This week, I’m writing my column in near silence, the only sound the pecking at the keyboard. This, unfortunately, represents the silence that will be part of too many lives in Connecticut after the terrible tragedy of yet another school shooting.
Many thoughts jumped around in my head when I first heard about this, and in today’s 24-hour news cycle, it didn’t take long for speculation to take hold and for Facebook to blow up about the story. As I scrolled around my news feed, I saw a lot of varying reactions. A former star of mine, Zach Hacker, had a very thoughtful post dealing with the two main issues that will rise from this tragedy: gun control and mental illness.
Let me talk about gun control first. I wouldn’t know how to shoot a gun if you put one in my hands, and I know that puts me in a minority around here.
However, I’m not opposed to guns. I realize the pleasure hunting brings many people, and I don’t mind a little venison now and then.
Would stronger gun laws help limit situations like the Connecticut shooting? It’s possible, and I don’t think I’d oppose some laws limiting the sale of some of these semi-automatic guns. Whether it’s for hunting or protection, I’m not sure we need the types of weaponry that appear in movies.
Of course, people who want these types of guns will find a way to get their hands on them. If you tell people they can’t have something, they will work their hardest to get that (See: Prohibition). So our government needs to tread carefully before making a quick gut reaction to this action and take everything into account before making decisions.
Mental illness, as Zach stated in his wonderful post, is the bigger issue. There are many people who suffer from this and are never treated.
I won’t speculate on what was going on in the mind of the shooter, but all news reports seem to indicate there was something that was off about his mind. I had a hard time understanding this issue until I realized there were people I knew and cared about who deal with mental illness. Most likely, everyone who is reading this knows people who suffer from mental illness, and too often, the stigma attached keeps people from seeking some help to deal with depression, anxiety, etc.
Please be understanding and help people who need help. As Al Batt often writes, kindness can solve many problems.
I’ve seen many posts that are vitriolic in nature in regards to the shooter. I understand that, but think it’s wasteful hate.
I too am sickened at the thought of all those children dead; I’ve teared up a number of times today, thinking about it and thinking about how much I love my own children.
I also start thinking about how much I care for my students. I can’t even imagine being able to react and respond in that situation; I pray it never happens here.
Ever since Columbine in 1999, teachers everywhere have been more vigilant, but it’s never enough as long as these things keep happening. As I look at the school board’s proposal to install a safety entrance in New Richland, this is all the more reason to go forward with that. It’s not a cure-all, but it’s a tremendous step in the right direction.
As parents and teachers, we often have to be serious and don’t always get to make decisions that our children like. But I hope everything we do is with a sense of caring.
I sometimes tell my students and my players I coach that if I’m in your face about something, it means I haven’t given up on you. That’s a hard lesson to learn sometimes, but hopefully one that is recognized years down the line.
Hug your children every day. Tell your parents you love them. Try to get along with your brothers and sisters. There are too many people in Connecticut who won’t get to do that anymore.
Word of the Week: This week’s word is vitriolic, which means caustic and biting, as in, “The Facebook post was so vitriolic and brimming with anger that nobody pushed the like button.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!