Thoughts and Prayers
On February 22, 2017, New Hampshire Governor Christopher Sununu, the son himself of a former governor and member of a political dynasty, signed into law Senate Bill 12, a bill which revoked the need to file for a concealed carry permit within the state for residents. Up until the bill itself was signed, I was fairly optimistic that it would be. In my mind, I believed that any citizen legally able to purchase a weapon should indeed be trusted to carry that weapon in any manner they saw fit.
This is one of several gun-related political brawls I’ve been witness to within my lifetime already, a nearly 31 years of life. I’ve seen guns banned, legalized, regulated, and unregulated. In all of these occasions, despite my personal opinions, I believed in the right of the American people to make proper decisions. I believed that the government should allow citizens to control their own destiny, rather than enforcing their own beliefs upon them.
In 1994, many presidents pressed then-current president Bill Clinton to sign into law a bill that would ban semi-automatic assault weapons for a period of ten years. It was believed that this would be an adequate amount of time to genuinely determine whether or not the weapons possessed a true risk to the public or not. Former Presidents, Democrats and Republicans alike, were in agreement that the ban was needed to potentially stifle a burgeoning gun crime epidemic within the nation. With that knowledge, and against NRA suggestion, Clinton signed the bill effective September 1994 that for a period of ten years would ban these weapons from being sold to the public.
Within the following ten years, there would be gun crimes committed, most notably the major high school shooting in Littleton, Colorado at Columbine High School in 1999. At the time, politicians blamed the access to video games and metal music for the tragedy, instead of the weapons used. They blamed the fact that the school didn’t prepare for such an event. They blamed the mental state of the kids who committed the crimes. They did not blame the weapons. What they did do was offer “Thoughts and Prayers” to those involved.
At the end of the ten year ban on the sale of assault weapons to private citizens in 2004, President George W. Bush neglected to support continued bans or legislation, thus causing each and every bill, presented by members of both major political parties, to fail to even get to a vote. In September 2004, weapons created primarily for murdering other humans in war, and greatly aided by improved technology, became legal to purchase once again.
When the ban ended, it was seen somewhat as a “nothing” thing. Many researchers believed that the ban did little to prevent gun crimes, and a common thought among those who supported the ban’s removal was that “bad people will find ways to do bad things.” What couldn’t truly be predicted was just how greatly American society would change in the years going forward.
The country was at war. A horrific attack which occurred on American soil a mere three years prior left a nation reeling and on edge. People who had spent most of their lives living comfortably and enjoying prosperity were suddenly scared. They were afraid of their neighbors, their co-workers, and their own friends. By merely declaring war on an idea, George W. Bush made it almost acceptable to question everyone who didn’t appear as patriotic as they should be. Immigrants were attacked, their businesses destroyed, and relationships tore at the seams as racism and fear swept the country. The country was at war with the world, and at war with themselves.
Within a few short years, the weapons flooded the market. Where there had once been hunting rifles, handguns, and arrows stood racks of expensive military grade assault weapons. They were seen as cool, fun, exciting even. To kids, they were that and so much more. For some, they represented power, or a way to fight back against all who opposed them. A generation obsessed with first-person shooting games, they saw the weapons as the closest thing to the games they played, at an age where understanding the mere power of the weapons could not be handled.
While in college in 2007, I can remember flipping to the news and watching the breaking story of a student at Virginia Tech going building by building, massacring fellow students. I remember the fear of how that could too happen on my campus. How there’s no real way to stop it in the moment should it begin. Unfortunately, except for the 32 killed that day, life goes on. Many in positions of power, rather than offering solution, instead offered something else.
“Thoughts and Prayers.”
Gun sales skyrocketed at the belief they’d soon be banned. The NRA said we needed more good guys with guns, and to arm and train teachers and professors. Conservatives demanded that citizens shouldn’t be “punished” over the crimes of few. Liberals demanded that preventative measures need to be taken to prevent shootings of this level happening again. The President and many offered thoughts and prayers. Surprisingly, none of this mattered.
In 2008, a mass shooting at Northern Illinois took place. Mere months after the Virginia Tech massacre, a man walked onto a campus and shot 26 people in a hall, killing five of them before killing himself. Again, arm teachers, don’t punish law abiding citizens. Offer these survivors something far better than real legislation.
“Thoughts and Prayers.”
In 2012, Aurora, Colorado saw a mass shooting in a location that many of us feel our most vulnerable. We go to the movie theater to let go, and immerse ourselves in a story that is unlike our own. On that day, a full theater was watching a late night showing of The Dark Knight Rises when James Holmes opened fired, killing 12 and injuring 70. A nation offered what it felt was the right thing to do.
“Thoughts and Prayers.”
Later in that same year, I saw what I thought would be the turning point in the country. Up until this point, citizens were willing to brush aside shootings as just the failings of those parents or that society. They were kids, but many were old enough to have fought back. They just needed to be trained on how to handle the situation. In Newtown, Connecticut, I saw what I truly thought would be the end of the debate.
Adam Lanza, a 20-year-old man who was the son of a teacher, killed his mother at their home. Then, he armed himself heavily, drove to Sandy Hook Elementary where his mother had been a teacher, and devastatingly murdered over twenty young children and staff members. Many students had been huddled in closets, trying to survive by any means necessary. This individual was able to fire an immense number of bullets in a short period of time before finally ending the spree with one final bullet for himself.
The nation, after years of senseless gun crimes, spoke loudly of the tragedy that had occurred. Those same politicians, who had for years received money from lobbying groups to prevent laws being enacted, offered more thoughts and prayers than ever before. The small town of Newtown felt a wave of thoughts and prayers unlike any before it. Unfortunately, what it didn’t feel was change. Too afraid to alienate a minority of voters who are too incapable of multiple thoughts and thus are single issue voters, they sat on their hands. They did less than nothing. Simply, they offered the only thing they truly felt they could offer without risking their spots.
“Thoughts and Prayers.”
Just two years ago, Orlando, Florida was on the receiving end of the largest mass shooting in United States history, with Omar Mateen opening fire on the Pulse Nightclub. 49 innocent people died that night. There were armed guards on duty, and “good guys” surrounding the club, as cops were in copious amounts in that area of Orlando. If you’ve been following the story so far, you know what is coming next.
“Thoughts and Prayers.”
Barely one year later, Las Vegas one-upped that record, with a jaw dropping 58 people murdered and 546 people injured at a country music festival after a single individual, who legally acquired the weapons, opened fire from an adjacent upper floor hotel room. A nation mourned the loss of so many people at the hands of one single shooter. We questioned how this was still possible in 2017, thirteen years after the law to ban these weapons had fallen off the books. Unfortunately, our government once again offered the only thing we can count on them for.
“Thoughts and Prayers.”
Since that day, shootings have only increased. Thousands of lives cut short by the bullets fired at the hands of people who have, often times, legally purchased those weapons. Just last week, an individual who legally purchased these previously banned weapons opened fire in a high school in Florida. Students were shocked that within their lifetime nothing had been done, that their parents and representatives continued to fail them.
I too work in a school. While I am not a teacher, I am involved each and every day with the students. Often, I’ll see more students come into my office for help than some teachers may see in a day. They know my name, my personality, my vehicle, and many of my accomplishments. Often, I see a side of them their their own teachers and parents won’t see. I see many of them as representative of the children I don’t yet have. As silly as it sounds, myself and my peers would truly defend them in the face of any adversity.
When myself and my fellow staff members engage in meetings and drills to prepare for a shooting or attack, we are all of the same mindset that we need to put the students first. I personally have thought of multiple scenarios and what I would do in those events. Many times, the thoughts scare me, as it doesn’t seem right that I have to prepare for potentially being shot at while being at work.
I’m not a first responder. I’m not enlisted in the military. I’m a damn instructional technology coordinator. It is asinine that I and my peers have to continue to prepare students to avoid death because some rich people in Washington are afraid of pissing off the minority of the population who believes these weapons prevent the government from taking total control.
NEWS FLASH, FOLKS! THE GOVERNMENT HAS JETS. YOUR GUNS WON’T STOP THE GOVERNMENT IF THEY CHOOSE TO TAKE OVER.
We need change. It is not right to have students and teachers afraid to go to school, because one of their peers may finally have snapped. Every single criminal started off as a law abiding citizen, but yet that continues to be our argument. Bad people find ways to do bad things. Don’t punish the good ones. What happens when the good turns bad, like what is typically the case? You cannot predict that accurately, and no amount of mental health screening will prevent that. A sociopath will find a way to get through an assessment, and as someone who majored in the field, I can guarantee it’s far easier than most realize.
It’s time to make the public feel it is safe to go to an event, whether it is a movie or a concert. It’s time we make sure students and teachers feel safe at school. It’s time we stop offering “Thoughts and Prayers” and offer actual solutions. Stop saying we need to arm teachers with guns when we can’t even arm them with pencils and paper. Stop saying we need more good guys with guns, when the guys with guns often started as the good guys. Start looking for solutions. Start standing up for those who can’t stand up for themselves. Start being proactive, instead of reactive. Start giving our future a chance.