Most people can distinctly remember the Columbine shooting.  Families and students were shaken and permanently scarred with vivid nightmares.  Imagine the intense fear the students felt as they were eating lunch in the cafeteria, but then were interrupted by the sound of gun shots.  There is nothing more threatening than this defenseless circumstance, trapped inside the library or classroom that was once their place of comfort.  Students practice lockdown safety drills at school, but the reality of the situation is unimaginable.  

So, how can America reduce gun violence in schools and what have we learned?  It may seem as though the fix is simple; stricter gun laws must be in place.  Security needs to be heightened in schools, including arming teachers.  Other physical measures such as metal detectors and bulletproof windows must be used.  This may seem appealing to parents and students as they feel substantially safer being surrounded by security guards.  However, the killer is most likely brave and careless enough to take their life and many others, so why would a metal detector phase them?  There have also been shootings in the past where metal detectors were present.  For example, Price Middle School in Atlanta, Georgia has metal detectors installed.  However, a 14 year old student was shot when students were passing from class to class (Khadaroo).  This is just one scenario that proves metal detectors are not the answer.  It would also be extremely expensive to implement all of these strategies.  Metal detectors alone would be approximately 5,000 dollars to install per school.  If too much physical security is involved, education can be disrupted as well.  A Chicago high school student, Edward, attends an extremely secure school with metal detectors, X-ray machines, and uniformed security.  He states, “Although I was an honor student, I felt constantly in a state of alert, afraid to make even the smallest mistake or create a noise that could enable the security officers to serve me with a detention” (Khadaroo).  I believe these would only be a “balancing act” and schools are simply placing them in the entrance, assuming it will be the solution to mass shootings. 

Physical safety methods may feel safer, but in reality, it is simply putting a band-aid over a deep rooted problem.  I believe the solution lies within awareness and education of one’s mental stability.  Rules and regulations alone cannot eliminate the threat of gun violence in schools.  Instead we must understand that the results of parental neglect, bullying, and mental health can effect the individual behind the weapon.  Most importantly, teachers and students need to take a proactive approach by recognizing the signs of instability that may lead to violent outbursts.  A defensive outlook will leave our country in continual fear as we wait for the next attack, but these preventative methods can avoid the shootings all together.  I believe schools, communities, and individuals are the source of change.  

A stable, non-violent home is the first positive influence a child will experience.  In the beginning stages of development, a child subconsciously learns loving behavior from their parents and surroundings.  Moving to adolescence, social and family lives directly effect one’s mental state.  Children who are neglected at home tend to be ostracized by their peers during middle childhood and adolescence.  As they age, it is possible they will have depression, anxiety, an eating disorder, or an attempt at suicide.  Neglect and child abuse at home also increases the possibility of violent crime in one’s future by 30% (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).  On average, most crime is committed by 12 to 25 year-olds and peaks at age 18.  This correlates to the typical age of students who are responsible for the mass shootings.  “Playing violent video games has been found to lower empathy and raise the acceptability of violent responses in social situations” (Human Development).  This encourages violence in young teens and rationalizes aggressive tendencies.  Parents are responsible for the moderation of time spent playing violent video games.  In the case of a violent teenager, flawed parenting can create the conditions necessary for a school shooter to develop.  High school is also a notorious time for teenage rebellion.  Some parents tend to avoid their child’s problems to keep peace at home.  However, in reality, they are turning away from their need for affection.  This affection can cure the neglect they feel, despite the parents unintentional denial.  

Bullying is prevalent topic related to mental health.  We all have made fun of someone for something foolish once or twice.  It may seem humorous as everyone at the lunch table or school bus gangs up on your friend over a funny story.  To some it may appear as a joke, but to the others their feelings may be overcome with embarrassment and suffering.  It effects each person’s emotional brain differently.  These are just the primary stages which can lead one to have depression or suicidal thoughts, which may then turn to violent actions taken out on others.  In today’s society especially, Social Media plays a huge role in shaping one’s mental stability and cyberbullying is becoming increasingly dangerous.  Bullies feel more powerful when they are hidden behind a screen.  It is much easier to say hateful, degrading words to someone when it is not face to face.  The victim-bully cycle can greatly influence a mentally fragile teenager.  A bully is clearly unstable if they are physically or verbally harming another.  Then, the victim’s low self-esteem can lead them to depressive or suicidal thoughts, or may trigger them to bully in the future.  “Children and adolescents who are bullies are at increased risk of violence to others later in life” (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NICHD).  This can be especially dangerous for high school or college students who have access to a gun, therefore, resulting in a tragic event.  It is necessary to end this cycle altogether in order to create peace among students in our school communities, thus eliminating the possibility of a bully or victim to cause violence.  

Dr. Dan Olweus created the “Olweus Bullying Prevention Program” with help from The American Psychological Association.  “The intervention program is built on four key principles. These principles involve creating a school - and ideally, also a home - environment characterized by: (1) warmth, positive interest, and involvement from adults; (2) firm limits on unacceptable behavior; (3) consistent application of non-punitive, non-physical sanctions for unacceptable behavior and violation of rules, and, (4), adults who act as authorities and positive role models” (American Psychological Association, APA).  It is hopeful that in the future, with more programs like this, America can create awareness and put an end to bullying.  

We must play our part.  Benjamin Franklin said, “children are great imitators, so why don’t we give them something great to imitate!”  I believe this is a perfect model for parents to raise their children.  It may seem obvious, but teaching your child to treat others the way they want to be treated and knowing when to recognize when someone is hurting can only help.  Focusing on positive relationships with children and teachers will impact good choices among students. 

However, neglect and bullying are not always the root of the problem.  Sue Khlebold, the loving mother of a Columbine shooter, feels as though she failed at raising her child, despite caring for him greatly in hopes to become a successful, responsible adult.  She was extremely unaware of his depressive state; months after the shooting, a notebook was found stating he had been cutting himself and wanted to buy a gun to commit suicide.  “How could you not know?” she was commonly asked, and she continues to ask herself that question.  Sue believes her son’s “involvement in the shootings was rooted not in his desire to kill, but in his desire to die”.  This is where the complex issue of mental health comes into play.  She emphasizes that almost 90 percent of suicides involve mental disorders.  When someone has planned to take their life, it is considered a “stage four medical emergency” due to the immense impairment of one’s thoughts.  However, since it is an internal health complication, it is difficult to understand and diagnose.     

Crime and delinquency is also influenced by chemical imbalances in the brain.  Aggression levels are highest when cortisol levels are low and testosterone levels are high.  Serotonin tends to inhibit violent impulses.  Therefore, those with low serotonin levels may suffer from violent, aggressive urges, and men with more testosterone may be more likely to murder.  This information begins to make mental health a more tangible disorder (Human Development).    

Dr. E Fuller Torrey, a psychiatrist, states that “about half of . . . mass killings are being done by people with severe mental illness, mostly schizophrenia, and if they were being treated they would have been preventable.”  This is a frustrating fact; although we are that much closer to grabbing the source of mass shootings, how can we easily recognize mental illnesses?  This is not necessarily a quick fix, however, getting closer and closer to a solution is a reality.  

Nicole Hockley, a mother who lost her son in the Sandy Hook shooting, discusses in a TED Talk the importance of protecting our children from gun violence.  She describes several prevention programs everyone can take part in including Mental Health First Aid, No One Eats Alone, Sandy Hook Promise, and more.  Each of the following considers the small steps we can take to work towards gun violence prevention.  It’s a combination of little things we do that will make a difference, because doing nothing is not an option. 

Mental Health First Aid is an online prevention program that anyone can participate in.  The course provides “you the skills you need to reach out and provide initial help and support to someone who may be developing a mental health problem” to prevent a violent tragedy (Mental Health First Aid).  Learning the symptoms of Anxiety disorders, Psychosis, Depression and mood disorders is the key to this program.  Despite the raised awareness of mental health and its improving medical enhancements, social stigmas continue to view mental illnesses with less importance.  Columbine shooters, Eric Harris and Dylan Khlebold, were often bullied and rejected from others throughout high school.  They were not treated for their depression because students, teachers, and even family members lacked the ability to recognize the signs.   Although this does not excuse their murders, it calls attention for the need to raise awareness for the future.   Mental Health First Aid is a great learning program for all Americans and I strongly recommend schools to implement it either at home or in the classroom.  

We must learn how to identify the warning signs, and Sandy Hook Promise is the perfect program directed towards this issue.  Its’ three main goals are to “recognize the signs & signals of a potential threat – especially in social media, to teach and instill in participants how to take action, and to drive awareness and reinforce the need to ‘Say Something’” (Sandy Hook Promise).  Millions of schools and parents have effectively used this program and have seen positive results and attitudes surrounding their children.  Think about the one child who could recognize someone who is experiencing pain and speaks up, or the teacher who notices more clearly the student who is isolated, sending him to the counselor.  These scenarios could not only encourage positive environments for learning and increase students with healthier, stable minds, but also prevent a possible school shooting.  Saying something to an adult or a friend should be accepted with positive outlook.  We have the power, with Sandy Hook Promise, to teach our children this is what must be done to prevent gun violence.

Finally, No One Eats Alone is a program that appeals to the younger age group.  It encourages children to be involved in the process of preventing social isolation.  This happens to be a problem more often than one may think.  A child who eats his or her lunch alone, day after day, is negatively effected in some way.  The unique aspect of this program is the children are the leaders.  This has been found to be the most beneficial way to reach teens and make an impact.  Social isolation can be eliminated, but communities, schools, and families must be willing to come together.  I hope someday, all schools incorporate these programs into their curriculum. 

“The challenge with gun laws is that by definition, criminals do not follow the law," spokesman Alex Conant once said.  This accurately sums up my thoughts; a criminal’s persistent, unstable mind will inevitably lead them to violence, despite particular governmental regulations.  No substantial changes have been made from increased physical security.  It’s time we concentrate on the deeper problems surrounding violence: parental neglect, bullying, and mental health.   America must focus on the root of violence rather than the violence itself.  Although it can be difficult to accomplish in the distressed world we live in today, it is worth the effort to create peace and safety, not only in schools, but throughout our country.  Added security measures do not solve a person’s urge to plan a massacre.  Extremely expensive security and heightened gun control is not going to stop the shooter’s desire to kill.  Even though metal can be detected, a fragile mind may not always be seen.
