Are School Shootings Getting Worse?

An elementary school in Nashville Tennessee fell victim to being the 89th school shooting to happen this year. The morning of March 27, 2023, an active shooter opened fire on the campus of Covenant School for approximately fifteen minutes. In result there were a total of six deaths, including three children and three adults. Although with this marking another school shooting happening this year Congress has yet to press any issues involving the gun control and possibilities of a new law regarding it. 

School shootings across America have come more into topic when it comes to gun control and the 2nd amendment. Due to this problem in schools’ students nowadays are taught and instructed what to do in case of an active shooter on campus. Lola Halkola, a sophomore on campus says, “Even as a child in elementary school we had to do shooter drills,” further explaining how, “it scared me, but now I realize what a problem it is.” 

It’s not uncommon most days for American schools to be getting threats from on campus. In fact, a study from 2022 by the American Academy of Pediatrics explains how the rate of adolescent gun carriers increased by 41% from 2002 to 2019. Even at Ridgeview High School there’s been multiple school shooting threats throughout the years. Sophomore Damian Hernandez explains, “school threats have made me less scared because nothing has escalated,” and how, “this builds a false sense of security because if a threat does occur some may not know how to react.”

After the tragedy at Covenant Congress seemed to have little urgency toward the gun violence and legislation when it came to gun control. Janelle Lancaster explains, “Majority of people don’t care”, when it comes to active change on gun control. President Biden has even voiced how, when it comes to gun control, it all falls in the hands of Congress.  Lancaster says, “I think a lot of people are going to start taking it more seriously, and that’s a good thing in itself.” 

This is not the first tragedy in recent years when it comes to school shootings. Just last year there were 21 victims of the Uvalde Texas school shooting. Yet this decision has yet to be made within Congress on gun control and doesn’t seem to be getting answered anytime soon. Halkola comments on gun control restrictions saying, “Yeah because if not [restrictions] then people die, or a lot more die than what we can control.”