.png)
In the wake of the Valentine's Day school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, schools all around the nation are starting to increase their protective actions.
According to Patti DiVincenzo and Dave Huddleston of WSB-TV/Channel 2 Atlanta, lockdown drills have tripled across Georgia schools statewide, comparing the amount of March 2017 and March 2018 drills. In response, some students have even engaged local politicians with the hopes of creating beneficial legislative actions.
Niles Francis, a student at South Cobb High School, took part in a school lockdown drill and felt that it was imperative to do so more frequently. He wrote to his state senator, Horacena Tate, who proposed a bill to require statewide lockdowns.
Although the bill failed, it appears schools from throughout the state don't really need the push. There have been over 2,000 drills statewide before the end of May. By comparison, there were only 1,500 reported drills in all of 2017.
It appears that the only drawback is the possibility of trauma; turning a serious issue into a scare tactic towards students, especially younger ones. There is, of course, a fine line between logical preparation and the outright notion of an imminent (or even likely) school shooting.
Gun control and its relation to 2nd Amendment rights are no doubt a factor in this matter. It remains to be seen if pro-gun control efforts will have a profound effect on legislation at both the federal and state levels.
The belief is that regardless of party affiliation, the same end goal is shared.
"When it comes to guns, [politicians] don't agree at all. But school safety and the safety of our children should be important, so at least there is something that they can agree on," said Francis.