Sandy Hook School Shooting
Shooting on the streets of the USA is not a new phenomenon, however, each time the event is still considered as a tragedy because in most cases innocent people who appeared in a wrong place at a wrong time die. The grief is twice greater when children suffer. The 14th of December 2012 was the last day for 20 children and 6 adults of the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Adam Lanza killed his mother at home and went to school where he committed a crime and shoot himself. The question of why will be left open due to the inability to answer it. This is not the first case of shooting at school. Who is guilty? This is a debatable question. Adam Lanza was a man who took the gun and went to school. But it was the government who put this gun into his hand having allowed free access to weapon. Innocent children, who did nothing in this life, who did not live and would never be able to live, appeared at gunpoint. It is impossible to describe thoughts and feeling as a reaction to this particular even. Gun shooting at schools constantly occur in different parts of the country. More than 30 cases of shooting at schools occurred from the last 3 years. Thinking over the problem, it is possible to conclude that the cases of school violence and gun shooting increases. Children take guns at schools with the intention to protect themselves, but it leads to disasters in some cases. Having allowed children to have guns, the government has allowed those to use them. This is the problem. Modern world is too stressful; children are unable to cope with some problems and having a gun they see only this way out. Anger and pain, wrong perception of the world and distorted vision of reality are the main reasons of adolescents’ shooting at school.
The situation which happened at Sandy Hook Elementary School is shocking. 20 innocent children and 6 adults were affected by this incident. Why he has done it? What happened in his head? What he thought about? All these questions will never be answered. The day started as all other days in many families, except for one. Lanzas’ day started as a nightmare. A son killed his mother. Then he took guns which were of the available place and went to school. There is no justification of this case. A young man (20 years is not that much) entered the building of the elementary school and killed children. One by one, without any feeling of regret or pangs of conscience he shot children. What could be done? Speaking of that day particularly nothing could be done as no one knew about the problems and no one could predict that such things could happen. However, speaking in the scope of the society and epoch, much could be done. One of the main reasons why such cases happen is a free access to weapon. Much debate has been around this issue. Some people are sure that free access to weapon is not the main reason of the issue. However, looking at the countries where people are limited in having a weapon by the low, it is possible to notice that there are few, if any, cases of such events. The USA is a leading country in relation to the cases of school shooting.
Government is responsible for all the cases of such violence at schools. The laws in the USA regarding carrying weapon are too free. People have an opportunity to buy a gun at any place and use it. It is upsetting when children have to carry weapon at schools for personal protection. Gun may be carried to the places where a person is afraid of staying, but schools should be the places where children feel secure. Why has it happened that many children do not feel safe at schools? The increase of criminal cases in the country, the failure of the government to make sure that the citizens are secured is one of the main reasons. Laws are created in such a way that those who deserve it do not have any punishment. As a result, people are afraid of walking on the streets. Many particular situations and decisions are connected in this issue. The criminal situation in the USA is unsolved. This is the reason why the government allows free possession of weapon. But as a result, the criminal situation becomes worse. Speaking of the particular cases of shooting at school, children take guns as they are allowed to, they use weapon as they know from childhood that they can do it.
It is possible to deal with the current situation, it is possible to reduce the limit of such cases to minimum. School education is still valuable. Children come to school at early age when it is possible to affect them, to influence their vision of the surrounding world. Education is one of the ways to bring up future generations. Imposing some ideas into students’ heads, it is possible to make them see the world in another way. School curriculum should be changed. Unfortunately, modern education pays more attention to practical knowledge aimed at helping children earn money in the future. However, they souls, their mental education is behind the focus. I am sure that the changes in legal aspects connected to weapon possession and the implementation of another educational curriculum may assist American society in dealing with the problem. School shooting is a result of inappropriate education as students’ mental and psychological health and the ability to see the world as they do it is a result of school activity. If teachers fail to impose on children love to a neighbor, the desire to assist and to treat others as they want to be treated, children fail to understand the correct principles of human interaction and may create their personal models of behavior.
Speaking of the future of dealing with school violence, I am sure that such cases will increase if nothing is done. Much should be changed in the American society and in the school system. Here are some particular actions which are to be done on order to reduce the school violence. First, teachers should pay more attention to students’ mental and ethical upbringing than to their knowledge. Psychological condition of some students can be noticed, but teachers’ ignorant attitude may lead to problems in the future. Education should become the central issue in students’ upbringing as modern life is too fast. Parents are involved into earning money process and it does not leave time on their children. Second, parents should spend more time with children. Third, laws are to be changed and gun possession should be prohibited in the USA. Government should reconsider modern legal issues in relation to free gun use.
In conclusion, the world is cruel and students should understand how to live here. Paying attention to education, government should also change the laws as only the prohibition of free gun possession may reduce the cases of shooting at schools. Being unable to get guns, adolescents will be restricted in their activities which will lead to the reduction of such cases. Police and government should choose other methods to protect their citizens as the practice shows free gun possession is not a good variant.