COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Guns in schools and communities across the nation have led to countless tragedies. Locally, Channel 2 Action News has reported on a number of incidents involving school shootings or incidents surrounding a child or teenager gaining access to a dangerous weapon.
In Cobb County, the community is praying for a middle schooler who suffered from a self-inflicted gunshot inside Lindley Middle School on Wednesday.
Last week, a teenager who crusaded against gun violence after his mother was killed tragically lost his own life after he was shot and killed while he was in Cobb County.
Over the weekend, an adult was criminally charged, after police say he gave a Glock 19 to a 15-year-old who is accused of using the gun to fire shots behind a busy Cobb County apartment complex.
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In 2024, calls for change were loud and clear after a shooting in a school parking lot, which was followed by a number of other incidents that year involving youth with weapons in different schools and outside of school.
“The access to weapons has to be addressed from a policy perspective. Here at the board of education, I believe we need additional measures to ensure weapons don’t make their way into our school building. We need to investigate it and move forward quickly to make sure we are providing a safe learning environment as soon as possible,” said Cobb County School District Board Member Leroy Tre’ Hutchins.
Channel 2 Cobb County Bureau Chief Michele Newell has spoken to Hutchins several times over the past year about efforts he has taken to address the problem through school safety forums and other initiatives.
“Our local PTAs have partnered with Moms Demand Action to bring gun safety lessons and protocols to our parents and students and so I would like to see some of that expanded through our PTA’s here in Cobb County,” said Hutchins.
A member of the Cobb County chapter of Moms Demand Action said her team has been proactive in addressing the root of the problem.
“Moms Demand Action is there to prevent gun violence, however that looks, whether it’s peer-to-peer, self-inflicted. We have a Be Smart program that shows about securing firearm storage reminding gun owners. If you access to a gun, make sure you’re responsible about it and recognizing the roles guns play in suicide,” said Laura Judge who is a member of Moms Demand Action.
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Judge attended the Cobb County School District Board meeting Thursday afternoon where she expressed her concerns over the recent tragedy.
“We’ve got to find a way to get these guns out of children’s hands because this is becoming a health crisis. It’s become an epidemic,” said Jeff Hubbard who is the President of the Cobb County Association of Educators. “The state legislature had a bill in the last session in which would have given rebates to parents who bought safe storage to put their guns in storage.”
While Hubbard believes it is imperative to find ways to prevent children and youth from gaining access to weapons, he said it is also imperative to address a need for more mental health resources and support.
“In order to try to lower the number of tragedies like we’ve experienced here in cobb county, we’ve got to provide supports in the school for students who are at risk,” said Hubbard.
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