September 1, 2025/Midnight
Erie, PA. – Wednesday August 27th a shooter opened fire during morning Mass at Annunciation Catholic school in Minneapolis. This attack left two children dead and 17 other people injured. Those injured ranged from ages 6 to 15. The injured students are expected to survive. Shock hit this small Minneapolis community leaving everyone devastated.
The school year has started, and Americans have heightened anxieties about safety in school. For the past decade schools around the country have taken new measures to protect their students. Schools have required clear backpacks, metal detectors, security, and active shooter training for faculty. Since the 1990s school shootings and threats of gun related violence have skyrocketed. As we start this new school year, we are already witnessing risks for the safety of American students.
Community members were stunned and saddened by the news stating this was “too much to process.” The archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis commented on the community being “rightfully outraged at such horrific acts of violence perpetuated against the vulnerable and innocent.”
College campuses share the same anxieties as this Minneapolis community. This school year has sparked over 10 hoax swatting. The campuses of Villanova, West Virginia University, University of New Hampshire, University of Arkansas, Iowa State, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, University of South Carolina, University of Colorado-Boulder, and University of Tennessee-Chattanooga have all been hoax swatted over the last two weeks. These campuses had threats or claims consisting of active shooter attacks.
Whether or not these threats were real, the university students are terrified from the possibility of a school shooting. A University of Arkansas student recalled, “there’s just these few minutes where all you really feel is fear, whether the threat’s there or not.”
During the hoax swatting large groups of law enforcement swept buildings for dangers. Swat teams, Police, and police dogs covered these campuses interrupting classes. FBI and other law enforcement did not release information about specific culprits for these threats. They are working towards neutralizing these swatting hoaxes.
Experts have expressed fear about the effects of hoaxes. With the rise of school shootings in America students and faculty should be hyper aware of dangers. But the false threats can become a regular part of life for students. Drills and hoaxes desensitize students making this serious threat feel normal. Faculty at any level of education should emphasize the importance that comes with active shooter threats.
These events highlighted the ongoing debate with gun violence conversations. Communities across the United States have expressed their anger and distrust in the local and national governments.
Tensions between the American people and law makers continue as gun violence stays an ever-present problem. According to the United States Department of Justice, model legislation has been passed to guide states in solving different problems regarding gun control. This model legislation is not stopping casualties from a school shooting. Its sole purpose is to motivate states to act against gun violence.
Families are frightened of the safety of their loved ones. They are looking to the government for fundamental changes in legislation. Change that America does not see in it’s near future.
