Feeling In”secure” About Pubic High School

by Kaya Memari

   Since 2013, there have been 290 school shootings and there have been 17 school shootings in the first seven weeks of 2018. Being an eighth grade student in private a school, and not even being in high school yet, I feel safe at my school now. Waldorf schools have a tight community where everyone knows each other and where any stranger is easily identified. The teachers are our friends and are people who we look up to. Next year I will be attending a public high school where I won’t know everyone. It will be a new situation where I may not know if someone is acting suspicious, or if that’s just how they normally act. It is normal to feel anxious moving on into high school - excited even - but knowing that current gun laws in our country could lead to a shooting in my high school leaves me feeling more anxious; it is terrifying.

  Currently, in California, you only have to be 18 to buy a shotgun or rifle, and 21 to buy a handgun. Many school shooters may be getting access to guns purchased by an adult, or, if they are 18 they can buy a gun within just 10 days. Owning a gun for personal protection, or even for hunting, is fine, but there needs to be laws legislating secure storage for guns that limit children’s access to firearms. Additionally, semi-automatic guns can be changed to automatics by looking up a video on the internet.

   There are those that think arming our teachers is the answer. Personally, I think this is not a smart idea. Although a teacher trained to handle a gun might save a few lives, there is still a real risk that the weapon could be stolen or taken by a student. Additionally, as we already know, having a gun can lead to an accidental shooting of an innocent bystander, student or coworker. There are many ways to help reduce school shootings, but only if the “conversations” move to real legislative action will any of us be able to rest easier. People are getting hurt. Teenagers are dying. If things don't change, we are putting more teenagers at greater risk.