Vidya Sethuraman
India Post News Service
Mass shootings and gun violence have become a grim and recurring feature of life in the United States. Even as the number of mass shootings has declined to their lowest levels in 2 decades, the US still has the highest number of gun-related deaths than any of its peer nations. Yet despite national outrage that follows every mass shooting, policy responses remain uneven and polarized, constrained by constitutional debates and American gun culture. Speakers at the ACOm weekly briefing discussed the factors behind mass shootings, necessary policy interventions at the federal level, and successful community initiatives at the local level, including Baltimore and New York.
Dr. Ragy Girgis, Director, The Center of Prevention and Evaluation (COPE) at Columbia University pointed out that only about 5% of mass shootings are directly related to serious mental illness, but society often simply attributes gun violence to mental health problems, which only deepens the stigma surrounding people with mental illness and hinders them from seeking help. Studies also show that about 45% to 50% of the overall U.S. population may experience mental health problems at some point in their lives, but this rate is not significantly higher among gun perpetrators.
Sarah Lerner, Co-founder of Teachers Unify to End Gun Violence stated that over the years, students in different cities had sought her help after experiencing shootings. These recurring traumatic experiences prompted her and other teachers to establish an educator-led anti-gun violence organization in December 2021, dedicated to providing support and resources for students, teachers, and communities who have experienced gun violence. She pointed out that school shootings account for only a small portion of gun violence, but they are the type most frequently reported in the media, and their psychological impact on teachers and students is extremely profound. After a shooting, teachers often not only have to face the interruption of teaching, but also have to take on the role of comforting students and dealing with collective trauma. “We are with the students every day, and we are the first people to pat them on the shoulder and tell them they are safe after the shooting.”
She believes that allowing teachers to bring guns into schools will only increase the number of guns and risks on campus, potentially leading to accidental shootings, misjudgments, and more severe psychological trauma. “A teacher’s responsibility is education, not law enforcement,” she emphasized.
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