Youth / Opinion : Why Do Kids Bring Weapons to School?

JOHN GALLO, Sophomore, Fairfax High School

The reason students bring weapons to school is because they feel threatened by gangs. A lot of people think they’ve got to look out for themselves, that they’ve got to watch their backs. There are a lot of people who try to start fights for no reason and then people are threatened by gang members.

There are weapons in all schools. It’s not just gang members anymore. Just like the kid who got shot at Reseda High. They wanted him to join a gang and he didn’t. There’s a lot of peer pressure to join a gang.

The gang members will take your shoes if they like your shoes. If they like your jacket, they’ll take your jacket. I mean people don’t want their things taken from them, but then they don’t want to tell anybody. A lot of people are afraid to tell someone or they think they feel they can handle it themselves. But they can’t, because there are too many gang members.

It’s the same thing with guns. A lot of times kids will see someone with a gun but they won’t tell anybody. Students are used to seeing the gang members with guns, so they don’t say anything. But now, kids are getting killed.

I know someone who was killed because someone else brought a gun because he was scared of gang members. (This kid who was killed,) Demetrius Rice, wasn’t even in a gang. I couldn’t believe it. Demetrius was kind of struggling in school, but he was trying to get his grades up. That’s why he was in the winter session. He loved playing football and basketball. He was a good buddy. Now he’s gone.

I think we need more security and a few police officers. I think there should be fewer kids in class. I think people just need to talk. They need to talk to their parents or counselors when they’ve got problems.

KAMILAH WILLIAMS, Senior, Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies

I think it has something to do with not having enough security. I think they are bringing weapons to school to protect themselves. It’s not just Latino and African-American students. White students bring weapons to school to protect themselves from either gang-bangers or drug dealers.

Students mostly bring pocket knives. I’ve never seen anyone with a gun, although I have heard about it on occasion. I know that there is a need for more security. If there were more, it still wouldn’t make me feel more secure. I know how people are and I know more security might slow them down, but I don’t think that it would stop them from bringing weapons to school.

There’s talk about using metal detectors in schools. That’s making some people feel uncomfortable. Students fear that they’ll be treated like jail inmates. But I think if it’s gotten to that point, then that is what has to be done. It still won’t stop the students, however. Students sell drugs and use drugs on campus, so they’ll find a way to get weapons on campus.

We don’t have a big problem with weapons at my school. But I hear about other schools all the time. I think it’s easier now for kids to bring weapons because with all the budget cutbacks, schools can’t afford a lot of security. Things just seem more chaotic now. Sometimes the schools don’t have substitutes for classes (if the teacher is out).

I remember back in the 1980s you didn’t hear about drugs and gang-banging like you do now. People would bring a pocket knife, but not a gun. Now you can get shot or killed at your own school. Things just seem worse in the world in general.

SAMUEL WILLIAMS, Senior, Fairfax High School

Students bring guns to school basically because they want to show it off. Most of them bring it not to really harm anybody. They use the excuse that they have to protect themselves and sometimes there are situations in which some taggers, gangsters or somebody from other schools are after them. Sometimes they don’t get along with other gangsters at school. They don’t like to fight, so they bring a gun hoping to scare that person off.

There are only a couple of gangs at this school, but they all get along. Most of the things that are going on are by the taggers. Once in a while, gangs from other schools come by. I’d say 95% of the students don’t bring guns. Some people may think that kids have guns. Some may have knives, but there are usually only one or two students who have a gun.

I don’t think we need metal detectors. If you have metal detectors in front of the building, students are only going to hop the gate in the back. They aren’t stupid, so I don’t think the metal detectors are going to help.

VERONICA SILVA, Sophomore, Roosevelt High School

The students who bring guns for their own safety are in gangs and have rivals on campus. Sometimes people just hate each other so much, they settle their disputes with guns.

I guess the No. 1 reason kids bring weapons is because they are scared and they want to protect themselves. It doesn’t have to be kids in gangs. It could be just rivals in general. The second reason is because they like to cause trouble and want to get attention. The third reason why is because they just want to look tough. They want to flash their weapons so people will be scared of them.

My school is planning on bringing in special security to do random body searches of students. Some students don’t care. Others say it’s a violation of their privacy and it’s not fair. I think it’s a good idea because if a person has a weapon the security might find him during the surprise body searches. I think it would be safer.

Right now, if a student is caught with a weapon, they are suspended. That doesn’t seem to keep kids from bringing their weapons. Maybe the school should make the students submit to some type of counseling because they need something that’s going to teach them how to settle disputes.