UCLA shooter threat promts a rethink in gun control legislation
Sydney Roker, Staff Writer
During the second half of 2021, incidents of gun violence in schools quadrupled compared to the previous nine-year average, making this period the deadliest one in recent history. However, this violent trend does not have to continue. Extensive research has shown that laws such as universal background checks can significantly decrease the amount of gun violence, including school shootings. Politicians in the United States must take all steps possible to implement these laws to make sure that these tragedies do not continue.
Given that there is great deal of data available that demonstrates how certain gun control laws can save lives, it is especially disturbing that little action has been taken in this area at the federal level in recent years. Strong evidence exists that strengthening background checks results in fewer gun deaths, and although federal law does require background checks, it contains multiple loopholes, meaning that 42 percent of gun owners do not undergo background checks. This is not acceptable given the rate of gun violence in the United States, and laws must be implemented that eliminate these federal loopholes. and require that all gun owners undergo background checks. Similarly, in states that require gun owners to securely store firearms in locked containers, the suicide rate is much lower than the national average. More than two-thirds of school shooters obtain guns from their homes or relatives’ homes, meaning that laws requiring safe gun storage clearly are relevant to the attempt to reduce school shootings as well.
The recent four-year anniversary of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida that killed 17 students and staff members serves as a reminder of how little progress has been made towards keeping students and teachers safe from the threat of school shootings. In the relatively short period since August of 2021, there have been at least 190 shooting incidents at K-12 schools, with over 171 people killed or injured. There are multiple additional school shooting threats in which violence is averted, but which cause fear and other adverse effects. The recent shooting threat at UCLA is one example of this. On Feb. 1, all UCLA classes were canceled after a former UCLA philosophy professor sent email threats to a number of his former students, along with a video titled “UCLA Philosophy Mass Shooting” and an 800-page manifesto with specific threats towards members of UCLA’s philosophy department. Although this incident fortunately did not result in any injuries or deaths, it is yet another demonstration of the fact that many students live with the ever-present knowledge that violence on their campus could erupt at any time. UCLA student and Samo alumni Maxine Knystautas (’21) touched on the handling of the situation by the campus police.
“I think the UCPD did their job in apprehending the man responsible for the threat, but their communication with the public and more importantly the students was severely lacking. I feel that with the threat of mass shootings hanging over an entire campus, the main priority should be communication with the people who live there,” Knystautas said.
After every major school shooting, including Parkland, Columbine, and Sandy Hook, it seems that there is temporary momentum for establishing stronger gun control laws, but this momentum always seems to fade just as the headlines about a recent school shooting do. Protests like March For Our Lives, often led by the survivors of school shootings, unite our country in the fight for stronger gun legislation. The phrase “never again” is often heard after these shootings and at protests, but in the absence of meaningful action this phrase remains little more than empty words.
While school shootings and threats are still occuring, the number of Americans who say that gun legislation should be a priority has dropped seven percent since 2018, and the number of Americans who say protecting the right to own guns should be a priority has risen by nine percent according to a Washington Post poll. These numbers were even more extreme during 2020, when there was a lull in the number of school shootings due to COVID-19. The fact that some Americans only prioritize gun safety and legislation when it is a major headline in the news is not only disappointing, but is causing lives to be lost. Ultimately, however, it is the responsibility of federal lawmakers to ensure that steps are taken to keep children safe from school shootings.
This became the known symbol for the March For Our Lives protest led by student survivors of the Parkland shooting in 2018.