Since 2013, there have been a massive 300 school shootings in the USA; which averages out at one school shooting, per week. In The United Kingdom, in 2013, there were no shootings. In fact, there hasn’t been any since 1996.What is the reason for all these shootings across the pond?
Donald Trump the American president’s response was that they should arm the teachers with guns because: “the attack lasted 3 minutes, it takes 5-8 minutes for responders to get there but if a teacher has a gun the attack would be over as soon as it starts and the gun man would be dead immediately. The teachers wouldn’t need to try and flee for their lives as they would be safe because they had a gun. They could not just protect themselves but protect their class as well.” There are 265 million guns in the USA and instead of taking the guns away like the United Kingdom, the USA is just going to put more guns on the market. After the United Kingdom had a school shooting in Dunblane in 1996, they tightened their laws on guns and it has never happened again. Australia had a school shooting and tightened their laws afterwards and it hasn’t happened again. Should the USA tighten their laws or is giving teachers guns the answer? I don’t think the United Kingdom will ever be able to understand the reality of school shootings and I hope we never have to as I couldn’t imagine going to school and not coming home.
In the US, there have been 9 school shootings since the 1st January 2018. On what is meant to be a day of love and happiness, tragedy seeped through the corridors of Stoneman Douglas High School in the shape of a school shooting. On the 14th February 2018 in Parkland, Florida, a former 19 year old student of the high school, who was previously expelled, entered the school with a semi- automatic rifle. He was allowed entry to the school by a member of staff. Little did they know, he had the intention of killing teachers and children. He pulled the fire alarm and as the children and teachers fled the building he started to fire shots at the innocent people. He killed 17 people and left 14 injured. Nikolas Cruz, the suspect, blended in with the escaping students and got away from the school and police. He was later arrested in a residential area of neighbouring Coral Springs. He is now facing charges for attempted murder and murder. The students would have said ‘I love you’ to the dearest family and friends without knowing they would never say it again. I personally think that guns should be removed from the USA because I don’t think that arming people with weapons is the answer to stopping these horrific crimes. The thought of my teachers having a weapon in school completely baffles me. It’s crazy to think that fire can be fought with fire.
