Op-Ed: We Must Act After the Nashville School Shooting
A rally in support of gun control urges politicians to consider lives over guns. Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Wednesday’s tragic mass shooting at Covenant School, a private Christian school in Nashville, Tennessee, claimed the lives of three children and three staff. The perpetrator was armed with three guns, including a semi-automatic rifle.
Sadly, this marks the 19th school shooting so far this year that brings about multiple casualties.
As of March 28, the United States has endured over 130 mass shootings this year. Firearms kill over 50 people a day in this country, which has comparatively weak federal gun laws but the most guns—around 393 million—of any developed nation in the world. Americans account for just four percent of the world’s population, but its guns make up 35 percent of the world’s firearm homicides and suicides.
With such horrific statistics, it’s a sad reality that many are becoming numb t0 senseless gun violence. Such tragedies happen so quickly that we are still grieving the victims of one shooting when the next one occurs. The conservative side of Congress takes no action, as shooters acquire their weapons legally. On the state level. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed HB 543 into law Monday, which come July 1, will allow Floridians to carry a concealed firearm without the need for a permit.
Such atrocities could have been prevented in the first place. Rather than focusing on training teachers and students defense tactics and alleviating mental health issues, America’s top priority should be setting stricter requirements on gun ownership.
At this point, the importance of addressing gun laws weighs over these issues. The truth is clear: more guns cannot put an end to crimes. More children are killed by guns each year than car accidents. More children also die by gunfire than police officers and active military recruits. Our government continues to fail its people.
The majority of Americans want changes in gun laws, yet we see no action by Congress. How much blood needs to be shed before our security and rights can be taken seriously?
“The Nashville school shooting is awful, and it is becoming repetitive,” Sylvia Tejada ‘23 said, who started a Gun Violence Awareness Initiative at School last year. “I feel like there needs to be something done. In my personal bubble there are big communities of people that want change while we aren’t seeing any. It is the same story, yet I don’t see the state doing anything.”
The state has an obligation to maximize the protection of human rights and provide the safest possible environment for the people, especially those who are exposed to the greatest risk – like children in the case of gun violence. Our fundamental rights to live are not protected if our leaders fail to tackle and stop gun violence.
Regardless, for students, it is important to realize that we are not immune from such violence. In fact, Covenant School is similar to here both in type and size.
Tejada also stressed the importance of staying informed and empathetic.
According to Head of School Judith Guild, it is important to remain aware and emphasized the safety measures of the School.
In a March 29 all-School email, Guild said, “the Emergency Response Team (ERT) works with a nationally recognized safety consultant, and we have a strong partnership with the local police.”
“We need to stay aware and to not be ignorant,” Tejada said. “Keep track of different things in the news and keep educated about it rather than seeing a post on Instagram, liking it and then moving on with our lives. People see things on social media and run with it, when the reality is much deeper.”
Action needs to be taken.
