The truth is that school shootings are an epidemic in the United States of America. Why do these school shootings happen with such frequency? In most of the school shootings, there are other people who had knowledge of the attacker’s plans and yet still failed to report it. The most recent school shooting took place in Michigan when a 15-year-old killed four students, injuring several others as well as a teacher.
Cruel environments
Schools can be cruel environments, even in primary school. If you have a disability or you aren’t attractive, you can be bullied and taunted. Sometimes you expect this type of behavior to disappear in adulthood but it doesn’t. It’s why youth counselling becomes so important to young people. It stops this negativity before it becomes a lifelong noose around your neck, destroying your own life and others.
Bullying in schools is becoming an epidemic. Harassment, discrimination, and violence are all behaviors that contribute to negative social situations at school. Interactive Counselling helps students to be brave, to speak out if they are a victim and to stand up for what’s right, and to raise awareness of bullying with a teacher.
Easy access to firearms in the USA
It doesn’t matter who you are because there is easy access to firearms in the United States. Even dangerous people can get hold of a gun with no obstacles. In fact, if you’ve been cited for domestic violence, it’s still open for you to buy a gun. It is amazing to know that collectively, Americans own more guns than there are citizens.
The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution allows Americans to own a gun and about a third of Americans do own several. But President Biden has also proposed a new restriction on firearm access, so this very easy access for firearms is tightening.
Concern for the gun industry
Guns just happen to be ingrained into American society, and the truth is that many people care more about the wellbeing of the gun industry than the safety of citizens. The profits of the gun industry are way too important – more important than a school shooting.
Many concerned citizens believe that the profits of the gun industry are put ahead of the safety of children in schools. It seems that politicians are slow to do anything too meaningful about gun sales, lest the gun industry be up in arms about their loss of sales.
Mental health issues don’t get enough attention
America is known for its gun-related violence in schools and school shootings have occurred even as far back as 1764. School violence has been steadily increasing and more so in the 21st century. It is thought that mental health issues aren’t being sufficiently addressed in schools. School teachers need to be trained to look out for troubled students and schools should have psychologists working around the clock.
They need to recognize the weird and unique characteristics of some students and investigate the students in an unobtrusive way. School counselors have to be far more proactive in identifying students who seem to have mental issues. The school needs to adopt an open, caring, listening policy where students are made to understand that there is always a place they can go to for counseling.
Availability of drugs
Many people blame the availability of drugs on school shootings. The availability of drugs is high and often, students in high schools have been on some or other drugs. They have no inhibitions when it comes to opening fire on their fellow students. Schools need to be doing more to check on what students are carrying on them when they enter the school premises.
In terms of illicit drugs, high school kids make use of marijuana the most, and in fact, it has been legalized in many states and is available to high school students. There are just so many reasons why teens use drugs, from unbearable peer pressure and bullying to wanting to be more popular to wanting to numb themselves from hurtful comments from other school kids.