Gun Violence in Schools. Evaluations of Options and Alternatives

Gun Violence in Schools
Abstract
The identified area of health policy to be studied is gun violence in schools. In recent years, gun violence has increased in schools and more lives are being affected on a regular basis and it is becoming a challenge to live safe lives when gun violence is prevalent. This is a significant problem and public health issue because gun violence results in deaths and injuries to loved ones and has huge financial implications. The annual cost of gun violence in America is $229 billion. The policy goals are to end gun violence in American schools and to prevent deaths associated with gun violence. Possible alternatives include parents avoiding open exposure of guns to their children at home, making the laws that govern the licensing and purchasing of guns a lot harsher, and increasing mental health access to students with mental health issues.
Policy Problem: Gun Violence in Schools
One of the aspects that set America apart from other countries is the respect of freedom and rights of individuals. The second Amendment of the constitution describes the right of people of the United States to possess a firm arm and this right shall not be infringed by the government. Freedom is closely guarded and perhaps it is this strict observance of individual rights that has created loopholes in gun control laws. Today, America reports more cases of gun violence among school going students than any other country in the world. This problem is indicative of a society that is almost heading out of control due to the freedom given and protected by the constitution. The aim of this research paper is to examine the status of gun violence in schools in America. The discussion includes background of the policy problem, policy goals and objectives, evaluation of options and alternatives, and nursing implications.
Background
Gun violence in American schools is becoming a crisis that must be quickly addressed. According to statistics, more than 215,000 students have experienced gun violence at school since Columbine High School massacre in 1999, and 141 children, teachers, and other school staff have been killed in school shootings and more than 287 have been injured (Gold, 2015). Since January 2018, there have been 17 school shootings which include the deadliest shooting of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Florida, where a 19-year-old brought a legally bought AR 15 rifle and killed 17 people including students and staff. A recent shooting also occurred at Santa Fe High school in Texas where a 17-year-old teenager brought his father’s legally purchased gun to school and killed 10 people and wounded 10 others including students and staff. It is very unfortunate that school going children are now packing more than just books and are bringing loaded guns into the school environment. Gun violence causes deaths and injuries to innocent people including school staff and fellow learners. According to a report by the Gun Violence Archive, there are 558 reported incidents of gun violence that took place in 2016 and 2017 (Aggers & Luke, 2017). Although the incidents vary in scale and type, they all involved school going students going on a rampage and in so doing causing threat, fear, injury, and in some cases fatalities. Gun violence in schools has a serious consequence on children and youth’s brain development. It can lead to unhealthy behaviors like alcohol, drug use, suicide, depression, anxiety and other psychological problems such as fear and dropping out of schools (Center of Disease Control, 2016).
Active shooter/ other armed assailant drills have become common in American schools, perhaps more common than games students play. School administrations are leaving nothing to chance. They are trying to prepare the students mentally and physically, protecting and preparing incase such an occurrence takes place. These days, parents and guardians of children in American schools are more concerned about their safety even than their performance (Gold, 2015). Not all cases of school shooting makes news headline, as only the ones with serious injuries and/or fatalities always make the headlines. One such incident took place in South Caroline in September 2016 when a teenager brought a gun to school and shot two students and a teacher including a 6-year-old boy who was killed during the incident. Later the same year in October, a 14-year-old male student carried a loaded gun to school and shot a fellow student after an argument. In March of 2017, a boy aged 16 was shot dead at a parking lot of a school in Pennsylvania in a basketball court. Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown Connecticut was the second deadliest shooting in U. S history. On the morning of December 14, 2012, a 20-year-old mentally ill man killed his mother with an AR 15 rifle and went to an elementary school and killed 26 students and staffs, and then killed himself after the shooting. He was fascinated by the Columbine massacre shooting and guns he used to kill were bought legally by his mother. There has been increased gun violence in recent years and this impacted everyone in America, particularly children.
The largest economic factor of this policy is the cost of gun violence in hospitals costs, cost of rehabilitating injured people, and skilled nursing care needed for victims who are paralyzed or who have brain damage. Trauma from gun injuries and homicides account for $410 million annually in direct mental health costs and the sum would be higher if all gun victims can afford counseling services (Bertrand 2015). It has been reported that the yearly costs of non-fatal and fatal gun violence to the United States is $229 billion, which represents about 1.4% of the country’s total Gross Domestic Product (Hristova, 2018). These costs are equal to $700 for each citizen of the United States or equivalent to the economy of Portugal (Hristova, 2018). The legal factors pertaining to gun violence mainly includes gun control laws. American taxpayers pay $12.8 million each day to cover the cost of gun related deaths and injuries (Bertrand, 2015). With regard to political factors, politicians must work together to end mass shootings and gun violence which has been demonstrated by policymakers and politicians at the local, state, and federal levels.
Policy Goals and Objectives
To end gun violence in American schools
To prevent deaths associated with gun violence
Evaluations of Options and Alternatives
Option 1: Parents and guardians are encouraged to prevent exposure of guns to their children at home. There are more than 350 million guns in circulation in the United States- approximately 113 guns for every 100 people. In 2015, 2,824 children (ages 0-19 year) died by gunshot wounds and an additional 13, 723 were injured (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research institute, 2018). In addition, 1.7 million children live with unlocked, loaded guns, and 1 out of 3 homes with children have guns (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research institute, 2018). Among children, the majority (89%) of unintentional shooting deaths occur in the homes while children playing with a loaded gun in their parent’s absence (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research institute, 2018). As a matter of fact, even the knowledge of the existence of a gun should be limited to the adults in the home. The mere knowledge that there is gun in the home will likely encourage the kids to have access to it.
In addition, the firearms must be properly and safely stored. Research has shown that most licensed firearm holders do not take precautionary measures in storage of their guns. As a result, almost 2 million children have unrestricted access to firearms that belong to their parents or guardians (Gabor, 2016). Parents who own guns are therefore urged to be cautious and exercise responsibility by ensuring that they lock up their firearms safely. This option is politically feasible since lawmakers are likely to support it. Even so, it would come at a cost since funds would have to be set aside, albeit negligible. State and federal governments should set aside funds to require mandatory training and licensing for owners and to make sure safe and secure gun storage practices are implemented by gun owners.
Option 2: Another measure that is practical and could help in averting gun violence is encouraging students to be vigilant. Any suspicion of a fellow student having possession of a firearm should be reported immediately to the school authorities (Gold, 2015). More often, when attacks happen in schools, eye witness reports later show that at least one or two students in the school were aware o...