HOPE SMITH
managing editor
hope.smith393@my.tccd.edu
The country is ablaze with the topic of school shootings and with the most recent being a private Christian school in Nashville, Tennessee, guns are once again back in the discussion.
2022 had 51 school shootings that resulted in injury or death, according to Education Week. In 2021, there were 35. Currently, 2023 is at 13.
NE student DeAngelo Lara grew up around guns. He said that his father taught that guns were tools and to respect them.
“Personally, that’s what I believe that, you know, guns are tools. And that they’re really good to have especially if you do need to defend yourself,” he said.
Lara said guns can be used for wrong, however, if they end up in the wrong hands.
“It’s really sad, you know, especially for the people who died,” he said. “The case with the first grader that shot his teacher was really shocking because you just wouldn’t expect that, especially for a young kid to just walk into school and shoot his teacher.”
Gun control has various steps for regulation, and Lara said there were many steps to take before actually receiving a gun and was unsure between stricter laws and rights.
“I feel like if they need to add more than that, I’m perfectly fine with that,” he said. “But I feel like they shouldn’t ban because that kind of also takes away part of our rights.”
NE student Kaylee Medrano did not have the same exposure to guns and that only her grandparents owned them. She said she was unsure about the system of gun control but that owning guns felt like an extreme.
“I feel like there needs to be tighter restrictions on obtaining it, but I don’t know enough about how that system works to say a lot,” she said. “But when you see how many school shootings we have compared to other countries, it feels like common sense.”
Medrano had a friend who experienced an active shooter at her school some time during her friend’s eighth grade year.
“Seeing all my friends trying to contact their parents, and like, they were legitimately fearing for their lives, there was more of an issue at that moment with the school,” she said. “The administrators were not being kind about them leaving.”
She said looking away from gun control and instead at school administration may prove helpful.
“We may not be able to change a lot of federal laws, but schools should be taking more precautions to protect their students because some schools just don’t seem to be as caring as others,” she said.
For Lara, he said his little cousin had an instance in his middle school where a student was found with a gun in his bag.
“They caught him early, so he wasn’t actually able to do anything,” he said. “But still, it’s just the fact that it happened and still kind of terrifying. Just kind of knowing that maybe if things had actually happened, you could have lost someone.”
TCC police assistant chief Chanissa Dietrich said officers are trained consistently to respond to an active shooter situation on campus.
“The TCC Police Department works with the Department of Safety and Emergency Management to train and prepare for situations requiring evacuation, lock down and shelter in place,” she said. “Drills are conducted each semester, at every campus location, to assist in preparing the students, faculty and staff to respond appropriately.”
She emphasized that TCC police officers must be prepared for a variety of situations, including active shooters, and that the training members receive is up to date so they can best respond to any “critical incident, emergency or call for service.”
In addition, Dietrich also said education videos for active shooter situations are available on the TCC website for students, faculty and staff.
“Most importantly, never hesitate to contact our communications center if assistance is needed,” she said. “Officers are approachable and ready to help, answer a question or provide direction when needed.”
