Florida State University has been faced with another unfortunate tragedy on April 21st. It’s sad to say but this is not the first instance that this has happened. Looking back upon a previous incident that took place on November 20th, 2014, a painful and unexpected reality hit as a shooting broke out in the Strozier Library on campus. Disappointing enough to say, history does repeat itself.
The suspect who damaged the community of FSU, is a 20-year-old student, Phoenix Ikner. He took the lives of two victims and injured six. With the incident unraveling, many students on campus did not have the opportunity to lock classroom or building doors, and some had no choice but to flee. Safety at its top priority would protect the entirety of students and erase the worries of encountering a situation such as this in general.
From a social service perspective, the shooter seemed to be a victim of parental alienation, this can be classified as emotional child abuse. Documents received in court of law revealed that his biological mother removed him from the United States when he was 10 years old which violated the custody agreement set between his father and mother. Not only does this impact the stability of a child, but can reflect in future behaviors that can eject anger or hostile induced actions.
Each tragedy that occurs, there is typically one similar aspect between every individual in regards to mental health or past traumas. Though the past does not excuse Ikner’s cruel actions, it is important to understand the pattern in most tragedies such as this one. There are several psychological circumstances that intervene with these situations such as traumatic experiences, past events, and sometimes even genetics. However, instead of letting the instability of emotions build, as a community looking out for those around you and even caring for your own family members can reduce the need for violent matters and agenda.
To mention, disasters such as this one gains traction for only a couple days and precedes to be forgotten. Leading a stained mark on FSU’s tragic history, there is a clear need to change regulations as a whole. This is a cycle the public has now normalized, this country is swamped with uncontrolled gun violence.
Interviewing a current FSU student to gather a real perspective on the incident, freshman Logan Yarnell, discusses how he felt the day after the tragedy occured. He states “The day after it happened, the campus felt like a wasteland. My roommate and I went to get our backpacks and his car from the lockdown areas, and everything was eerily silent with only cops and reporters around, very few students.” The mood of camaraderie on campus completely shifted to silence.
Questioning how this could have happened for a second time, there are many underlying circumstances that can be taken into account. The state of Florida’s gun violence laws are rather freeing instead of limited. Ranked among the top thirty states in the United States for the most gun-related deaths, regulations such as background checks, consumer safety, and purchases for previous offenders are some of the issues that are not necessary when buying a firearm. The less laws put into place the more dangerous situations can be.
The second amendment of the Constitution guarantees the people of the United States to have the right to bear arms, therefore guns will always be accessible to those who want to feel protected. However, within our country, issues such as mental health illnesses or problems have a high prevalence compared to other places around the world.
A grand challenge for social workers, as society continues to search for a band-aid solution to this bigger picture, is tackling the emotional and physical impacts gun violence has on populations. For FSU specifically, many students will be permanently damaged with the fear of another situation similar to April 21st happening. FSU student Logan Yarnell mentioned that going back to classes will be unpredictable and likely uneasy. He states “I thought I would be fine going back, but when I went back to the classroom I was in to get my belongings the day after, I realized going back was going to be harder than I expected.”
Finding the root of uncontrolled gun-use, applying ideologies to societal impacts or individual-level factors, is crucial to focusing on limitations and regulations that can cause a gradual decline in brutality. Glancing beyond surface level, gun violence affects our most valued fundamental right, the right to life. Unfortunately in today’s circumstances that right can be taken away at any given moment, even in places where you should feel safe or protected. The cycle of cruelty can no longer continue since each life lost is the cost of utter failure in our society.
Addressing gun violence is always going to be a controversial topic for many, but if there is one thing everyone can agree on, it is that we cannot let this cycle of fear continue.
