Kylie Grunsfeld, Staff Columnist
I was sitting in the Student Commons a week ago when someone stood up and started shouting. I didn’t hear much of what came out of their mouth, but I didn’t need to; my mind had already gone to the worst possible place. I was bracing myself for what feels more and more inevitable with every day — a mass shooting at our very own school.
Any chaos or disruption in a public place or any loud, sudden noise triggers the fear that lives perpetually inside me. In every classroom, I map out my theoretical escape plan. In every movie theater, I take note of the exits. In my own bedroom, I wonder how quickly I could spring up and block the door with my heavy wooden furniture.
It’s extremely unfortunate that these are things a college student must take into consideration. A mass shooting could happen anywhere at any time, but shootings at college campuses often dominate the news; it’s only natural a student would be on edge.
In the past few years alone there have been major shootings at the University of Virginia, Brown University and Old Dominion University, the latter occurring only last month.
I can vividly recall my friend’s panic during the shooting at Brown, their sister being a student there at the time. When the shooting at UVA happened, I was attending school only a few miles away. I have been present during an intruder lockdown on multiple occasions. I know many fellow students share similar experiences and are constantly on high alert as a result.
Though VCU campus takes precautionary measures, such as student IDs being required to enter student dorms with 24/7 front desk security, text notifications when crimes are committed nearby and Alertus technology, I do not feel 100% safe here. These methods, while comforting, are not foolproof.
Contrary to popular belief, Cabell Library does not have metal detectors installed by the front doors. The grey structures you must pass through on your way in and out are for preventing books from being stolen, not for protecting the students within the library itself.
I worry about the lack of preventative measures on the Monroe Park campus. It seems like the measures we do have are more concerned with mitigating damage rather than keeping it from happening in the first place.
Gov. Abigail Spanberger has proposed several pieces of legislation regarding gun safety. Senate Bill 749, which would prevent the sale and distribution of assault firearms — the type typically used in mass shooting incidents — has not yet been signed by Spanberger. It was recently amended and sent back into the General Assembly to work its way through the House and Senate.
This bill is promising, but its full and complete implementation is not guaranteed.
When the ODU shooting happened in March — a tragedy that saw one casualty and two injuries — it made the news briefly, but I did not hear anyone talking about it for long enough.
The terrifying truth is that tragedies of this nature are so common that many Americans, specifically American students, have become desensitized. It takes a toll on the psyche to react strongly to every gun-related act of violence in our country, so the preferable alternative is to compartmentalize. I understand this because I do it too — as much as I am able to.
But as desensitized as we can be, we should not accept this as our new normal. We should not accept that the leading cause of death for children and teens in America is firearm-related injuries.
I cannot feel wholly safe walking around this school knowing that this is the reality, especially when our safety mechanisms are not airtight. I want to attend VCU with confidence that my peers and I will be safe. I do not know if this will ever be possible, but the bills in progress right now give me hope that someday it could be.