San Fernando High School

Killing the Kids:

Toward Establishing Safer Campuses in the United States

Alexis De Luna

AP English and Language

Mr. Martin

May 20, 2019

 De Luna​ 1

America’s gun violence issue is apparent to anyone who turns on the news and finda

another school shooting. Thousands of people in America die each year because of gun violence.

Many solutions have been suggested but are unlikely to be successful. This essay will

demonstrate that as gun violence worsens every year, stricter gun laws offers the greatest

reducement of deaths.

The Past of the Perished

A feeling of being unsafe is probably in a lot of places people go throughout the world,

but it often small enough that is ignorable. In the United States the probability of this feeling is

likely higher because of the recent violent acts by guns. Thousands of lives a year are lost due to

acts of gun violence, and it continues to threaten Americans and their safety.

Around 10 pm on October 1, 2017, a day at the annual Harvest Festival became known as

the deadliest mass shooting in American History. The shooter, Stephen Paddock, would spend

the week before transporting the twenty-three guns and the thousand rounds of ammunition he

uses to the hotel across from the fairground at which the concert takes place. Then, while the

22,000 people in attendance enjoy the show, Paddock would be breaking his hotel windows that

overlook the festival and begin firing at the attendees. They believe, for few seconds, that these

gunshots are fireworks from the show, but reality sets in and the guests run for cover. During the

next twenty minutes, fifty-eight families and over five-hundred people’s lives would change

forever due to deaths and injuries. Among the survivors is Anissa Chacon. At only 19, she has

this experience and now remembers just running for her life after being separated from her sister.

Chacon has since withdrawn from school and is attending therapy and support groups. For a

while, ordinary sounds and public areas frightened her. She claims that her life has changed in
 De Luna​ 2

that she is now more cautious and ridden with survivor’s guilt. Chacon's story is only one of

many accounts showing how Americans were affected by Gun Violence.

The next major act of gun violence at matter takes place at an elementary school. In

December of 2012, in Newton, Connecticut, 20 innocent first-grade children and six adult lives

would be taken. Adam Lanza, who seemingly was obsessed with mass killings and killing

sprees, would be the cause of the lives lost. Although being extremely intelligent, Lanza was

thought to be depressed and a cynic. He would begin planning and preparing for this mass

murder over a year prior. The guns he used were legally purchased by his mother, who he also

murdered before leaving to Sandy Hook Elementary. Despite being warned four years earlier by

someone to which Lanza shared his plans to, the police could not do anything because the guns

were legal. Lanza entered Sandy Hook Elementary with the civilian version of the military’s

M16 assault rifle and two semi-automatic pistols. He shot a hole through the window that

allowed the office to view its visitors and buzz them through, and then entered the campus.

Teachers followed the protocol for an active shooting and hid their terrified students away in

closets and bathrooms. Despite their best efforts, Lanza was capable of murdering 20 of them, all

within the ages of 6 and 7. The surviving American students receive the curse of dealing with the

trauma of experiencing this tragedy and pain for their fallen peers.

Another act of gun violence occurred on November 5, 2017. Devin Patrick Kelley exits

his car outside of Sutherland Springs’ First Baptist Church in ballistic attire and enters the small

church during a Sunday service around 11:20 am. He is armed with an AR-15 and yells a vulgar

thing before he beings to open fire on these worshippers. Within minutes, he has shot 26 people

dead including an unborn child. Along with these deaths are 20 injuries. After his act, he escaped
 De Luna​ 3

and caught in a speed chase with another civilian and stopped when his car hit a street sign. He

then committed suicide with a bullet to the head. Kelley was formally in the Air Force but had a

bad conduct discharge. He had a very violent background including an abusive marriage, sexual

assault, and animal abuse. It was illegal for Kelly to buy these guns because of his background

yet lack of his charges being on the record was the cause of him being capable of obtaining these

guns. The lack of security when buying guns had made it easy for him to get his hands on one

and therefore put Americans in danger.

Solutions of No Success

These events display how easily these perpetrators acquired their guns and ended dozens

of lives. This is only three of the many shootings that the US has faced in the past decade. Each

one leaves more families with graves to dig and people to dread their memories. It does not

matter if you’re in an open-festive place, or somewhere one may consider a sanctuary like a

school, or a religious site, guns make their ways into American lives and continue to threaten

their safety.

One idea for dealing with the problem of gun violence is arming teachers with a firearm.

The idea is to give a trusted employee a gun to defend the classroom from an outside threat.

Supporters of this proposal include, but are not limited to the NRA and Donald Trump. The NRA

is an American non-profit organization that advocates for gun rights. Donald Trump is the

current president of the United States, but was formerly a businessman and television

personality. Becuase he was a business man, it can cause a conflict of interest. It develops the

question “Who’s favor is he acting in?” The reasons this idea is supported is because someone
 De Luna​ 4

who loves the children will be likley to protect them and keep the kids safe and alive. The

teachers would take a preparation class, to ensure that they can properly handle the weapons.

Those who don't support this idea are teacher unions whose opinions should have a large

influence because they are who would be armed. If they do not support the concept, it is unlikely

to be successful. Lily Eskelsen, the president of one of the largest unions in the United States, the

National Education Association, or the NEA, also does not support the proposal. The NEA

represents various kinds of educators including public school teachers. Mo Canady, who is

against arming teachers, is the executive director of the National Association of School Resource

Officers, or NASRO. This Association leads the world in school-based policing. It provides

training to school-based law enforcement officers. One of the arguments against this idea is that

teachers are not security nor sharpshooters, they are educators. This means that it is not their

place to take out the threat. This leads to the second argument, they are mentally unprepared to

take a life. They did not sign up to be responsible to shoot a gun. Many fear that one day it could

be a student shooter. Then this person who loves the child and was supposed to protect them will

be the one behind the trigger. They must make the choice of ending a child’s life or not shooting

and in the time it takes to decide, many can die. The next argument was what if there is an

accidental shooting with the gun? In cases of younger children, they may come across the gun

while the teacher is dealing with the other 20 students in their class. This makes a place of safety

a place of danger. Another argument was the chance that during disagreements or anger

meltdowns, the students or teachers could pull the gun out and use it. Heated moments between

students and teachers or between students are not too rare. Some of these moments get physical,

if a gun was accessible to each party, it is possible that it could be used to express their anger. I
 De Luna​ 5

can think of numerous times in elementary when a student would have an outburst. The teacher’s

solution was for us to exit the classroom while he dealt with it. While we were outside, the boy

would throw things,including scissors, toward the teacher, write foul things on the board, and be

violent to whoever was near. Having a gun accessible to him or the teacher who dealt with him

would’ve brought great fear to all of us. An additional argument against this concept is racial

profiling being the reason behind the trigger. The gun could be used on someone in the

classroom just because of their race. Like police brutality, teachers may excuse a shot they made

when a student of color was mistaken to be a danger when they were in fact, doing nothing at all.

Another point against this solution is it being a power that teachers should not have. They may

abuse this power in a negative way. This could be threatening children, or eliminating ones that

they do not favor. This amount of power is dangerous in anybody’s hand. The final argument

against the idea was the teacher’s safety being in jeopardy. In cases where the teacher did use the

gun or even took it out and police arrived after an active shooting. The police just look for the

gun and suddenly the person with the gun is the teacher who saved lives or pulled their weapon

out. The teacher is now mistaken for the shooter and an innocent life is taken. These are all valid

arguments and reasonable to be wary of. These are multiple points that show why arming the

teacher is a bad idea. A good guy with a gun does not always beat a bad guy with a gun.

Another idea proposed to handle the issue of gun violence is clear backpacks for students.

Robert W. Runcie is the superintendent of Broward County Public Schools. After the tragic

shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Valentine’s Day of 2018, he has

enforced general protocols throughout the district. These include students having to wear their

identification badges at all times at school and all classrooms being locked at all times. At
 De Luna​ 6

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, he implemented these security measures and made

clear backpacks mandatory. When students came back for the next semester they were to receive

a free clear backpack from the district and had to use it. The idea behind this was that no student

could bring in a weapon whether it was a gun, knife, or anything else without it being noticed.

The new solution did not settle well with students and their parents. They claimed that it

was an invasion of privacy. This was especially true with female students. They were

uncomfortable with the whole school being able to see their feminine products, and felt it was

unnecessary to bring attention to them like that. Many students feel that they are now at a higher

risk of theft because all of their belongings are apparent. The students also felt like they were

being punished for someone else’s mistake. Now, their school felt like a prison. They did not feel

that this was the right solution, one tweeted that it was a “band-aid on a broken bone.” Parents

wanted their children’s school life to go back to normal. They knew their children were

uncomfortable, not safe. Susan Reimer, a Baltimore Sun Writer, also had something to say about

the clear backpacks. She claims that it gives the wrong message to students about themselves and

their peers. It gives them the idea that their school does not trust them and that they cannot trust

their peers. Reimer also claims that it is a false sense of security that is not actually efficient. The

solution of clear back packs is a change made with the right intentions, but was done in the

wrong manner.

Another solution to gun violence was created by David Helsel. He is the superintendent

of a school district in North East Pennsylvania, the Blue Mountain District. His solution was

putting a five-gallon bucket of river stone in each classroom closet. He figured the rocks to be a

last resort if there was an active shooter. Helsel thought it to be a way to make them less
 De Luna​ 7

helpless. Instead of hiding under desks waiting for their attacker, students can be ready to throw

the rocks and injure the shooter. Helsel compared these rocks and found it to be better than

throwing books, bags, staplers, or whatever else they found in the classroom.

Kenneth S. Trump, the president of National School Safety and Security Services, found

the rock solution illogical. He said it would cost lives and was just an emotional security blanket

that provided no actual security. This could be interpreted as the idea being pointless. The

Director of Organizing at a gun-control group called Ceasefire PA, Robert Conroy believes it’s

tragic that it has come to point in society where schools must defend themselves with rocks. He

claims that there should be real reforms of gun laws.

Laws for Lives

A possible solution to the gun violence issue in America is better gun safety measures or

laws. Although this idea applies nationally, for the purposes of this paper, the focus will be on

states not including California.

Currently, purchasing a firearm is relatively easy in other states. California should be the

model for the gun laws in other states considering it has the most relating to guns in the country

(Stephenson). It attempts to prohibit those who are unfit to own a firearm from acquiring one.

This concept is fundamental considering the people who can get guns in other states and the

degree to which they are unfit.

In states with relatively lax gun laws, one group of unfit people may be teenagers. The

reason they are unfit may be obvious to some, but to others they may not be so apparent. Studies

have shown that teenagers are unpredictable and may be irrational by acting on temporary

feelings AACP). Additionally, homicide rates rise from late teens and 20(Tritch). Teenagers do
 De Luna​ 8

not have plenty of rights, yet have the right to own a gun; it is not logical. It does not seem right

that as a teenager, one may get a gun, but cannot legally drink or vote. In California, there is a

strict rule of the gun-purchaser being at least 18. Although this is not when a person is fully

developed, it is better than not having an age restriction at all. Some states allow children as

young as 14 to buy hunting rifles, which are as dangerous as any other gun.

Another group is mentally ill. The power of a gun is extraordinary and possessing a

healthy mental state is critical. From 2000 to 2013, of 63 active shooters in the US, 25% had a

diagnosis by a health professional with mental illness(Farivar). This number alone shows that a

significant number of mentally ill people got a hold of guns despite having the medical

diagnosis. In California, if one is unfit for trial, they are unfit to own a gun. Having a mental

illness prohibits people from owning a gun. This is enforced by performing background checks

on purchasers of firearms.

The next unfit group of interest is formerly violent convicts. If they committed a crime

once and served time in prison, many of their rights get taken away and they are more likely to

commit another crime. This crime may have to involve a gun. Another situation that may make

newly released prisoners commit a crime is vengeance. These motives make them a danger, and

this should prohibit them from buying a gun. California currently bans convicts from buying a

gun for life.

Another group of people who should not be able to own a gun is those with restraining

orders. Even though there are thousands of reasons for one to have a restraining order against

them, there is a valid reason. Restraining orders may mean that someone had enough fear to take

legal action against someone. Now imagine the person they fear being able to or having a gun; it
 De Luna​ 9

multiplies the terror. A person who felt the need to do this, should not be able to get a gun. Those

with restraining orders connects to the final group of interest: the domestically violent. Mental or

physical abuse which is harsh enough, but when the abuser acquires a gun, it can make the

situation exponentially worse and possibly lethal whether by threats or use of the gun. The

amount of domestically violent people that have restraining orders is unbelievably high. In 2008

alone, it is an estimated 1.7 million(Across Walls). That is the possible minimum of people who

may buy and use a gun in a violent manner against the former spouse and family. California

does not allow people who are domestically violent to buy a firearm.

By making gun laws stricter in the US, guns are much less likely to get into irresponsible

hands that would use them lethally. It does not take away people’s rights to bear arms, but

regulates it. California successfully prevents the previously mentioned group of people from

buying guns by requiring a background check. If the person fails, the process of buying a gun

stops right then and there.

Another step to reducing gun violence in the US is requiring a license and training to own

a gun. If someone wants a gun, they should not mind going through the process to own one.

Much like a driver’s license, there are requirements. There is an amount of practice and a safety

course needed. The safety would involve handling near people. This practice would reduce

accidents and it would inform the person about gun-use and the effects. By giving these lessons,

the person’s mind opens to possibilities they never considered. California requires something

similar: a Firearm’s Safety Certificate. It is relatively easy with only 30 questions. This safety

certificate helps but is not as effective as a whole course given as it is just a study guide and then

test. Owning a gun is a big deal, and it should require a lesson in a classroom setting.
 De Luna​ 10

The final step to reducing gun violence in California is to make a requirement of secure

storage of guns. Similar to how one cannot take a loaded gun in the car after purchasing, or at a

range, they should not be loaded at home either. There should be a requirement to purchase a

safe storing place. The lesson of how to store the gun should be embedded in the lesson

previously mentioned. By requiring this, people or children who are not the owners and not

meant to use the gun are less likely to get a hold of it. It also helps to reduce accidents.

One may argue against stricter gun laws being effective, but it is shown in California’s

statistics that it works. California’s numbers are lower than other states. Although this solution

will not solve gun violence, it will help dramatically reduce it. The reducing of this number is

better than no solution at all.

The preceding discussion has attempted to bring awareness of the reality of gun violence

in America. Instead of going around the NRA, America needs to cut the issue down at the source

and implement stricter gun laws. As more time passes, more lives are lost and those who do not

fight for gun laws might as well dig their grave.

 De Luna​ 11

Works Cited

Aacap. ​Teen Brain: Behavior, Problem Solving, and Decision Making,​

www.aacap.org/aacap/families_and_youth/facts_for_families/fff-guide/the-teen-brain-behavior-p

roblem-solving-and-decision-making-095.aspx.

Andone, Dakin. “Marjory Stoneman Douglas Will Require Students to Carry Only Clear

Backpacks.” ​CNN,​ Cable News Network, 22 Mar. 2018,

www.cnn.com/2018/03/22/us/marjory-stoneman-douglas-clear-backpack-trnd/index.html.

Ap. “In Many U.S. States, 18 Is Old Enough to Buy a Semiautomatic.” ​CBS News,​ CBS

Interactive, 16 Feb. 2018,

www.cbsnews.com/news/in-many-u-s-states-18-is-old-enough-to-buy-a-semiautomatic/.

“Bearing Arms: What It Takes to Buy a Gun in California ‹ Pepperdine Graphic.”

Pepperdine Graphic​,

pepperdine-graphic.com/bearing-arms-what-it-takes-to-buy-a-gun-in-california/.

Chavez, Nicole. “This School District Is Arming Students with Rocks in Case of a

Shooter.” ​CNN​, Cable News Network, 24 Mar. 2018,

www.cnn.com/2018/03/24/us/pennsylvania-school-students-armed-rocks-trnd/index.html.

Communicating with Prisoners​, www.acrosswalls.org/statistics/restraining-orders/.

Farivar, Masood. “FBI Study: Most Mass Shooters Are Not Mentally Ill.” ​VOA​, VOA, 22

June 2018,

www.voanews.com/a/fbi-study-most-mass-shooters-are-not-mentally-ill/4449801.html.
 De Luna​ 12

Ray, Michael. “Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting.” ​Encyclopædia Britannica​,

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 7 Dec. 2018,

www.britannica.com/event/Newtown-shootings-of-2012.

Reed, Sam. “How Did Transparent Bags Become the Solution to Gun Violence?” ​The

Hollywood Reporter,​ 22 Mar. 2018,

www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/how-did-transparent-bags-become-solution-gun-violence-10

96620.

Sanchez, Ray. “FBI Docs Paint Disturbing Portrait of Sandy Hook Shooter Adam

Lanza.” ​CNN​, Cable News Network, 25 Oct. 2017,

www.cnn.com/2017/10/24/us/sandy-hook-adam-lanza-unsealed-docs/index.html.

Tritch, Teresa. “Keep Handguns Away From Teenagers.” ​The New York Times​, The New

York Times, 30 May 2014,

takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/05/30/keep-handguns-away-from-teenagers/.

Vcsoutdoors. “Ventura Sisters Escaped the Las Vegas Shooting, Then the Thomas Fire.”

Reno Gazette Journal​, Ventura County Star, 1 Oct. 2018,

www.rgj.com/story/news/local/2018/10/01/las-vegas-shooting-survivor-ventura-route-91-harvest

-country-music-festival/1439349002/.