THE TRUE EPIDEMIC

October through November of 2022 Saint Louis High Schools have faced multiple tradegies concerning school shootings and threats.

Alyssa Greco Staff Writer

Saint Louis school districts faced a true tragedy on October 25, 2022, when a former student of Central Visual and Performing Arts High School walked into school armed with a gun, killing both a fi fteen-year-old student and a staff member and leaving many injured and traumatized. Since this school shooting, various threats have been made against other schools in the county. St. Louis government members have been in debates for weeks discussing what measures need to be taken to prevent events like these from recurring.

The second amendment comes into play when dealing with events and threats like these. Americans have the right to bear arms for protection, but this amendment has caused turmoil with school shootings. At eighteen, Americans have full discretionary power to handle fi rearms, but gun ownership does come with a long list of requirements. These are some of the Eligibility Requirements that a person seeking ownership of a gun needs: they must be 18 years of age, an American citizen, never charged with a domestic violence crime, not be a fugitive of justice, be a patient of a mental institution or rehab. Once the citizen’s criminal background has been checked and cleared, the citizen has every legal right to own a fi rearm and is given a permit. To many, these requirements seem fair and ensure that nothing bad could come out of this ownership, but guns have still gotten into the possession of people with malicious intent. possession. The former Central Visual and performing arts student owned an AR-15 rifl e that he used during the shooting. While the law says that citizens with a history of institutionalized mental illness do not have the right to bear fi rearms, this former student was permitted to own this gun. Police came to the suspect’s house intending to take him and the gun into custody, but this visit did not end with possessing his fi rearm since he had the legal right to own it, even though he used it for violent intentions.

Orlando Harris, the shooter, did not have any criminal history, hence why he was given the permit. His mother was devastated to hear he is responsible for this tragic event. The suspects mother claims that she had plans to place him in a mental insitutuion, and wanted to get him out of the house.

“And in his notebook, Harris described his ambitions: He wanted to be the deadliest school shooter in U.S. history. He had a list of names of people he wanted to kill. He was counting down the days at least three weeks before the shooting. He wrote that he knew he had mental health issues, but felt none of the medical professionals he worked with had taken him seriously.” said Austin Huguelet and Katie Kull of the St. Louis Post Dispatch (“A quiet morning, then screams and bullets: How the St. Louis school shooting unfolded”).

Since October 25th, various debates among government offi cials in Saint Louis County have been continuing over gun laws. Visual and Performing arts staff members have shared their feelings towards Missouri gun regulations, saying they are very broad. Some regulations did not prevent this young man from committing such a heinous crime or even let the law do what is just and take him into custody. He had obtained the permit, had no criminal histroy, and no mental health issues that were recorded.

The Guardian reports: “A police statement obtained by St. Louis TV station KMOV records that offi cers took the view the teenager was lawfully permitted to possess the weapon despite substantial evidence of troubling behavior. His family told police they had arranged for the teen to be treated for mental health issues, had put him on medication, and had even overseen a stay in a mental health institution” (St Louis school shooting suspect had gun confi scated days before attack | Missouri | The Guardian).

After the suspect was found, St. Louis police came to his house to begin the investigation and take his gun into Since this shooting, Saint Louis has faced more tragedy with gun violence at Marquette High School in Chesterfi eld, MO. On November 18th, Marquette students

School Shooting Statistics in America from 2001-2020 (National Center for Education Statistics) Image by: Alyssa Greco

were required to evacuate the building. They were dismissed early after a student stated on social media that they would bomb and shoot up the school. This was said the previous day (the 17th), and students were sent home again. Since the 18th, the suspect has been identifi ed, and the proper measures were taken. Saint Louis County police department states that their close relationship with the Rockwood School District made it possible to take these measures quickly.

The threat was released via soical media, on Snapchat. Students were able to acces their phones during the school day, and saw this terrfying statement posted on Snapchat. Students reported the statement, allowing Marquette took the proper measures to evacuate the entire student body and send them home for the rest of the school day. Marquette staff members did not anticipate for something like this to reoccur, but the following schoolday another threat was reported for a bombing and shooting, sneding the students home again. “Friday, several students told staff they were sent an image that said Thursday’s threat ‘wasn’t a joke’ and that an attacker was at the school with “something I can aim with while you run in fear,” according to a message sent to parents. Friday’s threat, according to Rockwood School District offi cials, gave a specifi c classroom number and said the attack would begin at noon” (https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/ marquette-high-school-evacuates-closes-early-2-daysin-a-row-after-threats/article_24fdc346-9479-5ffb-b967d7656109ede4.htm).

High school students in the Saint Louis Area have lived in fear for the past month due to these tragedies. Saint Louis government offi cials and members of the Saint Louis School Districts will continue to debate the broadness of the gun laws in Missouri. They want to come to a fair but just conclusion to ensure the safety of adolescents and citizens across the county.