Two pupils walked into Columbine High School on April 20, 1999, armed with scatterguns and explosives. The incident ended with tragic consequences. 15 households lost a brother, a sister, a kid, a niece, or a nephew. From this incident many inquiries were left unreciprocated. How did the kids get the guns? Why did they make it? And most significantly, if a school like Columbine could be the mark of such a violent violent disorder, how protected are we the young person from random Acts of the Apostless of force? In this paper I will seek to reply some of these inquiries.
The first inquiry I would wish to turn to is why. Young person force in United States has had rather an extended history. This job has plagued the ghettos and goons of big metropoliss such as New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Houston for the last 20 old ages. In fact about 2300 homicides are recorded a twelvemonth by 18 or younger kids. However, until late it has been overlooked. America was horrified as they watched the unrecorded coverage of Columbine pupils running scared from the overtaken school. This shocked the American populace. Never before had such horror taken topographic point in the suburbs of America.
This forced people to inquire why, to confront the job. Right off the parents and the populace blamed music telecasting. This is an easy whipping boy for the people to utilize. But the fact is that music and telecasting play a really little function in adolescent force. The most important and outstanding quality of a violent adolescent is that of the impact their parents had on them. Child maltreatment, sexual maltreatment, and parents exhibiting force towards each other are the 3 chief factors in developing a violent adolescent.
When brought up in places, kids learn from what they see and how their parents act. Often a kid brought up in a violent household will larn that force is “ok” and will go violent in nature during their early adolescence old ages. This can ensue with the kid at N increased hazard of fall ining packs. Yet through all the domestic force, deficiency of a parental figure, or supportive counsel can pervert a kid. With more and more adult females fall ining the work force, frequently the kids are entirely, and without a supportive sibling. One out of every 10 kids comes place to an empty house. More than 60 per centum of all kids will pass at least some clip in a family with merely one parent. These kids will larn from others, seek to suit in. This can besides take to gang and to violent eruptions due to miss of fondness.
I had besides stated that sexual maltreatment was a big factor in violent teens. Violence is besides extremely evident in female victims every bit good as males. It is most frequently a female kid instead than a male kid in sexual maltreatment instances. One in four females are sexually abused by the age of 18 compared to merely one in six males. Sexual maltreatment leaves the victim feeling shameful, afraid, and in a province of impotence.
Unless the job is dealt with at a immature age, the victim will ensue with emotional perturbations, and jobs with future relationships. Sometimes the choler built up will make a point where they will kill their maltreater. The victim continues to hold a low self-esteem degree, to the point that they ( in most instance’s female ) will believe they deserve nil better than being abused. 6 to 10 million adult females are battered by male spouses every twelvemonth. This can take to females geting eating upsets and even try self-destruction.
The following inquiry I would wish to near an hopefully reply is where make these childs get the guns. The obvious reply to this inquiry is the people who sell these guns. Although it is the incorrect reply. It is about impossible for any individuals under the age of 21 to purchase a pistol lawfully in the United States. Legally is the cardinal word in that sentence. Many of the guns u sed in adolescent shots were acquired directly from the juveniles place without parental cognition.
There are ways to maintain your kids off from these unsafe arms. All guns should be placed in a safe topographic point out of the range of kids. A locked instance without glass is the best. The ammo should ne’er be stored with the arms. And one of the most of import stairss is that kids should be taught at a immature age the dangers of guns. The more the kid knows the effects a arm of that power may hold the more they will understand the effects.
The last inquiry I will try to reply is, Are we safe in our schools? Over 3 million offenses are committed in our school system each twelvemonth. 1 out of every 10 schools will see some type of violent onslaught. Every twenty-four hours 1000s of pupils go to school afraid. They are non afraid that the instructors traveling to happen out they didn’Ts do their prep, or afraid of making a presentation, they’re fearful of their lives.
On mean 14% of pupils that go to school every twenty-four hours do non experience safe. 4% of the pupil population will remain home one or more yearss this month out of fright. This happened right here in our ain school. A violent menace was posted in one of our male childs bathrooms. On the twenty-four hours of the supposed onslaught merely one 4th of the school was present. Not even simple schools are safe pupils. In Bridgeport, CT, an simple school had to put in bulletproof Windowss after isolated slugs were shot from environing lodging undertakings into the school.
Many schools have increased their security. Chain nexus fencings protect from unwanted visitants, metal sensors scan for illegal arms, panic buttons are installed in schoolrooms, some schools such as our ain prohibition book bags or the usage of cabinets. But even these steps do non to the full protect the pupils. In urban schools fire drills are followed by thrust by drills. Students are requested to lie level on the land at the sound of gunshot. Police visit schoolrooms to learn pupils how to cover with person confronting them with a arm. Many schools have banned the erosion of certain colourss related to gang force.
In some communities there is non adequate support for these types of security additions. Every twenty-four hours 135,000 arms are brought into school. One 4th of pupils have been threatened with a arm while school had been in session. Items such as jackets and jewellery will literally be taken off the dorsums if person wants it. 9 out of every 10 incidents of threatening is ne’er reported. 20% of suburban pupils claimed that if person stole an point of there’s that they would kill them. 8% claimed if person looked at them funny, or were in some manner “insulting” them they would besides kill them. A batch of pupils feel that if they do non draw the trigger than in some manner they would be considered weaker. The three chief grounds for killing another adolescent are stealing, green-eyed monster ( normally over an ex ) , or if they felt that they were given discourtesy.
Most of the 135,000 arms brought to schools are non intended for usage. Most pupils will convey arms because they fear for their safety. This can besides be a job. In 1994 in Valley High school a pupil worried about his safety decided to convey in a pistol to protect himself. One twenty-four hours while heading to his following category the gun dropped to land and fired, taking the life of an guiltless adolescent.
With all the force that invariably surrounds us, the most startling is when the rural school systems becomes a shooting evidences. In the past 4 old ages at that place have been 15 rural school shots. The most atrocious being Columbine High School. It is my hope that someday this awful pestilence will be wholly resolved. And until so i will pray for those who have lost and will lose their lives to teen force.
