Gun Violence: The Effects On Children And Families 

Most kids in America get up and expect everything to go normally when they go to school. Some days you're happy to be there, others you're not. Some days you have drama with your friends, and others you don’t, but what you don't expect is that day will change your life forever. 

It's 6am. Your alarm just went off and you snoozed it like always until you finally got up and started getting dressed. After you get ready you get some breakfast on the way to school. You don't really want to come today, but you still do because you have a test in math and because you want to see your friends. You finally are ready and get in the car heading to school not expecting what's about to happen is going to traumatize you forever.

You're late to your first block which is English but that’s normal. After a while the first block is done, now you're heading to your second which is math and you’re a little bit nervous because you have a test but you studied for it all night. You just finished your test and class is almost over, but before you go to your next class you stop at the bathroom. Then you go to your third class of the day, History; it's not your favorite but some of your friends are in that class. The day is almost over until you hear an alarm go off. You think it's just one of those stupid drills and keep doing what you were doing, until your teacher tells you to get down. 

You hear a loud BOOM BOOM and it sounds like it's getting closer and closer. BOOM BOOM you hear it again and you hear people screaming, panicking, scared. You are thinking of all the scenarios that could have happened. What if you decided not to come to school today because you were tired? What if you were in the bathroom before this block and the alarm went off and heard the gunshots? What if you forgot your notebook in your locker and had to go get it?

 All the things that could have happened but you find yourself here, in a room jumping after every shot you hear. What if the person getting shot is your friend or your favorite teacher? You keep hearing the BOOM BOOM. You think to yourself I don't want to die today and keep saying it over and over again. You look out the window and see the police outside with the sirens on again BOOM BOOM. It sounds like it's right outside the door. All you can think about is I'm about to die and I’m only a kid, this only happened because I went to school today. You hear it again BOOM BOOM until it stops…

School shootings are a problem because kids suffer the trauma of having to go through that, families suffer the loss of their kids. This affects kids all around because school is supposed to be a safe place where the only thing they should have to worry about is grades when they now need to be cautious with doing simple things like going to the bathroom because what if you die. Families are scared to even drop their kids off at school because of what could happen. There are theories that gun control is a problem in politics because  in the article Key Facts About Americans and guns the author says “For example, a majority of Republicans who don’t own a gun (57%) say they favor creating a federal government database to track all gun sales, while 30% of Republican gun owners say the same.” (1) This states that they would want to keep their freedom and many people think that if The Government was to add more laws about gun control then their freedom that the USA has would be taken away from them which is not true. The main problem today is people may think when it comes to adding more laws they are trying to take away their freedom. Studies show that “About half of adults (49%) say there would be fewer mass shootings if it was harder for people to obtain guns legally. School shootings happen more than they should. It is known that kids who suffer the trauma of a school shooting from grades 10 and 11 are less likely to graduate from highschool and less likely to even go to college. The number of school shootings has doubled from before  Due to the number of school shootings we have in the U.S alone.  The statistics show that gun violence has risen within recent years. The United States government should increase the number of laws that deal with gun control by adding more guidelines about what type of guns the public can get because of the constant fear and anxiety that happens in student’s everyday lives. 

The US Government should implement stricter gun control laws to prevent school shootings and other forms of gun violence. We need to add more laws that limit access to assault weapons. We can reduce the number of gun violence and prevent dangerous people from obtaining firearms because the laws that we have now are failing to keep schools safe from guns. Many studies show that if we add more laws about guns we would have less shootings. According to a report by the Giffords Law Center, "states with the strongest gun laws have the lowest gun death rates." (2) this suggests that if more laws are added people would be able to live a safer life including less school shootings. Many facts have shown that 74 people have been killed or injured by guns at American schools this year  “If the parameters are widened to incidents after school, over the weekend, when a gun is brandished, fired, or when a bullet hits school property, that number leaps to 303 in 2022” (Restrepo 2) the number of school shootings has went up 20% from before. “In 2023, the K-12 database has recorded 89 gun-related incidents at a school so far, nearly” (Restrepo) This shows that many people have been able to get guns obtained legally or illegally Just last year there were 51 school shootings which led to some one either getting hurt or dying. Many students have died from it in the year since “more than 6,000 children and teens were injured or killed in shootings” (Hauck 1). This is just the amount of shootings last year and how many students were shot. 

The US schools have been affected because of the carless activities and the laws that should be changed. The effects for kids after school shootings are endless. Many kids have suffered PTSD or any type of trauma from school shootings and some don't even feel the same in their environment. Some of the students' parents don't know how to deal with the aftermath of the kids' mentality. “Many adults lack knowledge about specific mental illnesses and are unsure of how to interact with children and youth with a mental health problem”. (Collins, Swoveland 1)  The states that school shootings don't just affect students but also parents  and leaves people who never had to deal with this problem unsure of how to deal with it. There are many consequences that people have to face not only the staff trying to figure out how to make the school safer but also the students trying to come to school everyday after it. The risks that can happen after a school shooting is that students can suffer from suicide and other things. “Addressing the social, emotional, and physical well-being and mental health needs of children and youth exposed to gun violence is a complex process that requires proper identification of those exposed.”  (Collins, Swoveland 1). Because of all the laws that are not there it is now normal for people to walk into a school with a gun and can happen at any second of the day, it's hard enough to be in school trying to learn and dealing with the grades student/staff should not have to worry about their safety too. 

School shootings can have a lasting impact on the mental health and well being of students and staff members. Witnessing or being a victim of gun violence can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression. An article called Lasting Effects of Exposure to School Shootings  states that “ Students exposed to a school shooting suffer trauma that could generate life-long consequences.” (PBS 2) which shows that many students who have been in a school shooting have had mental health problems and have to deal with them every day. Many of them still go to the same school where the shooting happened which is even harder to deal with. When the shootings have an impact on the people who have to be there it can lead to stress about it or anxiety which could lead to kids not doing good in school and grades dropping. It is shown that some students after a school shooting don’t even pass the semester. It is important to help students who have been in a school shooting by giving them counseling or other mental health things. Many student even if they don't go through a school shooting are scared of the possibility that it could happen to them “Overall, 57% of teens say they are worried about the possibility of a shooting happening at their school (Graf 2) which shows that even if the shootings don't happen at other school students are still scared about what could happen to them. The laws that are here today don't protect the students enough which could be scary for everyone who has to suffer from it.

Many of the shootings have affected families because of the death of their kids or their kids getting injured. Some parents who have lost their kids due to school shootings have made a group where they can lean on other parents who understand some of their pain because many people don't understand their pain. Parents say that “ the discovery of a child’s death is not the hardest part. In the beginning, the tragedy is so intense, it’s incomprehensible” (Luscombe,Edwards 3). Some parents who have lost their childern to gun violence may experience depression, anxiety, and possible thoughts of suicide “ Studies indicate that parents often become depressed and struggle with their marriages after a child’s death. And kids who survive school shootings, when their siblings or classmates don’t, are often later diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. Which shows that the parents that go through that have a lot of stress.” (Luscombe,Edwards 4) Not to mention the many medical bills and or funeral expenses which can add more stress and trauma of losing a loved one and some parents still have to provide for their other kids who are also trying to deal with the loss of their sibling which will not give them enough time to seek the help they need after losing a kid. Many parents whose kid got injured or was just in a school shooting say they are scared to even drop their kid off at school. “The constant news has left parents anxious about sending their children to school. (Mayer 2) after 13 people were killed during the Columbine High School shooting. 55% of parents don't even want their kids going to school because of what could happen while they are there. 

School shootings have a heavy impact on the overall environment and atmosphere of a school community. After a school shooting, students  and staff can experience feelings of fear, anxiety and trauma. This could lead to students not performing well in school and possibly not even coming to school. “In the aftermath of the Sandy Hook school shooting, we find chronic absenteeism (missing more than 10 percent of school days).” (Nation 2) This shows that some students were so afraid to come to school that they didn’t even show up half the time because of the trauma from the school. The environment of school could change for some students if they added more security to schools. At one school the principal added a 10-foot fence, and access to the grounds is carefully controlled via specific gates. Visitors must press a buzzer to be let into the front office. More than 40 cameras monitor key areas. (Mervosh 1) this is one of the things the staff have to do just so nobody will get shot because of the poor laws the US Government has.

The number of school shootings can cause many problems in life because of the amount of lives lost in the act. Many students who are in a school shooting end up with mental health problems such as PTSD. while others self harm, commit suicide. Even without that many suffer from guilt of living while others died. Parents who have kids that died lost their child because they wanted them to have a good education. Even if you believe that America is supposed to be a free land, people don't need to have guns because they are killing people who deserve to live a long and full life who can’t. 

Due to the many school shootings we have in the US, The United States Government should increase laws and add more guidelines about who can have guns. Because of the fear many students have and the anxiety that people suffer from everyday of their lives.

             Works Cited

admin, About the Author: “The Impact of Gun Violence on Children, Families, & Communities.” CWLA, www.cwla.org/the-impact-of-gun-violence-on-children-families-communities/. Accessed 20 May 2023.

Elving, Ron. “The Nashville School Shooting Highlights the Partisan Divide Over Gun Legislation.” NPR, 1 Apr. 2023, www.npr.org/2023/04/01/1167467835/school-shooting-assault-weapons-ban-history.

Graf, Nikki. “A Majority of U.S. Teens Fear a Shooting Could Happen at Their School, and Most Parents Share Their Concern.” Pew Research Center, 18 Apr. 2018, www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2018/04/18/a-majority-of-u-s-teens-fear-a-shooting-could-happen-at-their-school-and-most-parents-share-their-concern/.

Luscombe, Belinda, and Haley Sweetland Edwards. “How Parents of School Shooting Victims Lean on Each Other.” Time, 29 Nov. 2018, time.com/longform/school-shooting-parents/.

McKnight, Phillip Levine and Robin, et al. “Lasting Effects of Exposure to School Shootings.” Econofact, 10 Feb. 2021, econofact.org/lasting-effects-of-exposure-to-school-shootings.

Restrepo, Manuela López. “74 People Have Been Killed or Injured by Guns at American Schools This Year.” NPR, 29 Mar. 2023, www.npr.org/2023/03/29/1166651590/nashville-school-shootings-gun-violence-children-cause-death-2023.

Rossin-Slater, Maya, et al. “How School Shootings Impact Survivors in the Long Term.” PBS, 1 June 2022, www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/how-school-shootings-impact-survivors-in-the-long-term.

Schaeffer, Katherine. “Key Facts about Americans and Guns.” Pew Research Center, 13 Sep. 2021, www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2021/09/13/key-facts-about-americans-and-guns/.

“Surviving a School Shooting: Impacts on the Mental Health, Education, and Earnings of American Youth.” Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR), siepr.stanford.edu/publications/health/surviving-school-shooting-impacts-mental-health-education-and-earnings-american. Accessed 19 May 2023.