Gun Control… why it’s not enough.
In Elementary School I had a little girl in my class who was severely disabled. She was in a wheelchair, unable to talk, go to the bathroom on her own, or converse with her peers. I remember my mom talking to me about always being kind to her, helping her when I could, trying to include her, and being a branch of Gods love. She always taught me to look for those who were excluded and include them, who needed help to help them, and to always smile when making eye contact.
I was in high school when the Columbine shootings happened. I remember being in the front office when we heard the news. And the one thing I remember vividly was not being afraid, but was that reminder my mom had instilled in my to be kind towards others. My words and actions mattered. To find the excluded and include, to reach out to someone who was sitting alone and sit with them, and to remember to be a branch of Gods love.
As a safety professional, I am educated on the systems that can be employed to reduce (not prevent) these horrific acts of violence, but more than ever, we as a society and parents need to start at home. The basics around empathy and kindness have been lost in our society. We have replaced human contact with social media, violence on television and video games have desensitized our youth, and we are loosing our children.
I am absolutely for stricter gun laws, but it’s not just guns that are the problem. And until we all recognize that and are as determined to make systematic changes on all the issues, these horrific events will continue to happen.