Last month, four weapons were found inside of a vehicle on West Stanly High School’s campus, just days after the Sandy Hook Tragedy. Two airsoft guns were spotted in the rear of the vehicle, according to the Stanly County Sheriff’s office. Further investigation of the vehicle revealed two knives. The student, Casey Dalton Troutman, was issued a criminal summons charging Troutman with possessing weapons on school property. Troutman’s court date was this past Monday, January 14.

On the same day as the incident at West, Bethel Elementary School in Cabarrus County underwent a short lockdown. A man wearing camouflage was seen near the school property with a gun. The man was a local hunter and was spotted by a passer-by near the vicinity of the school. Authorities determined the man was not a threat to the school, and the lockdown was lifted.

In the aftermath of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary, questions of safety, gun regulations, and education have come into the spotlight. Parents are taking students out of classrooms, petitions are going up urging the president for stricter laws, and in some instances, veterans have stationed themselves at their children’s schools to promote a safe environment. School shootings have a way of striking at the very core our country’s heart. A place of innocence and learning is violated in the most tragic way, and the repercussions can be found across the nation. What are our schools doing is response? Continue reading →