Gun Control Drills

In the article “Have You Properly Tested Your School Lockdown Concepts?” the authors explained how to minimize problems within school lockdown drills. The problem with school lockdown drills is that they are not tested properly. This article provides information on how to properly test lockdown drills and increase preparedness in staff and students. In the past there have been consequences of schools where they only had one traditional lockdown drill and this includes Columbine High School, Red Lake Reservation High School and Sandy Hook Elementary School. These schools did not perform multiple scenario based drills that could have reduced casualties. In order to prepare for a school crisis, lockdown drills should be scenario based and should

The National firearm act of 1934 regulating only fully automatic firearms like sub-machine guns is approved by Congress. Then Roosevelt wins approval of the National Firearms Act of 1938, which requires the licensing of interstate gun dealers, who must record their sales. It prohibits sales to individuals under accusation or convicted of crimes of violence. The Gun Control Act of 1968 was passed for the purpose of keeping firearms out of the hands of those not legally permitted to possess them because of age, criminal background, or incompetence. In 1972 the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms is created listing as part of its mission the control of illegal use and sale of firearms and the enforcement of Federal firearms laws. The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act enforces a five-day waiting period on the purchase of a handgun and requires that local law enforcement agencies conduct background checks on purchasers of handguns. Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 band all sale, manufacture, importation, or possession of a number of specific types of assault weapons. Given this information you

The battle for stricter gun-control laws has not been without victories. In 1968, Congress passed the Gun Control Act in the wake of the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr., President John F. Kennedy, and Senator Robert Kennedy. The law mandated stricter licensing requirements, prohibited the sale of

This story is incredibly heartbreaking to me. The massive shootings continue to become more and more prevalent. I fear that the nation is become desensitized by these horrific shootings because they are almost becoming the new norm. Obviously people continue to disagree how we should handle events like this, more specifically, gun control. I’m not sure what the answer should be either but we cannot continue with what laws or regulations that are currently being employed. They simply are not working. How many more lives is it going to take to effect change?

To help apply restrictions, the Gun Control Act of 1968, which was the first gun law, was passed in the wake of the assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Senator Robert F. Kennedy earlier that year (“Restricting” par. 4). The 1968 Gun Control Act established categories of prohibited gun purchasers and possessors, including convicted felons, fugitives from justice, minors, individuals with a history of

During the past years gun violence has seen an enormous increase in various parts of the world and majority of the cases been reported in the United States. The case includes victims such as children, senior citizens and young adults engaging in violence or getting caught in the crossfires. The life of common people is being affected, people are concerned as to how they can live safe lives when guns are being used in increasing numbers. On an average, every day you hear about some sort of gun violence affecting people either in your hometown or in another part of the world. It is a shame for a country like United States to have such high

A school administrator roams the halls to make sure all doors are locked and all students are hidden from what might be a school shooter if this scenario was not a drill. "You're training the kids," Weicker said. Similar drills which, in some states, are attended by armed and masked SWAT teams are now practiced routinely in nearly three-quarters of schools, according to a recent survey of 445 administrators funded by the American Association of School Administrators. The Columbine High School Massacre was the worst high school shooting in U.S. history and prompted a national debate on gun control laws and school safety regulations. Now we can live in a society they is a lot safer due to this laws and regulations schools and states have made to

Through this tragedy, educators have learned a different approach to intruders. We teach students to think for themselves through a training program called ALICE: Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate. There is no linear progression to ALICE. Through studies, we have learned the best chance for survival is to evacuate the building and run. ALICE teaches schools, teachers, and students how to respond in intruder situations. Schools all across the country including hundreds in our area conduct weekly ALICE drills. An example of items implemented from our ALICE trainings include: a method of communication to all teachers and students, increase in the number of school security cameras, door locking mechanisms on every classroom door to be used in the event that a classroom cannot evacuate and needs to “shelter in place” and finally, a go-bucket. Items in a go-bucket vary across schools but if you google the term you will see these items include: items to barricade a door, items to defend oneself, items such as wasp spray, which can

Teaching at a typical small town school in rural America one day, shots ring out. Active shooter drills come to mind, but what do we do, where do we go, how many students are present? Panic sets in. Thoughts of hiding, running, calling out for help and screaming all flash across the forefront of the mind when a person can be seen walking down the hall with a large gun in hand. No one ever thinks it could happen in a town, school, or church like ours but when the act is committed everyone feels the betrayal. Although schools from elementary to universities have adopted drills for active shooters and have routes with plans drawn up we never know how we will truly react until the time comes. Armed guards stand at the ready at most entryway doors but they are only one person and can not be everywhere always. In a recent study of active shooters for the Federal Bureau of Investigations, J.Pete Blair and Katherine W. Schweit have said, “The second most common incident locations were in educational environments…and the study results established that …these incidents involved some of the highest casualty numbers” (20). Crime is always a threat to education and defending our students nationwide should be a priority. The trouble begins with the fact that the school shootings are becoming more regular. Allowing teachers to be armed gives administration, faculty and students a more successful chance at survival against an active shooter in our education systems.

Stimulated from recent assassinations of significant figures, such as President John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr, and urban riots beginning in 1964, the Gun Control Act of 1968 renewed the fight for gun control in the United States. Prohibiting convicted felons, raising age to purchase handguns to 21 are just two of the many actions the Gun Control Act of 1968 put into effect. The law renewed the fight for gun control, and was welcomed with acceptance and disapproval when announced to the United States citizens. Though with President Lyndon B. Johnson issuing such a law he planned to create a more safe and prepared environment for firearms exist, and prevent reckless behavior with firearms inside the United States borders.

Later, in 1938, The Federal Firearms Act was put in place which further restricted the state to states movement of firearms. This new law prevented those convicted and without proper permits from obtaining guns, but there were no consequences to those who sold guns to these people. More and more firearm restriction acts were passed like the Federal Firearms Act of 1938, The Gun Control Act of 1968, and the Brady Bill in efforts to regulate the sale, manufacturing, and purchase of firearms. Opponents of strict gun laws often reference the Bill of Rights, specifically the Second Amendment. Although the Bill of Rights gives Americans certain freedoms, it does not mean Americans are not without certain regulations. Each state has its own constitution, and in each constitution limits can be added to certain freedoms to ensure the safety of its people. For example, Florida, Georgia and Texas’ constitutions allow its citizens to carry arms as a means of self-protection, but it always states that this freedom shall be regulated by the authority of the government. Even though all states feel guns need to be regulated many disagree in which way regulations are set. There are an estimated twenty thousand local, state, and federal gun laws currently regulating firearms in the United States (Gold, 2004).

Veteran teacher Jess Burnquist’s, “A Teacher’s Appeal: Reverse the New Normal” argues that the necessity for lockdown procedures and society’s passive acceptance of them is “unacceptable.” Using a blunt and shocking narrative and dark sarcastic humour, she delivers a acrimonious critique of society, condemning it for not only robbing her of the opportunity to teach, but imposing the responsibility of protecting her students on to her and her colleagues. Burnquist suggests emergency lockdown drills are reflective of an apathetic country, focused on teaching students to hide and prepare for an intruder, while failing to address the real issue: a society that generates a person—or persons rather—that feel compelled and/or in entitled to walk onto a campus and start slaughtering innocent people. She accuses our country of being desensitized to these massacres, and she suggests lockdown procedures are a submissive acceptance that disregards student anxiety and lost time for core curriculum.

After hearing about all the shooting that has been happening in the United States, nothing is being done about

One of which is the Brady Bill. The Brady Bill forced a five-day waiting period on handgun purchases so that background checks could be done to help keep handguns away from criminals. That bill was passed to help with the crime rate that was steadily increasing. Another policy that went along with the Brady Bill was the Crime Bill. The Crime Bill put 100,000 new police officers out on the streets.

To coincide with prior restrictions of gun control the Brady Bill, which was passed in 1993, required all background checks on gun buyers (Schwartz).  According to Schwartz, such states as California and New Jersey have been creating stricter laws.  California had manufacturers stamp every gun with an individual code; therefore, if a specific gun was questioned in a crime, they would be able to trace it back to the owner.  New Jersey, not taking as extreme measures as California, enforced penalties for illegal gun possession as well.