Editor’s note: New information on this story has since been published and revealed a different story. According to ABC News, police did not stop Ramos for some time after they arrived to the school. Instead, the time between arriving at the scene and preventing the shooting from continuing resulted in former police chief Pete Arredondo in being fired, according to NPR. Sources with updated information are linked below.

On May 24, Salvador Ramos, an 18-year-old student at Uvalde High School, entered Robb Elementary School with a gun. The AR-15 assault weapon was used to kill 19 children in the age range of nine to 11 years old and two fourth-grade teachers. 

Since the massacre, many in Uvalde, Texas and across the United States mourned those lost and began determining what will be done about this school shooting. While many found it devastating, some did not find it shocking and think that school shootings have been normalized in recent years. 

The aftermath of the shooting consisted of sympathy, sorrow, fear, questions, and hope for solutions. The questions, in particular, sparked controversy regarding how long it took to kill the shooter.  

Seven police officers entered the building approximately five minutes after Ramos began shooting. However, despite the armed officers in the building, Ramos continued to kill students and faculty. More policemen arrived at the school along with concerned spectators. 

As time passed, the crowd began to ask questions. There were plenty of officers on the scene and one shooter, so why was he not caught yet? 

Students and teachers within the school continued to call 911, updating the dispatcher where the shooter was and the number of people dead. With their help, the officers unlocked the door of a classroom and shot Ramos at around 12:50 p.m. 

The remaining children were taken out of the building. Although Ramos is dead, U.S. schools are still plagued with the possibility of history repeating itself.  

Some have asked why the police were “stalling” to enter the building and catch Ramos. As reported, the officers arrived at 11:35 a.m., but Ramos was not killed until 12:50 pm.   

An anonymous law enforcement officer from New York was interviewed for their insight on this topic. They were in Texas at the time of the shooting and appeared on the scene after Ramos was killed and helped evacuate the school. This exclusive interview offered perspective regarding why Ramos was killed after a substantial amount of time had passed.

“The shooter was locked in a room, he had already shot everybody in the room, and they still had to evacuate the rest of the students. So, having him contained, they executed the evacuation of the rest of the school, and then they were able to apprehend him and kill him when they had enough people to do the job,” they said. 

Another concern arose when evidence surfaced that Ramos’s homicidal persona was already known. If people knew, why wasn’t an authority notified?

A few days before the shooting, Ramos allegedly sent his past classmate a photo of an AR-platform rifle along with his backpack full of ammunition and ammo magazines.

He also allegedly threatened girls on the social media app, Yubo, and said that he would rape them and show off his rifle. Amanda Robbins and other witnesses said that Ramos would live stream and threaten to shoot up schools. 

The solutions proposed after this school shooting were the same as past ones: gun control, mental health awareness initiatives, and more security within schools.

Those fighting for bans on guns are faced with rebuttals concerning the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Guns are weapons, whether being used for protection or endangerment is up to the individual using them, and many want to take away that risk by banning guns or putting stricter laws in place. 

However, there is an argument to be made against the age at which a person can buy a gun. The purpose of the Second Amendment of the The Constitution protects everyone’s right to defend themselves from crimes and prevent the government from gaining too much power over the people if only federal officers can obtain guns. Yet, this does not mean precautions cannot be put in place. 

A U.S. citizen can own a gun before he or she can drink alcohol. A young person drinking can put themselves and others in danger, so it is right to raise the drinking age to prevent that. Many ask, why is the same precaution not taken for guns? 

After recent events, some have pushed for more in-depth screenings, mandatory license tests, and increasing the legal age to purchase a firearm.   

On the other hand, certain people do not see school shootings as a gun control issue, but as a mental health issue. According to this argument, taking away guns does not take away the issue; the issue is the person using the gun to hurt others.  

For example, a knife can either cut up dinner or kill someone, depending on who uses it. A gun can either protect people or kill people depending on who is holding it.

Gregg Abbott, Governor of Texas, stands by this argument and said, “Anybody who shoots somebody else has a mental health challenge, period.”

Those that share this opinion encourage mental health awareness and attention in the school system.  

The Robb Elementary School shooting was yet another wake-up call for change, and whatever ideas that were previously stated that officials choose to side with, will hopefully be the beginning of the end of school shootings throughout the country. 

Sources:

https://www.sandyhookpromise.org/blog/gun-violence/facts-about-the-robb-elementary-school-shooting-in-uvalde-texas/ 

https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/25/us/uvalde-texas-elementary-school-shooting-what-we-know/index.html 

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/05/26/robb-elementary-security-didnt-stop-massacre-00035332 

https://abc11.com/uvalde-texas-school-shooting-massacre-timeline-robb-elementary/11901101/

https://abcnews.go.com/US/timeline-shooting-texas-elementary-school-unfolded/story?id=84966910

https://www.npr.org/2022/08/24/1119340765/uvalde-pete-arredondo-fired-school-police-chief-robb-elementary