By the time I got outside the police and an ambulance were already there. Suddenly it hit me that my friend Scott Yharass who I had played basketball and Little League with had been shot. As the ambulance took Scott to the hospital, the police were swarming everywhere searching for the gunman that had taken off running into the desert behind our school. He had brought the gun to school a few days prior to the incident and had kept it in his locker before the day he and Scott were supposed to fight, the reason I'm still not certain of. Nolan Wong was eventually

caught and sent to the Las Vegas Detention Center to await trial. He was 14 years old. Scott Yharass (13) was shot once in the leg and despite losing a lot of blood was said to be in stable condition at a nearby hospital.

The atmosphere of our Jr. High School was drastically changed after the incident. Many parents pulled their kids out of our school. Students walked the halls more swiftly and didn't hang around school after classes were over. The overall feeling was that of uncertainty and skepticism. Security guards randomly checked our lockers and book bags for guns and other weapons. Added security was hired to keep the constant flow of reporters and camera crews off school property during school hours. Students were advised not to talk to the press and to try and put the incident behind us. Forgetting what had happened, however, was impossible. The carefree, fun filled life that we deserved was stripped away from us, and the shooting forced everyone to grow up a little ahead of our time. I will never forget the day that gun violence in school became a part of my life.

The problem of guns in schools is a problem that has recently been receiving a lot of publicity due to the horrific shootings that took place in Colorado and Georgia. The first step to solving the problem of guns in schools is getting people, on a national level, to recognize that something needs to be done. People should be outraged at the happenings in Colorado and Georgia. If everyone just puts these death filled incidents behind them, refusing to accept that innocent children are being murdered, then every student that has died thus far did so in vain. Secondly, the question, "What makes kids bring guns to school?" needs to be addressed. Certainly changes need to be made if students feel that and they have the option to bring guns into their schools. Finally, what is being done, and what more can be done, to eliminate this problem from ever occurring again?

These tragic summaries describe only the more publicized shootings that have taken place over the past few years. During the 1999 school year that ends June, 24 students have been killed at school. These shooting strike without warning and could occur anywhere across the US. Statistics show no greater percentages of shootings in urban areas than in rural schools. As a nation we must recognize the problem staring us in the face and do something to remedy the occurrence of guns in schools.

Today, the occurrence of cligues in schools is extremely common. There are certainly good reasons to form tight-knit groups, but these cliques can also cause problems. Cliques such as gangs, racist groups, cults, or the recently publicized "Trench Coat Mafia" are also available to students who feel alone because they do not fit in. Social pressures in schools are sometimes overwhelming and it is only becoming more difficult to be a teenager in today's society. Statistics show that kids today are much more likely to feel alone or isolated.

· The average adolescent spends 3.5 hours alone every day

· Children spend 11 fewer hours a week with their parents compared with the 1960's

· From 1993, there has been a 721% increase in the number of minutes the evening news spends covering homicide

· 3,000 murders a child has seen in all media by the end of elementary school

· Teen suicide has increased 300% since the 1960's

· Increase in depression among children has increased 1,000% since the 1950's

(Cloud 38)

With statistics like these, it is no wonder that children are more likely to feel they need to be part of a group. Jocks, cheerleaders, skaters, preppies, stoners, gang members, and nerds are just a few examples of the divisions among students. Unfortunately, there is probably no way to stop high schools from breaking down into cliques. As early as preschool, researchers have found, kids begin rejecting other kids. According to Leon Hoffman, a New York City psychoanalyst, "All kids need to belong, and if they can't belong at a positive way at school, they'll find a way to belong to a marginal group like a cult or a gang." One way that schools can solve this problem is by including everyone. Schools need to have events where all students are able to participate.

Bishop Gormon High School, in Las Vegas, Nevada, has developed a program that includes the entire school. Bach grade is divided into six separate teams; two teachers that teach classes in accordance with the grade level they are leading lead each team. (I.e. English I teacher would be put in charge of a freshman team and a Calculus teacher would have senior students as team members) These teams are randomly chosen and then set to compete against the other five teams in the class. The 'field day' is considered a regular school day and attendance is taken as usual. Events range from three-legged racing, to a Varsity Quiz type event, to an egg spoon relay, and even tug-of-war. Students and teachers all get to know each other better. Programs such as this, are excellent examples of ways that boundaries among students can be erased. Some schools are even adopting programs designed to council students that are feeling depressed or alone. Only positive results can come from making teenagers feel socially stable and accepted, however, the issue of the availability of guns to minors along with keeping guns out of schools, are must still be dealt with Only by solving this problem will we be able to eliminate guns in schools.

The Juvenile Justice Bill approved 73-25 on May 20th, is a huge step in the right direction for America's fight against the availability of guns to minors. The bill included such advances as...

· Require every handgun sold to have a safety lock or secure container.

· Bar anyone convicted of a violent felony as a juvenile from possessing a gun

· Increase penalties for crimes committed by gang members and by offenders wearing body armor

· Allow some juvenile offenders 14 and older to be tried in adult courts

· Provide $435 million a year for juvenile crime prevention

· Give $450 million a year to help states and cities perform drug tests and build detention centers

· Allow schools to offer prayers and build memorials in honor of slain students or teachers

· Encourage Internet providers to give customers software that can block access to violent or offensive web sites

(Koch, Kiely 3A)

If the House of Representatives pass this bill, it will be the largest effort against guns in our nation1s history. The bill would not take away peoples' right to bear arms, but instead, keep guns out of the hands of felons and minors. The bill would also bring comfort to the friends and family members of those who have died, showing them that we want the problem ended. Some schools are taking matters in to their own hands, installing metal detectors, purchasing metal detecting wands, setting up surveillance cameras, and requiring students to wear see through mesh book bags. Changes are being made and lives will be saved through the efforts of school officials and our nation's government.

People are becoming aware that the issue guns in schools is a problem. In addition, teenagers are under an unimaginable amount of social pressure in schools today, and it is only becoming more difficult to become an adult in today's society. Unfortunately it is impossible to eliminate these social pressures put on teenagers. The answer to the problem is simple, put regulation of guns that will keep them away from irresponsible users and minors. It is a shame that so many students have been killed this year. I believe that society is on the right track to eliminating violence in schools with the progressions being made to make guns less available and to make getting one to school more difficult. Hopefully the deaths of the 24 students killed this year will not be forgotten, but instead used to prevent this occurrence from ever happening again.