What does a person do when trying to rest and recover from her third chemo treatment? If she’s me, she wakes up early and composes her response to the recent mass school shooting. Like everyone else in the country I’ve been heartbroken, and grief stricken for the families, the school the community and our nation. I pray for them all to know God's peace and comfort. I ask, "how do we make this stop?" I haven’t responded to other’s posts, as I don’t feel Facebook posts are the way to try to sway opinions. My Facebook goals are to give family updates and try to spread positivity and faith. When I couldn’t get it off my mind this morning, I knew it was time to write what I’ve been prayerfully considering. If you feel you need to comment, please be respectful. (see point #3) I think we need honest dialog and difference of opinions, but without the hate and anger.
I’ve organized my thoughts into three categories:
- Gun legislation: I don’t think gun legislation will solve the problem. Shooters are not law-abiding citizens. Something else is going on in their hearts. No matter how many laws we have, they will find ways to get the firepower they need. Disarming law-abiding citizens could only make the problem worse. If a shooter knows he (it’s almost always a he) will be unopposed until the armed law enforcement arrives, he can do much damage. In any case, legislation will be further divisive and take a long while to get it done.
- Long term and could be near term solutions:
- Harden targets. There’s no reason a shooter should be able to walk into an unlocked back school door and enter an unlocked classroom in the middle of school hours, start shooting and barricade himself in. First step in hardening the school: Lock all doors. Security policies already in place do no good if they’re not consistently adhered to. Leave one door open with controlled entrance with armed security and metal detectors. Figure out how to secure open areas such as cafeterias and playgrounds. Fencing may help and also armed guards and security cameras. Rather than children feeling like they’re in an armed environment, they will feel safe to be free and learn if they know they are protected. Also consider letting willing, trained, vetted, and designated staff and volunteers inside the school and on school grounds to conceal carry. If a shooter is immediately opposed, much violence may be prevented. Also, when the armed law enforcement arrives, they may be quicker to enter the scene if they know they already have backup inside. The Uvalde police reportedly waited one hour outside the school for a tactical team to arrive.) There’s no excuse to say we don’t have funds to make our schools secure. We spend all kinds of money to protect “important” people and events. We send billions if not trillions overseas to help other countries protect themselves. We have $1.3 trillion of unspent covid relief money dedicated to schools. Hardening the schools seems like a good use for it. It’s time our precious children become our number one priority.
- Evaluate what these shooters have in common, what the root causes of violence are, and figure out how to prevent the carnage.
- Family breakdown and fatherlessness: Who is going to teach these young men how to be God-fearing, responsible, good citizens? How do we support single moms and be sure no one is left to fend for themselves on the streets?
- Bullying: Yes, we need rules and consequences for bullies. But who is going to love on those being bullied? Who is going to teach them their life has value and purpose? Who is going to teach them they can be victorious overcomers and support them until they get there? We can’t expect teachers to bear this responsibility alone. Parents, family, friends, neighbors, community services and faith based communities all need to have a role to play.
- Dignity of life: It’s hard to feel your life has much value if you’re abandoned or neglected by those who should be nurturing you. If your parents are addicts or criminals, what else can you learn but anger and violence? When society as a whole is willing to rip babies out of their mother’s wombs or allow them to die after birth if they’re unwanted, how can life be seen as precious and God given? There are ways to prevent unwanted pregnancies: birth control before conception, abstinence until you’re ready to be a parent, and pregnancy support and adoption after delivery are options. We need to see all life as having dignity and meaning if we expect our young people to grow up not hating themselves and society.
- Movies, media and violent video games: We are told that what we think rewires our brains. Sitting for hours watching violent movies with the hormones attached from adrenaline and strong emotions can’t help but imprint on the brain. (films about school shootings like Run, Hide, Fight and others) Hours of isolation playing unsupervised, violent video games seems to be common preparation for shooters. We as a society need to say these are unacceptable. (I’m a strong first amendment supporter, but there has to be some common sense from the industry and parents. Lack of demand will make these projects unprofitable)
- Drugs, gangs, homelessness: The unrestricted flow of drugs through our southern border and other avenues are having a huge tole on mental health, and especially crime and death. The same is true of gangs. Unattached youth are looking for somewhere to belong. Joining a gang or becoming a pusher or groomer for sex trafficking are ways to establish community. We need to target loners without family support and get them connected to healthy peers and adults. We also need better support for our veterans, so they don’t become victims of crime or addicts and end up homeless. They deserve better after serving our country and coming home with physical and mental scars.
- Law enforcement: Cutting police presence doesn’t deter crime or allow for rapid response when a crime is in progress. (Think about the Buffalo 911 call which was not processed in a timely fashion.) Also, not enforcing laws already on the books, or not holding criminals when caught is no deterrent. When criminals know they will only be booked and released back to the street without having to post bail, the financial and thrill benefits of crime override and deterrent.
- Dividing us on right/left, racial, oppressor/oppressed, pro-life/pro-choice, vax/anti-vax ideologies is causing so much hatred, suspicion and division. We are blessed and will be able to solve these issues when we are unified in our love and respect for each other. We are finally unified on saying “enough” to school shootings. No one wants to see another one or see families and communities put through this horror. We need to come to a place of good faith communication, strategizing and planning.
- Politics, unions and school boards: It seems we can’t trust politicians to act in the best interests of children. They push their agenda and grab for power. Parents have the ultimate concern for their children’s well-being, including safety when they’re at school. It’s time to give parent’s more of a voice and to take them seriously. Many of the surviving parents from past school shootings have good ideas about what needs to be done. Let’s listen to them and not expect politicians to come up with all the solutions.
- Ultimate Solution: Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” (NLT) In order to have true peace and rest, we need to come to Jesus in repentance and trust Him for salvation and guidance. We need to let Him teach us how to be humble and gentle. Being humble is not to be weak. It’s to take the needs of others in consideration over our “rights.” It’s to remember that there is a God, and I’m not Him. It’s to submit to His guidance and will. Being gentle is not a weak word either. It’s the Greek word praus which means getting angry at the right things, in the right condition of mind and heart. It’s demonstrating gentleness in power and balance born in strength of character. It’s to stand up for the needs of the vulnerable and weak. If we learn from Jesus, we can address all these problems in the right way and come to a place of rest for our souls. We can rest in His love for us and all other humans.