Those that believe gun violence calls for more gun control are stirred into action by the many shootings that have been taking place in the United States, especially those that have taken places in schools. In the article, “Gun Violence and the Meaning of American Schools”, it is stated that, concerning school shootings in general, “The only factors that initially seem to draw these events together are (1) easy access to powerful firearms, and (2) a troubled student who interprets a school as an appropriate place to use them” (Warnick 373). This makes the argument that easy access to guns give troubled students the means to carry out shootings in schools. From Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris in Columbine, who left prepared videotapes explaining their actions as a means to “break free from social cliques and from suburban conformity” (Warnick 383) and had access to a semiautomatic handgun, a rifle, and two sawed-off shotguns, to Michael Carneal, a kid from a successful family who had access to multiple weapons, even bringing them to school to show to other students, and eventually committed the 1997 shooting at Heath High School in Kentucky. They see gun violence as an appropriate expression of their frustrations, beliefs, and individualism. These two examples, and many more like them, all show a similarity in how easy it was for these students to obtain not just one, but multiple, loaded weapons with which to commit school shootings.
On the flipside are the people that believe that increasing gun usage and arming oneself is the most effective way to combat gun violence. They are also moved by the increase in school shootings, with many people calling for schools to arm teachers and train them to defend their students in case of school shootings. They make the argument that while it is imperative to prevent the damage and violence of school shootings, it would be unconstitutional to pass any legislature which would harm citizen’s second amendment rights. The article, “Arming the Good Guys: School Zones and the Second Amendment,” brings up the 1966 University of Texas shooting, in which Charles Whitman embarked on a killing spree in which he killed 14 people and injured 31 others. In the article, an officer who helped end Whitman’s attack is quoted talking about how armed citizens were instrumental to the takedown of the shooter, saying “The sniper did a lot of damage when he could fire freely, but when the armed citizens began to return fire the sniper had to take cove” (Arnold 499). The argument is made that people, not guns, should be held accountable for the actions they commit, and that gun control laws are laws which only law-abiding citizens, not shooters, will follow. The believe that gun violence is unavoidable, but that the best approach towards it is to combat it by “empowering people to defend themselves against evil (Arnold 506).”
In conclusion, guns are a very controversial topic in America. With the growing availability of guns in the United States, there have come more and more shootings, particularly at schools. This topic has been prevalent in the media, with many people taking opposing sides. Some push for stricter gun control as a solution, while others push for more armed officials in institutions as a way to combat shooters. As this topic is debated and legislation is pushed, it is clearer each and every day that gun violence is an increasing problem in today’s society.
Works Cited
Warnick, Bryan R., et al. "Gun Violence and the Meaning of American Schools." Educational Theory, vol. 65, no. 4, Aug. 2015, pp. 371-386. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1111/edth.12122.
Arnold, Grant. "Arming the Good Guys: School Zones and the Second Amendment." Brigham Young University Education & Law Journal, vol. 2015, no. 2, June 2015, pp. 481-506. EBSCOhost, ezproxy.faytechcc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=109313142&site=eds-live.
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