What are we going to do about guns in our schools?
Over the last week and a half, there have been numerous reports about school "lockdowns" after a gun threat was detected in the vicinity of a school. A simple search of the words "lockdown" and "school" at news.google.com shows the frightening regularity of these events.
It is chilling how real this threat continues to be nearly six months after the Virginia Tech Massacre - and just over one year since the Amish schoolgirl shootings at Nickel Mines, PA. America is once again experiencing a spate of school-related gun incidents, including assault and murder.
Recent events show that if we choose to do nothing, another tragedy like Virginia Tech could happen tomorrow. Condolences aren't enough. We must act now to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people.
One solution is the NICS Improvement Act (H.R. 2640) [pdf document], a common-sense bill designed to prevent dangerous individuals like the Virginia Tech shooter from legally buying guns. Supporters of this legislation include the Brady Campaign, strong gun law advocates in Congress like Rep. Carolyn McCarthy and Sen. Charles Schumer, and even the National Rifle Association. The bill has been stalled in the Senate by a single member, Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma.
Every concerned American should contact their Senator to get their support to bring this bill to a full vote as soon as possible. Congress must pass strong legislation to ensure that the records of dangerous people who are already prohibited from buying guns actually get into the Brady background check system.
For your information, here are some of the most high-profile examples of school-related gun incidents over the last couple weeks:
- Tennessee State University, September 20th
Police were searching for three men who pulled a gun on a Tennessee State University student inside his dorm. The men walked into the dormitory, knocked on the student's door, and when the student opened the door and saw that the men had a gun, he tried to close the door as a shot was fired into his room.
- Delaware State University, September 21st
Two students were shot on the campus of Delaware State University. The accused shooter was expelled for violation of the zero-tolerance policy for guns on campus. One of the victims remains in serious condition.
- St. John's University, September 26th
A mentally ill student wearing a George Bush mask and carrying a .50 caliber rifle was arrested on St. John's campus in New York. According to state and federal laws, because the rifle was considered a replica of an antique, he did not have to have a background check at the time of purchase. The NYPD test fired the rifle, and confirmed it was fully operational.
- Las Plumas High School (Oroville, CA), September 28
A 17 year old student in a California high school held 30 students at gunpoint with a .22 revolver. Shots were fired but no one was hit. After many hours, a standoff with police ended peacefully.
- University of Mississippi, September 29
Mississippi sprinter Rodney Lydale Lockhart died from one gunshot to the front of his head at his apartment near the Ole Miss campus. Lockhart was a member of the gold medal-winning U.S. 1,600-meter relay team in the 2006 World Junior Championships in Beijing. His death is being investigated as a homicide.
- Dean Middle School (Houston, TX), September 29
A 12-year-old girl allegedly brought a handgun to school and threatened to kill three teachers and a maintenance worker. No one was hurt, and it is unclear how police took her into custody. The student reportedly faces two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, and could be charged as an adult.
- University of Memphis, September 30
A University of Memphis football player was shot and killed on the campus of the University of Memphis. University police said the preliminary investigation indicated that the player was targeted and not the victim of a random act of violence.
Clearly, we have a lot of work to do to end the threat of guns in schools. To help prevent another Virginia Tech, we need to keep asking our elected leaders, and each other, "What will you do to reduce gun violence in America?"
(Note to readers: This entry, along with past entries, has been co-posted on bradycampaign.org/blog and the Huffington Post.)