UNLV’s Response to the December 6 Mass Shooting
After the tragic shooting that occurred on December 6, UNLV implemented heightened security measures for the new spring semester. UNLV’s new Rebel Recovery Program emphasizes safety on campus and mental health.
In addition, the school offers pop-up events to students and staff to receive counseling and support services. UNLV also plans to create the Committee on Campus Security and Safety, composed of 17 members. The new committee promises to improve infrastructure via alert systems and UPD patrolling.
However, the program fails to mention the university’s open-campus policy. In response, some UNLV students protested the lack of acknowledgment.
UNLV Students Call for Closed Campus
On December 6, 2023, UNLV freshman Lisandro Zamora created a petition calling for UNLV Security to verify Rebel ID cards upon entering all buildings. Students, staff, faculty, and non-UNLV-affiliated citizens may sign the petition. More than 14,000 people signed the petition, including multiple testimonies from victims of the shooting. The petition aims to reach 15,000 signatures.
One student, Alexander Dobrovolskyi, recounts eating his lunch break near Beam Hall when he heard shooting. He, fortunately, left campus and drove home safely.
“The experience definitely made me feel scared and this overwhelming feeling of not feeling safe anymore,” Dobrovolskyi said. “Like this circle of protection I had was just gone in the blink of an eye. More than anything, I was sad that this happened, specifically to professors I knew.”
Dobrovolskyi says he feels safe returning to campus but also supports enhancing security measures. “Check people who walk into secured areas like offices and/or lounges,” he said. “I hope for more implementation of checking of non-students and/or detectors of some kind.”
Another student, Carla Valdez, says she no longer feels safe on campus. She worries the university’s response falls short of preventing another shooting from occurring.
“I have mixed emotions over UNLV being an open campus,” Valdez said. “I understand that by making it an open campus, it allows for others in the community to get resources that may be difficult to find elsewhere. Yet UNLV should prioritize its students to prevent further tragedies.”
Valdez also shared another solution to end gun violence. “[People need] to vote in both the 2024 Presidential elections and state elections for candidates who believe in ending gun violence in America.”
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Action at the National Level
As of Feb. 1, 2024, a reported 36 mass shootings have already happened in the United States. As of February 15, it’s risen to 49. That equates to about one mass shooting per day this year so far.
Gun violence in America continues to be a pressing issue in politics as Congress struggles to agree on gun regulation.
On the same day of UNLV’s shooting, Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer proposed to reauthorize a ban on assault weapons. Schumer requested unanimous consent from each senator to pass the bill. Unanimous consent would not require a formal vote from the Senate to move the policy forward. Republican Senator John Barrasso blocked the legislation first, citing the ban violated Second Amendment rights.
“Democrats are demanding that the American people trade in their liberty,” Barrasso said. “The Democrats’ legislation takes away a right and does not provide Americans security.”
Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer introduced the bill on the Senate floor, calling gun violence a “national crisis.”
“The American people are sick and tired of enduring one mass shooting after another, Schumer stated. “They’re sick and tired of vigils and moments of silence for families, friends, classmates, [and] coworkers.”
While politicians quarrel to find effective legislation to end gun violence, the crisis only worsens. This leaves Americans with the terrifying reality that they, too, may become victims of another mass shooting.
And, in a callback to our recent editorial on the December shooting, the situation continues to beg the question, “When Does it End?“
#GetinMotion to End Gun Violence
If you’re sick of seeing headlines about another mass shooting every other day, there are several ways to take action.
For one, please consider signing the petition by UNLV students to make UNLV a closed campus. Then, look up your Congressional representatives and tell them to address gun violence now. Call them, email them, and write them. Hold them accountable this election season, and continue to hold them accoutnable after the election.
From there, check out groups like Sandy Hook Promise to see What You Can Do Right Now to End Gun Violence — Sandy Hook Promise.
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