An Active Shooting Here?

A mile down the country road from me is a combination middle and high school. Yesterday, as I approached it on my way to a doctor’s appointment, I saw a police car with its lights spinning and a pile of cars. My immediate thought was, “Wow! That officer has made his quota for catching speeders. I’d better slow down!” As I slowed down, I saw the gate to the school campus was locked and there were what appeared to be a crowd of adults crying and hugging each other as they looked towards the school for any answers. I thought, “Oh no! Not here! An active shooting here?”

As I continued on down the road, more and more police vehicles with their sirens blasting whizzed on by. My fear seemed to be realized. This was too close to home, literally!

Luckily, there was no incident at either the middle or the high school. A student sincerely thought she saw a strange man walking around campus with what looked like a gun in his possession. Her suspicion was determined unfounded. We all are still shaking and hyper-alert because of the Parkland high school shooting just a few hours away.

The learning was disrupted and after school events were canceled. For what? Why do students, teachers and administrators have to have this looming over them? What does any shooter really get out of his or her actions? Most go to jail for the rest of their lives or commit suicide. Who wins anything here?

This is just one more call for more gun control and more social services for children before their emotions spiral out of control in adolescence. Hey Congress, let’s get our head out of the sand and really do something positive towards this epidemic!