Trump’s removal of gun violence prevention office could harm students

Over the first half of 2024, the Department of Justice reported a 17% decrease in homicides and a 20% reduction in mass shootings in comparison to the same time period in 2023. It was one of the largest decreases in gun violence in the nation’s history. For students living in Georgia who want only for their lives to matter, an elimination of the largest coordinated effort to combat gun violence is a nightmare: especially in the aftermath of the mass shooting at Apalachee High School.

Credit: Contr

Credit: Contr

Trump has pledged to fix all problems riddling America, from the economy to immigration. However, he has demonstrated through actions in his previous presidency, and what he has said he plans to do in his second term, that he cares little for the safety of students. He began by repealing an Obama-era law in response to the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, which would have prevented certain individuals with histories of mental illness from purchasing guns. And he advocated for an end to gun-free zones and arming teachers, after the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Actions such as these suggest that his second term will only be more of the same. Trump said in a meeting with National Rifle Association members in 2023, that: “There was a great pressure for me to [pass laws] with guns… we did nothing.” He did do nothing. More than 100,000 Americans died of gun violence in his first term, several people that Trump has “failed” according to Everytown.

Trump’s new promises show a similar lack of remorse, as in a video on his Agenda47 website, where he outlines his plan to restore law and order in America, he says: “I will protect the right of self-defense everywhere…I will sign concealed carry reciprocity.” (Concealed carry reciprocity allows all people, including criminals, to carry a weapon everywhere. The only exempt area is a gun-free zone, making gun access and travel commonplace across the country.) The overarching philosophy regarding gun policy in Trump’s second term is nonaction, and it cannot be more clear.

It shouldn’t be this way. Research shows states mandating universal background checks for all gun sales have seen a 15% homicide decrease compared to states without them. Similar policies, such as permit-to-purchase laws, which require a permit to buy a gun, have correlated to similar reductions in gun violence.

Trump’s promised lack of action is not only cavalier, but dangerous, and will contribute to many more mass shootings and gun deaths. Ending the Office of Gun Violence Prevention is only the first step, next is eliminating gun-free zones, then it’s eliminating background checks, then it’s back to square one, and the violence Americans have come to normalize and accept as a “fact of life” will only get worse.

Educators and students have already had to accept school shootings as a “fact of life.” The progress we have seen in the last four years is dangerously close to being cut short without meaningful reforms that we will be unlikely to see during a Trump presidency.

“Thoughts and prayers” will never be enough to fulfill the void of a dead student, teacher or parent who fell victim to gun violence.

Daniel Herrera, 17, is a senior at Dunwoody High School in DeKalb County.