Here’s What Happened. 

On Thursday, Jan. 4, 17 year old Dylan Butler opened fire in the cafeteria of Perry High School just after 7:30 am. 

According to PBS News, Butler was armed with a pump-action shotgun and a small caliber handgun. 

Prior to the shooting, Butler posted suspicious messages on social media accounts under the name ‘tooktoomuch’ on TikTok and ‘took2much’ on Discord. NBC News shares that they received screenshots of a Discord group chat with a message that read Butler was ‘ready for what’s to come.’ Ten minutes after this, Butler posts ‘I’m f—— nervous, I’m the bathroom gearing up.’

After the shooting, Butler was found deceased due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound, leaving seven victims including three staff members behind with injuries ranging from minor to life threatening.

Among the victims, 11 year old Ahmir Jolliff was shot three times, resulting in his death before first responders were able to get to the scene. In an interview with The Associated Press, Jolliff’s mother, Erica Jolliff, shares Ahmir Jolliff was eager to go to school on Jan 5, excited to see his friends on their first day back. “He was so well-loved and he loved everyone,” Erica Jolliff said. Ahmir Jolliff played the tuba, loved playing the tuba and was in choir. 

Perry’s Principal, Dan Marburger, died in the hospital 10 days after the shooting due to complications of his wounds. In an interview with KCCI 8, Marburger’s daughter Claire says “Until we meet again, I love you. We love you. And we already have so much to tell you.” Marbuger leaves behind his wife Elizabeth, five children and four grandchildren.

Pending the release of Perry High School by law enforcement, students are expected to return to their classes on Wednesday, Jan. 31. Elementary will resume on Wednesday, Jan. 24 and middle school will return on Thursday, Jan. 25. (We Are Iowa) Schools within the district plan to have more uniformed officers on campus with restricted access to the building. 

With these precautions in place, the Perry school district shares that they do not plan to install metal detectors or require students to have clear backpacks, despite families encouraging these measures. Many families, especially of wounded students, are hesitant to send their children back to school.

Misinformation in the Media.

With any event, the media can twist the facts, causing a large amount of misleading information or inaccurate news to surface quickly. 

Misinformation in the media puts citizens at risk during events such as these. For example, Wired shares a story about a mass shooting at a bowling alley in Maine last October. After police had warned nearby residents to stay inside during a manhunt for the suspect took place. Before the suspect was found, a popular X (Twitter) account with over 300,000 followers was one of the first to announce that a suspect had been found. 

Within the article on Wired, Caroline Orr, a behavioral scientist and postdoctoral researcher at the University of Maryland discusses the issue behind the politics that become involved with mass shootings. “When 20+ people are murdered in a mass shooting, and the reaction of most people on this website is: ‘How can I use this to push a political agenda?’ or ‘How can I use this to attack XYZ person?’ … that reflects something far more disturbing,” she says. 

When educating yourself on any occurrence, it is important to find factual information from reliable sources. In order to find reliable sources, you must know how to spot unbiased and credible authors. 

Paperpile shares that credible sources are up to date and written by respected authors. These sources can be found in scholarly databases, government websites or newspapers.

When looking for unbiased sources, it is important to find a site that includes both sides of an opinionated story, or includes factual evidence. Forbes shares a list of unbiased and trustworthy news sources which includes The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, BBC, The Economist, The New Yorker, The Associated Press, Reuters, Bloomberg News8. Foreign Affairs, The Atlantic and Politico. 

While we get a majority of our information from social media platforms, we must be aware that not everything we see on social media is factual or unbiased. 

In some cases, reliable sources such as The New York Times have social media accounts to inform their readers. Social media accounts like these are trustworthy sources we can depend on for accurate information. 

When it comes to social media content that may not be as credible, it is smart to fact check information with other sources. A beneficial way to double check information is to see if other sources, especially ones identified as reliable, are sharing the same facts. 

To avoid the spread of misinformation, share only information that has been fact checked. At the same time, report accounts that are promoting incorrect information.

Presidential Pressure.

With the events at Perry High School happening in the midst of the 2024 presidential election, candidates have been questioned on their stance on gun control, mental health and actions moving forward. 

Just 11 days before the Iowa caucuses, republican candidates were quick to share their opinions on the shooting.  

The same day as the shooting, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley were both asked about guns and their plans for gun control. Both expressed the need for more mental health services and improvement in school security. 

“We have to secure our schools the same way we secure our airports,” Haley said at a CNN town hall the night of the shooting. Earlier that morning, Haley posted on X sharing that her heart was aching for the community and the people of Perry.

DeSantis shares that events such as these are local and state issues, “We obviously, you know, have a responsibility to create safe environments. The federal government is probably not going to be leading that effort,” he says (NBC News.) 

Former President, Donald Trump, was in Sioux Center, Iowa on Jan. 5 following the events at Perry High School. “It’s a very terrible thing that happened,” Trump said. “And it’s just terrible. To see that happening. That seems terrible. So surprising to see it here. But we have to get over it. We have to move forward. We have to move forward.” During his campaign rally, Trump shares “I want to send our support and our deepest sympathies to the victims and families touched by the terrible school shooting yesterday in Perry, Iowa,” (NBC News.)

Change is Easy.

In 2023 there were 600 shootings, with 754 people killed and 2,443 injured.

When someone claims that mental illness is the primary cause of mass shootings, it has been perceived as a personal attack on mentally ill individuals. This portrays them as dangerous and ultimately accountable for the improper use of firearms.

Suggesting that mental illness is the cause of violence is stigmatizing, which keeps people from seeking and receiving the necessary care. It also reduces their capacity to learn and comprehend the reality that “you are not the problem.”

Every single school shooter has one thing in common. The access to a firearm.

Preventing Gun violence starts from the top. Restricting access children and adults have to guns will reduce the violence used with firearms. We should commit to gun control, not discrimination.

Reducing access to guns is very simple. Lock up your weapons, keep them hidden and don’t make your children aware there are firearms in the home.

Gay Agenda.

The gay agenda is a term originally used by religions as a way to describe the advocacy of cultural acceptance and normalization of homosexual orientations and relationships.

School shootings are not a part of this agenda. Gay people are not the sole cause of shootings, mass acts of violence or mental illness.

Since the 1970’s, medical associations have labeled homosexuality as a “normal counterpart” of heterosexuality.

Labeling homosexuality “normal” was considered the “greatest gay victory” by homosexuals all across the United States.

Following discovery of Dylan Butler’s sexual orientation as queer, remarks on social media and in biased media outlets began to flood in, promoting the idea that Butler was mentally ill and that he was coddled because he was gay.

While yes, people who are queer are 2.5 times more likely to experience mental disorders than those who are heterosexual, that does not make homosexuality the cause of mass acts of violence.

Trans or Non-Binary shooters only make up 0.11% of shootings in the last decade. The ratio of cisgender to transgender shooters is 1:880. This proves that homosexuality is not the cause of mass violence let alone school shootings.

Sandy Hook Promise.

Dec. 14, 2012 Adam Lanza shot and killed 6 adults and 20 children across 2 different rooms. Police were called to the school after 9:35 a.m to begin the search for the shooter. Once they found him they realized he had died by his own hand. 

After the Sandy Hook tragedy, a nonprofit organization was created, led by family members whose loved ones were killed.

Sandy Hook Promise (SHP) does a great job of informing people of the risk factors, statistics and more about gun violence. They achieve their goal to “honor all victims of gun violence by turning our tragedy into a moment of transformation.” 

According to the SHP, Guns used in about 68% of gun-related incidents at schools were taken from their house, a friend, or a relative.

Don’t become a statistic. Don’t be just another number. Reach out, and people will listen.

Perry High School, Wahawk Insider prays for you.