How teens want to solve America’s school shooting problem

We should not have to beg the U.S. to stop letting our friends die

by Carly Novell, 12th grade, Marjory Douglas Stoneman High School, Parkland, Florida

On average, there are about 13,000 deaths in the United States resulting from gun violence each year. Seventeen of those deaths were people I attended school with. People I passed in the halls everyday.

Not many realize how much the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students are grieving. We are traumatized. We are scared. But we are ignoring all of that because we are trying to make a difference. We haven’t had a minute to process or grieve. We are just trying to make sure that this does not happen again. We, as high school students who just went through something traumatic, are forced to beg and plead for change. 

Something needs to be done to get semi-automatic guns out of the hands of civilians. Something needs to be done to get firearms out of the hands of the mentally ill. It should not be so easy to obtain a gun. We should not have to beg the U.S. to stop letting our friends die. The NRA has silenced our government for too long. We will not be silenced by the media, by the government, by the president, by the NRA or by anyone for that matter.

I am a proud supporter of the right to own a firearm. Notice I said firearm, not weapon

by Aaron, 12th grade, Alexandria, Indiana

I am a proud supporter of the right to own a firearm. Notice I said firearm, not weapon. A weapon is something used in a harmful manner. Firearms don’t kill people, ignorant people do. I would also like to point out that an AR-15 is not an assault rifle. It is just a rifle.

We need to find a way to solve these school shootings as a country. Other countries are just sitting back watching the U.S. tear itself apart from the inside.

We can start off by having only one entrance to a school and giving teachers the choice to be armed — just not every teacher. And no educator should be required to be armed. Part of their application should include a mental health assessment and a background check. There is no reason why stores should have better security than schools.

And yes, firearms need to be regulated. Full autos are not needed. Bump stocks really don’t

matter because with a semi-auto rifle, the rifle fires as fast as you pull the trigger. Let’s go

back to the time that if you had a problem, you just knocked the other person out. You didn’t shoot them.

Students need a designated time to center themselves for school

by Nathan, 12th grade, Chicago, Illinois

One solution is social-emotional learning. Before school, after school and during lunch period, there should be chill-spaces for students to de-stress, talk to a counselor and get themselves ready for the day.

Students have lives outside of school filled with experiences that are either traumatic, mentally exhausting or triggering. A designated time to center themselves for the school day would help. While this solution does not solve the problem of guns in the streets, it does help provide outlets for students who have mental health issues.

A multi-pronged approach to guns is needed, not changes to the Second Amendment

by Maria, 10th grade, Bronx, New York

“A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”

These words, adopted in the Constitution of the United States on December 15, 1791, are not to blame for the recent shootings in the first several weeks of 2018.

The solution to school shootings is regulation of gun laws, not problems with the Second Amendment. It’s not having students practice lock-downs out of fear that an attack like Parkland could happen at their school. And it also doesn’t involve getting caught up in the political ruckus surrounding the the election of 2016. Such behavior serves only as an excuse for our nation to not accomplish its goals, including keeping children safe.

I have had enough of sitting around while adults do nothing

by Eden, 12th grade, Iowa City, Iowa

When I was 10, one of my friends and classmates was murdered. His father beat him, his three siblings, and their mother to death with a bat. Afterwards, Seth’s father called the police to report the deaths and fled the home.

At the time, there was a great deal of confusion. No one knew where he was. No one knew if he was armed. No one knew what he might do. Fearing that he might come to the school, Longfellow Elementary went into lockdown. In Mrs. Dillard’s second-grade class, we sat in silence. The teachers said nothing. They didn’t know what to say. How can you explain something like this to a child? We knew nothing. And so we sat in our corner, in the dark and in the silence.

I have had enough silence.

We already have gun control. We do need to do something to help the mentally ill.

by Katie, 11th grade, Parker, Colorado

The media in general provides a liberal stance on the gun debate. Weapons come in many different forms, and a common misconception in our country is that we would be safer without guns. Even though improvements to gun policy could prove to be beneficial, they will never end the violence that has come to play a part in our education system.

However, we do need to do something to help the mentally ill instead of arbitrarily restricting already existing gun regulations. Nikolas Cruz had a well-known history of firearm obsession. Cruz was even evaluated by behavioral health experts, yet he was not hospitalized or detained. We could have helped him before this tragedy unfolded in front of our eyes.

Teenagers’ brains are not yet fully developed. Why can they buy guns?

by Cecilia, 11th grade, New Orleans, Louisiana

After listening to a story on NPR, I encountered a fact by a neuroscientist about brain development for the average 18-year-old. The prefrontal cortex of teenagers is not yet fully developed. This is the part of the brain that helps you to control impulses and make smart decisions in times of stress.

If 18 is the legal age to buy a gun, then I see a huge problem with this. I believe we should adjust the legal age requirement for someone to own a gun. These are steps Congress needs to take so that other high school students like me don’t have to worry about experiencing another terrifying and tragic attack.

We have to stop judging others

by Misti, 12th grade, Graham, Washington

The problems our society is experiencing right now have more to do with how we treat each other than gun control. We judge people based on their looks, especially if they look sketchy or just different. We see someone who is quiet or a kid who is always getting into trouble, and we judge them without know what they have been through. Society makes fun of those type of people. As teenagers, we constantly pick on someone until they are down on the ground. It’s like we are trying to kill someone who may already feel dead inside. You see all of these shows about criminals, and some of them are about murders, and it intrigues us. The real problem is us.

Some may wonder how such people came into power

by Gabe, 12th grade, Flint, Michigan

The right to bear arms is a fundamental freedom enjoyed in the United States. However, this does not mean there shouldn’t be regulations on the sale and production of these arms. Without laws, we are faced with the problem of unashamed maniacs and domestic terrorists. The simplest solution to this complex issue seems to be tighter restrictions and more cohesive background and mental state checks. Now, of course this will not take all guns off the street and black market, but it will prevent people who shouldn’t have guns from purchasing them. Or at least make it harder to.

Unfortunately, with the presidential administration we currently have, and the lobbyists paying thousands and thousands to either campaign as a way to curry favor with whomever wins, we won’t see a mandate demanding any of these proposed solutions anytime soon. The gun industry is convoluted and has a tight grip on the politicians, who are forced to do the industry’s bidding. The same lawmakers are aware of the hundreds and thousands of dollars they receive from the NRA (National Rifle Association). Some may wonder how such people came into power.

I have had my hunting license since I was in fifth grade. We need to make it harder to buy firearms.

by Morgan, 12th grade, Anderson, Indiana

Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against people having guns. I have grown up in a house full of firearms and hunting bows. I have had my hunting license since I was in fifth grade. However, many people my age struggle with mental health. Some take it to extreme levels, like taking guns from their home to school and shooting innocent people.

As a country, we need to make it harder to buy firearms. Only certain guns should allowed to be sold to the average joe. Not only should we add more regulations, but we should add a tax when buying a firearm, like we do for cigarettes and alcohol — items that may bring harm to ourselves or others.