School shootings have been on the rise recently and in the spectrum of just a decade, they have sky rocketed at an astonishing rate.  A few years ago there was an average of six school shootings per year and now that number has climbed to a dreadful sixteen school shootings a year. In just 2013 and 2014 alone there were a total of 92 school shootings at universities, high schools and elementary schools. Although there were shootings in which there were no fatalities, there were injuries. Out of the 92 shootings, 26 of the alleged shooters either succeeded or at least tried to commit suicide after shots were fired with most of them being young males. The most recent shooting took place at St. John’sCollege in Annapolis, Maryland on November 23. Although no one was shot or injured, shots were still fired.

There have even been books written about these school shootings such as She Said Yes, written by Misty Bernall which is the nonfiction account of her seventeen year old daughter who was one of the many victims of a school shooting at her school. When the shooting took place, it was at the local school library and many were killed right in front of her eyes. This novel is an excellent representation of what it feels like to be in the very midst of a shooting. The shock that school shootings produce is very intense and it makes people wonder where they have gone wrong in raising their children. Katie Lyles, author of “Columbine survivor: no child should worry about gunmen” enforces that “it is our job, as a society, to protect these virtues in our young people” and that students should not worry about gunmen stepping onto campus and causing harm to their fellow classmates.

Once people hear about a shooting at their children’s school, many parents of those who attended that school rush to the scene in hopes of seeing their children alive. However, for those unfortunate souls who are murdered in this tragic shooting, the parents are severely heartbroken and wonder why their child was victimized. When Misty Bernall lost her daughter she wrote “Now that she’s gone, though, I’ve begun to realize the significance of every moment you spend with your child” which emphasizes just how mournful such a loss is and how important it is to cherish the time you spend with those who are most important to you since it is impossible to know when such a horrific event is to take place and whether someone you love will be put in danger’s way.

In recent times, many educators have made it their priority to make school a safer environment for their students. For example, here at Pitman the wearing of the lanyards is enforced for school safety. Other teachers even go so far as to keep their door locked just in case a shooter was to step on campus with the intention of killing anyone in their path because a locked door could stop students from being in the crossfire. In Aaron Smith’s article “Schools install gun detection technology” he claims that some schools are installing technology in their buildings that will “be wired to local law enforcement” which may be a great tool in helping to track the action and location of the shooters. Such technology is used in the military and now as it is being installed in schools, it will be used to notify 911 dispatchers, police scanners, and even smartphone apps when there is a shooter on campus. The CEO of Shooter Detection Systems, Christian Conners, says that this system is “basically a smoke alarm for gun fire detection” and hopes that it will be installed at as many schools as possible due to the unsettling numbers of school shootings this year.

It is unclear why school shootings have climbed at such an incredible rate which has led many people to question the regulations of gun control as well. It is an issue that needs more attention because students should not be worried about being harmed at school when they step on campus every day. School is a place where students come to get educated; essentially it should be another home since students spend multiple years at the same place. Parents should not be sending students with fear that they may never return. School safety should not be a concern for students of any age which is why it is vital to create new ways to better protect students and teachers alike at school.