Five years ago today, I was sitting in Island View Elementary School in Anacortes, Washington working as an AmeriCorps VISTA. Early that morning someone said there had been a shooting on the East Coast and as details emerged it was even more heartbreaking. The shooting had taken place in an elementary school. The exact location where I was but on the exact opposite side of the country.
Twenty eight people were killed that day in Newtown, Connecticut. A young man named, Adam Lanza, who suffered from mental health issues had killed his own mother then went to Sandy Hook Elementary School. There were six teachers and administrators killed trying to protect their students. The other twenty students that died that day were mostly in kindergarten. They were only six or seven years old. Can you imagine the horror of a mass shooting, let alone a mass shooting of small children?
I have never been involved in a shooting and I think I only know one person that was actually shot. But the events that took place five years ago hit me the hardest. It was almost painful to see all of the little kids at our school that day and the following. My heart ached for the parents of the students. I had only been with Island View for two weeks, but the students their had already touched a place in my heart.
The principal told all of the staff not to talk about it or pull it up on our computers. He wanted to protect his students, just like the staff at Sandy Hook. He thought it was best for the parents to discuss and explain what had happened, if they felt fit to do so. I agreed with him on this. It was not a subject to talk about lightly. There was a place and a time to discuss it.
The place and time to talk about it has been the last five years. There are two issues that need to change in the United States and they directly relate to the shooting in Newtown. Mental health and Gun Control. These issues only seem to get brought up when something horrible happens, but then action is not taken.
Gun Control:
According to this article from Vox, which was posted today, there have been 1,576 mass shootings in the United States since Sandy Hook. Those shooting left 1,788 people dead and over 6,000 injured. These numbers are insane. I do not suggest banning all firearms, that just wouldn't work. Look at prohibition. Also, I have shot guns before and kind it quite exhilarating. But I do not think anyone needs to own machine guns, semi automatic rifles, or guns that have been modified to do more damage. This would be the "bump stalk" that the recent Las Vegas shooter used which speeds up the discharge of the bullets. That shooter also had about 23 guns with him at the time. No one should own that many weapons of any kind. There should be rules or laws that are more strict about gun purchasing. A background check should be required for all purchases, online or in person. There should not be loopholes in certain states or at gun shows. All gun owners must own a license as well. If you need a license to drive a car, then you should definitely have one to carry a weapon on your body or in your home.
Although, maybe we should ban guns like Australia did. In April 1996, Australia was rocked by a mass murder in Port Arthur, Tasmania. Martin Bryant went a killing rampage for two days. He killed 35 people and injured 24 (including himself.) The police never found out why Bryant went on the mass killing in the small town, even after his capture. But Australia immediately went to work. In 1997, they passed new laws in gun control. "Following the spree, the Prime Minister of Australia, John Howard, introduced strict gun control laws within Australia and formulated the National Firearms Programme Implementation Act 1996, restricting the private ownership of high-capacity semi-automatic rifles, semi-automatic shotguns and pump-action shotguns as well as introducing uniform firearms licensing. It was implemented with bipartisan support by the Commonwealth, states and territories." (Parliament of Australia)
Just some food for thought on that one, since Australia has not had a mass shooting since this event.
Mental Health:
Almost every mass shooting in America leads back to mental health. Adam Lanza suffered from a variety of
illnesses and an obsession with violence. Some say this was bound to lead to a murder of some kind. The
Aurora, Colorado shooting in July 20, 2012 during a premiere screening of The Dark Knight took the lives
of 24 people and injured another 140. James Holmes now sits incarcerated for 12 life sentences without
parole. Both of these men were young, but suffered in their own minds from more than one issue. If
someone had sought help for them from a younger age, maybe these events would not have happened
and all of those lives would not have been lost.
I do know, first hand, what a family member with mental health issues can do to a family. It causes stress,
distance, fear, and misunderstandings. A parent never wants their child to suffer, physically or mentally, but
when it is mentally it can be harder to deal with. There is no cure for mental illness. There are treatment plans
with therapy and medication. The trouble is that sometimes people with schizophrenia or other issues
don't want to take their medication. It can make them feel dull or lifeless. Or some people really don't like
being told what to do.
The day after the killings in Sandy Hook, during the media out cry and rage, a mother and writer published
an article. Liza Long wrote "I am Adam Lanza's Mother." She was not his mother, but she was a mother of
a child similar to Adam. Please click here to read her letter. Long wrote of the pain and misunderstood
feelings from others dealing with her own child that "suffered" from mental issues. She is brutally honest
about her feelings and lets the read know everything, even if the names have been changed.
President Obama (miss you buddy) attempted to make progress on gun control, but not get too far. And we all know that Twitter Loving Spray Tan Obsessed Man in the current White House won't do a damn thing. So congress needs to move forward. If American politicians can work together, difficult I know, to do something about both of these
issues maybe we will never hear of twenty elementary students murdered for no reason ever again. If
you do not agree with any gun control, I suggest you watch the "Newtown" documentary on Netflix.
You might have a better understanding after what the parents in Newtown still suffering after
losing their children.