This past Monday, a wave of panic spread across Michigan State University’s campus as a
gunman entered two buildings and shot at students.
The shooting resulted in the death of three students and five other students being left critically
wounded.
The police went on a three-hour manhunt for the gunman before finding his dead body with a
self-inflicted gunshot wound.
This shooting is just one of many that have occurred within recent years. Just last year in May, a
gunman entered Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas and proceeded to kill 19 students along with
two teachers.
President Biden has called on Congress to put more effort into preventing gun violence, however
he had already called for reform after the Uvalde shooting. No changes have been made despite
the several shootings that have taken place over the years. The lack of action truly makes one ask
if anything can be done.
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For some Sinclair students, the answer is no. Jayvonne Plump, a computer science major and
transfer from Wright State University, says, “Nothing can be done. I mean, sure, you could place
metal detectors inside of buildings. I’ve heard people say they could do that. The shooter could
just attack students outside though, if that becomes the case. He could also just start firing as
soon as he gets caught inside the building. Either way, people die.”
While metal detectors have actually been put to use within some of Ohio’s multiple school
districts. the majority of Ohio’s school districts and colleges do not use them.
That being said, not all students believe nothing can be done. Some have very proactive ideas
about what can be done. Jalen Mahone, a Sinclair alumni, says, “Professors should have guns.
Not all of them, but just the ones trained to carry one. If a shooter ever comes on campus, we
don’t have to wait for the police to put the guy down.”
The idea of school faculty carrying guns is not too far-fetched. As of right now, eight states
allow faculty to carry guns with the permission of the school district.
If more states join that list and school districts become more loose with licensed carry, we could
see an America where faculty protect students by taking down shooters themselves.
Dion Johnson
Intern