Students have started to become statistics, not based on how smart or athletic they are, but on whether they live or not.
There have been over 35 school shooting incidents which have cost students and teachers their lives. From January to May, there were 17 fatalities due to school violence.
According to Statista, “as of July 11, 35 incidents of school shootings were recorded in the United States in 2024, impacting K-12 school grounds and college campuses nationwide. In comparison, there were 82 school shooting incidents recorded in 2023.”
Although many are raising their voices about recent school shootings around the United States, many influential political figures have chosen to keep their mouths closed on the subject. Although school shootings are a hot-button topic in politics, neither Donald Trump nor Kamala Harris spoke at length about gun control at the second presidential debate.
Only two minutes of the debate were spent discussing gyn control, and both candidates made their stances very clear. Trump claimed Harris would “take people’s guns away” to sway people away from voting for her, while Harris defended herself by saying she has no plans to do any such thing, since she and her running mate are gun owners.
Instead of addressing the school shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia that took place six days before the presidential debate, both candidates devoted their discussion to petty arguments.
Legacy Online School conducted a study comparing a state with strict gun laws to a state with more lax gun laws, both with populations of 5 million. The study found that the state with more strict gun laws had fewer school shootings, with only two, but the state that had lax gun laws had 4 times the amount with eight school shootings.
As of July 11, 17 families are grieving loved ones lost in a school shooting. There are 39 people still living with the memories of a bullet hitting their skin. Millions of parents, friends, and family members must send their loved ones to school not knowing if today could be the last time they see them.
With one of the most recent shootings taking place in Omaha, Wayne State College has put out an email lending a helping hand to any student or staff that may have been affected by the recent school shooting.
If you are struggling with your mental health after this traumatic moment, feel free to reach out to TAO which is an interactive platform for people struggling with mental health and wellness. There are many other help options for you, including the help clinic, student health and counseling, and C.A.R.E.
Never be scared to grieve or talk about your pain, you have a support system through any situation.
