The New Normal
Our first blog by a young author
YOUNG VOICESGUN SAFETYGUN VIOLENCESCHOOL SHOOTING
Krishi
10/3/20233 min read
Editor’s Note: Will You Hear Me Now? welcomes our first student contribution from Krishi. Krishi is in high school and plans to study medicine. We hope this is the first of many posts by young people who seek answers and solutions that lead to safer schools and communities.
Let’s look back to the year 2012, a time I can recall. When I asked my friends about a significant event they remember from this year, all of them recalled Hurricane Sandy. Hurricane Sandy ended up having 233 fatalities. If we look back even further to the year 2005, we see a Category 5 hurricane: (Katrina) which caused 1,392 fatalities.
How does this relate to gun violence? Well let’s come back to a more recent year: 2021. How many people do you think died from gun-related injuries? 1,000? 5,000? 10,000? It was actually 48,830 people. Did that number shock you? Almost 50,000 people died from gun-related injuries in one year alone, making it the leading cause of death for adolescents and children.
Ever since my high school journey began, I have been able to recall at least 3 mass school shootings every year.
I remember hearing about it through middle school as well, but it never crossed my mind too much. However, as I got older, I realized that I could be at risk too. Involuntarily, I would try to think of a “safe spot” within each of my classrooms just in case something were to happen.
The possibility of death would scare anyone. In my overcrowded school, during the time we pass between classes, hundreds, or around 2,500 kids are packed into narrow hallways. Considering the doors can be easily opened, someone could enter and with the panic and running, hundreds could die within a matter of minutes.
There would be nowhere to go and with the minimal security, many wouldn’t be so lucky. By the time the police have a chance to get here, which would be around 15 minutes, the damage would’ve been done. This shouldn't be a thought going through my head.
Why am I worrying about the safety within a place that should be considered safe?
Considering the exponential growth in the number of shootings, this could get even more out of hand by the time I graduate college and even start working. Would my kids even want to go to school or would I even want to send them?
All parents want what is best for their children. Would sending them to school be the best line of action, especially when their lives are at risk? There are so many factors in deciding whether someone feels safe or not. Some things we cannot control, but some things have become “the new normal” within our society.
Changes should be made so future generations don’t have to worry about living in this fear. This shouldn’t be something people perceive as “normal” because it isn’t.
In the time I wrote this, I found that President Biden had begun a new initiative for Gun Violence Prevention. I’m glad that steps are being taken, so it doesn’t have to become a norm.
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