Something We Can All Do

We have had difficult conversations at my home this week. I’m sure you have too.
Girl child came home from school having seen a video of the shooting as it was happening in that Florida classroom. Thank you social media.

“Are you scared daughter?” I asked.

“I wasn’t until I saw the video” she said. “It could happen at my school. I could pick out 10 kids that fit that boys description. There are at least two kids I know personally that if they shot up our school I would say- I called that”.

Daughter is right. Last year- Principal showed up at her classroom door. The boy sitting in front of her was taken out of class. He did not return. Girl child found out from an adult at the school that the boy had a gun in his back pack. No announcement went out to parents corroborating that account. But Imagine if this happens in every school at least one time a year?

Are you afraid? Me too.

Gun and boy were one desk away from the most precious of all my gifts.

Why? Why are we still having these conversations?

Stubbornness.

We want to be right. We want our solution and our slant to be the answer. We are unwilling to compromise in a way that would offer protection while society continues discussion.

As a society we will not be able to control any of the variables that contribute to the murder of our innocents . Pointing out that our nation has turned away from God (which is true)will not bring this violent rage to a stop quickly enough even though I believe that it is the root of the rage.

One recent meme spreading across social media suggests that prayer and thoughts should be replaced with policy. What does that really mean?

Pointing fingers at poor parenting, assaulting the rights granted to us by the Constitution, attacking one political party over another, mocking people who pray and identifying the mentally ill is just noise that allows us to empty ourselves of fear until the next shots ring out.

Until the next child falls. Until your child or my child cowers screaming in a classroom recording a symptom of our collective stubbornness.

There is one thing and one thing alone that can be done to stop mass shootings at schools within the next year.

Can you imagine us coming together across every divide to protect our children now? Every school across this country should be required to have metal detectors at every entrance that is not locked. Every school should have at least two or three officers or security guards on campus. These are commonsense solutions that will make it more difficult for this crime to be carried out yet again. This does not require you to lay down your opinion or stance or party. It requires instead that you partner with your neighbor.

Girl child’s life is worth the cost of a metal detector and a few uniformed salaries. Her life is worth laying down our stubbornness.

Isn’t it?


You can make a tangible change in your own community. Call or write your local school board today. Let them know that the expectation of their community is that there will be security presence at every school immediately.

The cost of a serviceable metal detector is $5000. https://www.ncjrs.gov/school/ch3a_5.html

Policy-This is the concrete action step that every citizen can do right now.

Thank you.