Shooting Incidents in Schools Go Global

Unprecedented shooting incidents made 2018 a dismal year for schools. Hundreds of fatalities were recorded during these crisis situations at an average of one occurrence for every eight school days.

Many of these shooting incidents could have been averted if parents had only safely secured their weapons and kept their guns off bounds. In a study conducted on 145 school shooting incidents since 1999, the source of weapon used was identified in the case of 105 cases. The weapon was taken from the child’s residence or that of friends or relatives in more than 80% of the cases. Serious injury, damage and loss of life can be prevented in most of the shooting incidents by just locking away firearms and keeping them out of the reach of children.

It seems like the influence of shooting incidents have now extended beyond frontiers into foreign territory as well. Eight people lost their lives today in a shooting incident near Sao Paolo, Brazil. Two armed delinquents made their way into the school and opened fire on the kids. Brutal shooting incidents like these portray a really dark and deplorable state of affairs, given that societies around the world idealize schools as sanctuaries of learning. Exposure to violence at an impressionable age can leave kids scarred for life.

It is unfortunate that the frequency of hazards shows no sign of diminishing. Many of these institutions don’t have a disaster recovery plan in place to deal with such hazards. And politicians, for their part, aren’t very enthusiastic about taking initiative.