This is probably the wrong time to sit down and address what has just happened at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. All of the details are not yet out, but the news media has made many statements and assumptions that seem to hold up myths about schools that we continue to hear each time another of this growing number of horrendous incidents explodes on the TV screen. Reporters continue to ask the question, “Were all of the security and safety measures in place and adhered to?”
Here is a fact: Video cameras, Buzzers on doors, People sitting at desks in the hallways of schools, even metal detectors are not security against an armed attacker. The people maintaining these items could very well be the first victims of the assault. These measures and methods taken by schools are to give an illusion of safety to caring parents and teachers. It is an assurance that schools are seemingly doing something to protect children. None of these measures however, protect children from an armed intruder bent on killing as many people as possible in the shortest amount of time. In terms of schools, we must understand the people we refer to are children.
In my lifetime these tragic attacks have occurred at the college, high school, middle school and now at the elementary school level. Most recently, they also occurred at a movie theater shopping mall and a political open air, town hall gathering complete with a congresswoman. After each of those incidents the idea of discussion about the problem for some reason had to be put off for a few months before we could talk about it. I did not understand it then, and I do not understand it now. We need to see this as a problem. We can’t wait until we add a pre-school, or a maternity ward to the long and growing list of places where kids are being killed. This incident is now listed as number 5 in the Top school shootings. What civilized, educated country has a list like that? How long is that list?
The Terrorists of 911 have changed how we all travel today. Measures are taken to prevent weapons being taken aboard planes. Yes we are inconvenienced and many of us complain every time we go through those long lines. We comply, because it is reasonable, and it insures our right and freedom to travel. One imbecilic terrorist made an unsuccessful attempt to use a shoe bomb and today, and every day, any American boarding a plane takes off his/her shoes. We all complain about that, but it is a reasonable sacrifice for safety. The cost of us learning this lesson of reasonableness about safety and security in the air came at a huge price to our country. It took well over 3,000 lives in NYC, Pennsylvania, and Washington D.C.
What is the total number of dead children that we need to get to before we can begin discussions to change what we are doing now? Obviously, what we are doing is not working. We need to have a discussion based on facts and not rhetoric. Too many of the facts about guns and their control have been distorted by too many people and a few organizations, well healed with the ability to put out misinformation and propaganda. We need critical thinking skills to sort through all of the BS. We need honesty, clarity and focus. We cannot start from a position stating that “nothing can be done”. If we ask, how do we prevent another incident where 20 children, ages 5-10, and 8 adults being killed in an elementary school in a matter of minutes. How can an educated civilized culture accept that “nothing can be done” as an answer? If the solution doesn’t begin NOW with US, when will it begin? Is there an actual number of dead children that is a tipping point? More importantly, are my kids going to be in that number? Are yours?
I believe in the constitution, and I believe in the Second amendment. I believe that citizens have the right too own guns. I also believe that right comes with a very big responsibility. Not everyone is responsible. Not everyone is mentally stable enough to be held responsible. I believe that we can regulate guns with commonsense laws in consideration of the facts, and not the rhetoric. I believe that reasonable people can look at real facts and come to reasonable conclusions that can lead to reasonable controls. The process however must begin with discussion. That almost never happens after these horrific events. There will be blog posts like this, editorials, documentaries, and maybe a “60 Minutes” segment, but probably no real substantive, focused meaningful discussion to protect kids will ever take place in the political arena. Politicians need to put the right to life for our kids first. The discussions will move to protect the rights of people who may not capable of responsibility to hold in their hands the lives of our children. If not now, when? If not us, who?
My Island View 
I was wondering who would be blogging about this. I do hope that no more is the number and we can have the discussion without the fear tactics. Most of the children killed were 5 years old Tom. It is nauseating to even think about this and work in a school district. Students, staff and parents around the country will be traumatized for a long time and it is time to protect us all with reasonable measures of gun control. I suspect this young man like many who commit these acts needed good mental health care or some kind of intervention. That is another discussion we need as well.
Donna. Do you not think that if a person wants to do harm they will find a way? Having gun control laws that would infringe upon our second amendment right to keep and bear arms just allows the government another step toward controlling more of our lives. The founders of our country did not envision that this great country become a nation dominated by more and more laws and bigger and ever more intrusive government.
I do agree with Tom that sensible dialogue needs to take place NOW. He is correct in his view that what we have now in schools is the appearance of safety. Please stop and think clearly for a moment. Barring the Civil War, the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and the American Revolution, the worst tragedy our country has encountered were the terrorist attacks on 9/11. Were there guns involved? No. We need to have in place a system whereby those who need help get help before it comes to disasters like that of today. Pray not only for the victims and their families but pray also for all the people out there, who like the attacker, need mental health help. A sane person doesn’t do things like shooting up people in schools. Stricter gun control will only put more power into the hands of government and those people bent on causing destruction.
Well put Tom
Tom – thank you for writing this today. I think any educator in their right mind is heart-broken today, and they want to see this never happens to their students or children. I would also like to add that we need a serious conversation about our mental health capacities/facilities/resources in this country – if we could identify disturbing behavior or areas of concern in our children and students early on out of care and concern, we could better help our children be whole and heal instead of allowing things to go pent up or out of control for so long. If our guidance counseling offices could have open, non-judgmental conversations with kids about issues they’re facing, I feel students may be more open to sharing issues that they are facing and find coping mechanisms to deal with their anger/grief/confusion about their lives. I am praying for answers and for my high school students’ safety almost always, and especially tonight.
Tom, like all other educators today, I was unable to read/watch the news without choking up. Discussion is a good thing, but I’m not sure it is that easy. Why? Because it is one of those grey areas. From what I can surmise from reports so far (the danger of posting too early as you mentioned), it seems that this was the result of an individual who was mentally disturbed and the connection he had to the school was his mother.
Is there a solution in this case? How can you prevent an adult from doing this? Schools already have these buzz-in systems, as you stated. Do we also require metal detectors? Who pays for those?
Beyond a school’s responsibility, what is society’s responsibility? Do we require a psychological assessment for a potential gun buyer? Do we require yearly updates in mental health in order to retain ownership? This is the grey area to which I refer. The danger is where to draw the line on mental stability.
I’ll leave my thoughts at this for now. I hope we can have some discussion that will lead to solutions.
Force every gun buyer to get written recommendations from 8 former teachers. A standard DMV eye test isn’t going to catch the crazies but those of us who deal with the same students 7.5 hours a day for a few years in a row can sure point them out. Discipline at school should carry into the “real world” and vice-versa. Get in a fight at school? Ok, we’ll suspend you and allow you to hang out in the square with the dropout thugs and drug dealers… so that when you are allowed back inside our walls you’re 8x worse and addicted to things you’d only heard about before. I say a suspended student should spend their school day locked up somewhere… make them want to be better behaved. It’s no wonder so many kids and young adults today care so little about anything – there’s really no punishment for misbehaving.
Why do I mention this? Because the idea of education is to help students make the right decisions when they need to. We’re so engrossed with getting little Johnny to read at his appropriate age level that we don’t care that he’s completely obsessed with death, killing, and pain. As long as the answers on the bubble sheet are right it’s all good. Right? Wait – how many post-elementary teachers even know what their students’ passions are? Probably *not* the majority.
I don’t know what the answers are… In fact I’ve got no idea. I know I’d better apply for my concealed permit before they make the laws any tougher… but other than that I just hope that somehow we can start identifying these troubled people at a younger age and start working with them to make non-threatening young adults. This sort of thing should never happen. Not here, not anywhere.
Thank-you. Simply, Thank-you. You articulated so well what was in my heart.
I agree with the 2nd amendment. However, it is not like we are fighting off the British any longer, are we? Why are people so damned afraid of gun control? Because these hard core conservatives are paranoid that 1st it is gun control, and then that will lead to something else, etc. The problem is FEAR. It is all hysteria for nothing. Nobody is trying to take us over, there is no government conspiracy to control our lives or become “socialist’. I think the real issue is that people put so much stock in the “American Identity” which is to hold fast to our guns. It is insane. The people who do not favor gun control are as delusional about reality as this shooter was.
First off I can understand that your reply is baed on emotion and frustration. It truly has been an emotional day, a terrible tragedy has been wrought upon the citizens of our country. Second, your last sentence was just mean. People who want to cause harm will find ways to cause harm with or without gun control.
As a country our citizens have been giving up freedoms and liberty hand over fist. The current government regime is something to be very afraid of. We are not even certain beyond a reasonable doubt that the man trying to lead our great republic was even a natural born citizen. Not only is a particular party trying to turn this country into another nanny state socialist country but they are succeeding. The media in our country is biased toward one party and cannot be trusted as objective distributors of news.
I’m sure that Tom’s intention in writing his post was not meant to spur a political debate on his blog, and we need to address what happened today with open dialogue on creating safe environments for our children when they are at school. Name calling and blaming people who own guns does not help to solve atrocities like the one that occurred today.
Timothy
I respect your opinion and I do believe people have the right to own guns as I stated in my post. I do not support government conspiracy theories. I believe that the Obama administration has done nothing to limit anyone’s second amendment rights. I supported Obama with my money and my votes in both of his Presidential elections. I was extremely moved by his address to the nation on this tragedy. I support the constitution and I love my country and have for 65 years. I openly offer my reflections and I consider myself a critical thinker. I hate propaganda and demagoguery. Now if you want to know what I intended with my post, it is a call for sanity and reasonable discourse on a subject that is killing citizens of all ages for no reason. We need to be honest and open without labels or name-calling if we are to move forward. The lives of our citizens should be the focus of us all.
Thank you for your post, Mr. Whitby. It was well said.
Thanks so much for sharing. So sad and yest something does need to be done.
[…] This is probably the wrong time to sit down and address what has just happened at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. All of the details are not yet out, but the news media has ma… […]
Observation from Greece: No one (armed robbers excluded) here has yet walked into a public place and started shooting innocent people (as far as I know). The interesting question regarding senseless acts like this is: What is it about American culture that makes such senseless acts more likely? The availability of firearms is one factor (although it would be interesting to compare statistics with Sicily, for instance), but it would also be worth making a connection with education (not top of the list in my opinion, but it is on the list, isn’t it?) and so we could make a connection with your previous post about how well/badly schools are preparing people for life. I read a few things about James Holmes, and it seemed remarkable that a man could come out as an apparently grade A student and yet have such a poor sense of being rooted in a culture and a society (I recall his identification with the Joker). I agree extremely strongly with the commenter on the previous post who wanted to put a lot more emphasis on the arts and humanities in education to help young people develop culturally, emotionally, personally and socially (assuming the arts and the humanities could be taught in such a way).
I think a lot of us have felt the need to communicate about this topic, and you did it very well. This is not for shameless self-promotion, but I also felt inspired to blog something about the idea of “responsible gun ownership” that I feel fits in well with some of what you said. Feel free to take a look.
I can’t help thinking about Ken Wilbur’s philosophy about stages of personal and human development, and what happens when people with early stage development get their hands on 21st century weapons.