How can we bring school shootings to an end? These past years there have been many school shootings that have been horrific, traumatizing, and heart-breaking. These shootings have raised concern for our student’s safety. According to EducationWeek, there have been 222 school shootings resulting in injuries and death since 2018.
The latest situation of school shootings took place on January 22, 2025, in Nashville, TN at Antioch High School. One student was killed and two others were injured. School shootings have led to fear and worry in students and schools. So, as a community, we need to find a solution to keep our students safe and remove gun violence from our communities. But how?
Many schools have created new policies to protect students and teachers. These policies include implementing crisis intervention programs that help schools identify and de-escalate dangerous situations, ensuring sufficient mental health counselors, heightening security, and informing parents about secure gun storage.
Action needs to be taken in our communities as well, such as raising the minimum age to purchase a firearm and requiring background checks on people who are purchasing a firearm.
How can we students help prevent school shootings?
If you hear another student talking about shooting someone in the school, tell a trusted adult or staff member about the situation. If you are going through issues, whether it’s getting bullied, harassed, or anything that is bothering you or is causing you to feel angry or sad, visit your counselor, or someone you know that you can trust to share your problems with.
Many schools have also implemented ALICE training into their school system. This training ensures that students and staff know what to do when there is an active shooter in the school, ensuring that students stay safe and respond quickly and effectively during this sort of situation. This is what ALICE stands for according to ALICE Training.
A Alert- Be aware of your surroundings and recognize signs of danger through your senses or notifications like mobile alerts, emails, or announcements.
L Lockdown- ALICE’s enhanced Lockdown strategy buys time and fortifies safety when evacuation isn’t possible, keeping individuals secure until help arrives.
I Inform- Use real-time information to make informed decisions during an emergency, guiding actions like evacuation or lockdown.
C Counter- As a last resort, Counter involves creating noise, movement, and distraction to disrupt the intruder’s focus. It is not synonymous with fighting.
E Evacuate- If safe, evacuate to distance yourself from the threat, using any available exits and moving to designated rally points, which should be practiced during drills.
Xaria Kirkland, a junior at Galileo Magnet High School, says, “I think schools can implement stronger security measures, such as using authentic metal detectors that can detect things such as guns and knives and having bag checks when threats are made and when they see a student acting suspicious.” She said this in regards to how she thinks schools and communities could prevent school shootings. “The minimum age to purchase a gun should be raised to at least 21 because there are many 18-year-olds still in school which they can use to harm students and faculty members,” she says. “This would be beneficial because it immediately cuts off access to a gun,” Kirkland stated. Therapy should be implemented more because school shootings can impact student’s mental health negatively. “Having therapy will help students work through their trauma and continue their lives positively, preventing school shootings from happening,” stated Kirkland.
We can make a difference if we all come together, schools, students, teachers, parents, and communities. Let’s stop gun violence! Keep gun violence away from our schools! Get it off our streets! Take the chance to start today! Let’s make a change! PUT THE GUNS AWAY!
