By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher | Think back to when you were in elementary school. Isn’t it interesting that in many places, such as in Macon where I was raised, we called them grammar schools! After all, they did teach us grammar.
Most of those school days were routine in the classroom. But every now and then, a little drama entered when we had a fire drill. We excitedly marched outside in the prescribed way, stood around a while no doubt noisily, then a little exhilarated, returned to class.
We came to this thought when realizing that in today’s times, in Parkland, Fla. schools, the new drill is “Red Alert.” It’s not a laid-back fire drill, but it’s more like a panicked and frenzied question of life and death.
Hearing of Parkland students and teachers jammed into closets in fear, of many of them calling 911 on their cell phones, or calling their parents while crammed closely , not knowing if a shooter might barge into their area and send rat-a-tat-tat rounds their way…….send shivers up my spine.
This is not what school should be about. Parents should not have to worry about the safety of their children when they are in school; they are there to learn for tomorrow. But for some students at Parkland and other schools around our country, there is no tomorrow. They have been gunned down, or luckily just wounded, and now face recovery, all in a country whose government will not take the right steps to safeguard not only its children, but safeguard teachers and others who face the rounds of ammunition that crazed people aim at them.
It shouldn’t be so. Our country should have the will to eliminate the means that allow these deranged people to access weapons and ammunition and wreck havoc on our people.
For this is not going away without significant government action. Since Sandy Hook in 2012, there have been 239 school shootings nationwide, 438 people have been shot, and 138 people killed by deranged shooters bursting into schoolrooms in all parts of the nation and at random spraying automatic weapons upon the terrorized victims. (See chart: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/02/15/us/school-shootings-sandy-hook-parkland.html.)
And yet even the person who is supposed to lead our country will not contradict such actions from the gun community. Instead, President Trump addressed it as “mental health” after the most recent event.
Granted, we need more action promoting mental health. But we need dramatic and quick action to eliminate the means that these crazies destroy the safety of schools—and our nation—by their actions, all because our governments will not stand up and recognize the gun industry for what it is.
We’re not just talking about the Federal government and a Congress that functions so poorly. Our State of Georgia has elected officials who can step forward and take actions that will make our communities safer. They will have to have the courage and be forceful to stand up to the National Rifle Association and its wide gun lobby, for our conditions to improve.
Every time we see a state representative, or state senator, or member of the House or U.S. senator, we all should be questioning them, “When are you gonna’ take action against the gun lobby?” Or ask: “How much did the gun lobby contribute to your campaign?” We can’t continue to see the same lack of inattention in this arena.
Remember those school children shivering with fear in that closet during the latest “Red Alert.” Remember them and those who died in the Parkland tragedy.
Then vow you will seek to elect people who will take on the gun manufacturers and outlaw these weapons of death.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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