Gun Violence in Schools

Gun Violence in Schools

School violence is a dangerous happening that is transcending many schools in the world. Several occasions have been reported where children have perished or suffered traumatic experiences of gunfire and killings within schools. As many states and governments have reiterated the need to have immediate solutions to this problem, gun violence and attacks in schools is still rampant. Gun violence among adolescents in schools is dated back to a number of happenings as those that attacked the U.S. Young generations are being exposed to weapons and knowledge on how to involve guns in schools and when at home. While in schools, children engage in unhealthy behaviours of joining gang violence groups. The entire problem remains as a mistake or burden to parents and fellow students who do not engage in such activities. Nonetheless, there are various reasons that have been given to result to gun violence in schools. The environmental surroundings that depict the existence of violence and weapons of violence are a common reason for gun violence among teenagers in schools.

The media have revealed considerable causes of mass killings in schools. Most of these reasons are clued to ideological and motivated phenomenon among students in schools. Political alienations are categorical to result in this violence. According to the current definitions, mass killings through gun attack and violence in schools is not a western happening alone. Several schools in non-western countries have experienced problems. Various domains act as avenues to mass killings in schools. The society that makes a home to many children going to school is a good source of violent behaviours. Individual experience in weaponry and other dangerous weapons in the society are a transcendent factor that influences young and growing children (Eisenbraun, 2007). Different autogenic components can be quoted as causal mechanisms of gun violence in schools.

There are different variations in mass murders. Different reactions and antecedents correspond to the escalation of violence in schools as depicted by the social media and physical killings like those in the U.S. Studies have focused at establishing fields of behavioural science in order to try to establish the cause of this violence. Notorious behaviours are a strong notion that is thought to contribute more to violence of in the country. In schools, the growing and developing learners go through different exposure programs and strenuous relationships with their peers. In the mean time, they engage in unwanted practices of accessing and using weapons. Mass killings have resulted from this (Kruesi et al., 1999).

According to research done by the American FBI, there are different levels of violence and murder in the U.S. They include, murder, theft and robbery, among others. Though cases of mass murder has been reported to decline in the general security of the country, violent cases have been reported to shift to schools and other public places where technological applications are rampant. An estimate of above fifteen thousand deaths is reported every year with most of them occurring due to gunfire.

According to reports by the 2011 United Nations, the U.S.A. is one of the leading nations in homicide cases. The socio-economic applications and situations of life in the U.S. are relatively higher than any other country. This is when comparison is made with other countries like the Caribbean, and the Central America.

According to the research done in 2007, many people are in possession of guns and other weapons of related kind. These people are diverse in the country. The diverse access of guns among young and schoolchildren is a threat to the general security of pupils in and out of school. The report claims that restrictions to access guns are still under criminal justice. Apart from the U.S., Australia is another country that bears a similar problem of weapon access by the public and school teenagers. With restrictions all over in the country, injuries and deaths due to firearm violence are on the decrease. Nonetheless, access to these weapons by the public and children in school is beginning to be a serious problem in the society.

Gun control laws have been formulated in order to cater for the individual rights of members of the public and the government. These laws dictate gun use. Nonetheless, criminal activities have led to issuance of guns to personnel in charge of security, many of whom are parents and/or guardians. Schoolchildren access these weapons in this one way. Rampage violence is one of the cases of gun use in schools. For instance, gun rampage like the one that took place at Columbia High and Virginia technical, are some of the misconducts of gun rampage that took the lives of many students. Such occurrences have played significant roles in influencing the national consciousness together with the political movements and actions in the country. Gun control laws have been discussed after the occurrence of these happenings. Moreover, the media has participated in ensuring that everything aired to the public is capable and secured for consumption by the young people (Parker, 2010).

One of the critical contributors of gun violence in schools is the social media exposure to young children. Development of aggressive behaviours amidst curiosity and growth stages is detrimental to the overall development of personality among schoolchildren. Different social frameworks and scientific studies have tried to find out the cause of violence in many schools in the U.S. And other countries globally. Through the research process, it has been known that it is possible to have psychological or criminal investigations but fail to have a grounded research that yields equitable results for further study and application. There are no limits to the existing knowledge in the world. As far as scholars will try to find out the immediate reasons for change in behaviour of adolescents to the magnitude of engaging violent activities even when they are young, gun violence is yet to swell if immediate remedy measures are not taken immediately.

Difference of gun violence in schools from pre 911 to post 911

Period before the happenings of 911, attacks were less as they did after the period. Before the happenings of 911, situations were calm when it came to access and use of firearms in the U.S. This period was marked by normal activities that assumed less access and use of firearms by family members. The federal law protected people within a notion of common interest and only assures respect for public property and life. Many schools had not reported cases of gun violence among students. In many cases, gun ownership was left to the entrusted security personnel and not any other individual in the country. In order to enable people live in peace and harmony with one another, the state law prevented public access to firearms in general. Cases of unauthorised ownership of firearms among public individuals were not recommended. Moreover, the state law required sustained ownership and use of firearms in the right manner since criminal activities and agents were always on the verge of using them for the sake of thwarting the national peace and coherence. Deliberately and quietly, many criminal acts were staging amidst state coherence of peace and counterterrorism plans. The acts of 911 influenced gun spread in the country together with escalation of unauthorised and unlawful access and use of these weapons (Parker, 2010).

After the 911

The 911 attacks changed comprehensively the state of existence and relation between citizens in the U.S. And the world as a whole. The happenings brought immense tension and coarse relationship between members who were staying together in peace initially. The changes affected the institutions, corporations, and many organizations in the country. Public interest on self-defence became a central concern of every organization. Gun rights were also altered in the country in order to pave the way for more protected self-defence. As the individuals presented their bills to the statehouses among the electorates, it became vivid that everything was rightfully possible to have gun ownership as a changed priority among the citizens.

Increase in firearms occurred immediately after the 911. These arms were issued by the state for personal protection as stated by the National Rifle Association. The citizens of the country wanted to be proactive in taking immediate measures of protecting themselves and the loved ones as family members and neighbours. The statutes that supported personal ownership of firearms were passed in many of the states. The intent of the bills were to provide citizens with equitable tools for personal protection and fortification of the fellow citizens and the country as an all (Eisenbraun, 2007).

Many other protocols within the government were not ready to let the bills be passed. They perceived a cynical activity where many people were trying to access firearms at the prospect of self-defence. Not everything seemed right since it does not make sense to let people have a gun and carry it wherever they go. Probably, such groups proposed that the act would escalate violence and rampant killings in the U.S. Immediate undertakings that were perceived to take place after the passing of these bills.

Gun purchase in many gun shops was reported to be on the rise immediate after the occurrence of 911 incidences. According to research by the FBI, six months after the 911 incidence saw an overhauled increase in the number of gun sales in the market. According to studies done by the FBI on one hundred and thirty thousand checks on gun sales six months before the 911 incident, the results showed that there was a rise of almost fifty percent of the guns sales after the 911 incident. Further research on the occurrence of violence and criminal activities after the 911 incident indicated that there was a rise in criminal activities involving gun violence after the 911 incident. For instance, gun violence involving young children and school going teenagers were reported. After the incident, further research showed a rise in gun purchases among the U.S. citizens after every crime in the country. Terrorism activities are of immense scare to many people (Kruesi et al., 1999).

According to the happenings of gun violence in schools, recent debates have concealed bills and propositions that had been put in place since 1990s. The bills handled in concealing weapons to the public with respective occurrence of violence in the country. Subsequent high school gun violence occurred right after the 911 incident. For instance, the 1999 Columbia high school massacre is the sought to have occurred due to indulgence of gun use in the country after issuance of many guns to the public. Carriage of concealed guns is becoming rampant. Subsequently, student ownership of guns is on the increase in the country. Central concern is given to the occurrence of the 911 incident that lead to concealing of guns in the public domain. Many reports and media facets have stated that the tragic events of 911 offered the country a strict test. The tests concerned ownership and use of guns in the private and public domains. Although the country is given much credit on what it has done to alleviate crime and foreign criminal attacks, it has not done enough due to the self-imposed gun violence in schools (Weisburd, Morris & Groff, 2009).

After the incident of 911, there was a lot of unity that came to the people of the U.S. This unity was only to last for a short period since most people had acquired guns for their own private use. In schools and other places of public gathering, it was possible to find individuals carrying guns and other weapons at the prospect of self-defence in case of any possible attack.

In the media, different programs were directed at educating the masses on how to respond in cases where they faced imminent attacks like the one of 911. These educative programs are not selective since they have extended to educating young individuals and students on gun use. It is not becoming a business as usual since most of these programs are dictated by the need to improve individual security in the country. Even during elections, security measures are beefed up just in the case of any possible crime. Nonetheless, after the 911 attacks, the U.S. has remained in chaos and other vulnerabilities to use gun violence in every sector involving young, mid-aged, and old citizens. This is the reason why schoolchildren are getting excess exposure to guns. They carry them even to their schools (Mazefsky & Farrell, 2005).

Teaching students on what happened during the 911 attacks is another source of intrusion. Here, students get to know the skills and experiences of using guns to engage people. In most cases, the happenings of 911 were a lesson to many young people. Such students are regarded to try to do the same to their friends in schools. Exposure to guns and experiences through teachings and/or mental weakness of many students has led to increase of gun attacks in schools and other places of public interaction in the U.S. Moreover, criminals are attacking schools at the prospect that they are able to access innocent individuals and attack them in retaliation to what their friends or even parents went through during the 911 attacks.

Influence of Saint Leo value of responsible stewardship as relates to gun violence in schools

Responsible stewardship and care can only be the remedy measure for gun violence in schools. This is as done at Saint Leo School. At Saint Leo University, there are values and value systems that are found within six core values. These values are fund within aspects of respect, community development, excellence, integrity, stewardship, personal development, and many others. These values are regarded with high standards since most people access them as basic connotations for living and interaction with one another in the society. Members within the university are encouraged to strive and live by the school's vision and mission statements (Weisburd, Morris & Groff, 2009).