning. (Simon) More schools are authorizing active shooter drills and coming up with different precautions to prevent school shootings. Although it is good that schools are taking these precautions it is also sad that they are necessary in the first place. These drills and rules are distracting to students and take away from their learning because while they are memorizing what to do if an active shooter comes into their classroom they are not learning about math or history. Students are starting to become scared while in class which is also distracting to their learning. The article illustrates how school shootings make a negative impact on schools across the country, not just in one area. It also delves into how a school shooting can impact students in ways one might not expect, for example, students becoming distracted from learning. For reasons such as these, gun control laws must become stricter.

An investigation of gun legislation and school shootings prove that the occurrence of school shootings should lead the U.S to create and pass more gun control laws because school shootings can cause constant fear to students and distract them from learning. In order to prevent school shootings schools have taken to having active shooter drills and teaching the students what to do if a shooter comes into their classroom. In her article, “Nerves on Edge for Back to School”, Caroline Simon argues that students should not have to go to school in fear and think about ways to prevent a school shooting. “A generation of children is growing up in an age when gun violence is a real threat for schools, and teachers say the mounting concern distracts students from the task of learning itself.” (Simon) More and more schools are authorizing active shooter drills and coming up with different precautions to prevent school shootings. Although it is good that schools are taking these precautions it is also sad that they are necessary in the first place. These drills and rules are distracting to students and take away from their learning because while they are memorizing what to do if an active shooter comes into their classroom they are not learning about math or history. Students are starting to become scared while in class which is also distracting to their learning. In the article, “After Parkland, States Pass 50 New Gun Laws”, Matt Vasilogambros argues that after the Parkland mass shooting and the March for Our Lives event there has been a lot of changes throughout the country regarding gun laws. "‘We are the generation that's had to be trapped in closets, waiting for police to come or waiting for a shooter to walk into our door,’ Parkland survivor Alex Wind told ‘60 Minutes’ in March. ‘We are the people that know what it's like firsthand.’" (Vasilogambros) Adults and politicians are the ones who have the ability to change gun laws and keep students safe, not the students themselves. Children are the ones having to live in fear of a school shooter, politicians do not know what it is like to have a shooter on campus drill so why do they get to make the laws about gun laws. Unless they go through some sort of experience with school shootings it seems illogical that they could make such important decisions about them. School shootings are much more than just a political issue that people debate. They have a lasting effect and toll on students and communities. Even students that have not experienced a school shooting can be affected by them by having to go through active shooter drills. Innocent kindergarteners and first graders have to be taught what to do if a shooter comes into their classroom, something these young children should not have to worry about. A closer look at gun control laws with these details in mind could reveal that more could be done when it comes to protecting students.

The debate about gun legislation and school shootings continue to be relevant because school shootings are increasing in number and becoming more common. In the article, “Nerves on Edge for Back to School”, Caroline Simon argues that students should not have to go to school in fear and think about ways to prevent a school shooting and that some action should take place in preventing school shootings. “Roughly one-third of today's parents fear for their child's safety in school, according to a poll by Phi Delta Kappa, an educators' association. That's the highest proportion since 1998 and a steep increase from 2013 when that number was only 12%.” (Simon) There is more fear around school shootings since they seem to be more prevalent today. In previous years, even though there were school shootings they were not happening as often and more people had faith in the gun laws that were responsible for keeping their children safe. In the article, “Why the U.S and New Zealand’s responses to mass shootings are so different”, Courtney Norris questions why the responses to mass shootings were so different between the two countries. According to the author, there was a shooting in New Zealand that killed over fifty people, only a couple days later New Zealand legislation created new laws to restrict the type of guns that people can buy. (Norris) The most recent shooting was New Zealand's first mass shooting in many years. Through the undeniable facts and evidence, it is more apparent than ever that school shootings and mass shootings continue to increase instead of decrease. The only way to see such a statistic in a positive light would hope that it inspires change to occur; however, impactful change never seems to happen.

Although there is a lot of debate about it, gun control laws should be revised and passed because the toll that school shootings have on communities is immense both emotionally and economically. In the article, “It’s Back to School in Parkland-but Hardly Back to Normal”, AJ Willingham and Diane Gallagher argue that after the recent Parkland shooting schools have been taking security measures into their own hands and are adding security cameras and taking unprecedented action against potential threats. The school now needs two principals because the task of managing a high school that has been the target of a school shooting is too much for one person. (Willingham and Gallagher) Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School is now too hard to manage for just one person. Before the school shooting, there was only a need for one principal to run the school, now there is a need for two principals in order to run the school. The principals have to do everything that other schools have to do except now they must enforce security measures, focus on providing counseling to students, and ensuring students and their parents that they are not in danger when they come to school. The long-lasting effect of the shooting is taking effect on the people and the community of Parkland, Florida. It is easy for people to forget about what happened at the high school after a month or so has passed, but in reality, the shooting continues to cause problems and stress for the school and the surrounding community. Stress that might not even be necessary with stricter gun laws. Willingham and Gallagher further develop their argument with the description of the security measures that the school now has to develop and the difficulty that the school now has to face not only emotionally, but now economically as well. “Koerber is dismayed that the school decided not to install metal detectors, one of several proposed security measures considered over the summer. Ultimately, the school shelved the idea until it could train staff on how to properly use them. It also discontinued the requirement of clear backpacks; a measure from last school year that prompted privacy concerns and dark-humored ridicule.” (Willingham and Gallagher) Some schools are trying to strengthen their security measures, especially Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School after the shooting on February last year but some security details are falling short. Some security techniques are going too far and disrupting people's privacy such as the idea to have all students wear clear backpacks. Other security measures that many students think would be useful the schools are not enforcing such as metal detectors. These new security measures are invasive and use a lot of resources including time and money. A lot of them would also not be necessary if the U.S would enforce and create stricter gun laws. Stricter gun laws are not necessary to restrict citizens rights, they are necessary to save people, even entire communities, from suffering. Children are fearing for their lives, parents have to see their child taken from them and the reason is preventable. There should be no reason to not try and protect these students. Nothing is worth their lives.

Although some argue that gun control laws violate the Second Amendment, the Second Amendment needs to be reevaluated to fit the ideas of the modern century. In the article, “Don’t Trample on the Second Amendment”, John Kennedy argues that that changing the Second Amendment is not going to make a difference in how people misuse guns. “Cruz’s behavior over the years raised more red flags than the Chinese Embassy. Nothing was done. That’s not the fault of the Second Amendment or those who believe in it.” (Kennedy) Cruz’s behavior was definitely odd and showed a lot of worrying signs of what he was going to do before he did it; however, he was still able to purchase a gun. He had multiple posts on his social media explaining what he was planning on doing and nothing was ever said and he was able to purchase a gun. There was no social media background check otherwise they would have seen what he was posting and not allowed him to get a gun. Nothing was done because the current laws do not allow anything to be done. Maria Cardona, the author of the article “It’s Time to Rethink the Second Amendment”, argues that the Second Amendment was created a long time ago at an extremely different point in history, now it is more dangerous than helpful to us. According to the author, the Second Amendment was created during a time of huge uncertainty and fear of a tyrannical government. The amendment was made to ensure that if the government turned on the citizens with their own army the citizens would have a way of fighting back. Therefore, every man had the right to bear arms and had access to their village’s stash of guns in case the government suddenly wanted to take over the lives of the citizenry. (Cardona) The author argues that our country is not plagued by the fear of a tyrannical government anymore. We are confident in our strong country and in our strong military. The government has access to nuclear weapons, but you see no gun activists fighting for the right to also have access to nuclear weapons. The very idea is absurd and would clearly put many people in danger. Continuously proving why the Second Amendment is outdated and needs to either be changed or repealed entirely. The Second Amendment was written during a time where guns were used daily for hunting and duels. Guns were necessary for survival then, but that is not the case now. The Second Amendment was one in several amendments to the constitution, meaning that the constitution was not perfect and needed to be amended. It is a ridiculous claim to assume that the Second Amendment is perfect even though it was written hundreds of years ago and that its 18th-century ideas fit the 21st-century world. Hundreds of amendments have been made to the constitution in the years since the Second Amendment was written. Why should it be assumed that the Second Amendment does not require any changes?

I go to dance competitions with my dance studio, and we go to the same ones every year. One that we went to last year was right after the Parkland shooting and one of the dancers who had been going to the competition for a long time, Jaime Guttenberg, was killed in the Parkland shooting. The competition had decided to ask people to wear orange ribbons in remembrance of Jaime because it was her favorite color. There were dances devoted to her and all weekend long everyone wore orange ribbons. There is now an organization called Orange Ribbons for Jaime, her parents started the organization and it donates money to many different charities. It surprised me that something that happened in Florida could affect people so much all the way across the country in California. High school students are asking: Do I not have the right to go to school without the fear of someone walking into my classroom and taking my life? It is the law that is requiring me to go to school; however, it is also the law that is making me scared to go. Students think about these things while in class. They calculate how close they are to the door, where they would hide, how they could escape. I have an escape plan in the back of my mind for every classroom that I am in. I am too young to vote about laws and electing officials, but I am old enough to endure the consequences of other people’s actions. It seems at times as though I have no say in the matter, but looking at the Parkland students organizing a massive movement makes me sad but at the same time gives me hope for the future.

Even though the Second Amendment gives U.S citizens the right to privately own guns for protection or for sport, the occurrence of school shootings prove that we should create and pass more gun control laws because school shootings can cause constant fear to students and distract them from learning, school shootings are increasing in number and becoming more common, and school shootings are tragedies that can take an enormous toll on a community. Something that could prevent school shootings would be having more discussions about them and why they are happening as well as discussions about potential gun control laws. Many people tend to avoid the topic because they don’t want to think about it or it is too controversial or too sad. It may be controversial and sad, but those are the exact reasons why there should be an ongoing conversation about it. To gain perspectives from other people from different sides of the argument, to prevent sad like this from happening again. This is the critical role that school shootings play in Gun Control debate, they continuously push and drive conversations and debate into the open so that maybe one day some change will happen.

Works Cited

Cardona, Maria. “It's Time to Rethink the Second Amendment.” TheHill, 21 Feb. 2018, thehill.com/opinion/civil-rights/374827-its-time-to-rethink-the-second-amendment.

Kennedy, John. "Don't Trample on the Second Amendment: Sen. John Kennedy." USA Today (Online), 03 Jan. 2019. SIRS Issues Researcher, sks.sirs.com.

Norris, Courtney. “Why the U.S. and New Zealand's Responses to Mass Shootings Are so Different.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 27 Mar. 2019, www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/why-the-u-s-and-new-zealands-responses-to-mass-shootings-are-so-different.

Simon, Caroline. "Nerves on Edge for Back to School." USA TODAY, 22 Aug. 2018, pp. A.1. SIRS Discoverer, discoverer.prod.sirs.com.

Vasilogambros, Matt. "After Parkland, States Pass 50 New Gun Control Laws." stateline.org, 06 Aug. 2018. SIRS Discoverer, discoverer.prod.sirs.com.

Willingham, A. J., and Dianne Gallagher. "It's Back to School in Parkland--but Hardly Back to Normal." CNN Wire Service, 15 Aug. 2018. SIRS Discoverer, discoverer.prod.sirs.com.