Many Americans are starting to view school shootings as the norm as of lately, with several occurring each year it seems. As of this year, there have been 52 school shootings, with 30 dead and 53 injured. While we Americans are initially horrified by the news of school shootings, we’re never shocked, and we soon become apathetic, especially after the media stops talking about them and moves on to the next disaster. The problem is that there are too many school shootings; we’re starting to get used to hearing about them on the news.
So the question is, what can we do to reduce the number of school shootings that occur each and every year? Many liberal Americans seem to believe that stricter gun control laws are the answer, while many conservative Americans believe that making it harder for people to buy guns won’t prevent criminals from getting their hands on one, for after all, by nature, criminals don’t put a lot of stock into obeying the law. I think that both stances can come to a compromise.
I do think we should have a stricter application process for those who wish to own a gun. Obviously no one wants just anyone to own a gun. Some people have compared the process of obtaining a driver’s license to obtaining a concealed-carry license and have suggested that those application processes be similar. Surprisingly, it’s a lot easier to get a gun in some states, such as Arkansas, than to get a driver’s license.
This isn’t a bad idea. There certainly needs to be a more strenuous application process for those who wish to own a gun. Strict background checks on the person in question, mental health evaluations, and even practical tests to see if the person in question can even shoot remotely near a target are some things that can be implemented, despite that some of these are already implemented in many states. I wouldn’t even say no to background checks and mental health evaluations for immediate family members, since the shooters often get their guns from family members who legally obtained them. This may not be realistic and a bit tedious, but I wouldn’t mind going overboard on the background checks if it meant saving more lives.
Despite whatever our country decides to do with guns in the future, I think that guns are only a small part of the overall problem. I believe that one of the culprits contributing to the rise in school shootings is the media. Yes, I know I happen to be a part of the media, but here me out. The American media overall gives too much news coverage to these mass shootings in order to draw in more viewers and readers. Nothing attracts people to a television or newspaper faster than bad news.
I feel that the media as a whole exploits these horrible events for their own personal gain. Granted, we as the people have a right to hear about what goes on in our country. However, I don’t believe the media is the only culprit because we, as the consumers, are the ones who demand news like school shootings. The media is just doing their job and giving us what we want. We are horrified by stories such as those of school shootings, but despite this fact, our fascination overcomes our horror. These are the stories that cause people to flock to their televisions or newspapers Without these kinds of stories, despite how tragic they are, we wouldn’t invest nearly as much time and money into media outlets as we do with them.
This is the problem. Those who study the behavior of living school shooters have failed to find a pattern in their home lives and mental health and stability. Some of these kids come from broken homes, but others come from good homes with two caring parents. Some of these kids have serious psychological problems, but others don’t exhibit any signs of mental illness. I think the connection between these kids is that they want to be remembered in infamy. They want to be famous. They want to live forever through these horrible acts they commit, whether they escape with their lives or not. They believe that if they commit unspeakable acts of violence, everyone will remember their names. The horrible part is that they’re not wrong. If we continue to give these stories as much media attention as we do now, then we’re giving these kids what they wanted in the first place.
So how do we reduce the number of school shootings each year? We need to quit treating these kids like celebrities and start treating them as the nobodies they really are. We don’t give them the fame they seek, for if we do, then we would be rewarding them for committing these heinous acts. I know if any of my friends or family were the victims of these school shootings, the last thing I’d want to see would be their killer’s face and name plastered all over the news like they were a celebrity.
I’m no expert on this subject, but I do know that something has to be done. We, as a country, can no longer to live as though school shootings are normal.
