Why the Noblesville shooting may cause a shift locally for schools and lawmakers alike
On May 25, an issue plaguing America more than ever hit close to the Indianapolis area. A shooting at Noblesville West Middle School, where one female student, Ella Whistler, and one teacher, Jason Seaman, were wounded by gunfire. The shock of a nationwide gun issue spreading in the state caused many to ask why and how this could happen — and how it can be prevented in the future?
With many of the shootings happening in school environments, districts have been looking into how to stop their school from falling victim to such a tragedy like the one in Noblesville last month.
With all the recent shootings across the country legislators are being asked what they can do to fix the gun issue and why it hasn’t been fixed sooner. Indiana Sens. Todd Young (R) and Joe Donnelly (D) have been on opposite sides of the gun debate with Young supporting better enforcement of the current laws and Donnelly looking for gun law reform to limit who has access to firearms.
“I’ve always supported robust background checks and so I’m open to that conversation,” said Young, who wants provide more mental health resources, require strict adherence to the background check system and enforce current gun laws. “Whatever proposal the president puts forward, we’ll study it closely.”
Slow feet from Todd Young may possibly be due to the $3 million donated from National Rifle Association (NRA) during his political career. Donnelly has accepted only $22,000 over his political tenure.
“I support the Second Amendment,” Donnelly said. “But we can also seek safety because when our children go to school, moms and dads should be able to know they are safe at school, and they can focus on learning and come home safe at the end of the day.”
After the Stoneman-Douglas shooting in Florida on Feb. 14, Donnelly was one of the more outspoken legislators on what needed to be improved to protect students. He and other Democrats want to add more provisions that keep guns out of the hands of potentially dangerous citizens.
“I’ve taken the same approach Sen. Donnelly has in the past, which is I haven’t supported bans on sort of cosmetic features to weapons,” Young said in a statement. “This will be part of the conversation moving forward.”
This article was edited to remove comments from Indianapolis Public Schools.
Contact Staff Writer Dontre Graves at 317-762-7848.
Senator Joe Donnelly
