SOMETHING SHOULD BE DONE

AJ Chilson 10/3/2006

 

 

 

 

             I have been saddened over the most recent school shootings. Three of them have occurred in a six-day span. Each of them has made me wonder, “What has happened to our free society?” Obviously, it is not free when your school, or your child’s school welcomes a person with handguns and firearms, with intent to shoot anyone in sight at random. We as a people must be very concerned, not only for our children, but everyone at school, including teachers, faculty staff, and  principals.

 

              What I personally think about the issue is that most of the school shootings that have happened since the 1990s had something to do with bullying. The vast majority of school shooters had been bullied both constantly and endlessly. For example, one is not supposed to put another's sexual orientation into question, like calling them a "faggot", or picking on them because they look different than they are. That's a big reason why Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold went on a rampage at Columbine.

      

              Other reasons I can note are violent video games and movies; the availability of guns and firearms to minors; the influence of either or both Satan and/or Adolph Hitler; and both the music of Marilyn Manson and/or other artists.

 

              But forget the other reasons. Bullying is the number one reason why school shootings occur. It is not, as our parents or other adults would say, "a rite of passage". Yes, sticks and stones may break our bones, but words can hurt us just as much. As for Eric and Dylan, among other school shooters, they could only take so much of it until they couldn't take any more.

 

             School shootings are a reflection of today's society. I don‘t think we‘ve fully learned from Columbine. It is obvious that every school, no matter how small it is, needs to have metal detectors. We need every student searched, and have resource officers at all times. This will greatly reduce school violence, and perhaps combat bullying. We've heard enough school shootings to last a lifetime. What we’ve heard has been disgraceful to the school system, disgraceful to the community, and disgraceful to our Founding Fathers.