To address the issues people have with being afraid to send our kids to school, was it not long ago that one of these shootings happened in a movie theater and not long before that it happened in a shopping mall? Clearly these tragedies can happen anywhere so what are parents going to do? Keep your kids at home forever? Never let them out of your sight? Can't be done. As parents we worry every time we send them out into the world and that is not going to change so everyone screaming "I am never going to send my kids to school again", not the answer.
As far as the security in our schools. Well I really think the schools and the parents within those schools have to make that determination for themselves and their area, not the general public deciding what is best for everyone. However, I also don't think that making our kids feel like they are going to school in prison or a war zone is the answer either. I also know that it has been stated in the news today that the shooter in this situation FORCED himself into the school, he didn't just walk in willy nilly. Proving not only that every one's comments about people just having free reign to walk into schools and do things like this are completely false, but also, once again, proving that we are entirely too reactive!
As far as taking away people's right to have guns period, come on...really? I do not have a gun myself, but my father owns enough to take over a small country and I also grew up shooting them regularly and still enjoy doing it now. However, for the sake of giggles, let's play this argument out. If we are going to take away this vehicle that contributes to crime, then we need to take away all cars to avoid drunk driving accidents. Then we need to take away all knives to avoid stabbings. Then we need to become a dry nation with no alcohol to do away with all fights, domestic violence incidents, and other crimes that are directly alcohol induced. Then we need to do away with all technology and Internet so we can get rid of things like cyber-bullying, cyber-stalking, identity theft, and all other crimes that are assisted and/or only made possible through technology. Sounds insane right? Well if we are going to entertain one argument you can't very well not entertain all of them, so where does it stop? The problem is not the vehicle or tool used, it is the person utilizing it!
Just my opinion, but I think what could really help situations such as these, is better mental health care across the board. Now I will say I don't know for a fact that mental illness played a part in these shootings, but I will say as a person with common sense, if you are 20 years old and decide to walk into an elementary school with four guns to open fire on children, you are probably not functioning on the same level as a person with all their faculties. As a society, we treat people with mental illness like we do the homeless, like they are less than and don't matter. The fact of the matter is, mental illness is either something you are born with because of genetics or something that was FORCED on you due to extreme circumstances, usually in childhood. These people need help, not judgment. They are human beings who deserve some compassion and people need to remember mental illness is something that could just as easily happen to you or someone you love as it could happen to anyone else. We do have gun laws for criminals so I believe another thing that would help would be gun laws for people with mental illness. I'm not naïve enough to think this will in anyway completely solve the problem because ultimately if someone really wants a gun, they are going to get one. However, while people with mental illness do deserve and need compassion and respect, we also have to remember that not all of them are capable of making decisions that are in the best interest of themselves or others, let alone the safest.
I don't think there is ever going to be a perfect answer on how to ensure our kids or society as a whole are going to be completely safe because unfortunately, we live in a world where bad things happen. What I do feel is we need to stop reacting from our hearts and prejudices and start reacting from our heads. I said this exact same thing in regards to the sex offender registry and those labeled as "sex offenders." A great deal of people really hated my statements about that, but I am here to tell you a police chief, a warden, and several criminal justice professors, LOVED what I had to say by stating it made them really think about how much that system should be changed, something they never even considered before. Call it arrogant, that's fine, but I believe when you do something you are proud of and people acknowledge it, there is nothing wrong with being proud of it yourself. However, that was another article and I am off topic. I whole heartedly believe one of the biggest issues holding us back as a nation is the fact that every time there is an injustice or something we can't explain, we react from our guts and not our brains. That is fear. When bad things happen that people can't understand or explain, it makes people afraid. That fear makes them react in ways that are often not reasonable. Fear is normal, fear is a part of life, but fear cannot be made the foundation for our decisions as a nation. I think until we change that, we may find change in other places to be slow coming, if at all!
I have lost a child so I do know that pain, but I only knew my child for four and half hours. Those hours were beautiful, they were precious, but they were short. I have also said many times, that while my loss was so very difficult, I can't even begin to imagine what it would be like to lose one of my other children who, for so many years, I have watched grow and develop, just as I will not compare it to someone else's child. A child who was with them long enough to make memories, to share joy, to share in their life. Even more so, I will not compare my loss to those who have lost a child at the hands of someone else's anger or someone else's selfishness. I am speaking only for myself when I say, I don't feel it is the same. Believing that and feeling that, I want to add that my heart and my prayers go out to all those affected so deeply and personally by this tragedy. In as situation such as this, I know these words really sound hollow and empty and they change nothing, but please know you are thought of. I would also like to say again, as I have many times, that heroes are not just those who wear uniforms. The adults who thought nothing of their own lives or safety in an effort to sacrifice for these children are a prime example of that and they should be forever recognized for it!
