Dear City Council, It was April 4th, 2018, my freshman year at Menlo-Atherton High School. I was in my Spanish class when the loudspeaker came on. I heard, “this is not a drill, I repeat, this is not a drill.” We all glanced around the room, afraid and in disbelief that this was actually happening to us. I hesitated at first, thinking no, this isn’t real, but the look on my teacher’s face and the hectic movement of students trying to take cover told me otherwise. I crouched underneath the cramped desk, thinking the inch wide legs weren’t going to do anything to save my life. I remember someone in the class grabbing a stapler and hovering by the door, like that was going to save our lives too. But that one brave student should never have to risk their life in order to save the lives of their peers. We sat under those cramped desks for two hours, oblivious of what was happening, until the loudspeaker came on once again, this time saying it was a false alarm. We were informed later that there was a photograph posted on social media depicting an M-A student in possession of a firearm, but they were never actually on our campus. We were lucky. In school, we’re taught how to barricade classroom doors, to get away from windows, to turn off the lights and remain silent. We’re given ways to prepare or react to gun violence, but never how to prevent it. The proposed stricter gun storage law could change that in Menlo Park. If the newly enhanced safe storage laws is enforced, it could prevent shootings from happening in the first place. Eighty percent of school shooters use a gun that they obtained from their own home or that of a relative. Fifteen other cities in California already have safe storage laws and Menlo Park should be the next. We need this law to promote safety within the Menlo Park community. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Concerned Student at Menlo-Atherton High School Received on Tue Mar 10 2020 - 17:54:21 PDT
