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Philadelphia middle schools need metal detectors

It doesn’t feel good to picture a 12-year-old walking through metal detectors. But the best way to deal with gun violence is to prevent it.

Students pass through a metal detector as their bags are X-rayed upon arriving at Strawberry Mansion High School in Philadelphia on Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019.
Students pass through a metal detector as their bags are X-rayed upon arriving at Strawberry Mansion High School in Philadelphia on Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019.Read moreTIM TAI / Staff Photographer

I am sure some people have doubts about the decision to screen middle school students for weapons in Philadelphia public schools. I get it — it doesn’t feel good to picture a 12-year-old walking through metal detectors.

But as the director of Philadelphia CeaseFire, an anti-violence campaign at Temple University, I believe that as hard as it is to witness, metal detectors in middle school are necessary.

The best way to deal with gun violence is to prevent it from ever happening in the first place. That’s why we focus our efforts at Philadelphia CeaseFire on getting out in front of violence before an incident occurs. This is what metal detectors afford us an opportunity to do.

My organization works day and night to protect school-age youth in Philadelphia, who can be victims of gun violence one day and then a perpetrator the next. Each month, we work with roughly 40 victims of gun violence. We know that there are parents who encourage violent behavior in their children and leave guns and other weapons unsecured at home. We also know that students as young as 10 years old are carrying and using weapons as well.

“Students as young as 10 years old are carrying and using weapons.”

Marla Davis Bellamy

Our city has a significant problem with community violence. Recently, I told my counterparts from New York City that Philadelphia had 562 murders last year. You should have seen their mouths drop. They were stunned and in disbelief.

I’ve asked myself a thousand times: How is it that New York City, with over 8.5 million residents, recorded 485 murders last year, while our city of 1.5 million had 562? There’s something really wrong with that. What are they doing that we aren’t?

There are likely many reasons why New York City has a lower murder rate than Philadelphia — and we need to take a closer look at what those might be. But in the meantime, our kids are dying.

The Philadelphia School District has decided to begin weapons screenings in middle schools in response to an increase in gun-related incidents and violence in the city. The goal is to improve safety and avoid potentially dangerous situations in school buildings. (And yes, this is a tool that New York schools employ as well.)

In other words, Philadelphia schools are taking action that will enable them to detect and confiscate weapons from anyone entering the building, deter people from bringing a weapon to school, and help ensure the safety and security of students and staff.

» READ MORE: Should Philly schools scan middle schoolers for weapons? | Pro/Con

Of course, metal detectors are not a cure-all. Our children need teachers and staff who are trained to respond to violence appropriately; they need more counselors, social workers, and caring adults in their lives. Our families need adequate housing, behavioral health support, and meaningful opportunities to thrive.

But all of that takes time. Which we don’t have.

I applaud the School District of Philadelphia for taking action to save children now. I would like area businesses, philanthropic groups, and professional sports teams to also take ownership of this issue, and to play a more active role to protect all of the residents of our city.

Some people say the weapons screening is about imitating prisons. I don’t agree. To me, it’s about safety. And yes, it doesn’t feel good to picture a 12-year-old walking through a metal detector on her way to school. But if you’ve lost a child — or anyone — to gun violence, you know that feeling is much worse.

Marla Davis Bellamy is the director of Philadelphia CeaseFire at Temple University.