Teens and Gun Violence

Last week, a grade nine student was killed in a Toronto high school, the first shooting death in a Toronto school.  According to some reports, the shooting was the end result of a dispute that started with a roman candle fight followed by a fist fight.  (According to another report, the shooting was an accident while the boys played with the gun in the bathroom.)  Two teens, also students at the school, have been arrested and charged with first degree murder in the case.

Public response to the tragedy has been swift and divisive.  Liberal minded individuals blame our proximity to the US, where handguns are legal, and insufficient border security, for the handgun problem. Conservatives say that the issue lies in the social tolerance of vigilante justice, and the glorification of gun violence by the media. There is no proof that the gun that was used came from a US border crosser, nor that the students got the idea to use a gun to resolve their conflict from watching television.  Whatever the reason, a boy is dead, and a gun did the killing.

As a parent, the prospect of sending my daughter to a school where another student has access to a handgun is frightening.  As a society we need to believe that the education system is as safe as our homes, since our children spend the bulk of the time in these two locales. When handguns can be brought into the building and used in the hallway (as this one was), it makes the argument that Ontario schools are unsafe more powerful.

But what is the solution?  California has implemented metal detectors at all school entrances, yet incidents of gun violence among California youths has not been reduced (theoretically, one could argue that the metal detectors have stopped the increase, however that is a small victory).  Therefore, airport-style security at schools is not the answer.  Nor is the banishment of handguns; they are already illegal in Canada, yet remain in the hands of students.

If the guns are available (even illegally), then how does one stop their usage, at least among school-aged children?  The problem lies not in the gun, but in the decision to use it.  These students were involved in the (admittedly dangerous) activity of playing with fireworks.  One student got hurt and sought revenge through a physical altercation.  When that failed, he resorted to a gun.  This is conflict resolution in their minds: an unresolved conflict caused a fist fight; the fist fight failed to gain the injured party retribution, so a gun is used.

The answer, at least in my opinion, is showing these kids that guns are not the only answer, and in an ideal world, are not an answer at all.  Providing these students with techniques to resolve their conflicts without violence is the only surefire solution to gun violence.  If the students have alternative means at their disposal, ideally means that are more convenient than obtaining a gun, then they are far less likely to feel the need to kill another student in a dispute.

Comments

[Her Bad Mother]

This whole story is just beyond heart-breaking. And I totally agree with you - we must really be working against the glorification of guns, violence and the like.