Gun Violence in America 

As a child, I had an extremely positive outlook on life as many do. I had not yet been impacted by societal issues. I was in First grade. Like most kids, we had just become aware of the world around us. I remember the day the Sandy Hook school shooting happened. December 14th, 2012 in Newtown Connecticut. The shooting was almost like a reality check, I viewed the world as a safe and perfect place, and seeing that something like this could happen changed that for me. 

The close proximity played a huge role in this too. I lived only 71 miles away from the school, as far as I knew nothing like this ever happened in Connecticut. That afternoon I came home and my mom hugged me longer than usual, I could feel her “fearful energy”. People feared their children going to school and were unsure if their children would return home. This puts into perspective that people aren't safe anywhere, anything is possible, and anything can happen no matter your age. Gun violence has become the “norm” in America.

26 people were killed during the shooting. 20 kids and 6 adults.

Darren Loo talks about how the consistency of the mass shootings has affected Society. “People of all ages in the United States have to live with the fear they could be caught in a shooting incident at any time and anywhere. This is especially true for younger generations as they are born and raised as mass shootings and school shootings ramped up. Lockdown drills and active shooter drills play a big role in American schools today. Kids must live with the constant fear of mass shootings, even when they are simply getting an education.” In school, kids my age have to live in fear that each loud bang, announcement made, scream, people running, or even someone simply reaching into their bag may lead to a school shooting. Yes, we are somewhat used to seeing shootings in the media; shootings that happened at concerts, on street corners, and in schools but only because nothing is being done about it. 

Last during the Uvalde school shooting really hit home. I was brought back to my first-grade class again but this time I wasn't as shocked, I was somewhat desensitized. The feeling of fear and sadness was overwhelming. I spoke to my class about it after it happened, we complained about gun laws and how gun death rates are only increasing for school-age children. We constantly live in fear knowing that anything can happen. 

Politics plays a huge role in the Fight for gun laws. People believe that arming teachers will help put an end to the violence. I 100% disagree with this. This poses many problems surrounding guns. It subjects kids to knowing that guns are nearby and it puts more guns into society when we are supposed to be doing the opposite. We are often mocked by people from other countries, they say things like “Americans are stupid because their schools are always getting shot up.” The number of shootings not only affects how we feel in society but it affects how others see us. School shootings in the United States have not only become the norm for many Americans but also for places around the world.