According to a report in the US New York Times on the 25th, two weeks after the shooting on the 4th of this month in the middle school of Appalachian, Georgia, which killed two students and two teachers, ninety-eight students were detained in 56 counties of the state. More than 700 teenagers have been arrested in at least 45 states since Thursday. Ten percent of them are 12 years old or younger. Opinions are divided on how the government should treat teenagers who make threatening remarks.
People 2024 flowers to mourn the Sept. 7 shooting at a Georgia High School.
It is not alone
Earlier this month, Ohio resident Harvie was visited by police asking questions about her children. Police said her son had sent a message to a friend on his mobile phone saying there would be shootings at several nearby schools. Harvie’s 10-year-old son was charged with “Inciting panic”, a second-degree felony, and detained for 10 days.
After his release, Harvie’s son said he did not understand the seriousness of posting on social media. “I thought they would warn me and tell me not to do it again,” he said.
MS Harvie recognises the scale of the problem, but remains furious at the harsh treatment. “I think they are making an example of my son,” she told media. “He made a big mistake, but you can’t call him a murderer or a threat to society.”
The Harvey family is not alone. Her son is not even the youngest of the children recently detained in similar circumstances.
According to reports, the United States recently faced a large number of campus violence, shooting and explosion threats. In many areas, there has not been a significant increase in the number of shootings, but there has been an increase in the number of gun threats. Schools in Arizona, for example, received 156 percent more threats in one week in September than a year earlier. A county on the outskirts of Orlando, Fla. , filed second-degree felony charges against 24 students for“Issuing threatening information” during the first 28 days of school.
NBC reported that Florida Volusia County Sheriff Mike recently released the names and photos of children accused of threatening schools directly. “If parents don’t want to teach their kids, I’ll teach them and if I can, I’ll Take Your Kids for a walk,” Mike said at the launch
Young people face challenges
The New York Times quoted experts as saying that young people in the United States are now facing all kinds of special problems and challenges, the psychological problems of being alone because of the covid-19 quarantine, the pervasive nature of social media, and the undue influence of violence like school shootings. Schools say many are understaffed and lack the funds to adequately identify and support the growing number of children in need.
Should the government treat threatening students like criminals, disclosing their information or sending them to jail? There are differences of opinion on the issue in the United States. Phoenix police officer Rennes, who runs the arizona-wide threat assessment program, worries that detaining so many teenagers could undermine young people’s trust in the government, let them encounter problems in the future do not dare to go to the government for help. “Not many of these kids need to go to jail,” he said. “There’s no doubt it will make the problem worse.”
Research has shown that even brief periods of detention can reduce a child’s chances of graduating from high school and increase their chances of committing a crime or being arrested as adults. Catching people who post threats, ostensibly to prevent crime, may actually lead to more crime.
The problem of polarization
NPR’s report explores strategies for preventing school shootings, such as raising the legal age for gun ownership, increasing mental health interventions, and strengthening school safety measures. Experts suggest that establishing open channels of communication can help identify potential risks and prompt timely intervention. In addition, schools should work with families and local communities to create a safe and conducive environment.
U. S. Media reports that the heart of the problem is the prevalence of guns in American society. Adolescents who speak irresponsibly and are emotionally unstable are found in many countries around the world, but in major countries around the world, no Child in the world can acquire a high-powered assault rifle as easily as a child in the United States.
CNN (CNN) — United States Public Health Service Director Wiewecke Murty says the gun issue has divided American society, “It should be taken from the political realm into the realm of public health, where it belongs.”.