Abby Baggini ’18, Brooke Kelly ’18, Tess McMullin ’18: On the morning of October 24, police responded to gunshots fired at the Marysville-Pilchuck High School in Washington state, where a student named Jaylen Fryberg injured at least four students, and killed two, including himself. Tragedies like this and like the Sandy Hook shooting have prompted countless discussions on gun safety laws. Like many institutions, Episcopal has reevaluated and redeveloped its security measures, coming to the decision that guns are not and will not in the foreseeable future be carried on campus. Joe Shanahan, Episcopal’s Director of Security, expressed his concerns with the idea, explaining, “Firearms require a lot of training, and a lot of ongoing training, including certification and recertification. The nature of the beast is that when working with firearms, you must be very proficient, and that’s just in the mechanics. There is a lot of decision making that goes into whether to use deadly force or not to use deadly force. Sometimes you have to make a split second call- is that guy pulling a gun or a cell phone?”
Christopher Lunn, Chief of the Newtown Police Department, reinforced Shanahan’s beliefs. When asked if he believes that EA security should carry firearms, he stated, “No, I do not. The great responsibility to carry a firearm comes with a lot of training. You can’t just train once, you have to go and train every three months at least.” With so many variables at large, a positive outcome may not always result.
If a significant threat was to be reported to campus security, the current procedure is to initiate a lockdown, and immediately alert the Newtown Square Police Department, who would dispatch officers to campus.
Photo Courtesy of Lily Stavropolous ’18
Shootings across the nation have pushed many schools to reevaluate and redevelop their security measures as well. In 2013, 80 bills across 33 states regarding arming school staff members were introduced. Eight of these states passed such laws allowing schools the authority to arm its staff members. Among those who voted for such bills was Pennsylvania State Senator Donald White, who stated, “I believe we need to consider providing school employees with more choices than just locking a door, hiding in a closet or diving in front of bullets to protect students. With the legal authority, licensing and proper training, I believe allowing school administrators, teachers or other staff to carry firearms on the school premises is an option worth exploring.”
As the country remains divided on the subject, the EA community has extended differing opinions on the subject as well. One III Form student, commented, “I feel safe at EA, but yes, I believe there should be firearms on campus. Only one or two though, and they should be in an undisclosed location to be accessed by only high ranking school officials or security.” This student agreed with NRS spokesman Wayne Lapierre who stated, “The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.”
Photo Courtesy of Lily Stavropoulous ’18
Despite those who view weapons as a fitting solution, a survey taken of Episcopal Upper School students, expressed that 88% of students believe that guns should not be possessed on campus. Similarly, Holly Johnston, III Form Dean, stated, “The chances statistically of somebody actually coming on campus with a gun are so slim, that I am worried that they would use them against someone who wasn’t really a threat. I think there would be more opportunity to mistakenly use them than to actually prevent a tragedy.”