"Gun Violence in Our Schools - A series on School Safety"

                "Gun Violence in Our Schools - A series on School Safety"


            We interrupt your thoughts and prayers...for a multi-part series on gun violence in schools. I would give anything to be able to write about something else to start, but I have much to say on this topic and now is long past the time to say it.

            Regardless of personal opinions on the subject, gun violence, specifically school related gun violence, is a political as well as social issue. Efforts to solve the problem seem to center on gun control, and school shootings are used as examples of why we need stricter gun laws. Good cause, but not the best solution. Yes, we need to limit the availability of certain weapons as they are directly linked to gun violence, but we're talking about a specific aspect of the problem here. Limiting the availability of guns is not going to end school shootings, but it is a start. 

Target Hardening

“Target Hardening”refers to increased school security, the presence of uniformed police officers, metal detectors, and restricted access. Arming teachers and certain staff, as well as issuing body armor to students in the form of backpacks, has been suggested as a solution. While the probability of any one particular school being a target is low, the chance of any school being a target on a particular day is growing. Practice drills for students and staff as well as law enforcement and emergency personnel are conducted with mixed results. Preparation is important and training for students and staff is vital. Putting kids under desks and in closets for an hour to simulate the experience is not the answer.

Thoughts and Prayers

            Three immediate and increasingly inappropriate responses to a school shooting incident are calls to "remember the victims", "don't politicize the deaths of innocent children" and of course, the offering of "thoughts and prayers”. It was no surprise to me that one of the first to make a statement on the incident was Texas Senator Ted Cruz. Cruz preemptively called upon the “Left” to “not politicize” the death of children, even though making his comment did exactly that. The "gentleman from Texas" also chose to comment on this only three days before he is scheduled to speak at a National Rifle Association conference in Houston. That he will more than likely make no statements potentially upsetting to this massive collection of second amendment supporters and potential votes should come as no surprise.

            I have to take a moment to observe the uselessness of offering "Thoughts and Prayers." It's a patent phrase that has come to mean absolutely nothing. In response, I ask: What are your thoughts? Did you actually stop and say a prayer for these particular students, teachers, and school employees? Is it in your thoughts that so many people who left home to go to school this morning are not coming home tonight? Are you praying for the emergency services personnel who are dealing with the situations they encounter; never mind the effect what they see will have on them later?

            We’re going to discuss these factors, but let’s take this in order. 

The definition of a "Mass Killing"

            Congress has defined “mass killings” as “3 or more killings in a single incident” (P.L. 112-265) According to the FBI, the term “mass murder” has been defined generally as a multiple homicide incident in which four or more victims are murdered. Subsequently the classification of school shootings as such depends on the number of people killed, not wounded, and specifically by firearms and nothing else. Regardless, there is no disputing students, teachers, and staff are being attacked in a venue which they should ultimately regard as safe, but cannot.

             

The 2nd Amendment to the United States Constitution

    I have conducted overview lectures on several topics at Stockton University here in New Jersey. As part of a writing department course in Argument and Persuasion, I have moderated discussions on the 2nd Amendment to the United States Constitution, Gun Control, the effect of social media on public perceptions of police, as well as school shootings. Since 2nd amendment plays into gun related violence in schools, let’s look at the 2nd amendment to the Bill of Rights and what significance it has. Here it is in its entirety:

            "A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

            Gun rights advocates focus on the phrase “shall not be infringed.” Many believe that any legislation regarding training and safety can be deemed as infringement. Advocates also believe being prevented from purchasing any weapon in any quantity is an infringement as well. Restrictions on specific weapons is the hardest fought issue.

            Gun Control advocates center their argument on “A well-regulated militia”, pointing out that such organizations are less than necessary in a democracy. Also, unless you happen to belong to one, the justification for claiming the right is no longer as pertinent. Also, the amendment was written before organized law enforcement was initiated in the United States, so the belief is held that personal weaponry for protection is less justified.

            Both of these arguments are flawed.

            On one side, the intended definition of “infringed” in the text is cloudy at best. Writings left behind by the drafters of the Constitution are in conflict as to the meaning of the word. Also significant is a current trend in judicial opinion that the original context and meaning of the Constitution should be preserved. As the political climate has led to the formation of private militias, and the perceived ability of law enforcement to protect the public has eroded, personal protection in the form of firearms is a counter argument to a position supporting gun control.

            The true significance of the Second Amendment in the current issues is its own complexity. The answer, if there is one, isn’t coming easy or soon, so let’s move on, but keep these concepts in mind.

The First School Shooting in America

            I have asked students when the first school shooting occurred in America, and most of the answers I get are within their own lifetimes. Most historians agree that the first school shooting was near present day Greencastle, Pennsylvania. Some accounts list 12 victims were shot and killed, including school teacher Enoch Brown. In fact, only Brown was shot, but he and eleven students were also scalped. One student survived, and lived to an old age but was "mentally scarred" for life. (Source: Bill Hand Newbern Sun Journal 4-6-2018 and separately verified). The Pontiac Indians, specifically their Elders, censured the three men involved for killing children. The tribe was not innocent as a group. They protested with violence the surrender of the land they occupied from French to British control. The story makes for informative and interesting reading. http://pabook2.libraries.psu.edu/palitmap/Enoch.html Megan D. Strait, Fall 2010.

            The students and I have also discussed the significance of what I will call "The Mass Casualty Incident Cycle". We all see this chain of events every time there is a mass casualty shooting incident.

 

 

It's long past the time to break this cycle. 



 

 

Comments

  1. Roxanne BrennanMay 27, 2022 at 2:42 PM

    I'd like to repeat here what I wrote on Facebook yesterday. It's a bit more emotional than I generally am with writing, but I was, well, emotional.

    "Thoughts and prayers. Candlelight vigils. Flying the flag at half-mast. A papal mass. Writing checks. Changing your profile picture to the Texas flag. None of this does a damn thing to address the problem. None of this will bring back the 21 lives lost, the lifelong trauma the survivors will have to endure, or comfort the families who lost their seven year-olds and adult family members because yet another mentally disturbed young man got his hands on an assault rifle.

    First of all; Texas. No surprise there.

    Second; Ted Cruz. You have the right to remain silent, so shut the hell up. By saying that Democrats are going to "politicize" this mass slaughter POLITICIZES THIS MASS SLAUGHTER, YOU NUMBNUTS.

    I have friends and relatives who own guns. They use them for things like hunting (and eat what they bring down), skeet shooting, and target shooting. Or they collect vintage firearms. Or they're in the military or law enforcement personnel. And I have no problem with this because they're not criminals, mentally unhinged, and they got their guns legally through regular channels. They know about gun safety. They don't have freakin' ARSENALS. Citizens don't need assault weapons because we don't live in a police state, a DMZ, or in the middle of a political coup.

    Third; it's not that there weren't signs. This guy was bullied because of a speech defect (this, in itself, is heinous). He posted pictures on his Instagram account of automatic rifles he had ON HIS WISH LIST. Yes, I know he had no prior criminal record, but at one point that was also true for Charles Manson and Jeffrey Dahmer. And I know he had no prior mental health issues, but guess what? If you don't think you're mentally ill, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO SEEK TREATMENT.

    But you just go on thinking and praying and bitching and moaning and wringing your hands and saying what a tragedy it is and how we really have to do something about this whole gun thing. But while you're at it, also VOTE. Exercise your Constitutional right to peacefully protest. Actually DO something.

    Put up or shut up."

    ReplyDelete
  2. kharminMay 28, 2022 at 3:48 PM

    Clearly, "Don't talk about this" or "It's too horrifying to discuss" HAVE NOT SOLVED THE PROBLEM.
    Thank you for starting this conversation.
    Blessings to all who participate here (yes, reading IS participating!)

    ReplyDelete

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