Following consecutive shootings... Small US town bans 'backpacks for school'

A small town in the central United States has banned students from bringing backpacks to school. This drastic measure aims to completely prevent firearms from being brought onto school grounds amid ongoing shooting incidents.

On March 27 (local time), the day after a mass shooting incident in Tennessee, USA, residents held a protest demanding gun control. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 6th (local time) that public schools in Flint, Michigan, have prohibited students from carrying backpacks to school.

As a result, students at 11 public elementary, middle, and high schools in the area are not allowed to bring bags larger than a small handbag-sized bag that can hold a lunchbox into the schools.

The background to this measure by the city’s education office is the recent surge in firearm-related incidents within schools. Recently, a high school in the area was closed for two days due to threats involving firearms. In response, the city’s education office held an emergency meeting and decided to ban backpacks until the start of summer vacation this year.

Kevlin Jones, superintendent of Flint public schools, said, "Because firearms can be disassembled and are difficult to identify, students can easily hide them in backpacks," adding, "To ensure school safety, we will ban backpacks and strengthen the deployment of security personnel."

However, some parents have criticized the backpack ban as excessive. They argue that since firearms can still be smuggled in by hiding them under clothes, the effectiveness of the measure is questionable.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.