School Shooting
According to Johnson (2013), it was lunchtime when a troubled drifter from Stockton stormed Cleveland Elementary School and begun his assaults. The whole ordeal began when the drifter set his van on fire a few minutes after parking it behind the school, which later on exploded before he advanced toward schoolchildren playing outside. He then hid behind a mobile building before he aimed his Type 56 Assault Rifle at mainly Vietnamese and Cambodian children, and started shooting remorselessly. It took him at most three minutes to fire a hundred and six rounds killing five children on the spot and wounded several other targets before killing himself (Associated PressAP, 1989). The incident left dozens of scores injured with multiple killings that left the whole residence in Stockton in utter shock, and many unanswered questions. In addition, the whole nation was in great shock with mixed reactions, unsure about the security of their children in school.
Security measures that existed were not reliable and neither were they effective to ensure appropriate security and protection of children. According to Time Magazine (2013), the school had employed several custodians to take care of children in and out of the classroom ensuring that they are kept safe and sound while in school. Essentially, custodians in elementary schools are employed to ensure that schoolchildren are kept safe from any harm, making sure they are with them everywhere they go within the school compound. Another security measure that existed was a fence that not only demarcated the school compound but also put in place to provide security for the children as well as everybody in school. The fence had only one entry and exit point to reduce movement into and out of school as well as ensure that people entering the school were well checked. This explains why the gunman chose to enter the school through a gap in the fence (Johnson, 2013).
The attack prompted several security measures within the school, including setting up a new fence and blocking any gap to deny unauthorized access into the school compound. Only one well-guarded gate was made as a measure to step up security for the kids. Even though it was uncommon to find police officers in elementary schools, a full time police officer was stationed at the entrance of the school compound to provide security and training to staff and custodians as regards to relationships with one another within the school vicinity (Hechinger, 2012). On a national level, heated discussions to regulate semi-automatic weapons stirred up reactions from the authority with other states banning assault weapons. The president, G. W Bush, signed an executive order that prohibited foreign assault weapons as a means to control the use of these rifles and ensure security not only for the schoolchildren but also for all citizens (Asociated PressAP, 1989).
For effective security of the facility and many others, it would be ideal to set up metal detectors and ensure that everybody entering the school compound goes through a thorough security check to reduce insecurity. All entry points should have security guards stationed throughout in a bid to reduce possible entry by gunmen (Hechinger, 2012). Measures should be put in place to bolster children’s social skills as well as help them watch out for one another. Consequently, there will be peaceful coexistence among them and cases of rivalry will be done away with (Johnson, 2013). These measures will have a lasting impact in their lives both during and after school. Everybody should be accountable for the security of schoolchildren and do something to safeguard them. What are you willing to do to stop gun violence?
References
Hechinger, J. (2012, December 18). School vigilance has made students safer than in ’90s. Retrieved February 11, 2015, from The Boston Globe: http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2012/12/18/schools-safer-than-educators-raise-vigilance/qukU3OhKAHbCEUhODH6pmN/story.html
Johnson, K. (2013, April 2). Stockton school massacre: A tragically familiar pattern. Retrieved February 11, 2015, from USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/04/01/stockton-massacre-tragically-familiar-pattern-repeats/2043297/
Magazine, T. (1989, January 30). Slaughter in A School Yard. New York, U.S.A.
PressAP, A. (1989, January 18). Five Children Killed As Gunman Attacks A California School. Retrieved February 11, 2015, from New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/18/us/five-children-killed-as-gunman-attacks-a-california-school.html