School violence has become a growing danger, affecting not only those involved, but society itself. The underlying reason for this phenomenon is that it stems from harassment and easy access to weapons. This can even happen in the hands of a person who does not attend the school where the act takes place. Bullying has become an epidemic in America among schoolchildren. Although there are rules in place regarding firearms at school, the weapon is usually not detected until after the incident occurs. I have witnessed violence in the form of fights at school, but I never imagined that they would become so aggressive and affect younger children. We must take a bold stand to prevent these incidents from happening! Bullying plays a major role in acts of violence at school, from elementary to college. I have seen children being bullied physically, mentally and on social media sites. Why is there bullying in schools? Are students being abused at home? Is it because they think they can get away with it or will it make them popular? It's not cool to target a person or group of people and harass them. The phrase “never judge a book by its cover” shines a light on children who may be experiencing difficult situations outside of school that other students are not aware of. Some students have gone to the extreme of killing their bully or committing suicide, because the bullies have been terrorizing them for months or even years. Access to weapons has become very easy in recent years. There was an incident in Houston about a year ago where a group of young people found a gun in their parents' closet while they were looking for money for snacks. A fifteen year old boy was handling the gun when it went off...... middle of paper ......ng!ReferencesChildren and Guns: Mike McIntire September 28, 2013 http://www.nytimes.com/ 2013 /09/29/us/children-and-guns-the-hidden-toll.html?_r=0, accessed January 1, 2014Sandy Hook shooting: what happened? CNN 2012 http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2012/12/us/sandy-hook-timeline/, retrieved December 28, 2013. Gunman kills 32 in technical shooting in Virginia. Ian Shapira April 17, 2007 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2007/04/16/AR2007041600533.html, retrieved December 26, 2013. Questions remain about Arapahoe school shooting . Jordan Steffen December 29, 2013 http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_24811881/questions-remain-arapahoe-high-shooting, accessed December 31, 2013Why do school shootings happen? Caitlin Johnson April 19, 2007 http://www.cbsnews.com/news/why-do-school-shootings-happen/, accessed December 23, 2013