By Heather Halperin
Correspondent
The last school shooting in the United States occurred just over a month ago on Sept. 4 at Apalachee High School in Georgia, killing two students and two teachers. Six days later, the 2024 presidential debate occurred and a solution to the issue of gun control was not discussed.
Students at the College shared that gun control is a crucial issue for them because of the impact they think guns have had on our country.
“There are so many scenarios where children are dying from guns,” said Lyndsey Lorentzen, a freshman early childhood education major. A 2022 CNN article said that since 2020, guns are now the leading cause of death in children and teens in the U.S. CNN also reported that firearms accounted for 18% of childhood deaths between the ages of 1 and 18.
David Mazeika, associate professor and chair of the criminology department, has taught an array of courses, from reducing gun violence to crime mapping. Mazeika explained that students “have a feeling it's getting worse and that school shootings seem to be terribly common.”
Mazeika said students have confided in him that they have been traumatized by the stories they have heard from those who have been affected by gun violence.
Lorentze said the country's “lack of gun control” is “honestly very disappointing” and has factored into the increased number of school shootings.
According to an article in EducationWeek, there have been 164 school shootings between 2020 and 2024, most of which have resulted in injuries or deaths. There have been 33 school shootings so far this year that resulted in injuries or deaths.
“These children shouldn’t grow up living in fear of their own classroom,” Lorentzen said.
Lorentzen said she learned most of the information on the 2024 candidates' stance on gun control through social media clips, which limited her knowledge. However, she believes people might lean more towards Kamala Harris being able to solve this issue. “Trump has been in office before so maybe someone else could do a better job.”
Lillie Johnson, a freshman criminology major, said she believes there needs to be more regulations on guns. “The country needs to find a way to figure out who the right people are to handle guns,” she said.
Johnson said she will vote for Trump because he has the same view as she does on gun control.
Haley Clark, a freshman biology major, said she understands both perspectives when it comes to the issue of gun control. Having two parents who work in the school system as well as strong supporters of the Second Amendment has instilled these beliefs in her. “I come from a family of gun owners,” adding that she does “think gun safety is very important.”
Clark thought Trump would be better at approving a policy that would protect the Second Amendment, along with protecting people’s safety.
However, she said, “If I could eliminate Trump altogether, I would because I think Vance would do the best job.”
CJ Castaneda, a freshman elementary education and psychology dual major, said, “As someone who is going to be a future educator, I do care about this issue,” calling it a “very scary topic.”
Even though Castaneda comes from a Democratic family, he still doesn’t “believe the right to own a gun should be taken away.” However, trying to focus on regulating big assault weapons is crucial to him when it comes to putting an end to this issue.
Castaneda also said that based on his morals and having grown up in a house with strong women, he believes Harris would be the best candidate to deal with this issue.
While these students come from different political backgrounds, they have similar opinions when it comes to gun control and the effects it's having on our country.
All of this comes into play in the 2024 election, but how each candidate will choose to fix the issue of gun control will ultimately help these students decide who they are going to vote for.
The main goal, as Castaneda said, should be to “ensure a future that is safe for every child.”
