The Manchester High School shooting left one injured less than three hours away from Chantilly. In the U.S., 37,500 gun sales, including 17,800 handgun sales, are made every day. The rising numbers of gun owners have increased the risk of shootings.  

“If this happened to me, I would definitely be scared and would not feel the same safety I used to feel at school,” freshman Lucille Milans said.

On the morning of Jan. 3, officers responded to a call of a shooting that occurred at Manchester High School in  Midlothian, VA. Upon arrival, officers found an adult male victim suffering from a wound. Detectives identified a 15-year-old male as the shooter and obtained juvenile petitions to charge the suspect with wounding and using a firearm in commission of a felony. After the investigation continued, 35-year-old Thomas G. Gowins turned himself in and was arrested on suspicion of two counts of felony conspiracy in connection with the shooting.

 “They go to school and [should] feel safe, and that day a fight was supposed to happen between two guys, and one [of them] ended up shooting the other, I bet it was terrifying for the others to [witness] the scene,” freshman Ailea Barden said.

 According to the investigation, the victim and suspect knew each other and had scheduled a fight at Manchester High School. When the suspect arrived at the high school, the victim’s vehicle was hit by a stray bullet, then the victim drove to Cedar Springs Lane to call for help.

 “If they have access to guns and someone may not be treating them right in school, they might decide to use it,” freshman Hiya Saha said

Every year, approximately 4,000 American children are fatally shot, while another 15,000 are injured by firearms. An estimated 3 million children in the U.S. are exposed to shootings annually. Firearms are the leading cause of death for children.  Witnessing shootings in schools, communities or homes can have a profound and devastating impact on their lives.

 “If I ever face this experience, I don’t think I would ever return back or even be in the area,” junior Carly LePage said.

School staff receive training to prepare for and respond to emergency operations, including active shooter events and student mental health crises. Federal agencies provide guidelines for effective emergency plans. Nearly 90% of school districts require staff to receive training on what to expect in the event of an active shooter incident. Many federal agencies have issued guidelines to help schools create effective emergency operation plans, such as on how to create plans for certain scenarios.

“A lockdown would obviously happen, we would lock all the doors to the intruder and I would take action to stop the threat of the shooter,” school resource officer Lane Leisey said.

The Fairfax County School Board approved a gun-free policy at its June 2022 meeting. This policy states that FCPS schools are gun-free and that non-school zone buildings and properties owned and leased by the School Board are gun-free for the purpose of carrying out the duties of the School Board’s employees. In 2020, Fairfax County’s Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance prohibiting the carrying of firearms in county government buildings, parks and special events. The County Executive can add to physical security with guards and metal detectors, but county employees are prohibited from possessing firearms on county premises.

“I can’t say that the gun-free policy has worked because I don’t have enough data on that, but it’s illegal to carry a gun at school,” Leisey said.