Has the thought of going to school ever made you question your own safety? Well, with school shootings on the rise, it might be important to. School shootings, by definition, are “in the typical case, an event in which a student at an educational institution--an elementary, middle, or high school or a college or university--shoots and injuries or kills at least one other student or faculty member on the grounds of that institution” (Greathouse & Belknap, 2019). I believe that school shootings are most definitely an issue in the U.S., and the time is now to make a change. I do think that it’s not too late to act, and that if we do the future generation will have a much safer educational environment.  

The reality of school shootings is that they occur more frequently than most people think. Although a majority of school shootings are televised and reported in newspapers and other sources of media, some aren’t. Whether it be that little to no casualties occurred at that school shooting, or it just didn’t make headline news, some school shootings don’t get talked about or recognized for happening. This is a scary thing because it normalizes school shootings and teaches kids that they should just get used to school shootings happening in their country, rather than fighting back and wanting stricter gun laws.

Since the shooting at Columbine High School in 1999 there have been a total of 68 school shootings in the U.S. Also, from 2015 to 2018 the U.S. averaged one school shooting every 77 days (Melgar, 2019). These statistics make it clear to see that school shootings have increased in the U.S. pretty significantly in the past decade. Before the shooting at Columbine, school shootings were not a common thing. Although school shootings are not as common as daily gun violence, data proves that they are happening more often. In the 13 years between 1999 and 2012, there were actually four periods of time longer than 400 days without a school shooting. Then, in December of 2012 27 people were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Since then, the U.S. has not gone longer than 231 without a school shooting occurring. Also, 2018 had the highest number of school shootings since 1999 (Melgar, 2019). Clearly, school shootings have been gradually increasing over the years, and right now they are at an all-time high. 

Thankfully I have never been in a school shooting or had any friends or people I know been involved with one as well, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t affected my life. School shootings clearly occur way more often than they used to, and that scares me. School shootings and gun violence appear on the news quite a lot, and never allow for students in America to feel fully comfortable going to school.

“At Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, two tens went on a shooting spree on April 20, 1999, killing 13 people and wounding more than 20 others before turning their guns on themselves and commiting suicide” (“Columbine”, 2019). At the time, Columbine was the worst high school shooting to take place in U.S. history. The two shooters were Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Klebold, 17. Both of these teens were seniors at Columbine High School (class of ‘99). One of the big ways Columbine changed the U.S. is that it changed the way police treat school shootings. When Columbine occurred, no one knew what the term “active shooter” meant (Sanchez, 2019). When 9-1-1 calls came in about the shooting at Columbine, police rushed to the scene. However, when police arrived, their tactic was to surround the school in order to “trap” the shooter(s). As we clearly know now, this is one of the worst things to do during a shooting. This allows the shooter(s) inside the building to continue shooting and killing/injuring people. Now, the police rush straight to the gunfire when a shooting occurs. This way, the shooting stops as soon as possible, although the policemen are risking their lives in the process.

Violent video games Dylan and Eric blamed, such as DOOM, were blamed for influencing Eric and Dylan. Also, the hard rock music they listened to was also a theme people blamed. However, neither of these theories were ever proven (“Columbine”, 2019). Brooks Brown, one of Eric and Dylan’s closest friends, says those people who think that have it all wrong. Eric was bullied in middle school for his chest deformity, while Dylan was just made fun of for being different socially. Both Eric and Dylan did not fit in at Columbine, and the kids at their school acknowledged that. Eric and Dylan were constantly called derogatory things, and those mean comments especially came from jocks, whom Eric and Dylan disliked the most.

Overall, school shootings are rapidly on the rise and need to be stopped. It’s not too late. Stricter gun laws and bullying prevention in schools need to be taken seriously and into action. Eric and Dylan didn’t kill 13 people and injure many others out of nowhere. Recognizing and acting on the signs they showed and many others show can be one step in the right direction. Do you want this for future generations of students in America?