A gunman set off fire alarms in a Florida high school on the morning of Feb. 14, resulting in hundreds of students flooding the halls, only to be met by gunfire.

   

Seventeen people lost their lives in one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history, which has sparked outrage in many people, especially students from Stoneman Douglas High School who survived the shooting. The emotionally torn students and family members of the victims have been speaking out, asking for change. According to CNN, individuals had the opportunity to express their concerns at a town hall meeting on Thursday where Senator Marco Rubio and an NRA spokeswoman answered questions, discussed future action, such as more detailed background checks for those attempting to purchase a firearm, and listened to the heart-wrenching stories of those who lost a loved one.

“We as a society are on the right path in terms of the victims inciting this fire that may facilitate change. We should start holding our congressmen and representatives accountable for their actions,” said junior communication major Olivia Wickline.

   

The shooting began around 2:20 p.m., but it was not until 2:53 p.m. that Broward County deputies responded to reports of the shooting. The sheriff’s deputy assigned to the school, “was absolutely on campus through this entire event. He was armed, he was in uniform,” said Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel. “I think he remained outside for upwards of four minutes.”

   

It was not until 3:41 p.m. that the suspect was detained. The suspect, according to ABC, attended a school for emotionally and behaviorally disabled students in 2015, where he was reportedly, “distracted by inappropriate conversations of his peers if the topic is about guns, people being killed or the armed forces.” He was not enrolled at Stoneman Douglas during the time of the shooting, for he had been expelled due to behavioral issues.

   

Student interviews molded an identity for the shooter, someone who was troubled from a young age, who constantly tried to fit in, but “always had problems with every single one of his teachers”, said Stoneman Douglas senior Nick Hayman during a CBS interview.

   

The shooter was adopted at birth. By the time he was 3-years-old, he was diagnosed with developmental delays, and at just 6-years-old he suffered trauma from witnessing his adoptive father’s death and his adoptive mother’s death this past November, according to Sun Sentinel. The biggest red flags may have come from his social media posts, self-harm and threats on Snapchat and pictures of guns and other disturbing posts on Instagram, according to USA Today. James Snead, the father of the family who took in the shooter after his mother's death, told reporters he knew the shooter legally owned the firearm, but that the two came to an agreement that the firearm would be locked in a gun safe. “I thought I had the only key to the gun safe,” said Snead in an interview with Good Morning America.

   

Another person has slipped through the cracks of FBI and law enforcement, as 18 calls with concerns about the behavior of the shooter were ultimately ignored, according to USA Today. This is nothing new, however. The gunman in the Orlando nightclub massacre was taken off a terrorist watch list prior to the tragedy. The Texas church shooter was only able to purchase his weapon because the Air Force failed to transmit his criminal record to the FBI.

   

These aspects of the situation bolster the benefits of a multivariable analysis when examining complex issues. The media has been infested with students, families of the victims and members of the community expressing their concerns about the U.S. gun laws, although much of the discussion has been politicians and representatives versus arguments predominantly funded through emotion. Florida Governor Rick Scott has proposed raising the minimum age to purchase a firearm to 21-years-old. There has also been the talk of granting teachers the right to carry firearms in schools and changes to firearm regulations, among other proposals.

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“A good start might be increased security in schools, using metal detectors and training security guards to deal with armed school shooters. It might also be beneficial to put policemen on duty at schools or hiring security guards with previous law enforcement or military experience,” said junior MET major Dan Wiesen.

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The focus on gun regulations in the media has caused predominantly Stoneman Douglas students to rally around the topic. Missed red flags, gun regulations along with other minute topics of discussion, are stirring issues among public opinion. Ultimately, individual choice and intention, and the mental state of the individual is the ground level, as thought comes before action.

​

Looking at school shootings through a multivariable analysis approach, rather than rallying around gun restrictions, makes room for new topics of discussion aimed at societal change.

​

The shooting began around 2:20 p.m., but it was not until 2:53 p.m. that Broward County deputies responded to reports of the shooting. The sheriff’s deputy assigned to the school, “was absolutely on campus through this entire event. He was armed, he was in uniform,” said Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel. “I think he remained outside for upwards of four minutes.”

   

It was not until 3:41 p.m. that the suspect was detained. The suspect, according to ABC, attended a school for emotionally and behaviorally disabled students in 2015, where he was reportedly, “distracted by inappropriate conversations of his peers if the topic is about guns, people being killed or the armed forces.” He was not enrolled at Stoneman Douglas during the time of the shooting, for he had been expelled due to behavioral issues.

   

Student interviews molded an identity for the shooter; someone who was troubled from a young age, who constantly tried to fit in, but “always had problems with every single one of his teachers”, said Stoneman Douglas senior Nick Hayman during a CBS interview.

   

The shooter was adopted at birth. By the time he was 3-years-old, he was diagnosed with developmental delays, and at just 6-years-old he suffered trauma from witnessing his adoptive father’s death and then his adoptive mother’s death this past November, according to Sun Sentinel. The biggest red flags may have come from his social media posts, self-harm and threats on Snapchat as well as pictures of guns and other disturbing posts on Instagram, according to USA Today. James Snead, the father of the family who took in the shooter after his mother’s death, told reporters he knew the shooter legally owned the firearm, but that the two came to an agreement that the firearm would be locked in a gun safe. “I thought I had the only key to the gun safe,” said Snead in an interview with Good Morning America.

​

Another person has slipped through the cracks of FBI and law enforcement, as 18 calls with concerns about the behavior of the shooter were ultimately ignored, according to USA Today. This situation is nothing new, however. For example, the gunman in the Orlando Pulse nightclub massacre was taken off a terrorist watch list prior to the tragedy; the Texas church shooter was only able to purchase his weapon because the Air Force failed to transmit his criminal record to the FBI.

 

These aspects of the situation bolster the benefits of a multivariable analysis when examining complex issues. The media has been infested with students, families of the victims and members of the community expressing their concerns about the U.S. gun laws, although much of the discussion has been politicians and representatives versus arguments predominantly funded through emotion. Florida Governor Rick Scott has proposed raising the minimum age to purchase a firearm to 21-years-old. There has also been the talk of granting teachers the right to carry firearms in schools and changes to firearm regulations, among other proposals. “A good start might be increased security in schools, using metal detectors and training security guards to deal with armed school shooters. It might also be beneficial to put policemen on duty at schools or hiring security guards with previous law enforcement or military experience,” said junior MET major Dan Wiesen.

​

The focus on gun regulations in the media has caused predominantly Stoneman Douglas students to rally around the topic. Missed red flags, gun regulations along with other minute topics of discussion, are stirring issues among public opinion. Ultimately, individual choice and intention, and the mental state of the individual is the ground level, as thought comes before action.

​

Looking at school shootings through a multivariable analysis approach, rather than rallying around gun restrictions, makes room for new topics of discussion aimed at societal change.