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As the New Year began to start, many schools went back the week of or week after. It was very expected that since it was a New Year that a lot of things in the United States would change. However, everything just got worse, especially for children. 

There have been many reports that children started using gun violence against teachers, family members, and people who seem to cross their way. 

In Virginia, a 6-year-old boy shoots his teacher, after multiple attempts of the teacher reporting signs that the boy needed help. After the teacher repeatedly asked the administration for help the entire year, the administration was not getting back to her and no one knew the consequences that the boy was getting, if he was. While she was teaching he had an uncontrolled behavior and told another teacher that he hated her and threatened to light her on fire and watch her burn.

“The family of a 6-year-old, who police say shot the Virginia teacher, said that their sons suffer from an acute disability,” the Washington Post reported. “Before the shooting, the 6-year-old student’s backpack was searched by a school staffer for a possible weapon.”

While there are no motives on why the student shot the teacher, there have been several comments on how the whole situation could have been avoided if the administration took action. It is noted that the school has known about the behavior of the boy, but took no course of action to handle his situation. On one occasion, the boy threw furniture and other items in the class, while many students were prompted to hide behind their desks. On another note, the boy barricades the classroom doors, preventing the teachers and students from leaving. However, after many disruptions, no discipline was enforced from the administrations after the incidents.

“I don’t think the teachers there are getting support, they’re not getting compassion, they’re not getting answers, they’re not getting listened to,” Valerie McCandles, a mother of 6 children said. “This was, I believe, God’s way of saying somebody needs to listen to them.”

The crime does not stop there, in Milwaukee, a 10-year-old boy killed his mother after she did not give him his virtual reality headset. Before the accident, the boy was being treated for his behavioral issues. It was reported that the boy was already upset that his mother woke him up early. So as he tries to scare her in order to get the VR, he pulls out a gun, and accidently fires the gun at her face. 

“It was recommended by his treatment providers that cell phones, electronic devices be limited because of the violent games that he was playing,” ABC7Chicago News reported. “ So she was literally following his treatment plan when she decided to take his electronic devices. And that is what upset him.”

The boy remains in the juvenile detention center, with a bail of $50,000 – where his grandmother and aunt think that he should be a juvenile. 

In Oklahoma, a 12-year-old girl stabbed and killed her 9-year-old brother while the parents were asleep. The incident still has no information about the motive of the girl besides that she was the one who woke up her parents to tell them what she did. From local authorities, they are taking up the issue of placing the girl into custody of the Tulsa County Family Center for Juvenile Justice. 

“All homicides are tragic but the question is,” Tulsa Police Chief Wendell Franklin tweeted, “How does society address a child killing another child?”

Most recently, a 14-year-old girl was charged with murder for a fatal shooting of an 11-year-old boy who was hit by a stray bullet in Dallas. There was a fight going on between two girls in the parking lot of a complex apartment. While the girl pulled a handgun and shot in the direction of the female she was fighting, ended up striking a male bystander. The suspect originally ran from the location but was taken into custody and charged. 

The children who committed their crime were known to be suffering from behavioral problems, or just ended up getting involved with gun violence. The mind of a child is getting worse after showing them the violence on tv whether it is the video games that they play or the movies that they watch when they are not around parental vision. The acts of the violence have taught people to be afraid to live their life when there is no good anymore. Parents live in fear about their child’s safety when it comes to going out in public and school.