On the morning of Tuesday, May 24, nineteen students aged seven to ten in Uvalde, Texas woke up and got ready for the school day. 

Nineteen students ate their breakfast, and nineteen students were sent off on the school bus by their parents. 

Nineteen students never came home. 

The mass shooting at Robb Elementary school claimed the lives of nineteen students and two teachers in a senseless yet all-too-familiar tragedy. 

“I was deeply saddened, but at the same time mostly upset. I was mostly upset,” senior Sam Skolnick of Hazlet said. 

The shooting in Uvalde was the United States’ 212th mass shooting of the year. As of June 1, just eight days later, that number has increased to 232 mass shootings, according to the nonprofit research group Gun Violence Archive.

Currently, the US’s policy on guns, at least federally, is in connection with the second amendment, which guarantees “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms.” This 230-year old amendment has weathered the test of time and constant challenges, yet still remains the law of the land.

As such, there is no federal law prohibiting the use of an assault rifle. Junior Blu Gaines of Shrewsbury feels is this is unacceptable.

“There should be a lot more control and restrictions [on assault weapons],” Gaines said. “I understand the need to protect your household, but you don’t need an AR-15 to protect your household.

In New Jersey, however, assault weapons have been banned since 1990. According to Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, a nonprofit that seeks to combat gun violence, New Jersey has the second-toughest gun laws in the country, only following California’s laws. 

If you combine the strict gun laws with the close-knit community of CHS, the event of a school shooting is highly unlikely. According to principal James Gleason, there has never been a threat of violence towards the school in its 22-year history.

However, out of caution, Gleason and the MCVSD have increased their security throughout the years. The windows in the cafeteria are made with bullet-resistant glass. In addition, there is a system installed that connects CHS to the police at a moment’s notice.

Along with these security measures, CHS practices annual lockdown and evacuation drills. Skolnick believes that, though these drills are helpful, they also cause panic.

“There’s times where, when they do call the drills, where there is that small second of panic where everyone’s like, “is this real?”’ Skolnick said. “And you don’t know. That’s the scariest part.”

On Thursday, May 26, at 12:00 PM, CHS held a moment of silence for the victims of the Uvalde tragedy. For a minute, the entire school paused what they were doing to respect those affected by the shooting.

Gleason has tried to reassure students, making an announcement on the Wednesday morning following the school shooting to comfort students, as well as having an open-door policy. He emphasizes that if any student is having trouble, they should reach out to a teacher or guidance counselor for assistance.

“Hopefully there’s always a trusted adult available within the school for you to talk to, whether that’s me or a teacher,” Gleason said. “If you feel nervous and want to talk about it, let’s talk about it.”

As the gun debate rages on, and more and more people lose their lives to gun violence, Gleason underlines his top priority: the safety of students at CHS.

“I want students to feel safe and safe in their environment,” Gleason said. “If there’s anything on their mind, they should come in and seek help.”

The saddest part of the topic? At the time this article began, there were 231 mass shootings. Over the course of less than four hours, the number of shootings increased.