Students at Downey High feel that they know the danger of an unstable suspect willing to kill another human being. There were two shootings at the start of the Labor Day weekend, and students cannot help but wonder what could have stopped or apprehended the shooters faster, before anyone was hurt.

On Friday, August 21, a teen opened fire on an ongoing high school football game in Mobile, Alabama, injuring five and killing ten classmates. On the next day, a lone gunman attacked pedestrians on the streets near Odessa, Texas, killing seven and injuring 21. 

Feeling uneasy about the whole situation, sophomore Mili Rodriguez, helps explain why she thinks that in case of a school shooting, there should be armed guards at schools every day.

“I don’t like feeling vulnerable when I should feel confident about being at my place of education,” Rodriguez stated. “There should be people to protect students while we learn and enjoy our time at school.”

Describing how he feels about those who suffered, senior Esteban Aragon, states that he doesn’t understand what drives people to do this. He feels that public protection should come first and our freedoms later. 

“It’s disgusting to think that anyone would want to kill another person,” Aragon stated. “We should do more red flag checks on citizens, it warrants a secure check for those who seem suspicious.” 

Curious and upset about the recent violence, junior Izabel Marquez, questions how gun control would prevent any future shootings in the United States. She hopes to see a future where people value the meaning of our rights instead of giving them up.

“I’ve seen too much hate towards those who advocate for personal protection, there are problems but it’s not not a simple equation,” Marquez stated. “I’d love to see the day where we have the perfect balance of government intervention and freedom as two sides advocate for too little of one and too much of the other.”

There were 43 total victims in the two shootings on Labor Day weekend. Students, a letter carrier, police, and state troopers all died in the shootings. The Odessa shooter was identified as Seth Aaron Oter, and the Mobile high school shooter is Deangelo Parnell.