School violence is unfortunately a very real fear that most students, families, and educators hold throughout the United States. From an early age, I and many other Americans have practiced lockdown drills, had lectures on school safety, and have become accustomed to security and metal detectors being present in schools. The documentary for this week’s topic and the readings, though they bring up surprising facts and statistics, do not act toward bringing a new topic to light. They highlight a topic that is deeply embedded in our society, perhaps even more so than others. Again, as mentioned, while some information I learned this week was startling and surprising, other aspects, such as the topic of gun violence as a whole, did not shock me.

Surprising Revelations

Starting with what surprised me this week, it truly shocked me how the documentary displays the ease of obtaining a gun. Though I have always seen movies and TV shows that had gun usage, the real-life counterpart of this problem was something I had not considered. This may stem from my limited experiences, living in a big city where guns are controlled and not promoted as much as perhaps the small towns displayed in the film (Moore, 2002). Throughout my life, I have never known of anyone who owns a gun, and because of this in many ways, my perspective on this issue comes from a very sheltered place. It was only when I began to watch the documentary that I came to realize how deeply ingrained guns and violence are in our society, and how many people think of guns in a positive light (Moore, 2002). A recent report on gun ownership claims that nearly a third of U.S. adults own a gun, which I believe helps to solidify my previous stance (Schaeffer, 2023). 

Unfortunate Reality

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