On May 24, Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas suffered the loss of 23 people, 21 of whom were children. The Robb Elementary shooting was the 27th school shooting of 2022, and the 212th mass shooting of the year. As the public becomes more and more desensitized to horrific shootings, many begin to wonder when things will change and schools will become safe again.

Students at Camas High School (CHS) are mourning the tragedy, as they continue to worry about their safety in a school environment.

“A lot of adults are talking about it, but I don’t think they understand the student perspective of it and how terrifying it really is,” said sophomore Karli Kiesenhofer.

“I feel generally safe at this school, but I feel like there are people that could change that if they wanted to,” said junior Annaliese Danner.

Nearly ten years ago at Sandy Hook Elementary, a similar event happened where an armed shooter killed 26 people, making that event the deadliest school shooting of the 21st century. According to the New York Times, this week’s shooting at Robb Elementary is the second-most deadly shooting of the century thus far, and the majority of the victims were all in first through fifth grade.

“It’s disgusting and ridiculous that we have to worry about this kind of thing going in to school every day,” said junior Kaylie Wade.

“Our kids should be able to go to school safe, and same with everyone else. I think about it, and I feel helpless,” said CHS math teacher Alicia Wise.

“I heard some people have to learn how to defend themselves or run from a threat in kindergarten. How messed up is that? When I was a kid, school shootings were unheard of and schools were completely safe. I can’t imagine having to be scared for my own or others’ lives every day at school,” said CHS English teacher Joseph Farland.

“I think it’s absolutely insane that such a horrible act could be done against a bunch of children,” said Danner.

“The only common denominator of these shootings in the United States is the fact that guns are involved,” said junior Kate Damore.

According to a study of news reports by CNN, school shootings are 57 times more common in the US than in other countries, which is naturally a shocking statistic; but it also raises the question that has been present since the Columbine shooting of 1999: is gun control the best solution for combating gun violence in the US?

“I don’t think we should have any AR-15s or any sort of guns. I think we’re pretty good here, but we need more [control] in other states,” said freshman Carter Baude.

“We should definitely have a little more restriction on who should have firearms,” said Danner.

“It’s not like we shouldn’t be allowed to have guns, we just need stricter gun laws and training,” said junior Alana Hassett.

“I think our government should stop depending on the Second Amendment because it’s outdated. People need to stop talking and start taking action,” said junior Pyper Cruz.

“People who blame it on mental health, but ultimately, it’s the guns killing,” said Damore.

“I think there’s a big prevention change that needs to happen when it comes to mental health because that’s a big factor,” said junior Oliver Munson.

Many students at CHS argue mental health is the biggest contributor to shootings. It happens to be most common in schools because many mental illnesses develop throughout puberty and some lack the necessary means to cope, leaving many in the dark with nobody to go to for help.

This leads to violent behavior among students and teens, which ultimately results in the worst mental and physical damage, for themselves and those around them.

“In regards to these sort of issues, our school emphasizes prevention and intervention. We have several emotional support services that help students who may be feeling isolated, unmotivated, or unvalued,” said Associate Principal Owen Sanford.

“If something like that happened here, I wouldn’t even know who to call or what to do if I saw someone or something suspicious,” said junior Campbell Deringer.

Regardless of whether or not the brain or the bullet is at fault, students and faculty at CHS extend their sorrow and mourning for the lives lost and the family members left in their deaths’ wake.

“My heart aches for the families. I am deeply angered just thinking that this is something that could occur anywhere,” said junior Bella Burns.

“As soon as I got home, I hugged my kids,” said Farland.

The issue of guns in schools is clearly an extremely urgent problem, but the issue expands far past academic environments and into grocery stores, streets, malls, parks, whatever it may be. Gun violence is an epidemic that is tearing the lives of people in this country apart, and whether it be gun control, mental health or even gun extension, the solution is not yet found, and until it is, nothing is going to change.