EDITORIAL — A shooting at school

From Negros Oriental comes this alarming report that a Grade 7 student was not only able to bring a gun to school, he also fired it in the classroom.

According to BANAT News, the incident happened last Friday in Barangay Daro, Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, where a 12-year-old brought a gun to school and later fired a shot outside the window. No one was hit.

We can’t be thankful enough that there was no one hurt or killed and also that it didn’t turn into a bloody school shooting like what often happens in the US. We certainly don’t want anything like that happening here.

However, the fact remains that a minor was able to bring a gun to school, and now several issues should be raised from this incident.

First is the issue of gun safety. Of course, police suspected that the minor didn’t own the gun himself, but filched it from his home. As of now we aren’t sure who owns the gun but it likely belonged to an adult the student lives with.

But how easily was he able to get it? For sure the gun’s owner will have to be held responsible for not making sure children couldn’t get to his gun very easily. We also have to ask if it was a legally-registered firearm.

A second issue is that school’s security. After this incident how is that school supposed to make sure children don’t bring guns, weapons, or just about any type of contraband to school?

Screening the bag of each student reporting to school is out of the question and impractical; it will take too long.

The third issue involves the child himself. School authorities and his parents, possibly with the assistance of child psychologists or counselors, should find out what led him to not just bring the gun to school but also fire it.

Was he a victim of bullying? Was he being influenced by peer pressure, social media, or television? Was he misled into thinking that having a gun was a sign that he was mature? Or that possessing one would win him the adoration or respect of his peers? Or was it none of the above and he was just bored?

While we are thankful the incident didn’t turn out worse, action has to be taken.