English II Essay FOR PROF XAVIER ONLY!!!!

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Catina Carter

Sean Munro

English 102-WMA

9 March 2018

How should we prevent mass school shootings?

The mass school shooting in Stoneman Douglas High School on the 14th of February

inspired the survivors to lead a campaign demanding comprehensive gun control reforms that

would prevent future school shootings. The Parkland shooting was not the first devastating

shooting in the US, the country has experienced its fair share of woe related to mass shootings.

The determination of the students was evident with their drive to State Capital to rally for gun law

reforms. The spirit of Stoneman Douglas students ignited the spirit of activism country-wide which

fired up the campaign to boycott the NRA. The incident spiked a national debate on whether the

demand for strict gun reforms will prevent future mass shootings or only curtail citizens’ rights to

carry firearms. The paper will discuss psychological profiling, school safety plans, and strict gun

control reforms as viable strategies to tackle the issue of mass school shootings.

Mass school shootings are being more common over the years as lawmakers express their

reluctance to address the issue. Whenever there is a shooting, the media goes into a frenzy and the

White House offers its condolences and the country moves on without any significant changes. It

is a vicious cycle that, perhaps, has run its course. The national debate on the issue has two

opposing sides with logical but conflicting solutions to the problem of increased gun violence in

schools. One side calls for the more comprehensive and strict gun control policies while the other

emphasizes the need for emotional learning among students. Thanks to the activism of students

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from Stoneman Douglas, there is hope that this time around Congress will pass a bi-partisan bill

that will secure the future of our children and provide real solutions to curb school shootings.

My first suggestion aimed towards reducing the prevalence of mass shootings in schools is

the use of psychological profiling on students. This strategy was widely adopted as a model of

prioritizing student safety after the 1999 shooting in Littleton (Chaddock). The perpetrators of

school shootings are often children who have undergone some degree of trauma in their lives and

bare built-up resentment towards their peers. Psychological evaluations of such children will

ensure they get the help they deserve and possibly prevent them from ever taking up arms to harm

other students. It should be understood, however, that psychological profiling does not serve to

discriminate against others but instead identify vulnerable students who are a risk to themselves

and others.

At a social level, it is critical to creating awareness about the issue of mental health with

regards to gun violence. Lawmakers, psychiatrists and psychologists need work together to

develop adhesive policies and procedures that determine the course of action when individuals

express a desire to harm themselves or others (Duplechain and Robert 149). Being able to articulate

this threat at an early stage is the purpose of the psychological profiling and if well implemented

it can help reduce the occurrences of school shootings.

The second strategy involves the implementation of school safety plans. School shootings

often happen within the school premises which mandate the need for the revision of the current

school safety measures. The initial purpose of the plan should be to execute preventive security

measures that curb the probability of students coming with weapons to school (Harris). According

to a survey of California schools between 2011 and 2015, about 7-10% of high school students

admit to having brought a weapon to school, with 3-5% specifically admitting to bringing a gun to

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school. Considering California has approximately 2.5 million students in middle school and high

school, this survey proves that there is the need for physical controls to prevent students from

sneaking weapons to school. The entrances to the schools need to have metal detectors to deter

delinquent students from breaking school policies.

The safety plan must also include learning programs to educate both students and educators

on the best course of action in the event of a shooting. The training should inform students of the

different exit points in case of an attack and prepare them psychologically for anything (Harris).

The collaboration of teachers will further help synthesize schools on the importance of being

prepared for anything. The school safety standards should be unique to different schools to

accommodate the capacity of students and institution policies.

Third, I support the need for gun control reforms that are consistent with the issue of

curbing mass shootings in schools. There is a national obsession with guns and violence, especially

among the young. With consistent reaffirmation from music, movies, and video games, gun

violence seems to be the focal point of teenage fantasy. Having stricter laws with regards to

firearms will limit the access of guns to students and thus reduce the instances of school shootings.

The debate is especially focused on the need for more restrictions with regards to semi-automatic

weapons considering their ease of use. As pointed out by the survivors of the Stoneman Douglas

High School shooting, the use of a semi-automatic greatly increased the number of casualties.

Critics may argue that the call for stricter gun reforms is a ploy to restrict the citizens' rights

but it is important to make a distinction between the Second Amendment and efforts to restrict

access to weapons that can potentially kill students. All research points to the fact that restricting

access to military-style firearms drastically prevent unnecessary loss of life. Strong regulations

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coupled with strict background checks will curtain firearm access to criminals and people with

mental health issues.

Another argument against my case is that the reluctance by lawmakers proves that gun

reforms are not the solution to curbing school shootings. What we need to appreciate is the fact

that most of the politicians' campaigns were financed by the NRA making it difficult for them to

openly rally the House for immediate reforms. This is why the decision of organizations to revoke

the discounts they offer to NRA members has greatly helped with the initiative to boycott the NRA.

The need for gun reforms in the country is imminent as it will see to it that firearms are only

accessible to the eligible citizens who have passed the vetting process.

In conclusion, the issue of mass school shootings has been a looming debate for years. The

psychological profiling of students will help in the identification of behavioral risk patterns that

could lead to violent behavior. Expulsion should also constitute the beginning of an intervention

program for the students to ensure they do not fall through the cracks of the system (Glasner).

School safety also plays a critical role in the matter with both physical and psychological measures

being implemented. Gun reforms aimed at restricting easy access to military-style weapons will

further reduce the procurement of guns by violent individuals or those with mental health issues.

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Works Cited

Chaddock, Gail Russell. "A Radical Step for School Safety. (Cover Story)." Christian Science

Monitor, vol. 92, no. 36, 13 Jan. 2000, p. 1. EBSCOhost,

delgado.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=

a9h&AN=2673103&site=ehost-live.

DUPLECHAIN, ROSALIND and ROBERT MORRIS. "School Violence: Reported School

Shootings and Making Schools Safer." Education, vol. 135, no. 2, Winter2014, pp. 145-

150.EBSCOhost,delgado.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=a9h&AN=100464126&site=ehost-live.

DUPLECHAIN, ROSALIND and ROBERT MORRIS. "School Violence: Reported School

Shootings and Making Schools Safer." Education, vol. 135, no. 2, Winter2014, pp. 145-

150.EBSCOhost,delgado.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=a9h&AN=100464126&site=ehost-live.

Works Cited

Glasner, Barry. “School Violence: The Fears, the Facts.” New York Times, vol. 148, no. 51613,

13 Aug. 1999, p. A21. EBSCOhost, Delgado.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebsco

host.com/login.aspx/direct=true&db=a9h&AN=2209127&site=ehost-live.

HARRIS, ELIZABETH A. “Changes to Tracking of School Violence.” New York Times, vol.

166, no. 57446, 14 Dec. 2016, p. A25. EBSCOhost,

Delgado.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscogost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=

a9h&AN=120175003&site=ehost-live.