How Does Mental Health Affect Gun Violence?

School shootings are one of the most common tragedies that happen here in America. As you know, school shootings have been increasing at an alarming rate. Although there are many said solutions to this tragic epidemic, it is apparent that not only are they unsuccessful in preventing these devastating situations, but they also have been proven to impact those attending school in negative ways. It is evident that the main reason behind these offenses is the poor mental health of our society, and in response, we should start the improvement of not only the talk about emotional well-being, but also helping others understand the fact that it’s okay to go through rough stages in life, especially in adolescence, and how to deal with such harsh emotions. 

Since the shooting that took place in 1999 at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado which took 13 lives and injured many others, more than 300,000 students in America have experienced gun violence. Although there are many said solutions to this epidemic, such as the Lock, Lights, Out of Sight protocol can be seen as ineffective, not only due to the panicked state of students and faculty that can lead them to do irrational things, but also because most school doors aren’t as sturdy as they seem to be. 

In cases such as the University of Nevada shooting, where Anthony Polito opened fire claiming the lives of three faculty members, the attack was personal, his reason being the fact that he was turned down from his job application. Most offenders have mental issues at the time of their acts, fueling their will to do these heinous acts. 

School shootings cause disquietude to break throughout the communities we live in, but who does it affect the most? The young people of our community are not only physically affected, but mentally affected by these tribulations. As children and adolescents grow, their brains are typically used to strongly reacting  to things that happen in everyday life. As a result of this, emotions such as anger, anxiety, and depression can be a common outcome to things such as bullying and failure. This not only can cause the child to act out, but can cause their amygdala to be extremely hyperactive, which can lead to acts of violence.

 How can students be expected to learn in a stressful environment? According to Kitzerow, "Schools are a microcosm of their communities, it should be a clue and a wake-up call for us. What we see in the communities is coming into our schools." (Wong). Learning in surroundings that lack a good community can lead students to feel unsafe. 

As people, we always want to make sure that we are in a secure environment at all times. So, in response to this, many school districts are taking it upon themselves to up their schools’ security, in hopes of preventing any weapons or reprobate into the schools. Despite the fact that this can be seen as one of the most effective ways of preventing it, studies show that increased SROs can cause bad interactions to happen. 

According to the ‘Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection’, “These interactions negatively affect a student's lifelong achievement and increase the likelihood of future involvement with the criminal justice system as an adult, a phenomenon sometimes referred to as the school-to-prison pipeline and which disproportionately affects students of color.” (“School Violence”). With students already struggling to go to school, increased surveillance can make schools seem more intense than what they should be.