I started looking for a school for my child right after I got to the Washington D.C. The head of the local school district assured me that the educational level of the schools within this district is satisfactory, adding "you do not have to worry about school shootings here." However, recent campus shootings have brought me some confusion.
On October 10, a 14-year-old boy entered SuccessTech Academy and shot two teachers and three students before turning the gun on himself and committing suicide. The shooter was once a student there and was expelled from school for fighting with other students. The police believe that the two teachers who were shot were related to the student's expulsion.
The incident occurred in a high school of only about 250 students. The school was founded in 2002 and mainly provides technical courses. All students are required to interview for admission into the school. Thus, although 40% of students come from low and middle-income families; safety has not been an issue. A teacher with 32 years of teaching experience at various schools said that this high school is the safest high school he has ever worked in. After the shooting, students and teachers who were interviewed said that the shooting was completely unexpected.
Regardless, such an unbelievable thing did happen. This event is a reminder of two tragic campus shootings in the United States. In 1999, two high school students with firearms and homemade explosives broke into Columbus High School in Jefferson County, Colorado; and relieved their dissatisfaction onto the teachers and students. They killed 13 teachers and students, and injured 24. In April this year, 32 people died in the campus shooting at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. As a matter of fact, shootings also occurred in other places. In a country with a long history of a "gun culture," people in the United States are quite familiar with guns. In January alone, news of shootings was heard in several states such as in Wisconsin and California. According to statistics, 30,000 Americans die in shootings each year.
Each shooting triggers intense community debate for a time. People will ask the government to tighten controls on firearms. These arguments rush in like a monsoon: stay for a while, and then leave. However, the United States has not truly banned individual possession of firearms. The number of privately owned firearms in the United States ranks first in the world: almost one firearm per person. There is an argument that says guns – like hamburgers, hot dogs and rock and roll – are an inseparable part of US culture. The harsh life in early period of immigration to North America might be one reason for this particular culture. But even nowadays, when the United States has become the world's richest and most developed country, the American people's "gun complex" remains unchanged.
In the United States, the freedom to possess guns is regarded as a human right. The first article of the Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees the freedom of speech. The second determines the rights of citizens with guns. After the shootings at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, the US President, Speaker of the House and many political leaders expressed their condolences. However, almost no one called for strict controls on arms. Gun control is a sensitive topic in American politics.
"People with guns" also have a very important influence on US elections. Founded in 1871, the US National Rifle Association is an organization with more than 3.5 million firearms enthusiasts. It has always been a driving force on the political stage; and provides staunch support for the Republican Party. One Republican presidential candidate for 2008 had added opposition to strengthening gun control into his election campaign. The Democratic Party advocates for strict gun control. But after the congressional elections in 1994 and the presidential election in 2000, it dares not to rashly offend "people with guns." As the US is approaching the 2008 presidential election, even the Clinton administration's ban on selling "assault weapons" has gradually been relaxing.
However, when everyone recklessly turns to firearms to express social discontent, the consequences are appalling. Additionally, it is particularly difficult to imagine that young people are victims of gun violence. This is why parents worry about safety in US schools.
By Ma Xiaoning and translated by People's Daily Online
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