Universities and Gun Control

In 2023, 136 gun violence incidents happened on school grounds in the US, resulting in 41 deaths and 92 injuries in the whole nation. Since 2024 started, one gun violence incident has already occurred, which begs the question: Is this number going to increase in the coming years? 

Maryland colleges have also become sites of gun violence following the shootings last fall at Morgan State University and Bowie State University, injuring six individuals on both campuses.

Following these tragedies, the Blake community was distraught and shaken as shootings both happened so close to home. Ms. Radway, a Blake alumnus and MSU graduate stated, “It’s tragic. It’s people’s lives. People are dying.” 

The fear of gun violence among young scholars is severely affecting students. According to the Pew Research Center, 57% of students are worried about a shooting occurring at their schools.

Are high school students willing to attend colleges where gun violence is prevalent or has been prevalent in the past? What impact on the college application process do these tragedies have on prospective college students? Senior Bongani Phiri replied, “It’s insane that students aren’t afraid of failing their classes anymore, but having to fear for their lives whenever they step onto campus or school grounds.” 

Due to the number of issues colleges have been facing with violence on their campuses, there has been a significant concern with the applications being submitted to schools that have witnessed violence on campus grounds. Stanford Health came out with research stating that “shootings tend to lower test scores and enrollment.” This can significantly impact applicants who may not want to continue fearing throughout their academics leading to them not applying to schools, as well as lower test scores impacting their chances of getting into college. 

Consequently, many students are discouraged from applying to colleges that have had previous gun violence incidents. Senior Suhela Hettiarachchi notes, “I was interested in applying to Morgan State and Virginia Tech but I’m unsure because of the previous [gun] violence they’ve both … experienced.” 

Junior Maya Resnikoff shared, “Campus safety is a priority, school shouldn’t be a package that … includes academic obstacles [and] death.” Carissa Montier, another junior, added, “Once I’m a senior I’m definitely going to look into [school] safety as it’s really important to feel safe in the place I’m going to spend the next four years of my life [at].” These two and other juniors at Blake High School already feel the pressure of looking for colleges without any sort of gun violence. 

Many students often fear the unexpected, especially at school. Gun violence has become so prevalent that students have become desensitized to school shootings and lockdowns. Many people are trying to avoid experiencing gun violence, and now that they’re entering early adulthood, they’re leaning toward safety and prosperity for the next four years of their academic lives.