Who is to Blame for School Shootings?
There is plenty of it to go around
If only the parents had taken Ethan home that day.
If only the school official (or even the parents) opened the backpack that was carried down the hall to return to Ethan.
If only the parents told the school officials that Ethan had access to a gun that looked very similar to the drawing (the reason the parents were called to the school)
If only Ethan wasn’t gifted a gun.
Any of these things would have made the difference between the life and death of four young souls.
The Crumbly trial was the first of its kind in America. The parents were charged with involuntary manslaughter after their son was charged with the murder of the four students in yet, another school shooting that are becoming way too common.
I had never heard of a school shooting until Columbine. I was an adult by then so there was never a day I went to school fearful that someone would come into the school and open fire killing people. I wish that I could say the same about my own children.
But I can’t.
America has more school shootings than any other nation. The reasons for this are debatable however, the fact remains.
Americans love guns. More than that Americans are not willing to change or reform any gun laws that could prevent these horrid school shootings from happening.
“Guns don’t kill people, people kill people”
Yes, genius this is true. But when it comes to school shootings people kill people (mainly children) using GUNS.
Other countries have experienced the excruciating pain of school shootings where valuable lives were lost. They decided that it was best to reform their gun laws to try to prevent these horrific crimes from happening.
That didn’t mean they were not permitted to have guns. They were still granted that right. There were restrictions put in place. A waiting period, proper training and education, and restriction on the type of gun that could be owned by a civilian. They decided that the lives lost were more important than a minor inconvenience to their “rights.”
America decided that the lives lost even those of our tiny humans were not worth restricting or reforming any of the “rights” that we have.
I guess it is much of an inconvenience to wait for a gun. Assault weapons, we need those because….. (can’t think of a reason why). Proper training and education? How dare anyone expect that?
It seems as if even only one school shooting could be prevented that is not enough. It just isn’t worth it.
We cant Blame Guns but someone has to be held responsible
So let’s try placing blame on the parents. Unprecedented yes, but perfect. America must at least appear that we are going to do something about this. Something that says our accessibility to guns is not the problem. The problem is the parents. This is at least partly true, I do agree with that.
I watched the trial of Jennifer Crumbley. She made some terrible parenting decisions for sure.
Could she have foreseen that her son was a danger to others and that he was planning to “shoot up the school”?
I just don’t know.
It seems to be that after the fact it is easier to see the red flags that there is a problem. The state of Michigan decided that her actions as a parent were so negligent that she was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter. Truth be told similar or even more significant red flags were present in many other school shooters and it wasn’t even thought of to charge the parents.
Is America learning from past mistakes or simply assigning a scapegoat to blame for a broken society?
Next month the father of the child will stand trial for the same charge. I wonder if the result will be the same. It seems to me that if one parent is guilty the other must be too. We shall see.
This conviction very well may lead to fewer school shootings. I have no doubts that parents all over America will ensure that their guns are no longer accessible to their children. They may start reading their journals and being more involved in their lives.
After all, if they don’t it could be them going to prison.
Maybe placing the blame on the parents is America’s way of saying that we are finally doing something to prevent these horrendous tragedies. If we blame the parents we can put someone at fault.
Even if this case does at least reduce some of the mass shootings that America has been accepting of it is not enough.
77 minutes
That is how long those precious children suffered trapped in a classroom. Their last moments of life are in fear and horror. Their helpless teachers with only their bodies to protect those who are not able to help themself. The teachers were brave and did the best they could to try to help the children inside of those classrooms. All the while fully armed law enforcement stood outside of the classroom in their pristine tactical gear, waiting. They waited 77 minutes before entering that classroom. Those children waited 77 minutes for help from their horror. By the time help came for them, it was too late.
Whose fault is it?
There are plenty of ways to place blame. We can blame parents, we can blame school officials, we can poor mental health, and the easy accessibility to guns.
The evil being who decides to bring a weapon into a school full of precious children and open fire is to blame. As of yet, we have not been able to come up with a cure for the evil in this world. If there is no cure for the evil then our society must prevent these things from happening.
Society must stop being complacent with the mass shootings that are happening in record numbers. Our children deserve to be able to go to school without the fear of being gunned down. Our teachers deserve to be safe as they teach and enrich our children’s lives.
Even if that means, we have to have stricter gun laws.
Or… be better parents.
America we need to be better. We can no longer sit idly complacent with what is happening under the blanket of our freedoms and liberties. Our children’s right to be safe and protected far outweighs the right for people to walk around with assault weapons. We do not have to take away the guns. We just need to reform our laws. At the same time yes, we also need easier and better access for mental health.
And yes, we need to be better parents.
References:
School shootings in the US compared with the rest of the world | CNN
There have been 394 school shootings since Columbine — Washington Post
How do U.S. gun laws compare to other countries? | PBS NewsHour