The school year for some has just started and already there was a potential school shooting that was averted. This time (as sad as it makes me to say it that way), the incident occurred outside of Atlanta, Georgia. From the news report I read this morning, it seems an armed gunman, 20 years old, snuck in behind someone entering a secure school. All procedures were followed in terms of security. Details are not entirely clear yet about the incident as it just occurred yesterday. The man apparently entered the school office and demanded that the secretary or clerk call a local television station. Armed with an AK-47 and seemingly ready to kill everyone he could, the clerk made the phone call and kept the man occupied by telling him her life story, everything she could, without a pause. It apparently worked because the man did not leave the office till the police arrived at which point he went back outside, fired off a few rounds, and then re-entered the building. Once back inside and having returned to the office, the clerk who had kept him occupied told him to put down his gun and just lay down on the floor. He actually listened and when police came in, he was laying down and did not put up a fight at all. Either this man really didn't want to go through with the shooting, something changed within him, or everyone was simply lucky. Whatever the case may be, no one was killed this time around. As the news report also says, there was a possibility that the man had explosives in his car as a dog sniffed them out, but nothing was confirmed as of yet. The best thing about this news story is that no one was killed. The worst part is that regardless of what we do to try and keep this events from happening, gun control or anything else, we have not put a stop to the culture of violence in this country. That and the fact that we have this notion that if someone gets their 15 minutes in the spotlight, their lives can be turned around and possibly made better; or at least their name will live on long after they have passed. It is a sad world we live in these days, made sadder by the fact that gunmen feel the only way to get attention, seek revenge, or whatever is to enter a school with guns with the intent of killing innocent children and their teachers.
There is another thing that bothers me about this story. As I was half way through the first paragraph, it occurred to me that I would never heard about this story if I hadn't read the quick, one line story reports at the bottom of the online page. I know I said that I am bothered by the fact that it got only a one line blurb linking it to the actual article, but I am actually divided on how I feel about it. On one hand, I feel that it is a good thing they gave the incident so little attention in that it doesn't give the gunman the notoriety and instant fame that he was seeking. Yet, the fact that the gunman was thwarted and he did not end up killing anyone makes me feel as if they should have given it a little more attention, perhaps move it halfway up the page. I am sure that more attention is being paid to this incident in Georgia and that the local news down there is giving it a bigger spread in papers. I only hope that not too much attention is given to the actual gunman. He does not deserve the attention he will most likely receive. In fact, I wish they hadn't even posted his name in any articles and just referred to him as gunman X or something. However, everyone needs to put a name and a face to the incident so in addition to his name going public, I am sure we will see his face posted online within a matter of days. Seeing as no one was killed in this incident, I have this funny image running through my mind. From my interactions with people from the South, they love to talk, tell you their story, and will talk your ear off if you are willing to listen. I can just see this young man walking into the main office of the school with his AK-47 slung over his shoulder and having this clerk start talking to him. I can almost see her lean against a counter and begin her story of her life and just keep on talking and talking and talking. I can also almost see him not wanting to be disrespectful and just standing there listening to her. I know it probably didn't happen that way, but I am sure that someone could make it into a funny cartoon or something. Trust me, I know this story is a serious matter in the fact that another gunman entered a school and had the potential to kill a lot of people, however it did not turn out that way.
I only hope that we can start talking about what really matters when it comes to these gunmen and why they feel the need to enter schools with the intent of killing children and adults. We will undoubtedly hear another round of people talking up gun control and how we need to do more. We will hear some talk about mental health and the fact that no one is helping those that are in need. We will not hear much about the culture of violence we are currently living in though or the fact that we are teaching our children that the only way to get what they want is to act out violently towards others. Gun control in my mind is the least of our worries. If we don't get a handle on mental health in this country and our culture of violence, then regardless of whether we take away every single gun or not, people will still act violently towards others. I could go on and on about this, but I have said it before. For now, I am running late this morning and will have to cut this a little bit short. I am just glad that no one was killed in this incident and I hope that we don't have to deal with anything like this or like Newtown again this coming school year. No one knows how this year will play out yet, but lets hope it is a peaceful one.
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