No student, teacher, or staff member expects to be in danger when stepping onto cam- pus. For most, there aren’t any problems. We show up, go to class, do our work and return home safely.
This wasn’t the case for the nine victims of the Umpqua Community College shooting on Oct. 1 in Roseburg, Ore.
This shooting has shaken the whole country and brought up conversations about campus safety and gun control.
According to The Los Angeles Times, there has been nearly one school shooting a week since the 20 children and six adults were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary school in Dec. 2012.
“Somehow this has become routine … We’ve become numb to this. It cannot be this easy for somebody who wants to inflict harm on other peo- ple to get his or her hands on a gun,” said President Barack Obama in response to the shooting.
Many left-wing politicians are pushing for gun control and more regulations on gun owners. Events such as this push the topic to the forefront of political agenda.
Other communities have responded to shoot- ings with laws restricting the rights of gun owners, but Roseburg has a different approach.
“Gun control is not the answer to preventing heinous crimes like school shootings,” said Doug- las County Sheriff John Harlin in an article for The New York Times.
Residents went on to agree with the sheriff. The community has a culture centered around hunt- ing. Residents stand behind their second amendment rights and believe other changes regarding education should be proposed.
There is no question this is a recurring problem and action needs to be taken.
Whether it involves more restrictions on guns, improving the American education system, or pushing for more education on mental health, something must be done.
Currently, it is illegal to posses a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school or college campus without administrative permission in California. However, those with concealed carry permits are exempt from this rule.
California is considering tightening the law that will extend the restriction to those with conceal carry permits.
Gov. Jerry Brown has until Oct. 11 to act.
In addition to conversations on gun control, Americans are also questioning the media.
Many question if the amount of media cover- age on school shootings promotes more violence. Another complaint regards the victims because too often emphasis is put on the shooter when Ameri- ca should be hearing about the victims.
It’s unfortunate that events such as this keep occurring.
So what does this mean for Delta students?
Almost immediately after the news broke about the Oregon shooting, District Police sent out a campus-wide email that reassured students that there are trained professionals on campus and that they should be aware of all safety procedures.
Every classroom is required to have a copy of all the campus safety policies.
Delta’s active shooter campus safety policy states:
“If you feel that an active shooter is on campus: Call District Police immediately. Remain calm and answer the dispatcher’s questions. The dispatcher is trained to obtain the necessary and required informa- tion for an appropriate emergency response. If safe to do so, stop and take time to get a good description of the criminal. Note height, weight, sex, race, approxi- mate age, clothing, type of weapon used, method and direction of travel, and his/her name, if known. If
the suspect is entering a vehicle, note the license plate number, make and model, color, and outstanding characteristics. All of this takes only a few seconds and is of the utmost help to the responding officers.”
The policy goes on to specify what to do if the shooter is outside or inside and gives more tips on how to remain safe in this kind of emergency situation.
You can read more in detail about the policy on Delta’s website.
In response to the shooting, Delta’s faculty is making a proactive effort to make students feel safer. Many professors on campus have been tak- ing time out of their instruction time to inform their students of the active shooter procedures.
The administration has also made a suggestion to faculty that locking the doors to classrooms a few minutes after every class period begins is a wise safety precaution.
Thankfully, Delta’s campus has been proven to be quite safe for students and faculty, but know- ing the safety policies, taking wise precautions and staying prepared is always a good idea.