Great Mills High School in Maryland experienced panic today. A current student brought a gun to school today and opened fire. Fortunately, while there were injuries, no one was killed. Two students were shot, a 14-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl who are currently in the hospital. The female is currently in critical condition and the male is in stable condition.
School shootings must stop
Just recently, students at Great Mills High School took part in the school violence protest demanding an end to Gun Violence in schools and better safety measures.
The school's resource officer was able to gain control of today's horrific tragedy which resulted in the exchange of gunfire and the death of the shooter.
According to CNN, Jonathan Freese, a student of Great Mills High School, was in the school during lockdown and called CNN, giving an interview and informing them that he was "a little shaken up." While schools are being prepared for situations like this, the expectation that something this tragic would happen so close to home is what surprised Jonathan Freese. Freese claimed he "always feels safe because they [Great Mills High School] always have police at the school."
Great Mills High School currently has more than 1,500 students enrolled with 56% of the students being from a minority group.
This shooting is now the 17th school shooting in 2018 and we are only in the third month. While tweets have expressed sympathy for the students and staff, the pain and shock is still lingering in Maryland. The actions that were experienced today in the Maryland high school is a demand for security actions to be taken now. By Congress waiting to make a better plan for security measures to reduce gun violence, it is only giving students extra time to create chaos until action is taken.
School Violence Act 2018
It was not long after Florida’s mass school shooting that Congress agreed to pass a bill that is called Stop School Violence Act 2018 which allows funding for metal detectors, locks, and a faster way for schools to call for police assistance and mental health professionals. Schools are now being given $75M annually to enhance such security features.
While Congress is getting their thoughts together concerning this new Act to suppress gun violence, how many more schools are going to experience the same kind of tragedy before security measures are implemented? Due to school shootings being on the rise, Florida law has changed the minimum age requirement to buy a firearm from age 18 to age 21. Many states have taken their time deciding on the age limitations for buying a firearm, but many stores such as Wal-Mart, Dick's Sporting Goods, and L.L. Bean have changed their limitations, requiring a minimum age of 21 before anyone can purchase any kind of firearm.