It’s time to change

Twenty-one injuries. Thirteen deaths. Two perpetrators. One infamous day.

On April 20, 1999, seniors Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris opened fire on Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, where they were enrolled. They started outside the building around 11:30 a.m. before moving to the library. By noon, the two turned the guns on themselves and committed suicide.

It was the first major school shooting of the 20th century, which the media covered extensively. And unfortunately, it wasn’t the last.

“Columbine was not the first modern school shooting, but it put school shootings on the map,” said Jeff Kass, author of the 2009 book “Columbine: A True Crime Story.” “In that sense, it’s a really tough and sad thing to say, but I think Columbine opened the door not only for these school shooters, but the adult mass shooters as well.”

Following the incident, many schools across the U.S. enacted zero-tolerance policies regarding violent threats from students.

Olivia Heersink | Argonaut

But have they been effective? On the basis of how many shootings have occurred since, I’d say no. According to the Center for Homeland Defense and Security, more than 710 incidents have occurred in K-12 schools just in America following Columbine.

It seems we haven’t learned a thing, even 20 years later.

In fact, future or potential copycats said they were influenced by Klebold and Harris’ actions, such as 18-year-old Sol Pais — the most recent culprit.

The New York Times reports Pais had been on some sort of pilgrimage Tuesday to the Colorado high school for the anniversary of the attack, buying a gun and ammunition on her way from Florida. 

Authorities said she was infatuated by shooting and made credible threats against Denver-area schools, which prompted hundreds of them to close down Wednesday while police searched for Pais. She was later found dead in a Denver from an “apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound” that same day.

Although she never had the chance to wreak havoc on the already fragile community, Pais is still a reminder of the country’s inability to act when it comes to gun violence. 

The school district and police officials may have snapped into action, but it shouldn’t have been that easy for the teen to secure a firearm.

According to a 2018 Gallup poll, 46% of Americans reported they are unhappy with current gun laws and want stricter policies, whereas 39% said they are content with the existing requirements. The remaining 8% were also unhappy, but instead desired laxer guidelines.

I’m all for people owning guns, but it needs to be the right people — not those with criminal or medical histories suggesting blatant instability. And most importantly, let’s keep them out of schools. There is absolutely no reason any average civilian needs an assault rifle or a semi-automatic gun.

BBC reports the U.S. currently has the most deaths by shooters in the developed world, which encompasses countries like Canada, England and Australia.

But how can we even call ourselves a “developed” nation when shootings are occurring so frequently? How can we even pretend to have things figured out when children are scared to go to school because someone might open fire on them and their classmates?

“Today’s teenagers were born after Columbine. They were children during Virginia Tech and Sandy Hook. They saw conservative politicians resist change after each attack, tightening the gun lobby’s grip on government, refusing to back even moderate gun reform,” The Guardian reports. “And in 2018, they asked why an atrocity depicted in their textbooks continued to take place.”

I remember going through several shooter drills during my K-12 education. The lights would turn off. The would door shut and the students would hide under their desks. 

However, we knew it was just a practice, never taking it seriously. We believed it could never happen to us, and fortunately, it never happened to me. But many students at other schools can’t say that — my drills are their realities.

It’s time we actually learn from Columbine and stop letting these senseless acts of violence occur. Don’t let another anniversary pass before we do something. 

So, vote for legislators and leaders who give a damn about students in this country. Ask your representatives to pass laws aimed at making it harder for just anyone to buy a gun or restricting certain types of firearms. Thoughts and prayers don’t do anything — action does. 

While people are encouraged to come forward and report any suspicious behavior to authorities, it’s time for those in power to actually listen to those concerns.

There shouldn’t have been a shooting at Virginia Tech, Sandy Hook, Marjory Stoneman Douglas or any other educational institution. And there especially shouldn’t have been one at Columbine.

Children should be worrying about homework, extracurricular activities and what to do with their friends. They shouldn’t be worried about whether someone is going to gun them down during their English lesson. We can no longer sit idly by — it’s time to do something. 

Olivia Heersink can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @heersinkolivia