Sandy Hook Promise offers response to gun violence

Special to Tejano Tribune

By Diamond Rodriguez

Since the shooting at Columbine High School in 1999, more than 390,000 students in the U.S have experienced gun violence at school. In 4 out 5 school shootings, at least one other person had knowledge of the attacker's plan but failed to report it. As a member of Generation Z, I do not remember a time before monthly lockdown drills. I remember being in elementary school and our teacher telling us we could not have phones or talk, and some kid asking ‘Well, why can you?’ and I distinctly remember the look on my teacher's face, probably contemplating how to explain to kids that she needs hers to stay updated but that if we had ours we would be risking our lives. It became such a part of my normal life and my classmates' lives, we stopped discussing the insanity of these events. Instead after lockdown drills, we discussed our annoyance at being interrupted during conversations, or while finishing an essay due soon meanwhile we were being trained to hide because our lives could depend on it. As a kid, I was a part of Rachel's Challenge and only vaguely knew what had happened. Although the story first given may not have been fully accurate, one thing was, Rachel died to gun violence, and it could have been prevented. Learning what happened at Columbine and how Rachel lost her life and the reaction that followed reminded me this was not always how kids grew up, they did not always prepare in case a gun man entered their school, let alone actually have to face a gun man at the rates that occur now. As a member of generation z, that was our normal, but we can work to not make it the reality of all the generations that follow. That is why I became a Sandy Hook Promise Leader and why I urge you to fight against gun violence.

Sandy Hook Promise wants every kid to get to go home. Know The Signs are proven prevention signs that Sandy Hook Promise empowers the youth with to recognize warning signs that someone may be at risk of hurting themselves or others, and with Say Something, they are given the resources to safely report the situation. The program also works to educate kids of all ages with programs such as Start With Hello, which teaches children K-12 how to be socially inclusive and connected.

Programs like these keep students at the forefront of discussions about gun violence and in a time that can feel so hopeless, reminds us we have power and a voice to help prevent tragedies before they occur.

To learn more visit https://www.sandyhookpromise.org/what-we-do/programs