Newtown Shooting Elicits Mixed Reactions About Gun Control Across US
ELLEN LI
News Editor
It was what President Barack Obama called “the worst day of [his] presidency.” On Dec. 14, 2012, twenty-six victims were killed in the Sandy Hook massacre. Twenty children and six adults died that day when a heavily armed man invaded the Newtown, Conn. elementary school and went on a murderous rampage.
In the aftermath of this tragedy, a renewed call for gun control swept across the nation. Proponents of gun control have been pushing for tighter gun control laws since this massacre, which was the fourth mass shooting in the U.S. in 2012. According to CNN, 52 percent, of Americans favor major restrictions on guns.
However, the National Rifle Association (NRA), a prominent gun rights organization, responded one week after the Connecticut shooting, calling for armed guards at schools; according to CNN, they believe that more guns will provide true security.
The NRA also announced that it will fund a team to design a program to place armed security personnel on school campuses across the country.
“The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun,” NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre said in a CNN interview.
After the NRA’s proposal, 200 teachers were given free gun training at an indoor sports arena in Utah, an event organized by the Utah Shooting Sports Council in response to the Newtown shooting. Teachers were taught how to handle firearms by gun activists who say that armed educators stand a chance of thwarting deadly shooting rampages in their schools.
“If we should ever face a shooter like the one in Connecticut, I’m fully prepared to respond with my firearm,” Utah teacher Kasey Hansen told Reuters.
However, others are more hesitant to carry weapons into classrooms, since teachers could be overpowered for their guns, misfire or cause an accidental shooting.
“I do not believe teachers should be given guns,” English teacher Nancy Padilla said. “I didn’t sign up to be a policewoman. We have precautions and security in place; if anyone gets to that point, they will get in whether they have a gun or not.”
In order to curb gun violence, Obama has supported more restrictive gun control laws. He urged Congress to vote on measures banning the sale of assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines and requiring background checks before any firearm sale, according to the Washington Post. White House aides also said that a working group led by Vice President Joe Biden will probably come up with mental-health initiatives as well.
“With proper procedures in place, such occurrences can be prevented,” junior Sean Cho said. “This stems from a systemic ignorance of the mental health of youth. Because of this, we see that most of the problems that arise could be treated by instituting better policies for detecting mental disorders and better screenings for those who buy guns.”
The Los Angeles Unified School District has already begun taking precautions in wake of the Connecticut shootings. When campuses reopened after winter break, the Los Angeles Police Department, the sheriff’s department and other law enforcement agencies added random daily patrols to more than 600 elementary and middle school campuses, according to CBS.
“I advocate armed guards patrolling around schools, not in them,” freshman Anthony Guerra said.
The police’s presence around campuses will continue for an indefinite amount of time, according to ABC. Officers will also patrol any private schools that request extra security.
At AHS, security is the number one priority for staff members. According to Assistant Principal of Student Services Chris Takeshita, school officials are always re-evaluating procedures and working with district and law enforcement to continue to improve the AHS campus security. For instance, a recent district directive was given to teachers for all classroom doors to be locked throughout the school day.
“The recent horrible events that occurred in Connecticut were just part of the reason for [the new district directive],” Takeshita said. “Studies and experience show that the harder we make it for someone to get into a classroom, the likelihood is that they will leave that room and go somewhere else.”
Teachers and students had mixed feelings about the implementation of this new policy. Most feel it is troublesome to continually open and close doors for students who leave or enter classrooms, but they also said that it is better to be proactive about security in case of an emergency.
“Security-wise, I understand we have to take all the precautions we can to secure the campus, but as a classroom teacher, it can be very inconvenient when I have to stop my lecture to open the door for students,” math teacher Aya Kamimura said. “But we can’t trade security for convenience because student safety comes first.”
However, there are some concerns about how easily non-students are able to enter campus without visitor’s passes. Towards the end of first semester, some alumni came back to visit former teachers by entering campus posing as current students.
“I saw alumni without the visitor’s passes stickers on campus during finals week, and they visited my classrooms,” senior Jay Chang said.
While the alumni have not caused any problems as of now, this may be an issue that administration should address in order to prevent any future incidents that may occur, if any.
In response, Walsh said that he will make sure that all administration and supervisors know of this concern and keep them on their toes.
“I have no knowledge of [alumni visiting campus without passes], but if that’s the case, teachers can’t harbor students,” Walsh said. “The alumni are supposed to get guest passes so we can account for everybody who’s supposed to be here in case anything happens. If they try to blend in, they can be subject to arrest. Visitors can come, but they have to do it the right way.”
Currently, AHS requires all visitors to check in at the welcome center to gain access onto the campus. Teachers can also fill out forms for requests such as having former students visit their classes.
“I think it is a concern considering the fact that [alumni] blend in very well,” senior Colleen Chau said. “It’s nice to see them visit, but during school hours is not exactly an appropriate time for that.”