School shootings and Gun Violence
There have been a lot of shootings in many Chicago Public Schools, which is definitely a social issue. However, there are very few cases of a teacher being shot by their own student during school time. Some of the schools have victims of gun violence and have been greatly impacted by this issue tragically. It’s very well known that school shootings are very serious situations. They put everyone in the building in danger and at risk of their lives and safety. They happen far more often than we anticipate in the entire United States.
In this case that occurred in Virginia the tables were turned because it was a six year old toddler that took a gun to school and shot his own first grade teacher. It was too late for the school to take action in this situation because he had already struck his teacher. It has come to the public knowledge that this student is not going to face criminal consequences for injuring his own teacher.
Furthermore, when it comes to school shootings, many people have the concept that it’s extremely upsetting that those lives are taken by a random person, which is really devastating for sure. However, there is also another side to these situations, which is the teacher’s and student’s witnesses. These individuals are the most impacted by going through this traumatizing experience. They keep this in their memory for the rest of their lives, which is the saddest part of this. These students are basically scarred for life because an individual decided to go out there and start a senseless shooting without any remorse and traumatize all students and the entire school. Situations like these are the school’s worst nightmare.
Mental Health Impacts for Everyone Involved
Schools often become the main target of school shooters for many different reasons like revenge, and influence from other people, but one for sure is their mental health being impacted during the happenings. Mental health is a huge contributor and factor to everyone involved when it comes to these incidents. When school shooters are thinking or planning to get this done they are in a fact not stable in their minds, because it is just totally not right in any sense.
This is why mental health is so important and why there should be more awareness of why people should advocate more for this public health issue. It is just so unfortunate that kids who are innocent have to witness these massacres and then have to deal with this trauma, which for sure does affect them in the future. These effects can be negative in their lives because they are scars that are left with them from a very young age, which would for sure inquire mental health services for them to improve their mental and emotional well-being.
The Person Least Expected Has Done the Unthinkable
As mentioned before there have been many school shootings throughout the entire United States. In fact, there have been more than 373 school shootings since the year 1999. This means that more than 344,000 students have experienced gun violence while being at school since the Columbine High School shooting.
These shooters are individuals who people would think that they are capable of making decisions and knowing what’s right and what’s wrong. However, when committing these crimes, they are obviously not in their right state of mind. These are the people that would be estimated to be the ones that for not one reason would do such a disaster in many people’s life.
Details Of This Terrible Incident
Furthermore, this Virginia case is surprising. The reason in this specific case was a six-year-old student with the power of a gun. In this incident, a six-year-old student was the one terrorizing everyone around. Unfortunately, the six-year-old did strike a shot at his first-grade elementary teacher, Abby Zwerner.
She works at Rickneck Elementary School in Virginia. This was a shock to the injured teacher, who did recover from the gunshot wound. It was surprising to see that one of her students had a gun in her possession. However, she did know that he had a gun and was trying to get help from anyone in the school. Unfortunately, according to her, nobody was listening to her and swept it under the rug. In fact, she even sent a text message to a loved one, an hour before she got shot, and she said that the six-year-old was armed and the school administration was not taking her seriously, nor were they taking any action before the situation escalated.
Why Is The Six Year Old Not Facing Criminal Charges
After this incident, what may be logical to some people may not be logical at all for others. Due to the circumstances, sources have stated that he is too young to actually commit a crime willingly. Well, the case is that this six-year-old kid is not going to get any criminal charges for his actions. It is also stated that the six-year-old stole his mom’s gun and intentionally wanted to shoot someone at school.
This decision was taken because it was believed by the city prosecutors that because of his very young age. Also because he is six years old and he would not be capable of understanding the entire process of getting charged. Even though he is not getting charged, it is still trying to be determined to see if there are any adults that are going to be getting charged. Due to the fact that the six-year-old had possession of the gun.
Written by Jeanette Sanchez
Sources:
NBC NEWS: 6-year-old who shot teacher won’t face charges, prosecutor says.
NBC NEWS: Teacher shot by 6-year-old texted a dire warning to a loved one before she was wounded, source says.
Daily Mail: BREAKING NEWS: Six-year-old boy who shot and injured his Virginia school teacher will NOT be criminally charged
Sandy Hook Promise: 17 Facts About Gun Violence And School Shootings
The Washington Post: More that 338,000 students have experienced gun violence at school since Columbine
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Inset Image Courtesy of depthandtime Flickr Page-Creative Commons License
