In the recent Georgia shooting on September 4th, three students and one teacher were killed. Mason Schermerhorn (14), Christian Angulo (14), and teachers Richard Aspinwall (39) and Christina Irimie (53). It is suspected that the shooter, 14-year-old Colt Gray, left his Algebra I class at around 9:45 am. He returned shortly, but knocked to get back into the classroom. A student went to open the door but stopped as someone exclaimed they saw a gun. The shooter then went to the classroom next door, and opened fire. The police first received notification of the shooting at 10:20 am – about 35 minutes after Gray was first seen with the weapon. In response to the shooting, a Barrow County Sheriff, Jud Smith, commented “I went to school in this school system. My kids go to this school system. I’m proud of this school system. My heart hurts for these kids, my heart hurts for our community, but I want to make it very clear that hate will not prevail in this county. I want that to be very clear and known. Love will prevail over what happened today, I assure you of that,” Smith said.
Georgia may be 547 miles away, but the threat of gun violence is neither held back nor determined by borders.
Two days later, a 16-year-old shot and killed 15-year-old Warren Grant at Joppatowne High School – a school that is a mere 58.6 miles from Stone Ridge. At around 12:30 pm, it is believed that the two students got into a dispute in the men’s bathroom on campus. This resulted in the 16-year-old opening fire. The victim was airlifted to a hospital, where he died from his injuries. The shooter allegedly attempted to run away but was soon caught and arrested.
There are signs of the rising temperature of the gun violence epidemic. A potent example: simple school supplies. Companies have begun manufacturing bullet-proof school supplies for students. This varies from clipboards to shields to sweatshirts.
In case of an active shooter, students can protect themselves by shielding themselves with these items. However, such an item comes at a hefty price. Almost $300.00 to possibly save a life. However, this appears to be a bandaid on a much bigger problem – one that not every school or person can afford.
If you feel comfortable, you can read and educate yourself about stories of gun violence in schools to understand the consequences of gun violence in a real-world situation. I recommend reading articles such as this CNN story which details what occurred in Georgia on September 4th. The story goes into what happened before, during, and after the shooting as well as who was involved.
It can be easy to dismiss this issue as hopeless or too polarizing, but that is exactly why caring about gun safety is more important now than ever before. Stone Ridge is a school that prides itself on community involvement and organization. Recognize that such a community holds power. While the problems surrounding gun control go beyond a three-page article, an important first step to rectifying this injustice is acknowledging and understanding them.Research goes a long way. Many sources appear when you look up “Gun Control” – either with recent victims and events or with petitions. One that offers all of the above is the website change.org. This source lists numerous events while also offering solutions that you can sign petitions for, even anonymously.
Rejecting bias or opinion when researching and discussing is crucial. There is no argument just enough or spoken loud enough that will make others take your side – because there are no sides. There is only the immeasurable loss of life, serving as a bitter, terrifying reminder that next time, it could be even closer to home. We can debate as passionately as we desire, but there is no debate in the death of a child.
The pathway to change and justice will be difficult and tiring, but not impossible. With each step that a dedicated community makes, the journey will gain momentum, getting consistently, if infinitesimally, closer to creating the safe world all children deserve.