By Adam Robles
Sandy Hook Promise uploaded a Youtube video last Tuesday as a public service announcement to people who have been too scared or unwilling to take note of recent school shootings.
It’s completely justified and filled with a message that needs to be seen no matter how upsetting it may be.
The video’s disclaimer says that it “contains graphic content related to school shootings that may be upsetting to some viewers. If you feel that this subject matter may be too difficult for you, you may choose not to watch this video.”
The video is just over a minute long and starts off with each student introducing their new school accessory.
As each of them talk about it, the viewer can see chaos in the background implying that there’s an active shooter on campus.
It shows that rather than being excited for their new school accessory, the students see it as more of an object to help them survive a school shooting.
Although some people have complained that it’s too hard to watch, it’s necessary. It’s a reminder that, unfortunately, students, teachers, staff and parents have to live in constant fear that their school may be next.
The message is that school is no longer just a place to learn. It’s now a target for people who are mentally ill.
There are no deaths shown in the video so it can’t be harder to watch than other films or advertisements shown on TV.
This video, from what can be seen, isn’t just for money. It’s purely for pointing out the disgusting truth that society is faced with nowadays— the fact that students are living in constant fear.
It portrays school as a potential warzone.
As the number of mass school shootings increase, students have to live on the edge with the possibility that they may be the next victim.
Society has seemingly turned a blind eye to the shootings that have been occurring often, so a video like this is an effective way to instill fear and create empathy in people who have locked themselves into their own little bubble.
It’s truly sad that this may go on for a few more years.
It causes parents to consider homeschooling their kids rather than putting them in public school.
According to a poll taken last year by U.S.News, “The 34 percent of parents who said they fear for their children’s safety at school is a sharp jump from 12 percent just five years ago.”
The government needs to step in and do what they can to fix this. Setting up police stations next to or near schools can be beneficial. This tactic can make people think twice about stepping on school grounds armed.
It won’t be logical to set up ridiculous metal detectors at the entrances of schools since that would drastically increase the time it takes for students to get into class. It’s also very costly and wouldn’t help the case.
Schools can continue to be a gun-free zone, but advertising or implying that there are armed guards could lower the possibility of school shootings.
Creating an illusion that there will be a resistance will add an extra layer of safety to schools.
This approach, along with decreasing the radius of police stations from school zones, can be much more effective than throwing away so many tax dollars on metal detectors and paying trained armed security to stand around campus all day.