On February 14, 2018, a former student who had been expelled for disciplinary reasons opened fire at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL. For those who do not know where that is, it is near Ft. Lauderdale. Since the incident, we have seen many debates on gun control. According to the Chicago Tribune, there have been roughly 188 shootings at schools and universities across the United States, since the beginning of the century. Each time one has occurred, we have seen a never ending cycle. First, the news breaks and we hear thoughts and prayers. Almost immediately after politics sets in, followed by raging debates. About a week or so later everyone moves on to the next thing and forgets about it. This time will likely be the same, but there have been a few interesting things that have come of the most recent incident
First of all, we are seeing the same "ban all the guns" from many people. We have heard the students that were present at the time of the shooting calling for stricter gun regulations. While firearms should not be accessible to those who have a history of mental illness or crime, stricter gun regulations might not be the answer. A common argument that we see is that the problem is guns. There is a major hole in that theory. Not all assaults involve firearms.
On May 18, 1927, one of the deadliest attacks on a school occurred, resulting in 44 fatalities. This incident is commonly known as the Bath School Disaster, in Bath Township, Michigan, and it is the deadliest school massacre to date. At 8:45AM, the north wing of the Bath School exploded. According to the Smithsonian, the blast occurred with such force that it could be heard from miles away. The building had been bombed by Andrew Kehoe. As people were rushing to the aid of those impacted, he stepped out of his truck and fired a rifle at it, resulting in an additional explosion that killed himself, and several bystanders. While a firearm was used in this attack, the attacker did not shoot any of the victims. Too long ago to be a valid argument?
On April 9, 2014, 23 students were injured in an incident Franklin Regional High School, in Pennsylvania. This incident however, did not include a firearm, but rather a knife. Just before school started before the day, a student began stabbing and slashing other students in the science wing of the building. 23 students and a security guard were all injured in the attack. 5 in critical condition.
Beyond these two incidents there are a number of additional times around the world in which individuals have come in and attacked students with alternative weapons, including but not limited to hammers, axes, and knives. One such involving an axe occurred in China in 2016. In which 7 children were struck while waiting in line for lunch. The perpetrator of the attack claimed that his motive was revenge on society, after having been arrested several times for theft.
None of these 3 incidents could've been prevented by stricter gun regulations. And while stricter gun regulations could have potentially prevented the incident from occurring in Florida, that isn't to say that attackers aren't able to illegally obtain firearms, or attack using alternative measures. Some after reading what I just wrote may be angered and disagree with what I said. I would like to however share some of my thoughts for new gun control regulations.
- Increase the minimum age to purchase firearms to 21
- If the perpetrator of the firearm obtained the weapon legally, this law would have prevented the whole thing occurring.
- Prohibit the sale of firearms to those convicted of violent crimes
- Those who have a history of violence should not be permitted to legally obtain firearms
- This would include those who have been convicted of the following
- Armed Robbery
- Rape
- Homicide
- Attempted Homicide
- Burglary
- Theft involving a firearm
- Prohibit the sale of firearms to those with a history of mental illness
- If the weapon used in the attack was obtained legally, the incident that occurred may not have happened.
Even with these regulations in place, there is no way to stop violence from occurring, but there are ways to at least try to prevent them from occurring.
Sources
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/1927-bombing-remains-americas-deadliest-school-massacre-180963355/
http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2014/04/09/multiple-students-reported-stabbed-at-franklin-regional-high-school/
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/china-school-attacks-stabbing-axe-seven-injured-two-adults-beiguan-primary-school-hanzhong-a7439906.html
