In response to the Santa Fe High School shooting of 2018, two weeks ago Texas governor Greg Abbott signed a "school safety bill" into law. The law is meant to intensify school security, and one of its measures allows "as many armed teachers in schools and classrooms as local officials see fit." In this article in MEAWW, Priyam Chhetri explores the repurcussions of the law, citing PI's Alisha Somji: "To actually prevent these incidents and put a stop to youth gun violence, they need to dig much deeper, Putting guns in the hands of teachers does not align with our approach. In taking a public health approach to preventing gun violence, we also believe that solutions need to expand beyond gun access and focus on the underlying reasons that gun violence is occurring in the first place. Strategies that address the root causes like youth employment, neighborhood economic development, safe parks, restoring vacant land, and reducing alcohol outlet density would be a step towards the right direction."
Publication Date:
Tuesday, June 11, 2019