When I’m sitting in my class and zoning out, I imagine someone coming to my class and shooting. I turn back to reality and face the door with relief, I tell myself that there is no one there, to just breath. It won’t happen to me…but that’s what everyone else said until it happened to them. I get those feelings once in awhile not because I’m weird or anything, but because it happens and it can happen at any time, anywhere.

It’s no surprise that there have been numerous school shootings. In the United States alone there have been 142 school shootings since 2013. Back then when I was in elementary, middle and even high school, I didn’t have to worry about my safety in school. Matter of fact, I felt extremely safe in school. But now I’m frightened that at any moment someone might come in the class and start shooting. School was a place where you went to play, learn and make friends but now it’s a place where you worry for your safety. When does the school shooting stop? When will people start taking action? Now is the time. Things need to be done in order for a change to happen. But how can we prevent school shootings from happening? Perhaps having more securities and body scanner installed in schools.

Installing body scanners in each and every school can prevent from future school shootings from occurring. Just like in the airports, where they scan every individual from head to toe until they are 100 percent sure that they aren’t carrying any harmful weapons. The same should be done in school. There are already some schools doing that but many students feel that by having body scanners, it takes away their sense of being trusted. They feel like they are prisoners or in an airport and not being trusted as a student. But we need to make drastic decisions to protect them from school shootings even if they feel that it doesn’t make them look good.

It’s without a question that gun control is strongly needed but the first step in doing so is by protecting children and students in school. Many are not even covered by the news. The most known school shootings have been Columbine High School, Sandy Hook Elementary School, Red Lake High School and Westside Middle School. Because they are the most deadliest mass school shooting in the North, South, West, and East part of America. I imagine that if those schools had metal detectors or body scanners, it could have been prevented.

The other day, I was looking at school shootings after the Las Vegas shooting happened. I know that the Las Vegas shooting was in a concert but it still goes hand and hand because there was a shooter and people died, just like in a school shooting. I looked up all the places where gun shooting happened in America. I focused more on the Columbine High School because it was the first one that kinda sparked all the other school shooting. I was pouring tears, when I listened to the phone calls and saw the videos. The news coverage and the stories of each victims. I couldn’t imagine that someone would have the heart to kill. The numbers of people dying in school are scary and they are only going to go up if no one puts a stop to it. Especially in school grounds. It’s hard to put security in the streets and other places but in school, it should be mandatory. I am a student and I am concerned for my safety sometimes.

Metal detectors have been used in New York public school since the 80s in order to keep schools safe and secure. But I haven’t seen enough of it, I know I haven’t gone to each and every school but I’m pretty sure not all school have that kind of security. All schools have school security but that isn’t enough to keep the children and staff safe from a gun.

Mercy College has security guards and they are primarily in the entrance where cars come in the school but there are many different ways and path someone may enter the school. The school has paths that people pass by, they may be running or jogging or coming from the train. Either way they are passing by the school without any security check. Some may claim that in upstate New York nothing much happens but let’s think about all the other school shootings that have happened. Were the places crowded or well-known? Not really. When I was looking at the Columbine High School shooting, many of the students said the same thing, that they didn’t believe the sounds were shotgun because in that area nothing like that has ever happened before. Mercy College should have more securities around the school because having people walk around in the campus or pass by isn’t safe and nobody knows what they are going to do. It’s better to prevent than wait for something to happen.

My brother goes to High School for Community Leadership in Jamaica, NY and they have already installed body scanners in the entrance of the school for safety issues. I’m happy and calm knowing that my brother is safe in school because his school already put their foot down and have stepped forward into this movement of protecting the school, students and staff. Every school should jump and join the other school that have body scanners and metal detectors.

I was in high school when Sandy hook Elementary School happened, it broke my heart as I’m sure it broke everyone else’s heart. The fact that someone might hurt innocent children that don’t have a clue about the evil of the world is shocking. I get chills down my spin thinking what those students must have gone through. Things need to change, things can’t stay the same like it has for many years. There has to be more security in school and more metal body detectors.

We aren’t safe especially in school. All these school shootings could have been prevented if there were body scanners detecting the students and checking if they have any guns or harmful weapons with them. The government should put metal detectors in each and every school, that’s where the money should go. Our safety. Most of these school shooting are the students in the school, having metal detectors makes them aware that in no way can they bring a weapon or they will be caught with it. Having them in school can check every students, teachers or anyone who comes in the school if they are carrying a gun. It’s important to focus on the safety of the children and students and by doing that we need to demand the government to install the body detectors. Maybe if we try it, we can see some decrease in school shootings.