School shootings are becoming an increasing issue in our country. With the Umpqua Community College shooting in Oregon just a few weeks back and a recent threatening tweet at Union High School, it’s pertinent that some change is made. Although this can easily raise problems with current issues about the right to bear arms, there should be other resolutions set in place for schools to better prepare for such situations.
Routine lockdown drills are already mandatory throughout all schools, but those are the only things that students have to prepare them for potential disasters. These drills pose no real threat and are announced as drills, so they are easily ignored by students who more often than not don’t take them seriously.
A change in the way such drills are enforced could end up helping in the long run. Potentially a few scheduled drills where the parents are aware of what is happening but the students are not could prove more beneficial.
Additional reinforcement could come from tougher penalties against people who make threats about shootings, even if they are jokes. People who make such threats need to be aware of how serious they are and face the consequences, such as jail time, if they do choose to continue.
