by Michelle Tejada, staff reporter
With over 142 school shootings in 2013 alone, the numbers continue to increase today. On Friday, May 13th, a school shooting happened at Southside High School in Greenville County, South Carolina.
A student accidentally shot himself in the school’s cafeteria at around 8:30am. 911 was called while other students, along with many other nearby schools, were being held on lockdown. The Greenville County School District spokeswoman, Beth Brotherton, said each student is being searched before being allowed to re-enter Southside High School.
“They should have metal detectors at all school because it protects people from these things. With better security, schools can be much safer,“ sophomore Giuliana Pezzino said.
According to WLOS, a deputy says 17-year-old Braylin Scott is being charged with unlawful carrying of a pistol, disturbing schools, and carrying a weapon on school property. The student that was shot is said to likely face the same charges after being released from the hospital. Both students are likely to face a year of expulsion.
Laws on weapons on school property is stated under the South Carolina Code of Laws, title 16 – Crimes and Offenses chapter 23 article 1 Handguns Section 16-23-420 possession of firearm on school property; concealed weapons. “It is unlawful for a person to possess a firearm of any kind on any premises or property owned, operated, or controlled by a private or public school….without the express permission of the authorities in charge of the premises or property.”
“I think that the government should change laws in order to enforce gun control. With better gun control, there would be less shootings at school because students won’t be able to have guns,” sophomore James Panagakos said.
Officials started to dismiss students at around 11:35am, in which they were either driven, picked up by a parent or escorted onto a bus.
“The students should not have guns in the first place let alone take it to school. There should be better security at school and better gun control so that students can’t get their hands on them because they shouldn’t be able to buy one or take it from somebody,” senior Molly Strauss said.
It has been decided that for the next few weeks, there will be increased law enforcement present, additional psychologists and social workers trained with handling trauma, and additional school district administrators on campus.
