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After school on Valentine’s Day, many students at Westinghouse high school ran, cried, screamed, and kept themselves safe instead of driving home or piling into the busses. Some of those same experiences extended out to Michigan State’s campus just 2 days earlier. These two stories of gun crimes had students throughout our school reflecting on issues of safety and gun control.
“I am concerned about gun safety because in America it is really easy to get guns,” said sophomore Mariah Mcdowell, “and you don’t even have to give a license to get one anymore. It is super unsafe and someone who shouldn’t have a gun can easily get access […], America’s security for schools is super low and not very good, which means that it’s easy to get a gun into schools.”
Sophomore Jayla Jones agreed. “I don’t think that there are nearly enough protocols or care that is going into protecting schools. I don’t really see the security that is very good around schools, and that makes it an easy outlet for people to sneak a gun into school and commit a crime with it.”
Staff and faculty were frustrated by media coverage about the shootings as well. Former Avonews editor Mr. Steiner said, “I am very much so concerned about gun safety, the media has broadcast this so much that it has planted the idea into kid’s heads that its something excited or easy to do if they are angry about something, even if it means that they will face major consequences. It’s quite scary.”
Dr George echoes those viewpoints. “I just think that the media emphasis on it might encourage people who are struggling with mental health issues to do this. It makes me more aware of student mental health issues as well around our school.”
