Not everyone will be able to celebrate the holidays with their loved ones this year and it has nothing to do with COVID. Four families will be mourning the loss of their children. As the news slowly fades around yet another school shooting and as the statistics just blend in with the rest, families and friends of the four victims will have to endure the pain of these losses for the rest of their lives. The saddest part is this all could have been prevented.
On Nov. 30, yet another school shooting happened in our country. This time, the warning signs were as plain as day and yet we as a society still failed to protect our children.
There is not just one thing that is needed to end these senseless acts. Those who say it’s the parents who need to be held responsible are correct. Those who say we need stricter gun laws are correct. Those who say we need to pay more attention to mental health are correct.
The discipline and education must start at home. In this most recent shooting, the mother of the shooter was said to have sent a text to her son after a teacher became disturbed by the student’s researching gun bullets on his iPhone. The boy texted his mother about the teacher’s concern. The mother responded with, “LOL. I’m not mad at you, you have to learn how not to get caught.” Later, she texted her son again, “Ethan, don’t do it.” She didn’t know her son’s shooting rampage had already begun at the school. We are becoming a society in which parents want to be “friends” with their children. This does not teach them valuable lessons or support a healthy upbringing. Parents, we need to do better.
Demanding stricter gun laws does not mean taking away the Second Amendment, as some falsely claim. Some people fear stricter laws mean they can’t have their guns, which apparently is more important to them than keeping kids safe. But that is not true. All it would do is give greater punishments to those who choose to use their weapons illegally. Furthermore, there is simply no reason for a civilian to be carrying around military-grade weapons. Those weapons are created to kill, nothing else. Government, you need to do better.
Mental health plays a huge role in all of this too. An urge to kill others does not come from a healthy mind. Therapy shouldn’t be given to just those who can afford it. Insurance companies need to step up and realize mental health is just as important, if not more important, than physical health. Seeing a therapist frequently should be just as common as your yearly physical check-ups. Health providers, you need to do better.
Parents should not have to wonder if they will see their children again as they send them off to school. Our kids shouldn’t have to worry about how to hide properly under a desk to protect themselves. It’s absurd an editorial like this even needs to be written after yet another horrific school shooting. Society, we can do better.
