The Golden Trident

By Hailey Pearson

In the 1990s, school shootings were a concern, but no one would have imagined high school students today would face them as a daily reality. As of the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year, there have been 23 school shootings in the US making an average of nearly 2.25 school shootings on a school-day basis – and it’s only late September. According to the District Administration, one-third of school shootings happen in the parking lot, most commonly at high schools.

Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the two seniors that caused the Columbine shooting, had hate-filled journals detailing what they wanted to do and how they felt as though people didn’t deserve the right to live. This led them to plan the massacre that changed America. It took months of planning and after lots of failure, they believed they were ready. It is unknown why they chose the date April 20th to execute their plan, however some people believe they planned for this day because Harris showed deep fascination with Hitler and April 20th is his birthday. Others think it was because it was the day after the high school’s prom. After the pair killed 13 people, they both committed suicide. As an after affect, two people committed suicide, one because of survivor’s guilt, and the other a mother who grieved her child’s loss. 

The Columbine shooting started it all; the drills, fears, and precautions. Most of our parents lived through it, they faced the effects upfront and had to learn how to quickly and efficiently adapt to it. April 20th of 2024 marks 25 years since the Columbine shooting took place. The Columbine Memorial is filled every year with flowers and small things to show concern and care for those lost in the shooting. People who used to know the kids who died in the school shooting leave things like kind notes and letters, often with the memo “never forgotten.”

“It brought the nation to its knees, but now that we’ve gotten back up how have things changed; what have we learned?” said a student in the Columbine shooting. When Columbine first happened, law enforcement wasn’t trained to go into the schools after the shooter, so sitting outside and waiting for SWAT to arrive now may seem crazy but at the time it was all they knew how to do. Instead of going into Columbine High School, they secured the outside, which allowed Harris and Klebold to keep shooting inside the school. Over two decades later police are now trained to walk into schools and follow gunshots to try and secure as many people as possible. School doors only lock from the outside causing teachers to have to open the door and lock it from the outside, not only putting themselves in danger but also all the students in the classrooms, as well as the threat that could walk into any classroom in their sight. Schools now have written crisis plans and perform active shooter drills. Schools now teach kids the best hiding spots in classrooms, how to barricade a classroom door, and often talk about throwing objects as a distraction. Though school safety measures are much better now, school shootings still happen everywhere and all the time.

 In 2024, Colorado continued to enforce strict gun laws, including universal background checks for all firearm purchases and bans on high-capacity magazines. The state also implemented a “red flag” law, allowing courts to temporarily remove firearms from individuals considered a danger to themselves or others. Additionally, Colorado requires firearm dealers to obtain a background check and limits sales to individuals 21 and older for certain weapons. The debate over whether teachers should carry guns is in contrast to what anyone could have imagined 30 years ago when the idea of arming educators seemed unreasonable. Today, it’s a contentious issue, with some arguing it’s necessary for school safety, while others worry about the dangers of firearms in classrooms. Along with this debate, a growing emphasis has emerged on addressing mental health as a preventative measure, with teachers and students increasingly advocating for mental wellness programs to help prevent potential school shootings.

Teachers and students now believe that positive mental health can save students from planning and executing school shootings. Mental health in schools has improved everywhere and it is encouraged to check in on your peers. There are now websites such as Safe2tell to anonymously report anything you feel needs to be investigated or if you’re genuinely worried about someone and want them to have an adult check-in. Little things like this and building communities in your schools can prevent such horrific and traumatizing things from happening.