Reflection Paper On Shootings

As students embark on the journey that is college many new obstacles are bound to come their way, but yet, safety and security should never be the reason for fear in a student. It is becoming more clear that college campus shootings can happen and Gary Pavela and James Alan Fox have outlined the reasons why previous shootings have caused problems within college administration in modern times. Due to research on capmus shootings college administration has increased their safety measures in the wrong ways. College campuses have hindered the well-being of students then and now because administrative teams are attempting to make safety their first priority, , but in turn actually enlisting fear into student’s minds.

Because I 'm older, curious by nature, and an avid reader of research (domestic and worldwide), and because social issues matter greatly to me, I didn 't really learn anything new from the documentary. However, it confirmed for me that my fears and growing apprehension about gun violence and guns in general are valid.

Gunmans in Mass shootings such as Stephen Paddock was the shooter on October 1, 2017 When he opened fire during a show he had killed 59 people and injured 527 people. In the hours after the retired accountant committed the shooting, authorities rolled out frightening new details, including the discovery of scopes on rifles at the resort and explosives at his home.A team of six officers spoke with security at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, where Paddock was staying, and searched the hotel floor-by-floor Sunday night before they found Paddock's room, Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo told reporters.

Active shooter incident occurrence have risen at an alarming level. In the eight years following the 1999 incident in Columbine, an average of five active shooter incidents happened annually. By 2014 that number had increased threefold (Fabbri, 2014). Law enforcement and rescue personnel should prepare to respond effectively should this scenario occur within their jurisdiction.

Sitting through an hour-long lecture or waiting in line to speak with financial aid are some examples of an average day on campus. It is during these times when students are least expecting tragedy to strike. A student may hear a loud noise and think nothing of it until they realize that noise was the sound of a shooting rampage that has reached their area and by that time it’s usually too late. Campus safety is everyone’s responsibility and remaining on alert is the only way to ensure less people are victimized. One of the first, and most memorable, attacks happened on August 1, 1966. Charles Whitman, a former marine, took rifles and other weapons to the observation deck atop the Main Building tower at The University of Texas- Austin, then randomly opened fire on the surrounding campus and streets. Over the next 96 minutes, far longer than the average active shooter attack, he shot and killed fifteen people. Included in the death toll was one unborn child, and injured thirty-one others. The incident ended when police reached Whitman and shot him dead. During this event, civilians played a vital role in assisting first responders in the take down of Whitman and Allen Crum, a 40-year-old bookstore manager and retired Air Force tail gunner, accompanied police up the tower in pursuit of Whitman. While Crum was armed, it solely because officers handed him a firearm to assist in Whitman’s take down.

Teaching at a typical small town school in rural America one day, shots ring out. Active shooter drills come to mind, but what do we do, where do we go, how many students are present? Panic sets in. Thoughts of hiding, running, calling out for help and screaming all flash across the forefront of the mind when a person can be seen walking down the hall with a large gun in hand. No one ever thinks it could happen in a town, school, or church like ours but when the act is committed everyone feels the betrayal. Although schools from elementary to universities have adopted drills for active shooters and have routes with plans drawn up we never know how we will truly react until the time comes. Armed guards stand at the ready at most entryway doors but they are only one person and can not be everywhere always. In a recent study of active shooters for the Federal Bureau of Investigations, J.Pete Blair and Katherine W. Schweit have said, “The second most common incident locations were in educational environments…and the study results established that …these incidents involved some of the highest casualty numbers” (20). Crime is always a threat to education and defending our students nationwide should be a priority. The trouble begins with the fact that the school shootings are becoming more regular. Allowing teachers to be armed gives administration, faculty and students a more successful chance at survival against an active shooter in our education systems.

I completely support those who stand up for our constitutional right to bear arms, but in light of the recent shootings, is it time for state and federal health officials to declare a national public health emergency? Is it really ok that we be allowed to purchase an excessive amount of firearms, does that not raise any eyebrows? This is a national epidemic. I want to ask Congress to place limits on firearm purchases, ban assault weapons and high capacity magazines, and provide funds for gun violence research. Americans deserve to be able to walk, celebrate and gather in large groups without the fear of random and mass shootings.

I have been a student in the Thomas County School System ever since I started pre-school. During my time here, I have loved every minute of it, learning and having great experiences with friends and teachers here. Over the last four years of my high school experience, I have noticed that there have been more threats of bombings and shootings around the nation. Even though we do have a safe school and take precautions, there is still room for error. I am proposing that we make school a safer place for kids to learn by installing bulletproof glass as well as door-stoppers in each class.

Columbine, 1999, 15 dead. Sandy Hook, 2012, 28 dead. How many of you had ever have to practice different emergency drills in elementary school? For either earthquakes, fires, strangers on campus… Now how many of you have actually gone through the real thing?

A comforting fact about guns is that they enable the common citizen to protect themselves. In some parts of the country, it can take 20 minutes or longer for first responders to arrive. Because of this, a large part of our personal safety depends on our ability to defend ourselves (Gun Control Overview 5). This in itself proves the necessity of firearms for the well-being of the common citizen. There are also numerous colleges that implement what students should do in the event of a shooting in their handbook. “West Virginia University advises students that if the situation is dire, they should “act with physical aggression and throw items at the active shooter.” These items could include ‘student desks, keys, shoes, belts, books, cell phones, iPods, book bags, laptops, pens, pencils, etc.’” (Goldberg 12). The very existence of these policies is evidence that local law enforcement

The first, being the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting in Blacksburg, VA on April 16, 2007. This cowardly and savage attack was carried out by Cho Seung-Hui. This attack left 33 people dead and became the deadliest shooting rampage in a campus setting in history. This became more horrifying than Columbine, in my opinion. The reason I say that is because I was a Junior in High School when the Virginia Tech shooting happened and I was taking standardized testing that entire week. The next day, as what happens so frequently after a high profile national news story, we had a copy cat who threatened to do the same thing to our high school. I had never experienced so much high level security at my high school prior to that week. It was clear everyone was on edge, from the students, to the faculty, and from the police and SWAT that were on site at our high school. Fortunately nothing happened, but I remember being very uneasy that week. Ever since that week from hell, I have wondered what it would have been like if we, as students and faculty would have been allowed to carry a firearm to protect ourselves during that uneasy time. As I look back on that time I realize with everyone being on edge, had we all been allowed to carry for protection, maybe the nerves and edginess would have been slightly less and more subdued. Unfortunately, we will never know. Tragedies like what occurred at Virginia tech brought a mass political

School shootings are a common occurrence on daily news. Students shouldn’t terrify going to school with the mindset that a shooter will show up with intention of killing people. Ideally, students leave home for school to learn, and not worried someone will come in and shoot everyone. When I was younger I would go to the bathroom worried a shooter would enter my school leaving me alone in a life or death situation. School security improvement is extremely important because children should feel safe and never in danger. Also, schools need better ways of helping children feel safe when they come for six hours everyday. More could be done for students, not only as prevention from shootings occurring but from relieving young children of unnecessary anxiety.

A literature review of gun violence prevention is being undergone as part of this submittal. This research is important because gun violence has been a plague in the United States and the United Kingdom, among other places, for much of the recent century or two. This violence takes on two major forms. The first is general gun violence that is perpetrated as part of gang violence, robberies, burglaries, crimes of passion or spite and so forth. The other major form, which is both quite uncommon but very poignant and affecting when it happens, are school and other mass shootings like Columbine and the very recent Sandy Hook. There have been a decent amount of other school shootings and work shootings, but those are far and away the most notorious. Both were effected by very mentally ill teenagers or young adults that decide to go out in a bloody and perverted blaze of glory before they took their own life.

The intention of this paper is to look at and present some issues and strategies that members of a school community think about when trying to create safer schools. Particularly when addressing an active shooter in a school setting. A major issue to consider when trying to keep all schools safe, is the simple fact that no two schools are the same. Understanding this can lead us to the conclusion that it is impossible to have one global plan or program that can be 100% effective in all schools. “Violence prevention programs work best when they incorporate multiple strategies and address the full range of possible acts of violence in schools. For any set of policies to work, it must be established and

The effort of this paper is designed to provide an audience with the basic framework in preventing, reacting to, and recovering from a school shooting. By analyzing the crisis of a school shooting, this paper will lay out the practical steps in preparing schools, communities, and local agencies for a tragedy that has already shook many communities across the nation. This paper will also follow the steps necessary to implement and evaluate a school shooting preparedness plan. In concluding this paper, school staff, local agencies, and families will be able to take the practical steps towards providing a safe and comfortable learning environment for students.