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... " This was stated by Jennie Luitenn who was forced to witness a school shooting (Cloud 8). Being afraid you were going to be killed at school was practically unimaginable not long ago and now it has become a very clear reality in America. ... Once the shootings became rampant around our country so did the blame. ... In the past 7 years almost 30 acts of school violence either killing or seriously wounding someone with guns or knifes have taken place in this nation (Cook 45). ... This being the first of many shootings it sent America into panic. ... Luke Woodham stabbed his mother to death then went to school and shot several students to death and wounded seven more (Morgan 2). ... Not only had society begun the stereotype of school shooter but students began to fear other students who fit this profile put out by the media. ... Before the shootings Carneal had been teased about his sexual preference and was called names like “fag” and “gay” (Torr 15). ...
One of the next main shootings and one that I could not easily forget was that of Kip Kinkel. Kinkel murdered both his parents then went to school and opened fire on the high school cafeteria. The day before he had been arrested and released for bringing a gun to school. ... This shooting took place two years after the first of many shootings and violent acts that had already occurred in schools. So then we must ask how any sane person could let this child back into his parent’s custody and free to roam the streets after he had brought a gun to school the day before. Not to mention the fact Kinkel was able to walk through the school to the cafeteria without being stopped knowing what had happened the previous day and that he was suspended. Although at this time the shootings were very prevalent it was obvious prevention was not. ... I myself was in high school when these shootings started. During my freshmen year I remember getting on the school bus to go home and hearing the news about Springfield. Shootings had happened before but not two hours away from where I lived. As the years went on I was sent home early from school because of bomb threats, and forced to stay home on the anniversary of Columbine. On April 20, 1999 I went to school like it was any other day. I entered the main commons of my school and found every student starring at the big screen TV. There we saw kids running out of a high school and two snapshots of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold being flashed in front of my face. Shootings had been scary before and it was a worry but this shooting was the worst and from that day on I lived in fear. In the large cafeteria of my school all the kids would gather everyday and above this was a balcony, the perfect place for a shooter. Although my school never fell victim to this spree of horror I found myself debating over and over again in my head what I would do if I heard gunshots. ... As soon as word got out about the shootings once again people tried to figure out why they had done it. ... At the time of the shooting there was a group at school named the Trench Coat Mafia and they also took part of the blame but in the end the boys were not even directly associated with this group. The Jefferson County Sheriffs Department issued a report stating the "trenchcoat mafia" is a "loose, social affiliation of former and current Columbine High School students with no formal organization structure, leadership or purpose such as that typically found in traditional juvenile street gangs (Shapiro 68). ...
Since Columbine there have been numerous shootings but none killing more than two, however this doesn’t take away from the fact that they are still happening. What was also shown in later shootings was that it could happen to anyone at any age. On February 29, 2000 a 6 year old boy went to school in the small community of Mt.
Approximate Word count = 3433
Approximate Pages = 13.7
(250 words per page double spaced)
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