For the past twenty years educators, students, and parents have witnessed frequent shootings in schools over the years. The 2021-2022 school year was one of the worst periods because the number of shootings quadrupled the average number of gunfire incidents since 2013. Gun violence in American schools is usually in form of gun homicides, mass shootings, and unintentional shootings and suicides. Failure to address the causes of violence in school has huge consequences not only for stakeholders but also children. Parents and tutors have to take action to keep schools and communities safe. This is the time for leaders to come up with approaches that provide schools and communities with all the necessary tools needed to prevent gun violence in college.
This involves using all the funds that have been allocated by the government to keep learning institutions safe, encouraging students who are looking for cheating essay to read, keeping firearms away from people who shouldn’t be handling them, having crisis intervention programs and upgrading locks, and planning for emergencies. Reading essay examples can relieve stress and minimize shootings in education centers. In this article, we are going to discuss some of the best ways that can be used to prevent gun violence in class. But first, let’s talk about the main facts about violence in school.
Facts about gun violence
To solve the problem of gun violence in learning institutions, you need to understand some of the lessons that have been learned from most incidents across the world. These lessons will help you create a plan to address this problem effectively.
1. Individuals who discharge guns at schools have a connection to the school
In most research studies and surveys, 60 percent of individuals who discharged guns were either former or current students. This also includes students who are involved in mass shootings and incidences of self-harm.
2. The guns come from family, friends, or home
Studies conducted by Oxford High School found that individuals who discharge guns usually obtain them from relatives and friends. They don’t usually purchase them. A study conducted by the Secret Service also found that almost half of the shootings that happened between 2008 and 2017 were undertaken by individuals who accessed the guns easily due to a lack of secure storage. Gun control was the major issue here.
3. There are warning signs
Before student shootings happen, there are usually warning signs. When these signs are properly identified, they can offer opportunities for correction. A study conducted by the Secret Service found that individuals who discharged showed concerning behaviors and at least one of their class friends knew about their violence plans.
4. Gun violence has a major impact on students of color
Most mass shootings have portrayed white students to be the perpetrators. However, gunfire study cases on school grounds present a different picture. Two out of three incidences that occur usually happen in majority-minority schools. Violence has a huge impact on African American students. At least 30 percent of their population is affected by fatal shootings.
How to prevent gun violence in school
To address the issue of gun violence in schools, we need to start by acknowledging that gun violence is a major problem. Most safety programs have been created to solve this issue over the past two decades. However, only a few have helped in solving this problem. Here are some of the best ways that stakeholders can adopt to prevent gun violence in schools.
1. Enforce laws on secure storage of firearms
As we said earlier, most of the individuals who discharge guns in school usually get them from relatives and friends. Studies show that more than four million students live in a home with a loaded and unlocked guns. To minimize gun violence, leaders have to enact and enforce laws on secure firearm storage. Apart from that, they should also encourage secure storage of guns and encourage behavioral change.
2. Run background checks on gun sales
Background checks will go a long way in enforcing laws and keeping firearms out of dangerous hands. To solve this issue, the federal government and all states should pass laws that require gun sales background checks for shooters to avoid purchasing firearms.
3. Create a safe and trusting environment at school
Creating a supportive environment in the school is one of the best ways to prevent gun violence. When communities focus on promoting student well-being, they will have an easy time solving the problems that they face regularly. Since evidence has shown that most school shooters have a link to the school, the cause of school violence might center on the learning institution.
4. Implement access control measures
Physical security is a great way to keep guns away from schools. Most experts agree on access control measures are one of the best remedies for school shootings. Secondary measures include investing in quality locks to deter active shooters from accessing guns and having law enforcement around to neutralize potential threats in the school environment.
5. Initiate trauma-informed emergency planning
Being prepared at all times is one of the best ways to respond in case a gun violence incident occurs in school. Security experts encourage a campus tutor to have an emergency plan in place to respond to any threat on time.
Conclusion
School shootings have been frequent over the past few years. And they have affected millions of students across the world. While this problem can’t be eliminated, a there are several effective tips that you can use to minimize them. Communicating with students regularly and ensuring that guns are stored safely at home will go a long way in creating a conducive learning environment.
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