Another Mass Shooting
15 dead, One teacher and 14 students
14 Students, 1 Teacher Dead in Texas School Shooting (NYT.com)
Gov. Greg Abbott, who announced the death toll, said the gunman was also dead. It was the deadliest elementary school shooting since the 2012 massacre in Newtown, Conn. (NYT.com)
A gunman, Salvador Ramos, opened fire at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, on Tuesday, killing 14 children and a teacher, in the deadliest shooting at an elementary school since the devastating attack at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn., in 2012.
Police officers are believed to have killed the 18-year-old gunman, Gov. Greg Abbott said at a news conference. Mr. Abbott later said that the gunman had been a student at a nearby high school.
My take: Here we go again. Again, innocent lives have been lost at the hands of a mentally unstable person. Again, at an elementary school, young lives were lost and parents have to make arrangements to bury their children. Again, staff and students, who survived the massacre, have been traumatized for the rest of their lives.
What is wrong with people? Why did another young man (18 years old) go into a school and shoot children? Apparently, before entering the school, Ramos shot his grandmother. Why?! It hasn’t been reported if the grandmother survived the shooting. I hope she did. Her knowledge of her grandson’s motives will help.
But even so, it will not bring back those children and the teacher. It is madness that this country continues to have mass shootings and nothing has been done about gun control or mental health. There was nothing done after the mass shooting at Sandy Hook in 2012. Obama wanted to pass gun control measures and the Republican-controlled Congress struck that down. It will most likely be the same luck for Biden, despite Congress being controlled by the Democrats.
But I still doubt that any change will come. The Biden Administration can send millions to Ukraine to support that country against Russia but helping American citizens is a struggle. Meanwhile, thousands die on city streets, at schools, restaurants, and offices because someone has a chip on their shoulder and the need for blood.
I don’t have all of the answers. But I do have some suggestions — America first. Spend the money on supporting this country’s mental health needs. Tell the NRA to take a hike. Speak to gun manufacturers about reducing guns made in this country. Send aid to city police departments to give them more resources to get guns off the streets. Label gangs and other organized crime groups as domestic terrorists. Provide hospitals with more mental health counselors and support staff.
In addition, we must tell our youth that guns are not the answer. It’s so easy to get a gun in this country. It’s even easier to use it when you have hate in your heart. Young people act without thinking and throw caution to the wind. Their reckless abandonment causes injury and deaths to so many people. Young people must understand that violence only brings about more violence. Parents do not want to bury their children.
My heart goes out to the families of those children and staff members. They were taken way too soon. It will be a long time before any sort of healing can begin. In the meantime, our schools must not be war zones. Schools are places of growth and learning, not death and mourning.
