Families and victims are still recovering from the horrific shooting in Jacksonville, Florida, on August 26th, 2023. The shooting occurred inside a Dollar General, where three victims were fatally shot and tragically passed away. The gunman killed himself shortly after the incident. The shooter’s manifestos also revealed that the shooting was a hate crime against African Americans. Sadly, the shooting has gone unnoticed by many because these occurrences are becoming so commonplace.
With more and more of these incidents, students and teachers are facing emotional trauma and apprehension. A teacher from Santaluces Community High School, Mrs. Terwilliger says, “It makes you scared. When the Stoneman Douglas shooting happened, I was in the process of getting my teaching certification, and I stopped because I didn’t think I would be able to protect all the students. I was afraid.” On a more uplifting note, Mrs.Terwigler later continued her studies and received her teaching certification, and is now the director of the Early Childhood Academy at Santaluces.
Students are becoming more fearful and distraught in public places. Jalisa Cantu, a senior at Santaluces Community High School, says, “I feel like I can’t even go anywhere because you don’t know what will happen: the same thing for my siblings. When I see my younger brother learning to hide from a shooter, it hurts my heart.” Younger generations are also being affected, witnessing and experiencing gun violence will surely lead to emotional and psychological trauma.
Slowly but surely, we are taking measures to overcome gun violence. Schools are enforcing more safety rules and laws. For instance, new laws in Florida require students to wear IDs at all times, ensuring that nobody who should not be on campus is there. Other schools, like John I. Leonard High School, built metal detectors in the school entrance, guaranteeing that no one can bring an armed gun into the school. I hope in the near future, more action will be taken so gun violence isn’t such a common circumstance.
