The Shape of Thunder

Although school shootings have occurred in other parts of the world, gun violence continues to endanger American students. The debate over gun control in America continues as those in favor of ready access to firearms point to the Second Amendment, which articulates that American citizens should have an uninfringed right to keep and bear arms (“Second Amendment.” Constitution Annotated). Advocates of gun control point out that less access to guns would decrease deaths by firearms, including deaths of school-aged children. For example, mass shootings in other first-world countries, such as the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada, prompted these respective governments to tighten gun laws, which has resulted in a significant decrease in deaths by firearms in these countries (Masters, Jonathan. “U.S. Gun Policies: Global Comparisons” Council on Foreign Relations, 10 June 2022).

At the time of this guide’s writing, gun violence is the leading cause of death for children and young people in America. Statistics on gun violence reveal that children of color are more likely to experience gun violence. Black students have been recorded to experience gun violence three times more than their white peers. Hispanic students are two times as likely to experience gun violence (“