From the Columbine High School massacre in April 1999 to the Covenant School shooting in March 2023, mass shootings in United States schools have concerned the American public for years. Even more concerning, however, is the lack of legislation created in response to these tragedies.
So far in 2023, there have been 14 school shootings with over 74 deaths varying in age, according to NPR News. Rather than creating laws and legislation that would limit the accessibility of firearms, the United States Supreme Court is not enacting anything in the first place, in fear of violating the Second Amendment to the Constitution.
For all of America’s history, gun regulation has always seemed too political, according to CBS News. President Joe Biden attempted to sign into law a major piece of legislation that would fund school safety in June of 2022, opening up conversation about gun policies and safety measures to the United States government.
With a 1900% increase in school shootings over the past 10 years, according to K-12 Dive, schools have continued implementing safety measures in case an attack were to break out on school grounds.
According to the United States Education Department, these measures have increased by 94% between the years2010-2022. Public schools have put numerous safety measures into action that attempt to reduce the number of shootings, such as controlled access to the building during school hours.
Communications High School, along with other public high schools in America, has upgraded their security throughou the years. When the school opened in the year 2000, there was an open front door, where anyone could walk in without checking into the front office.
“From an accessible building [to all who entered], to various security things that have been done in the building, I think there has been a tremendous amount of change regarding safety since the beginning of my time at CHS,” said Principal James Gleason.
While many states are adjusting to implement these safety measures in schools, other states have attempted to battle the issue of gun control at the state level. Two members of the Tennessee House of Representatives were expelled because of their stance towards gun control in regard to the Covenant School Shooting in Nashville.
Rep. Justin Jones and Rep. Justin Pearson led a demonstration on the House floor calling for gun reform whilst leading chants with a bullhorn. According to the New York Times, Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton deemed the representative’s actions as unacceptable, which led to the expulsion of both of the representatives.
Rep. Pearson commented on the ongoing issue of gun legislation, and how protests will continue unless a change occurs now.
“I think there’s a new awakening that’s happening,” Pearson told the Associated Press, “and we’re going to be able to consistently build on that, because the issues that we’re fighting aren’t going away, and the people who are fighting aren’t going away, either.”
