How have school shootings affected the United States over the last couple of centuries? The first shooting was documented on July 26, 1764, in present-day Greencastle, Pennsylvania where a student killed his classmates and teacher; only two survived. There have been over 1,676 casualties from school shootings since 2000. There have been 738 shootings with deaths or injuries since 2000. Shootings aren’t taken lightly by parents and students that are attending in-person school. Most days students, teachers, and facility members have to attend school every day like nothing happened and continue on with their lives.
School shootings have not only occurred within high schools, they also happened at colleges, elementary schools, and middle schools. According to USA facts about 61.0% of school shootings happen at high schools, 23.6% happen within elementary schools, and middle schools are at 12.0%. The first school shooting that sparked a debate was the Columbine School Shooting that took place in Jefferson County, Colorado on April 20, 1999. On this day,15 people died and 20 people were left injured. Afterward, most students, teachers, and facility members were left with emotional trauma. This school shooting has been one of the most talked about in the last couple of decades.
December 14, 2012: At Sandy Hook Elementary School there was the first widely known massacre of 6 and 7-year-old children. Adam Lanza started the day around 8:50 when he shot and killed his mother Nancy Lanza and took three firearms. Lanza forced entry into the elementary school around 9:25, and in the roughly 10 minutes it took for police to arrive, Lanza shot and killed 28 people including his mother, the shooter made his way to the first-grade classrooms where he killed 20 children. The surviving first graders graduated high school last year and through the years they have spoken up about what their experiences are and are making a difference.
For many of the remaining survivors in May 2023, they went to speak with Vice President Kamala Harris. Many of them can’t wait to leave the “bubble” they are currently in. In May 2023 they were supposed to be graduating but there would only be 60 of the 330 kids fulfilling the dream of graduating high school. The victims were honored during the ceremony. According to NPR, “Many of the survivors said they continue to live with the trauma of that day: Loud noises still cause them to jump out of their seats, and some keep an eye on a room’s exit. Many have spent years in therapy for post-traumatic stress, depression, and anxiety.” The group of seniors involved in Junior Newtown Action Alliance and the anti-gun violence efforts got to discuss their personal experiences and call for change with Vice President Kamala Harris. Survivor Ella Seaver, 18, said, “Putting my voice out there and working with all of these amazing people to try and create change really puts a meaning to the trauma that we all were forced to experience. It’s a way to feel like you’re doing something. Because we are. We’re fighting for change and we’re really not going to stop until we get it.” Most of the survivors whether they are a girl or boys want to major in college in something regarding civil rights, politics, political science, psychology, law, and to help with gun policy.
September 4, 2024: In Winder, Georgia around 9:45 suspect Colt Gray left his Algebra 1 class and returned about 35 minutes later. At Apalachee High School they have a special door system where it locks all the time and when his fellow classmate went to unlock it she discovered he had an AR 15. Gray ended up killing 2 students who were also 14 years old at the time and 2 teachers, and also injured a couple more students. Since the incident, AHS has had several walls covering the scene of the accident. Several students who were sitting next to him before he left class– and the individual who almost opened the door–talked on the news regarding what happened. Since then his father has also been convicted and is facing an accomplice to murder conviction. Gray’s father was the one who bought and gifted the AR gun to him as a present. A year prior to the shooting the FBI interviewed Colt about making threats about a shooting.
What do all of these school shootings have in common? They all ended the same way with tragedy. Still, gun violence hasn’t been taken care of and isn’t considered a national threat. Regular civilians should not have access to AR-style guns. After Columbine, Sandy Hook, Parkland, and the Uvlade shootings, there should have been a change, and yet there isn’t. These guns are military-style rifles and should not even be used as normal hunting weapons. When will it be enough to finally ban owning an AR gun after all of this bloodshed and death over the last couple of years? The answer is still unknown as the school shootings count continues going up day by day. In contrast, students should feel safe coming to school. They should learn and receive an education without worrying about their life. And each student who survives this tragic situation has to live with the trauma. In conclusion, this issue is still an ongoing problem that needs to be solved soon, and after it is, we might be able to move on and feel safe while in school.
