On September 4, 2024, the country experienced another fatal school shooting. This time four people- two teachers and two students- died in Apalachee High School in Barrow County, Georgia. A 14-year-old has been charged as an adult with using an assault-style rifle in the hallway outside his Algebra classroom. According to authorities, his father gave him the gun and is facing four counts of involuntary manslaughter charges.
Riverhawk Press Writer and sophomore Ava Benson talked to social studies teacher Emily Bruns. Bruns is also the membership coordinator for the League of Women Voters of North Iowa. Here is a part of their conversation.
Ava Benson: How do you think we can stop these school shootings?
Emily Bruns: “We are the only country in the world that deals with school gun violence at this scale, and that’s due to the large number of firearms Americans have access to. Restricting access to firearms is very controversial, but focusing on common sense and common ground gun reforms would help prevent firearms from getting into the hands of dangerous individuals. Things like safe storage requirements, mandatory background checks, training and licensing requirements, etc would help. Many people also point to mental health issues as the cause of gun violence. We could also take action on that- Iowa is last in the nation for psychiatric beds per capita, which means people who need help are unable to get help.”
Ava Benson: Should schools do more to improve security?
Emily Bruns: “I have mixed feelings about this. Having tighter security, such as having a uniformed school resource officer, may help but is logistically challenging. We used to have an SRO at the high school, but the police department didn’t have enough officers to keep the position staffed. If the school staffs that position themselves, where does that money come from? I would rather see laws and policies be focused on prevention of gun violence instead of reacting to gun violence.”
