As I drove by a local school a few weeks ago, a troubling thought crossed my mind: “It’s been a while since we’ve had a school shooting.” My immediate follow-up was, “Of course, schools have been closed all summer.” The casualness of this internal dialogue is deeply unsettling, but what troubles me even more is how easily these thoughts arise.
When I learned about the recent school shooting near Spokane, Washington, I cannot say I was taken aback. A student entered his high school armed and shot four classmates—my reaction was a mix of sadness, anger, and frustration, but shock? That feeling was absent.
This tragic routine is almost expected now. We quickly count the casualties (four shot, one dead), debate whether “killed” or “murdered” is the more fitting term, and then mourn for the victims’ families. We engage in discussions about the systemic failures that lead to such horrors.
What makes this incident particularly poignant for me is its proximity; I grew up in Spokane and currently reside just 80 minutes from Freeman High School, where the incident occurred. It’s a stark reminder that no community is immune to this violence.
The unfortunate truth is that school shootings have become a distinctly American issue, happening with alarming regularity. While other nations experience isolated incidents, none come close to the frequency witnessed in the U.S. The statistics are staggering: from November 1, 1991, to July 16, 2013, our country saw 55 school shootings resulting in fatalities, while no other nation reported more than three in that same timeframe. The Academy for Critical Incident Analysis at John Jay College revealed that, between 2000 and 2010, the U.S. had just one fewer school shooting with multiple victims than 38 other developed nations combined, despite those countries having a population over ten times larger than ours.
This year alone, the Freeman High School incident marked the 31st school shooting in the U.S. So, now we enter the debate phase: how much of the issue stems from gun accessibility versus mental health or parenting? We trot out competing statistics, arguing that strict gun laws would only hinder responsible owners, as criminals will always find a way.
We wrestle with interpretations of the Second Amendment, and discussions often devolve into hostility. Once again, we hear that “now is not the time” to address gun control. Even as the numbers shock us, we downplay the reality, assuring ourselves that the odds of a child being killed in a school shooting are still statistically small.
This continual cycle is exhausting. We pretend that America isn’t facing a gun crisis, despite the evident school shooting epidemic. Meanwhile, lawmakers seem paralyzed, failing to take meaningful action time and again.
I’ve researched this complex issue and understand that solutions are elusive. Some argue that gun control wouldn’t stop these tragedies, and perhaps that’s correct. Maybe the sheer number of firearms in circulation makes it impossible to keep them out of the wrong hands. Maybe the media inadvertently glorifies the shooters. Maybe it’s also a reflection of our failing mental health system.
Yet, even if all these factors are true, we must still advocate for sensible gun legislation. This is not just a practical issue; it touches on our values as a society. What does it say about us when we remain inactive in the face of the horrific statistics and the stories of suffering they represent? How can we witness so many tragedies and not attempt to prevent a single troubled individual from accessing firearms?
America faces a critical crossroads: either we have a gun problem or a people problem—and neither option is acceptable. While some argue that guns don’t kill people, people do, it appears that Americans have a penchant for using guns to harm one another. A friend of mine recently commented that America’s obsession with firearms makes us seem “crazy” to the rest of the world, and I can’t help but agree.
We live in a society that often brushes aside these harsh realities, allowing politicians to play patriotic games while ignoring the need for change. Resignation sets in, and we find ourselves forgetting the urgency of the situation until the next shooting occurs.
Now, as we reflect on how long it’s been since the last incident, we wonder where the next one will strike. We hope and pray it won’t be in our community. We pray it won’t involve our children.
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In summary, America is grappling with a pressing issue surrounding school shootings that we can no longer afford to ignore. It’s essential to engage in open dialogue about the underlying causes and advocate for effective solutions before it’s too late.