Like most Americans, I was shocked at the mass shooting that occurred at the Covenant School in Tennessee last Monday. Watching the body cameras of the police clearing the school and shooting
the murderer to death was a humbling experience. It demonstrated grace under pressure; communication; decisiveness; awareness; teamwork; and ultimately, putting rounds on a vile target. We should remember, that smaller scale versions of the atrocity that took place that day in the most unlikely of places--takes place every weekend in cities across the country (think of the average weekend in Chicago).
But yet another school shooting calls into question: what has changed in American society that mass killings have begun to feel too familiar? After all, guns have been a part of society for the entirety of our existence. Modern weapons have been around for the past 100 years. Why is it that the past 25 years we have seen such an uptick? Access to guns? Maybe. But if so, these types of crimes should have been around for the past hundred years. "Mental health" issues? Everyone has stress in their lives, why the wanton killing of the innocent in the past 25 years?
In my own humble opinion, the mental health issue has been exacerbated by a decaying of moral values in society. In years past, the crime in Tennessee would have been universally condemned. In today's environment, certain segments of society explain it as a victim class being forced into action as a consequence of not being seen or heard. The perpetuator of the crime is painted as a victim in some circles. I couldn't disagree more.
Within a couple of hours of the event, the current administration was blaming the Republican Party for not passing more stringent gun control measures. But even if the sale of all weapons were to take place starting tomorrow, society is already inundated with weapons so the danger would not be any less. Murders choose schools because they view them as easy targets. The shooter on Monday thought so. They would not think so if teachers were armed. The police response on Monday, as exceptional as it was, still took 14 minutes. What if one or more qualified teachers with concealed carry permits and relevant training had been armed? I think it's time for schools to seriously consider this option.
If you haven't already seen it, here is then body cam footage of that day and some of my thoughts about it.
In a related note, I ran across this info about using a chair to jam a door. An easy and clever solution. Step 1: Place the back leg into the door handle.
Step 2: Push the chair back.
