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Joshua Garcia

Professor Claire-Elise Baalke

English 1120

25 March 2024

Schools are not a warzone

Going to school is starting to feel like a risk to personal safety. Constantly happening

school shootings bring up this issue of covering this situation in its entirety and searching for a

reasonable solution. Even though New Mexico is granting school safety measures a bigger focus

by implementing lockdown drills and resource officer programs, the bitter nature of the issue

stands strong. As society, we, collectively, must rectify and deal with the intricate of mental

health, gun access and societal impact which contribute to the occurrences of these deadly

incidents. It is the time that policy makers, teachers and citizens at large should give top priority

to the physical and mental health of students so that they all be in a position of pursuing their

education free of any anxiety related to their safety.

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Gun violence affects pupils in New Mexico schools. Public and Higher Education leaders

tackle this issue. Montoya says around 19,000 youth get shot yearly in the US. Over 455 New

Mexicans die from gunfire each year. This is an overwhelming number of people, the world is a

lot smaller than we think, and this can end up being a loved one. Schools need to prevent gun

violence. Whether it includes implementing crisis intervention programs or ensuring that they

have sufficient mental health counselors. The reasons that these things happen include poverty,

views about guns, and easy firearm access. The Public Education Secretary, Arsenio Romero,

reinforces their commitment to ensuring everyone's well-being. Meanwhile, Higher Education

Secretary Stephanie M. Rodriguez advocates for sensible gun laws and urges action for safer

schools, campuses, communities. Alarmingly, firearm-related child deaths in New Mexico have

surpassed car crashes, illnesses since 2020, highlighting the issue's severity. Governor Lujan

Grisham signed House Bill 9 and House Bill 306 to curb unlawful firearm access, especially by

minors. These laws aim to make a meaningful difference. Students can become advocates for

gun safety through initiatives like the Student Pledge Against Gun Violence. This can reduce

firearm-related incidents in schools. The New Mexico Department of Health and New Mexicans
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to Prevent Gun Violence distribute free gun locks, promoting responsible firearm ownership.

Concerted efforts at legislative, educational, and community levels are needed to tackle the

challenges of gun violence in New Mexico schools. (Montoya)

Guns terrorizing students in their learning spaces is an intricate issue with roots in mental

illness, mistreatment, domestic disarray, and simple firearm accessibility. This complex problem

is embedded within the fabric of American life. Tupponce brings up a scary point, "Guns are

now the leading cause of death among children and adolescents in the U.S." (Tupponce), Joan

Tupponce says as an Ex-congressperson. America has many guns and laws that do not limit them

enough. This means school shootings happen a shocking amount, which should not even be

happening. It is putting so many kids in danger who just want to learn and earn a degree to make

their loved ones proud. Social media makes the issue worse too. As Tupponce explains, "Social

media has a powerful role because of far-right extremism" (Tupponce). People sometimes blame

mental illness, but most shooters do not have a diagnosed condition. It is the fact that social

media has such a significant impact, not only on the mental health of these students, but also

their ideas of right and wrong. "Only a small percentage of these shootings were people that had

been diagnosed with a mental illness,” (Tupponce). Knowing this, can we really blame the lack

of mental health awareness going around?

The easy access to guns in the U.S. makes the problem worse where "you can walk into a

gun store and buy as many assault rifles as you want" (Tupponce). The analysis shows we need

complete solutions for these complex interrelated factors. Simply raising the age for buying a

gun can help this, and on top of doing that, add a very thorough background check on these

people buying the guns. It is likely, the more life experience one will get, the easier things will
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become, and the risk of such horrific things happening can significantly decrease. Studies and

experts agree stricter gun laws and better school safety are needed. Local views reveal how gun

violence deeply impacts communities. Early intervention is crucial.

Not too long ago, a student at West Mesa High School got shot after arguing with another

student. The shooting was about a "ghost gun." Andrew Burson, age 16, died. Even though the

gun did not make it onto the school grounds, the Superintendent said it was very disturbing. "We

really need to work together to stop these terrible events." Maya Rossin-Slater found school

shootings cause trauma. This trauma hurts students' learning and future job chances.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xiyr2pdWmKg&ab_channel=KOAT

Maya Rossin-Slater researches the trauma survivors endure. Her work reveals the mental

health impacts, educational struggles, and economic setbacks that last years. Slater’s research
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says, "in the two years following a shooting, exposed students experienced a 12.1 percent

increase in the share of school days that they were absent, a 27.8 percent increase in the

likelihood of being chronically absent, and a more than doubling of the likelihood of needing to

repeat a grade," (Slater, 2022). Students exposed to shootings miss more school and repeat

grades. Their chances of graduating high school or attending college drop. Lifelong earnings

decrease substantially. Rossin-Slater's findings emphasize the disruption and challenges these

tragic events create. They spotlight the need for better survivor support and gun policies. Without

action, America will keep bearing the devastating costs.

What we need is stricter laws about guns to stop violence with guns in schools. Get background

checks done on all people. Red flag laws are needed too. Schools need better rules to be safe.

Give more money for mental health help. Listen to young people and help them do better work.

Readers are recommended to get involved. Support groups that protect kids at school.

References:

Tupponce, Joan. “Why Do School Shootings Keep Happening in the United States?” VCU News,

Virginia Commonwealth University, 17 June 2022, news.vcu.edu/article/2022/06/why-

do-school-shootings-keep-happening-in-the-united-states.
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Montoya, Stephanie. “New Mexico Education Departments Join to Raise Awareness about

Firearm Safety.” Hed.nm.gov, 16 June 2023, hed.nm.gov/news/new-mexico-education-

departments-join-to-raise-awareness-about-firearm-safety. Accessed 26 Mar. 2024.

Rodriguez, Vince. “Arrest Made in Shooting near West Mesa High School.” KOAT, 26 Feb.

2022, www.koat.com/article/west-mesa-high-school-in-shelter-in-place-following-

shooting/39225432. Accessed 26 Mar. 2024.

Rossin-Slater, Maya. “Surviving a School Shooting: Impacts on the Mental Health, Education,

and Earnings of American Youth.” Siepr.stanford.edu, Stanford University, June 2022,

siepr.stanford.edu/publications/health/surviving-school-shooting-impacts-mental-health-

education-and-earnings-american.

KOAT. ““She Doesn’t Feel Safe There”: West Mesa Parent Takes Student out of School after

Nearby Shooting.” Www.youtube.com, 7 Mar. 2023, www.youtube.com/watch?

v=Xiyr2pdWmKg&ab_channel=KOAT. Accessed 26 Mar. 2024.

Segarra, Curtis. “NMSU Researcher Asks: How Can We Make Schools Safer?” KRQE NEWS

13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos, 2 June

2022, www.krqe.com/news/new-mexico/nmsu-researcher-asks-how-can-we-make-

schools-safer/.