There are several federal statutes that attempt to regulate and control gun violence in the United States, most of which do not help in prevention of school shootings. As members of the Commission of School Safety and the Presidential Cabinet, your voice is respected in the federal government. This memo is written to provide information and recommendations based on the current status of school safety and gun violence in our country.
Background on School Shootings in the United States There has been, on average, one school shooting every week since the beginning of 2018 (Ahmed and Walker, 2018). In most of these 2018 school shootings, the shooter 18 years of age or younger. One shooting this year stands out from the rest, the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. In this specific shooting, the gunman used an AR-15 assault rifle to murder 17 individuals at the high school (Turkewitz & Hartocollis, 2018). In 2012, Sandy Hook Elementary School encountered a tragedy where a gunman also used an AR-15 assault rifle to take the lives of 26 students and
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Federal policy makers should advocate for banning assault rifles and semi-automatic weapons, the guns that are used most often in large scale school shootings. With a ban on these weapons, and other weapon attachments such as bump stocks, schools will be in less danger. There needs to be stricter regulations and guidelines for individuals to purchase firearms, such as more accurate mental health screenings and a higher legal age for buyers, such as 21 years of age or older. There is a pattern of school shooters being very young in age or even younger than the current legal age to purchase weapons. There needs to be a stricter regulation on who is able to handle and own a weapon, especially at gun