Our Nevada State Director Logan Gifford was recently featured in an interview by 8 News Now Las Vegas to discuss an increase in violence in local schools.
This is an issue near and dear to Logan’s heart. In April he spoke at Canyon Springs High School as part of their 7th Annual Alumni Day celebrations, but just days later, someone brought a rifle onto the school campus. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but the incident was deeply disturbing.
In response, Logan wrote an op-ed about the consequences of cutting police budgets and how doing so can undermine efforts to prevent violence.
According to the school district’s firearm confiscation report, the Clark County School District police seized a total of 38 firearms during this academic year alone. Clearly, this is not an isolated incident. The district recently implemented mandatory ID check-ins for students, but during the interview Logan emphasized that more action is needed :
“The ID check in is a step in the right direction, but we need to have a bottom up approach and hear what the school thinks would be the appropriate next steps.”
You can watch his full interview here.
Solutions such as metal detectors and ID checks are positive steps forward, but they do not address the root causes of the problem. The school district must also focus on why students are bringing guns to school in the first place.
That is a difficult, long-term challenge, but it begins with building trust among students, between students and law enforcement, and creating a school environment where young people feel safe and are less likely to turn to violence.
Law enforcement has the tools and expertise to address violence, drugs, and gang activity, but police departments need both adequate funding and strong community support to be most effective. Our activists in Nevada will continue to advocate and raise awareness on this important issue until schools are havens for learning, not fear.
