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When you hear words like fear and violence, I would bet the first place you think of is not a school. Many would think of something more harsh like prisons. But unfortunately, with things like school shootings, being in the classroom might not feel as safe as it should.
Michael Moore’s documentary “Bowling for Columbine” was a very interesting look at the details and roots of school shootings, specifically Columbine, and what may be the causes of these atrocities or what would lead such young people to resort to such extreme levels of violence. He takes a look at the event itself and then the story behind those two boys. He spoke to people who knew them, as well as two victims of the Columbine shooting.
I personally found his approach to the issue very interesting. Michael showed no hesitation in asking the uncomfortable questions and putting himself in possibly uncomfortable situations to get his point across. I found at times he was both laid back and able to joke or be light about his questioning, but that it never took away from the seriousness of his research. While this documentary was made in 2002, I feel that even now, 22 years later, there is the same feeling of concern around school shootings. This feeling is justified after seeing the statistics of school shootings within the last 8 or so years. Just this year alone, there have already been 7 school shootings (Education). As well as other surveys showing that a majority of students, about “57% of teens” (Graf, N), are worried that they too could be a victim of this crime.
The most shocking part to me was the NRA holding rallies the day after both Columbine, and after the incident in Flint, Michigan at Buell Elementary. To make it worse, they would hold the rally in the area in which the tragedy had just occurred. Many people found it inappropriate that they would choose to have these rallies and speeches right after these still very sensitive incidents. This is actually something that Moore addressed with Charlton Heston, the president of the NRA, when he interviewed him towards the end of the documentary. He had started with questions about why Heston felt the need to own his guns and if he had any explanation as to why gun violence is so much more predominant in the U.S. in comparison to other countries. Moore then asked why Heston held his speeches right after those school shootings, to which Heston did not give a clear answered and eventually walked away, ending the interview.
I would say the least shocking part of all this is the news only talking about crimes and pushing fear in their headlines. I had noticed this a while ago, I believe from one of my parents or maybe in school. But I know that news stations tend to focus on the negative stories and never really talk about the good things that happen in the world too. I catches the attention of the public and benefits the new stations. It helps to push political campaigns or sales in stores. Just think about how many times we have been warned about a huge hurricane, rushed out to buy food, milk, and batteries, only for the storm to be less than expected and be done in a weekend. So when Moore pointed out how the media will pick and choose what they broadcast, I was not shocked.
Despite all of this negativity, there are steps being taken to ensure that gun violence both in school and in general decreases. I found that in order to purchase a gun you first need to be 21 years old. they have raised the minimum age from 18 to 21 in an attempt to prevent firearms from being in the hands of young children. (“How…”). Background checks are also required. In a background check, the distributor will look into a person’s criminal history, mental health records, “juvenile delinquency orders, warrants, and protective order information” (“Background…”). Requiring background checks also helps to prevent using loopholes like buying firearms from an unlicensed dealer (“Background…”). Along with these changes for those purchasing the firearms, there have been changes made within school. Mental health services are highly recommended and are being implemented into schools more often now. Teachers are advised to make their classrooms a welcoming and accepting environment, as well as educating teachers and other staff when and how to intervene or deal with students who may be a possible threat to either themselves or others (“How…”).
I personally feel that there should be further restrictions, especially when it comes to background checks, as some people may pass but be dealing with more recent or current mental health issues that have been undiagnosed or not be in their medical records. Overall, these are promising steps to a hopefully better and safer school environment for both teachers and their students.
Resources
Background check procedures. Giffords. (2023, November 13). https://giffords.org/lawcenter/gun-laws/policy-areas/background-checks/background-check-procedures/#:~:text=Transfer%20of%20any%20firearm%20is,warrants%2C%20and%20protective%20order%20information.
Education Week. (2024, February 1). School shootings this year: How many and where. Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/leadership/school-shootings-this-year-how-many-and-where/2024/01
Graf, N. (2018, April 18). A majority of U.S. teens fear a shooting could happen at their school, and most parents share their concern. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2018/04/18/a-majority-of-u-s-teens-fear-a-shooting-could-happen-at-their-school-and-most-parents-share-their-concern/
How can we prevent gun violence in American schools?. Everytown Research & Policy. (2024, February 6). https://everytownresearch.org/report/how-can-we-prevent-gun-violence-in-schools/
Hey, Maria! I like the title you made for this post, as I strongly agree with the fact that violence and fear don’t belong in schools under any circumstances. I also appreciate how you recognized how openly bold Michael Moore was in asking tough questions to the people he interviewed in his documentary, “Bowling for Columbine”. I feel like these kinds of conversations are usually uncomfortable for people to have, as no one wants to feel as if their children are in danger when they go off to school every weekday. I see that you brought up how students today fear the possibility of school shootings. How do you think that this overwhelming fear is affecting the learning environment? Do you think fear of the possibility of this event happening is hindering students from learning, even if a school shooting doesn’t occur? You also briefly mentioned how teachers would work to improve the mental health of students within their classrooms. I was wondering if you would be able to elaborate on that by giving examples of how teachers would be able to accomplish this goal. Overall, I agree with your stance on this topic, and I feel like your blog post is professional and easy to understand.