Fear of Mass Shootings Spurs Personal Preventive Education
"If the State Cannot Prepare, Individuals Must"
Before the new school year begins in the United States, there has been an increase in cases where bulletproof backpacks have been prepared to prepare for mass shooting incidents.
Buying Bulletproof Backpacks and Providing Prevention Education: "Hide, Run, Escape"
On the 26th (local time), foreign media including The New York Times (NYT) highlighted stories of parents who find it difficult to send their children to school due to fear of frequent mass shootings at schools.
Brenda Valenzuela (37), who lives in Montana, recently bought bulletproof backpacks for her children Bella (15) and Caleb (11) ahead of the new semester.
Valenzuela browsed various products online and compared bulletproof test results for several hours before selecting a product.
She also gave her children prevention education, saying, "In an emergency, you should take cover behind your backpack," and "Protect your head and chest."
She added, "Remember that threats come unexpectedly," and urged, "Hide, run, escape. No matter what happens, come back home."
Survivor of a Mass Shooting... Experiences Anxiety Even When Sending Children to School
Valenzuela said that if the government does not solve the gun problem, she will personally train her children to prepare for it.
Valenzuela is a survivor of a shooting incident that occurred eight years ago at Umpqua Community College in Oregon.
While she was attending class, she stepped out into the hallway to take a phone call when a man hiding six guns in his bag entered the classroom and opened fire.
The mass shooting resulted in 10 deaths and 8 injuries.
Valenzuela remained an "uninjured survivor" who witnessed the tragedy from outside the classroom. Although she survived, she suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, weight loss, vomiting, and other aftereffects.
She was prescribed as many as 26 medications to alleviate her symptoms.
She even experienced severe anxiety and insomnia when sending her children to school.
Since the Umpqua Community College shooting, at least 538 more shooting incidents have occurred on campuses.
Policies to Prepare for Shooting Incidents Flood In... Effectiveness Is 'Questionable'
American students are carrying transparent bags that reveal their contents as they move. [Image source=Yonhap News]
According to foreign media, from the beginning of this year until the 19th of this month, there have been at least 37 shooting incidents at elementary, middle, and high schools in the United States. Including shootings on college campuses, the total reaches at least 53.
Over the past 20 years, mass shootings in the U.S. have increased annually, and survivors across generations suffer from trauma related to these incidents, the media reported.
Recently, schools have reinforced door locks and thoroughly verified the identities of visitors, including parents, but anxiety that children could become targets of gun crimes has not been completely alleviated.
Bulletproof Film on Classroom Windows, Bulletproof Whiteboards Installed
West Liberty-Salem High School in Ohio removed all window screens after a shooting incident and remodeled them into emergency doors that can be opened from the inside. They also installed bulletproof film on classroom windows.
A school in Alabama piloted the installation of "bulletproof whiteboards" in two classrooms, which transform into "bulletproof rooms" in the event of a shooting on campus. These whiteboards consist of two panels connected together, and when the attached ring is pulled, a square space with a locking mechanism inside is created where teachers and students can hide.
To respond to shooting incidents, backpack regulations have been introduced requiring students to carry "transparent backpacks" that are fully visible inside. This is to prevent guns from being concealed in bags.
However, some have criticized these policies as ineffective, and there are opinions that students themselves may feel like potential shooters.
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