Prevention goes far beyond gun reform

I was sitting in class on Valentine’s Day this year when my phone buzzed.
“Active shooter situation at Florida High School.”
Alert after alert began to come in, giving updates on casualties and injuries.
This was supposed to be a day of love and appreciation for others, be it friends, family or a significant other.
Why is this happening? What drives someone to do this?
When school shootings are further investigated, the shooter is, more often than not, driven to commit this crime due to poor treatment from their peers.
In simpler terms, the shooter was bullied by their classmates.
Take a look at Columbine, for example.
When you listen to students who attended Columbine High School at the time of the shooting recount what they knew about their classmates before the attack, the two shooters weren’t the popular kids. They were the outcasts, the “weirdos.” (I refrain from using their names to give them no more publicity for the crime they committed than they already have received. The victims should be the ones remembered, not the criminals.)
Additionally, the pair also suffered from mental health issues.
Most recently, Zachary Cruz, the younger brother of the Parkland shooter, told investigators he regrets bullying his brother and feels as if he could have prevented the shooting. The Parkland shooter also suffered from mental health.
19 years have passed between those two shootings.
Scattered in between are shootings like Sandy Hook in 2012, the Aurora Theatre shooting in 2012 and the Charleston church shooting in 2015.
Again, the criminals in these attacks all showed signs of mental illness.
This isn’t mere coincidence. This is a pattern.
A study of 185 mass shootings was performed by criminologist Grant Duwe. Over half of all mass shootings (four or more murders at a public location) from 1900 to 2017 were committed by those with mental illness of some capacity.
Shouldn’t this be what covers
headlines, not the model of gun the shooter used?
A trend that swept social media newsfeeds across the board was that of the National School Walkout exactly one month after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
I have immense respect for students that participated in the National School Walkout on March 14. The 17 minutes of silence – one for each victim – was both tasteful and impactful.
It is our duty to recognize the horrors of that day and move forward with the motivation to change. But, that isn’t where the protests should stop. Protests shouldn’t be solely limited to gun reform or heightened gun control.
The protests should also put an emphasis on mental health, getting our elected officials to put in place more programs and resources for those dealing with mental health issues.
While waiting for change from Capitol Hill, students walking back in the doors of their school should check up on each other and take care of one another.
Why tear one another down when it is just as easy to build each other up? We have all heard the saying,
“If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”
As corny as the saying may sound, I think our parents were onto something when we were told that when we were six years old. It takes so much more effort to be cruel and cut someone down because they are different than accept them for who they are. Isn’t diversity exactly what our generation preaches about being more accepting of?
So, then, why don’t we also consider diversity when it comes to personalities and involvement in activities?
Instead of being cruel, flip the narrative. Don’t criticize someone for wearing an outfit that you would never wear. Rather, find a piece of the outfit you like and compliment the person on that fashion choice.
In class, instead of laughing when the quiet kid in the class stutters during speech, give them a reassuring nod and listen to what they have to say.
Pay others the respect you wish paid to you. At the end of the day, we are all on the same playing field. Some of us may be dealt different cards throughout life. But, we all enter and leave this world in the same way.
Also, be attentive to the signs of someone who may be struggling with depression, anxiety, another mental illness or even struggling in general.
If you see someone alone at lunch, introduce yourself and see if you can sit with them. Sure, maybe they prefer to eat alone or need to eat quickly to get to class.
But, you stopping to sit with them may actually turn their day around and help alleviate pain they have been battling due to underlying issues in their own life. Reaching out a helping hand may be the first sign of help the person has received. Everyone has separate lives with our own problems. Why go out of your way to make someone feel poorly when you can instead see what you can do to help?
If you overhear someone speaking of being violent – either to themselves or to others – or see posts that are threatening or violent, speak up. Tell someone as soon as you see a red flag, because notifying someone with the authority to uncover more information may be what stops another attack in the future.
The shooter on February 14 is a murderer, plain and simple. Could this shooting have been prevented? It depends on who you ask.
Some say he would have found a way to obtain the weapon, regardless of if it was illegal or not. Others believe he should have never had the gun in the first place.
Sadly, it is too late to know for sure. But, it isn’t too late for us to take a step back, reflect upon ourselves and see if we are the bully.
What is on us now is checking up on one another and supporting each other as human beings. We are all on this planet together, taking each day as it comes and trying to get by.
Don’t tear one another down. Don’t belittle someone because they are different. Don’t exclude someone to try and “stick to the status quo.”
Foster diversity. Foster creativity. Foster change. And foster our human race, because we have only got one another in this thing called life.
We have a chance to save lives. Speak up, protect each other and strive to accept others for their differences.
If you need help, seek it out. There is nothing wrong in asking for help.
If you know someone that needs help, encourage them to find help and be a source of support for that person.
Let’s set an example for the rest of the world to follow.