Opinions on Gun Violence

All throughout America, people debate the issue of gun violence. Whether a shooting takes place in stores, homes or even schools, this topic is serious and affects the lives of many– including those attending Woodward. But is everyone being included in this conversation? Rarely, it seems, do students and faculty have a say in what they want in terms of gun safety. 

This issue is pretty common, to the point where some students can recall a time when they faced a threat of violence. When interviewed last fall, Riley Gardiner ‘26 described his shocking experience.

“My local high school– that I’m thankfully not going to–has had 3 active gun threats (basically someone was threatening to shoot up the school) since school started almost 2 months ago,” Gardiner said.

Gardiner went on to criticize how easy it is to purchase a gun, especially at a young age. He describes the overall experience as “jarring” but is confident of Woodward’s security. 

For other students, gun violence isn’t that much of a threat here. When asked if she is concerned about gun violence coming to Woodward, Ellison Baer ‘25 said she was not. She went on to say that a gun situation would come from “probably outside the school” instead of someone attending or teaching here.

Faculty members also have opinions towards gun violence. Teacher Gregory Mooneyham has been with Woodward for over 10 years. 

“I can see where it [gun violence at school] would have a detrimental effect with what’s going on in our society. There’s a lot of bullying that goes on and that happens no matter what school you’re at,” Mooneyham said. “So there’s always that at the forefront–that it can happen at any school.”

John Lane is the director of campus safety and works closely with the director of security. He is confident in this school’s security.

“We’re constantly in the mode of evaluating what’s right, what’s wrong, and what we can do better,” Lane said. “If I had an unlimited amount of money I would like to hire more campus security officers, especially the group we got. I want to be able to do broader coverage not only during school, but during the after school hours. The second thing I would probably do is ask for more mental health resources for [students].” 

Lane also talked about how gun violence is also a concern for faculty. 

“Anytime that there is a shooting event, you can see the anxiety levels rise a little bit,” Lane said. “I think that our faculty feels safe, I feel like this is a safe environment, but that still doesn’t mean they don’t freak out.”

Some members of the Woodward community have a grim outlook on school shootings, such as Myles Pepper ‘26.

“There’s not really much that you can do in case of a school shooting,” Pepper said. “You’re gonna die, it’s not an avoidable thing.” 

She went on to critique the process of buying a gun. 

“I do believe that we need more restrictions on it,” Pepper said. “Whether it’s raising the age for when you can purchase a gun, more intensive background checks for people who want to buy one, [or] having to do a lot more gun safety classes.”

No matter their feelings on gun violence and schools, people can agree on one thing– that this is a concerning topic. It’s important that students know how to handle signs of a school shooting.   

“If you see something, say something,”  Mooneyham said in regard to spotting a potential gun threat. “Don’t be afraid, but I know that’s not easy. A lot of times you feel like you’re hurting someone’s feelings, or you might lose their trust, but in reality you might be saving them.”