WEB EXCLUSIVE

Recently, I read an article that discusses the popularity of school shootings, and the author stated that school shootings are the “new normal.” According to everytownresearch.org, there have already been 17 school shootings as of Feb. 2018.

After reading this, anger struck me. It’s so sickening that school shootings and gun violence are so prevalent in today’s day and age.

On Feb. 2, former student Nikolas Cruz brought an AR-15 onto the Stoneman Douglas High School campus, killing 17 people.

Cruz pulled the fire alarm, triggering students and faculty to flee the interior of the buildings. This lured everybody to danger, allowing Cruz to easily open fire.

One of the things that disgusted me the most about the recent Parkland incident was that students were filming the attack. Videos showed dead bodies, pools of blood, chaotic screaming/crying, bullets flying, etc.

I believe that in states of emergency, such as the event of a school shooting, people should refrain from posting to social media. There was a plethora of snapchat and twitter posts during the attack.

Schools should be a place where students feel safe and secure, not fear for their lives. In order to get to this position of security, schools must partake in more effective safety precautions and drills.

We typically practice safety procedures through code red drills. We are instructed to lock the doors, turn the lights off, shut the blinds/conceal any glimpses of light and to hide from the doors and windows in the room.

We are also told to stay off of our phones incase the intruder has the ability to track cell phones.

Although these safety precautions are great and all, what are we supposed to do in times of high traffic, such as during lunch, in-between classes or at after-school events?

As seen in the recent Parkland incident, Cruz was obviously successful at finding and harming students during a non-practiced safety routine.

In all honesty, I don’t believe code red drills will really prevent danger from occurring. What happens when the attacker is able to get inside a classroom?

It truly is awful to say, but there really isn’t a true way to prepare for an incident to occur. Every attacker/gunman will have a different strategy and may be unpredictable.

Not to get too political, but I think that gun control plays a role.

The legal age in Florida to buy a firearm is 18. It worries me that it is legal to purchase a gun at a younger age than alcohol.

I don’t have a problem with owning a small gun for household safety issues, but being able to own a semi-automatic assault rifle for protection is worrisome.

Another thing that angers me about the Parkland incident is that some teachers were aware of the danger/mental problems that Cruz and they reported these behaviors. Students and teachers reported how gun-crazed Cruz was, yet the school didn’t take much action. The school suspended Cruz. Prior to the suspension, he was prohibited from carrying a backpack with him on campus.

It bothers me that the school was aware of these reported mental problems and didn’t do anything to alleviate the problems. Depending on the level of help Cruz received, the help may have alleviated his frustration and lessened the chances of this school shooting from occuring.