School Shootings example essay topic

Nick Ferrigno 11-20-99 School Shootings In our society today, so socially and technologically advanced, one expects to feel a sense of security and comfort. However, this safety is lost due to the fact of many school shootings occurring nationwide. It is not unusual to hear about these shootings on television or on the radio. This issue has greatly impacted the lives of young people.

If you turn on you television and look at the destruction caused from a flood or an earthquake, you may think, 'oh, another one. ' Although it may shock you to see the pain and suffering of the victims, it is going to happen. Is that the way we have to look at school shootings? It seems almost inevitable that this routine will happen over and over again. A question that has been asked by almost every person in the U.S. is why does this happen? The truth is, no one really knows.

There are many opinions and facts to support those opinions but this is not enough to pinpoint the cause of shooting tragedies. One possible answer might be that kids turn on the television and flip through the channels just to see the pain and suffering from the families of those who crossed the shooters. They see this media dramatization and think that they can do it to. This is called the 'copycat' effect. In the case of a shooting at Heritage High school in Conyers, Georgia, a 15 year old boy brought a. 22 caliber rifle to school and shot about 12 rounds at his classmates.

Fortunately, no one died, but six were injured. Some believe that he must have had a troubled life and was influenced by 'evil music' or played video games that involved guns and blood. However this is not the case. Thomas Solomen was literally a Boy Scout, who went to church and didn't care for Marilyn Manson or Duke Nukem or any of the other factors to be expected of a violent child. When he went to school that day with plans of terror, he did it in way that was 'less bloody' than other shootings. Shooting from the hip, Solomen aimed low and after the rampage he put a powerful.

357 revolver in his mouth. The assistant principle talked the boy out of suicide and took the gun from him. Thomas then collapsed into his arms saying, 'Oh, my God, I'm so scared. ' Somehow this shooting doesn't seem as horrible as the previous ones because he felt not only felt alone and scared but he said that he was sorry for the horror that he had created. Many of the preceding killers laughed at their victims and had no mercy.

Why did Thomas (or T.J. as his friends called him) not 'shoot to kill'? Maybe because he didn't really want to kill anyone. The only signs to show why Solomen would do such a thing was the fact that his grades were dropping and he had broken up with his girlfriend. Teens like T.J. who are seeing it and hearing about it all the time through the media are committing the crimes because of the copycat effect. I believe that he was letting his anger out in the fashion that the other killers did. A weapon that takes lives seems to be the new way out for them.

The result of the shooting at Heritage High and many others like it, effects and terrorizes everyone from small towns to large cities. Much unnecessary grief and sorrow was brought to the friends and families of the victims. For these reasons many concerned parents and kids across the country now ask the question of how can we stop these shootings, and put an end to the sorrow. Schools have begun reacting to this violence by sending home kids who wear black trench coats or other 'menacing' clothes and arresting others who only joke around about bombs. School administrations are in acting a 'no tolerance' policy that is coming down hard on high school students. Government officials are passing bills on gun control.

Many agree that parents should simply spend more time with their kids and listen to what they have to say. Beefing up security and stricter laws are being enforced throughout the country's states and schools as a result. Though many are not very fond of these new rules and regulations, they are thought to be the answer to stopping this sort of violence and another step to making our kids feel safe. Is this the truth? I believe that these new laws and regulations just add to the problem. When I turn on the television I see kids getting suspended for having a nail clipper, or as the school calls it, a 'deadly weapon' because it has a tiny knife hidden in it.

School administrations have taken discipline to a level where many kids are more afraid of getting kicked out of school than getting shot. In conclusion, I feel that a teenager in high school today does not feel safe due to either school shootings or the new stricter laws that surround this deadly 'trend' of the 90's. Though society has faced other problems that have surrounded the youth of our country, school shootings have had one of the greatest impacts on teenagers living in the 90's. Shootings will happen in the future and so far there is no solution to this problem that faces us..